SEPTEMBER 2023 - NEWS FROM

FRIENDS OF HERRING RIVER

AND THE

HERRING RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT

Reminder - FHR 2023 ANNUAL MEETING

All are welcome!

Wednesday, September 27 @ 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Chequessett Club, 680 Chequessett Neck Road, Wellfleet MA

Meet in Boathouse, water side (as seen in Trip Advisor photo below)



Meeting Includes:

+ Review of our work, vision, finances & team highlights.

+ Keynote, "Endangered Species in Local Habitats":

Stephanie Ellis, Executive Director, Wild Care

+ Update, Herring River Restoration Project:

Wes Stinson, Project Representative, Town of Wellfleet

No RSVP needed. In-person only. Refreshments included. Hope to see you!

Installation of pipe piles / photo: Wes Stinson

Pipe piles in advance of pier cap installation / photo: Wes Stinson

UPDATES - Mill Creek Water Control Structure, Low Road Elevation & Culvert Replacement, Vegetation Clearing

Carole Ridley, Project Coordinator, Herring River Restoration Project

Progress continues in the implementation of Phase 1 of the Herring River Restoration Project. Funding and environmental permits are in place for construction of all water control infrastructure and measures to protect structures on public and private property from any potential effects of Phase 1 tidal restoration.

Mill Creek Water Control Structure

The National Park Service (NPS) is expected to begin construction of the Mill Creek Water Control Structure before the end of 2023. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is providing the NPS with $8 million in funding for this project along with an additional $1.4 million from the National Park Foundation. The NPS issued a bid package for the structure in June 2023. The bid period closed on July 31 and announcement of a selected contractor is anticipated in the coming weeks.

Low Road Elevation and Culvert Replacement

Final design for elevation of low-lying roads and culvert replacements is progressing. The estimated bidding and construction start schedules have been revised to Summer 2024 (bidding) and Fall 2024/Winter 2025 (construction start) to allow ample time for completion of final design and competitive bidding, and to meet all applicable time-of-year restrictions. The revised estimated schedule will not alter the timeline for restoring tidal flow to the Herring River. Because flood mitigation work on four private properties is closely aligned with the timing of low-road work, the estimated schedule for installation of protective measures for private properties, including the Chequessett Club golf course, has also been revised to begin in late 2024.

Vegetation Clearing

Clearing of woody vegetation on an additional 40 acres in Duck Harbor is expected to resume in December 2023, for a total of 120 acres cleared. Additional clearing of approximately 60 acres woody vegetation is expected to take place in early 2024.

HAPPENINGS AROUND & IN THE ESTUARY

photo: John Portnoy

Volunteers Needed - COASTSWEEP 2023!



Friends of Herring River joins the Wellfleet Conservation Trust, The Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary of Mass Audubon, and Town of Wellfleet groups including the Recycling Committee, the Open Space Committee, the Conservation Committee, the Shellfish Advisory Board, and the Shellfish Department for a coordinated beach clean up of marine debris - trash, fishing line, and any other human-made items - from Wellfleet Harbor beaches.

This event is part of the Massachusetts COASTSWEEP 2023, sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). COASTSWEEP is part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. Volunteers from all over the world collect marine debris, tally, and categorize items to help discover marine debris sources ands find solutions to this problem.

To Participate: Meet at 10:00 am, MONDAY, OCTOBER 9th

at the Mayo Beach parking lot on Kendrick Avenue in Wellfleet, regardless of the weather. (Advanced sign-up is not necessary.)

+Volunteers will be assigned to a team for a specific beach to collect and record the types and amounts of debris on scorecards and return it all to Mayo Beach for recycling or disposal at the Wellfleet Transfer Station.

+Trash bags, latex gloves, and score cards will be provided.

+Volunteers are encouraged to dress appropriately for the anticipated weather and bring drinking water, and their own gloves, if desired.

+The SWEEP is expected to conclude well before noon.

YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK

Current Highlight: Laying the groundwork to replicate restoration

As you know, it took over 15 years of work before we could break ground for the restoration of the Herring River – and FHR is determined to accelerate estuary restorations elsewhere by sharing everything we and other partners have learned and continue to discover 

To that end, we’re so excited to be working with (and managing the contract for) Solano Film Collective, with principal member Eben Portnoy,  to capture photographs of baseline conditions and construction activity and develop short videos. We love helping frame the video topics, connecting them to people to interview, providing visual assets, coordinating draft reviews and more. Hollywood, here we come!

Coming attractions: we’ll be sharing the first two videos with you soon!

FHR’s Work

As the Herring River restoration construction has started, FHR’s work has expanded and shifted to meet new needs. We still manage contracts, facilitate coordination, and mobilize ongoing community support; we now also ensure monitoring for compliance and document learnings to share. Additionally, FHR plays a critical role as a flexible partner, willing and able to step in as needed, to make sure the project keeps moving forward.

We rely on your support

While many of our costs are covered by federal and state grants, we rely on you and your donations to close our funding gap each year.

 

Many thanks to all of you who have recently  donated. If you have not yet given, please consider doing so. You can donate HERE.

~ Laura Parkin, Chair, FHR Fundraising Committee

We Welcome & Appreciate Donations!

Support our mission - restoring and sustaining the environmental vitality of the Herring River estuary for its

multiple benefits to people and nature.

To donate, please click HERE

Friends of Herring River is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. 

P.O. Box 565 | 1580 Rte 6

South Wellfleet, MA 02663

(508) 214-0656