Friends of Herring River Wellfleet & Truro, Massachusetts Annual Meeting August 21, 2012

Agenda Welcome and Introductions Business Meeting –Election of Directors and Officers –Treasurer’s Report Return of the Tide History of Human Use of the Herring River Estuary Monitoring the Spring Herring Run Discussion

Business Meeting Board of Directors Barbara Brennessel Lisbeth Wiley Chapman ** Debby Freeman ** Barbara E. Gray Jeff Hughes Gary Joseph ** Don Palladino John Portnoy ** Robert Prescott John Riehl Lynn Southey, Wellfleet Open Space Committee Liaison ** Current term expires – candidates for re-election

Business Meeting Election of Officers Proposed Slate of Officers President – Don Palladino Vice President – Barbara E. Gray Treasurer – John Riehl Clerk – Deborah Freeman

Friends of Herring River Mission Conduct education, research and public awareness activities Coordinate public outreach Raise funds Promote the restoration and ongoing environmental vitality of the Herring River Estuary

Friends of Herring River Wellfleet and Truro, Massachusetts What What can you do? Become a member Subscribe to newsletter Share ideas Volunteer Visit our website n you do?

Agenda Welcome and Introductions Business Meeting –Election of Directors and Officers –Treasurer’s Report Return of the Tide History of Human Use of the Herring River Estuary Monitoring the Spring Herring Run Discussion

Backup Slides

1908 Salt Marsh Declared shared commitment to investigate restoration of tide to the Herring River Established the Herring River Stakeholders Committee to identify interests that could be affected by tidal restoration Established the Herring River Technical Committee (HRTC) to assess the feasibility of restoring tidal flow. Development of the Herring River Restoration Project 1. September 2005: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Town of Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore:

Development of the Herring River Restoration Project 2. November 2007: Conceptual Restoration Plan for the Herring River Tidal Restoration Project developed by the Herring River Technical Committee completed and approved Integrated technical information and analyses with issues raised by the Stakeholders Committee Concluded that restoration was feasible and in the public interest Available on Town of Wellfleet, CCNS and Friends of Herring River web sites

Development of the Herring River Restoration Project 3. November 2007: Memorandum of Understanding, MOUII, among the Towns of Wellfleet, Truro and the Cape Cod National Seashore Declared shared commitment to restore tide to the Herring River Established the Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC) Tasked the HRRC with using local, state, and federal planning processes to produce a draft EIS/EIR and restoration plan for the Herring River

Herring River Restoration Committee Comply with Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) / National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Cape Cod Commission Regional Policy Plan Proactively address overall environmental and social concerns and specific impacts of selected alternatives Produce a draft EIS/EIR using local, state, and federal planning processes

Herring River Restoration Committee Gary Joseph (Town of Wellfleet and Committee Chair) Hillary Greenberg (Town of Wellfleet) Charlene Greenhalgh (Town of Truro) Steve Block (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Eric Derleth (US Fish and Wildlife Service) Tim Smith (Cape Cod National Seashore) Stephen Spear (Natural Resource Conservation Service) Hunt Durey (Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration) Margo Fenn (Association to Preserve Cape Cod)

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 1969 Purpose: "to make sure that agencies fully consider the environmental costs and benefits of their proposed actions before they make any decision to undertake those actions" NEPA is a decision making process and tool Requires careful, complete, and analytic study of the impacts of any proposal that has the potential to affect the environment; requires study of alternatives to the proposed action

Wellfleet 1887 Wellfleet Center Ryder Beach Pamet Point Dump Chequesset Neck Herring Pond

Original vs. current opening (since 1909)

Tidal Range ~ 2.5 meters Tidal Range ~ 0.5 meters Harbor Diked River

Natural marsh below the Dike “Marsh” above the Dike Elevation (meters NGVD) DIKE High tide Low tide Herring River Dike Effects on Tidal Range, Sediment and Vegetation

Wellfleet Harbor Gull Pond Mill Creek Pole Dike Creek Duck Harbor Bound Brook Herring Pond Wellfleet Center Truro Wellfleet 1908 Salt Marsh DIKE Salt Marsh

Exotic Phragmites Native salt marsh Dike Cape Cod Bay

Effects of tidal restriction on Herring River fish SpeciesRiver mouthJust above dikeHigh Toss Rd FOURSPINE STICKLEBACKXX MUMMICHOGXX STRIPED KILLIFISHXX NORTHERN PIPEFISHXX WHITE PERCHXX BLUEBACK HERRINGXX ALEWIFEXX HICKORY SHADX AMERICAN EELXX ATLANTIC MENHADENXX TIDEWATER SILVERSIDEX ATLANTIC SILVERSIDEXX WINTER FLOUNDERX BLUEFISHX ATLANTIC MACKERELX CHAIN PICKERELX PUMPKINSEEDX GOLDEN SHINERX

Tidal restoration for Herring River = The controlled removal of tidal restrictions to allow incremental restoration of: tides, water quality and plant and animal communities.

Ecological benefits Increased sediment deposition (to counter sea-level rise) Removal of exotic plants Re-establishment of salt-marsh plants Increased tidal flushing Improved water-column aeration Elimination of acidity/metals Improved migratory fish habitat Restored export to near-shore waters Social benefits Restored pollution control Restored public access, recreation & education Boating Birding Fin- and shellfishing Restored harvestable resources Finfish Shellfish Improved shellfish water quality Reduced mosquitoes

Existing Conditions Modeled Extent of Salinity Restored Conditions High Toss Road