Presentation for 2008 State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference

1. Herring River Restoration Project

5. HRRC : Town of Wellfleet Town of Truro Cape Cod National Seashore Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management US Fish and Wildlife Service National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Natural Resource Conservation Service Herring River Restoration Committee: a Unique-Multi Entity Committee that Works by Consensus Planning Processes : Cape Cod Commission Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Conservation Commissions

6. Original vs. current opening

7. Exotic Phragmites Native salt marsh Dike Cape Cod Bay

9. 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

10. Wellfleet 1893

11. Mill Creek Pole Dike Creek Duck Harbor Bound Brook Herring Pond Wellfleet Center 1908 Salt Marsh Wellfleet Harbor Gull Pond Truro Wellfleet DIKE 1909 2008 Salt Marsh

12. 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

17. Healthy marshes generate diatom biomass To feed Oysters