|
Finally… after three attempts the Herring Run Paddle went off without a hitch on Saturday, May 8th. It was a cool, cloudy day, and three guides led the paddlers in two separate groups from the launch at Upper Mill Pond through the connecting stream to Lower Mill Pond and to the dam near the Stony Brook Mill. Naturalist, author and guide Peter Trull enlightened participants with his broad knowledge of birds and wildlife and Ryan Burch provided background on the town’s efforts to improve water quality and habitat in the Mill Ponds Complex. The elusive herring were periodically spotted in the shallows. We are grateful to participants, SupFari Adventures co-owner Ryan Burch and guides Peter Trull, Luke Foley as well as event co-sponsor The Brewster Conservation Trust for making the First Annual Event possible.
0 Comments
 Due to windy conditions, The Herring Run Paddle, has once more been rescheduled to this Saturday, May 8th. These two very special paddle events originally sold out in 24 hours - twice. Now there are four (4) spots available: three at 9AM and one at 12:30 PM. The wind is predicted to be calmer this Saturday - ideal for paddling. It is recommended that you reserve (below) rapidly for the few remaining open spots in each session.
Join us on a two-and-a-half-hour guided journey through Upper and Lower Mill Ponds to the spawning grounds of the alewife and blueback herring as we retrace the steps of John Hay, noted naturalist and author of The Run. Learn about the primordial, annual return of the alewife/herring to their original breeding grounds, the history of the Punkhorn and kettle ponds, and the health of the Mill Ponds, and discover the life that exists in this amazing ecosystem.  This guided walk, approximately 1-½ to 2 hours, wanders along wooded dirt trails, seldom used bumpy roads, and through a residential area. We will have distant and close up views of Bakers Pond and will join trails in Nickerson State Park to Higgins Pond. The walk is for adults and could be challenging for casual walkers not used to stones and roots or inclines.
The Herring Run Paddle, reschedule for this weekend, is once again sold out. Let's hope for less windy conditions! Due to windy conditions, The Herring Run Paddle, has been rescheduled to next Saturday, May 1st. These two very special paddle events originally sold out in 24 hours. Now eight (8) spots are available for the 9AM event and one (1) spot is available for the 12:30 event. It is recommended that you reserve (below) rapidly. Join us on a two-and-a-half-hour guided journey through Upper and Lower Mill Ponds to the spawning grounds of the alewife and blueback herring as we retrace the steps of John Hay, noted naturalist and author of The Run. Learn about the primordial, annual return of the alewife/herring to their original breeding grounds, the history of the Punkhorn and kettle ponds, and the health of the Mill Ponds, and discover the life that exists in this amazing ecosystem. PROCEEDS Benefit the Brewster Ponds Coalition and Brewster Conservation Trust WHEN & WHERE Saturday, May 1 Upper Mill and Lower Mill Pond YOUR GUIDES Peter Trull is a wildlife specialist, author and photographer. He is also the author of eight books on Cape Cod Natural History. Peter and John Hay were friends and shared many Tern watching expeditions. His upcoming (ninth) book, Cape Cod – Once Around the Sun, is a tribute to John Hay and his 1961 classic: Nature’s Year. Ryan Burch is a lifelong nature and water steward. He is co-owner of SUPfari Adventures Cape Cod with his wife, Juliette, and is the Senior Shellfish & Natural Resource Officer for the town of Brewster. Luke Foley is an outdoor guide and adventure photographer with over 25 years of professional outdoor guiding and instruction. Luke has a wide range of experience including 28 years with Eastern Mountain Sports. Two guided paddle events will take place on Saturday, May 1.
Twelve (12) people max will participate in each group. Contribution $75 each. Kayaks will be provided. Some double-seat kayaks are available. Paddlers may elect to bring their own kayak, however the contribution remains the same. Meetup instructions will be provided prior to the event. $75 pre-registration and pre-payment required. This is a no-refund, no-cancellation event since reservations are extremely limited. Participants should reserve quickly since this event will sell out rapidly.  Thank you to the intrepid group of BPC volunteers who came out on a cold, rainy, misty spring day to make a difference for Brewster and our ponds. More than 1640 pounds of trash were picked up including over 2600 discarded nip bottles. Special thanks to Peggy Speas, Kathy Miller, Cheri Tyree, Bill and Pat Wood, Susan and Frank Bridges, Mary Marshall, Josie Curley, Sara Phillips, Jill Magary, Carol Marcy, Wayne Jenkins and Nancy and Tony Ortiz.
 Image courtesy of The Cape Cod Times We are excited to announce that our volunteer citizen scientist cyanobacteria testing program will kick off soon. With a watchful eye on the COVID landscape we will move forward using proper safety protocol. All volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated prior to beginning sampling, wear a mask and gloves, and keep a safe social distance. We will continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts guidelines. The time commitment per week is approximately 1.5 hours per pond. Our plan is to test 15-18 ponds, dependent on volunteer participation. Volunteers will form a three-person team, with two sampling at a time. Each team will be assigned to a specific pond(s) for the season. If an individual or a team is interested in sampling at more than one pond, please let us know. Also, if you are a member of a pond association group, please let us know and we'll look to assign you to your pond. Next step:
The Citizen Science team is an important part of the BPC community. We commend you and value your public service in helping achieve our mission. Please look for our next update later this month. EMAIL OR CALL US TO JOIN THE TEAM!! Marty Burke - marty.burke@brewsterponds.org (508) 344-7174   Come join the fun and help keep our ponds clean, beautify and healthy! Beautify Brewster is back this year! Our large group of BPC volunteers along with other town groups will pick up nip bottles, cigarette butts, cups, cans, etc. along Brewster roads thereby ensuring this trash will never reach our ponds. Ryan Burch and Chris Miller from the Brewster DNR will oversee this fun event. 10AM Saturday, April 17 Rain Date Sunday same time Contact Nancy Ortiz to volunteer at nancy.ortiz@brewsterponds.org Further details and information regarding time, meeting place, equipment, how to dress, etc., will be provided in a timely manner to all those who sign up. A safety orientation will be provided at the event.   The Brewster Ponds Coalition presents the 2021 Ponds Summit on Saturday, April 10 at 9AM via Zoom. This year’s topics include ongoing cyanobacteria research in Brewster, MA, stopping erosion at Lower Mill Pond, and the announcement of an exciting new matching grant program!
Topics include cyanobacteria, stopping erosion at Lower Mill Pond, and the announcement of an exciting new grant program!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! SPACE IS LIMITED. Standby reservation only now. Call 508-205-9087. THANK YOU!!!
|
Archives
May 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed
|
|
|