Herring River cleared before annual herring run 3-14-14
Herring River cleared before annual herring run
By Merrily Cassidy
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Cape Cod Times
March 14, 2014
HARWICH – In the next two weeks, the herring will start their annual run from Nantucket Sound to Hinckleys Pond. But before this annual rite of spring starts, Herring River has to be cleared to make the journey a little easier.
Wearing waders and armed with chain saws, pitchforks and clippers, 11 AmeriCorps Cape Cod members walked down the river with a couple of natural resources officials Friday, removing any fallen trees or overgrown vegetation that would obstruct the way of the herring.
Make Way for the Herring
"We're making sure the path is clear," Harwich Natural Resources Director Heinz Proft said.
Each spring, herring swim upstream to the pond to spawn.
This is the 17th year, Proft said, that he has taken part in the mid-March cleanup down the river. AmeriCorps Cape Cod has helped out many of those years, he said, as have resident volunteers. Water was temporarily blocked off from Hinckleys Pond to lower the level of the river to help the group wade down to uncover any obstructions that could get in the way of the herring.
The river is just one area cleared for the herring. The Natural Resources Department staff has cleared the waterways between Hinckleys Pond and Seymour Pond and Hinckleys Pond and Long Pond.
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