August 2022 --

Friends of Herring River joins with other environmental groups this late summer and early fall as we raise awareness of the importance of Restoring Our Waterways. We hope you will join us for one of these many

interesting activities.

Restoring Our Waterways

Calendar of Events

August Is National

Water Quality Month

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

September 11 at 7:30 AM

Friends of Herring River Walk. "Monitoring Oyster Settlement in the Herring River Estuary." Join FHR scientists to retrieve oyster spat collectors in the Herring River Estuary and learn about environmental conditions that will allow for increased shellfishing after restoration. Register at http://www.herringriver.org/Events. (Rain date September 12)

September 17 - 9:00 AM

Wellfleet Conservation Trust’s 14th Annual Walk is free and is 2.4 miles in length. The terrain will be mostly on dirt roads and paths in the woods. Topics will include Spectacle Pond, where FHR Board Member, John Portnoy, will offer comments on the benefits of healthy pond water. Also included are Kinnacum Pond, ice houses, the Gross sisters, Dr. Belding and perhaps Tupelo trees. (Rain date September 18. To register and for parking email wct.annual.walk@gmail.com.

September 19 thru October 16 OYSTERFEST! – a month long schedule of activities.

https://wellfleetspat.org/oysterfest-2022/

September 21 -- 5 PM FHR Annual Meeting Chequessett Club, Wellfleet

(See the next article in this issue for details.)

October 1 -- 10 AM to 12 PM

Friends of Herring River Offers "The Amazing Journey of Young of the Year Herring: From Pond to Ocean." Join Barbara Brennessel to hike part of the Upper Herring River watershed and trace the migration of small, "young of the year" river herring. Meet at Gull Pond Parking Lot. Register at www.herringriver.org/events (Rain date October 2).

October 10 - 9:00 AM -

The Wellfleet Conservation Trust Sponsors Coast Sweep 2022 - a community beach clean up. Meet at Mayo Beach. FHR will be cleaning at the Gut - the mouth of the river.

ONGOING EVENTS

A Trail Tale: “The Adventures of Allie the Alewife” (Self-guided, until October 1). Visit Wellfleet’s Gull Pond and learn about fish migration as you follow Allie the alewife’s trip from the bay to the pond.

Visit Cape Cod National Seashore’s Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, where you can explore, hike, paddle, and learn about the history and ecology of the Outer Cape.

www.capecodnationalseashore.org

Visit the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, and register for a seal walk, attend a shark talk, or participate in a beach clean-up. www.coastalstudies.org

Stop into Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum and take in their special exhibit: Working the Water. Wednesday—Saturday 10 AM—4 PM until Labor Day, then Friday and Saturday 10 AM -- 4 PM, until October 16 www.wellfleethistoricalsociety.org

Tour Wellfleet’s famous shellfish farms, and learn how the distinctive features of our waterway produce some of the world’s most prized oysters. www.wellfleetspat.org

Visit Friends of Herring River booth at the Wellfleet Farmers Market, on Wednesdays, 8 AM- 12 PM. Learn about the benefits of restoring the Herring River Estuary. Free bubbles for children! Goldfish snacks for all! www.herringriver.org

Please Come to Our Annual Meeting!

Friends of Herring River Annual Meeting will be held on September 21 -- 5:00 PM -- at the Chequessett Club in Wellfleet.

Our Keynote Speaker will be Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of Association to Preserve Cape Cod, speaking on "Water Quality Trends on Cape Cod: Where are we headed and what can we do about it."

A brief business meeting at the start of this event will include an update on the Restoration Project.

Educating the Children, Reaching the Parents

Alice Iacuessa, FHR Board member, gave three readings at Wellfleet Bay Audubon on July 29 to children ages 5 to 11. She read The Adventures of Allie the Alewife to the younger campers and Herring River Adventure to older children. This was an event co-sponsored by Wellfleet Cultural Council.

The counselors at Audubon welcomed the readings and said "Our 8-10 year olds are learning about fish and their habitat systems that week so it would be a nice tie in." The Adventures of Allie the Alewife was written by FHR Board member Barbara Brennessel and illustrated by her daughter, artist Marissa Picariello. Herring River Adventure was written by Alice Iacuessa and illustrated by Sam Hunter Magee. Both books are available at the FHR booth at the Farmers Market every Wednesday morning. They are also available at the FHR Office for a donation of $10.

Farmers Market Moment

Little ones are attracted to the crafts materials we make available at our booth at Wellfleet Farmers Market every Wednesday morning.

The fish ornaments are very popular and easy to make as all the decorations are stick-on.

We continue to attract the attention of children with crafts, coloring sheets and a box of seashells, horseshoe crab shells, and diamondback terrapin shells. It gives us a valuable opportunity to talk to new summer visitors every week.

In the photo: June Glover proudly holds her fish ornament as her mother, Marianne Montgomery, looks on.

Continuing Outreach --

Making Connections

More than 50 neighbors from Great Pastures, Wellfleet, and board members from Chequessett Club gathered at the home of Patti and Darryl Elliott overlooking the Herring River on Sunday, July 31st. Executive Director, Martha Craig and Board Chair of Friends of Herring River, Dale Rheault, provided project updates, bridge renderings, and answered questions. Delicious Wellfleet oysters were enjoyed by all!

Goals of the Herring River Restoration Project

Friends of Herring River continues to coordinate with the Town of Wellfleet and the Cape Cod National Seashore and other project partners on restoring the tidal flow to the Herring River in Wellfeet and Truro. The goal is to improve the ecosystem of the estuary while mitigating the impact of climate change. The diking of the Herring River in 1909 continues to harm the water quality of the estuary.

Restored tidal flow will:
Return healthier oxygen-rich seawater for aquatic life
Improve the fish habitat
Produce cleaner water for shellfish
Support the return of salt-marsh plants and animals
Decrease the level of acidity and metals
Lower river water temperature in summer
Lessen nuisance mosquito population
Reduce fecal coliform from birds and animals
Restore greenhouse gas storage to manage climate change
Reduce nitrogen pollution of Wellfleet Harbor
Protect, over time, the shoreline from increased storm surges and sea level rise.

To ensure that the herring can swim upstream in clean water, you, too, can make a splash!

Please help Friends of Herring River by donating to our Summer Appeal

Adopt a Fish Donate $25.00

Adopt a School of Fish Donate $100.00

Adopt a Run Donate $250.00

Become a Herring Hero Donate $1,000.00

With a donation of any amount, you are helping to protect the fish

Friends of Herring River serves a vital role in the Restoration Project as the non-profit, non-governmental partner helping to facilitate progress to restore the health of the Herring River and over a thousand acres of highly productive salt marsh. The successful restoration of this essential coastal ecosystem depends upon our efforts – educating the public, coordinating project activities, securing and administering project funds, conducting outreach programs, and supporting scientific research and monitoring.

But we can’t do our part without you. Please consider

making a gift today to support us.

Together, we can make a difference for our community, for our environment, and for generations to come.

To donate, please click here

Donate T - Click Here!Visit our Websi

Visit our Website

Info@HerringRiver.org

Herring River Currents is a publication of Friends of Herring River and includes events, art, literature, poetry, photography, history and culture inspired by the Herring River watershed in Wellfleet and Truro, Massachusetts. Thanks for reading and thanks to our contributors.

Lisbeth Wiley Chapman, Editor

bchapman@herringriver.org