Welcome                                                                           

Welcome to the home page of Friends of Herring River.   Our mission is to promote the restoration and ongoing environmental vitality of the Herring River Esturary.   We invite you to participate.

• Become a member
• Sign up for our electronic newsletter

Please contact us with any questionsor suggestions you may have.

Return of the Tide

The value of a healthy salt marsh can hardly be overestimated.  Watch the video below to view the history of the Herring River and the expected benefits of restoring tidal flow to the estuary. 

Click here for early century photos of the dyke and estuary courtesy of the Wellfleet Historical Society.

Project Status and Some Interesting Questions

Click on the subjects below to view a fact sheet on each of these issues

• Project Summary April 2013
• The Importance of Reconnecting Herring River with the Marine Environment
• Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife
• What will happen to Wellfleet shellfish when Herring River is restored?
• Will tidal restoration in Herring River produce odors?
• Mosquitoes and Herring River Restoration
• Effects of Diking and Tidal Restoration on Natural Chemical Cycling

A Bit of Project History

While we look forward to continued progress in the work to restore tidal flow in the Herring River, it's interesting to look back to the time when the existing dike, constructed in 1909, was authorized.   Click here to review the record of a public hearing in 1908 that led to the original authorization for construction.  The record of the hearing presents some fascinating history of the times and  the issues that were debated by prominent local citizens.

Herring River Restoration Committee

The Herring River Restoration Committee was established in December 2007 through a Memorandum of Understanding among the National Park Service and the Towns of Wellfleet and Truro.  Under the provisions of this MOU the primary purpose of the Committee is to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report and a detailed restoration plan for the Herring River Salt Marsh.  

Click here to access more information about the Herring River Restoration Committee. 

News

Project News

The Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC) continues to review and incorporate comments that were received from the public and agencies at the October 2012 public hearing on the draft EIS/ER.

Work continues to complete the detailed restoration plan.  Friends of Herring River has been awarded three contracts recently to support the work of HRRC.

• A $25,000 contract from the Conservation Law Foundation to support project coordination activities.
• A matching grant of $25,000 from MA Divison of Ecological Restoration for project coordination
• A $20,000 grant from Massachusetts Bays Program for hydrodynamic modeling of the Chequessett Neck Road Dike

Click here to read more.

In addition, support for our work is provided in part by the Fred Lazarus, Jr. Foundation and the generous contributions of individual donors.  Thank you.

Outreach to property owners in the Herring River Estuary

Last fall the Herring River Restoration Committee sent a letter to low-lying property owners within the estuary that explained the types of impacts that could be expected for that property, and invited the landowners to contact the HRRC if they wished to get further information.  Discussion to address specific issues or questions with property owners who have responded is underway.

 If you are a property owner who received a letter and have not yet responded but wish more information, you may contact the committee at herringriverrestorationcommittee@gmail.com  

Herring Count

The 2013 herring count is nearing its end.  Over the past several weeks we've counted hundreds of herring swimming upstream to spawn, and now some are starting to return to the ocean.  We'll publish the results of the count as soon as the analysis is complete.

Thank you to all volunteers who participated in the count this year.

Estuary Painting

Local artist Peter Watts completed an oil on canvas painting of the estuary. If you wish to purchase a signed print for $50 please contact us.    The funds will be used to support the outreach activities of Friends of Herring River.  Thank you Peter.