Wellfleet Conservation Trust

First Day Walk: The Gut to the Herring River Overlook

Report by Bill Iacuessa.

Thirty-eight participants thoroughly enjoyed the First Day Walk 2024, The Gut to the Herring River Overlook. Bright skies greeted the walkers as they arrived at the National Seashore Great Island parking lot. Bill Iacuessa, Vice-President of the Wellfleet Conservation Trust (WCT), welcomed the participants and described the walk saying that the Trust and the Friends of the Herring River (FHR) were delighted at the turnout. Dale Rheault, Chair of the Friends of the Herring River, was introduced, and spoke briefly about the role of the FHR. Speakers Alice Iacuessa and John Portnoy were introduced. Alice and John, are former members of the FHR board and along with Barbara Brennessel, co-authors of Tidal Waters, A History of Wellfleet’s Herring River.

The walk began by heading down the hill to the beach near the mouth of the Herring River and the Gut. Bill gave a short orientation, and then Alice talked about the recent archeological research on Native American and English colonial use of Great Island. The walk proceeded down the beach a bit further toward the dike where John talked about the history of the dike and benefits of removing it which will restore the salt marsh incrementally over a number of years.

The walk proceeded up to Chequessett Neck Road and crossed over the dike. Although not open yet, the completed temporary bridge was in full view of the walkers. Continuing along the participants reached the parking lot of the Herring River Overlook Conservation Area where Denny O’Connell, President of WCT met them. Denny described the acquisition of the 18-acre parcel, the significance of its location, and the creation of the one-mile trail. The walk continued with short stops where Denny pointing out features, the most significant being the views of the Herring River from above.

The walkers retraced their steps. Just before the parking lot, at the gravesite of a Native American woman, Alice talked about how and why it was placed at this location. The two-mile, two-hour walk concluded at noon.

Photos, taken by Dwight Estey, board member and former president of the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum, can be viewed at WCT-FHR – First Day Walk – 2024.

Community forum on the Open Space & Recreation survey

Meet Our New AmeriCorps Member, Emily Gilot

The Trust is delighted to introduce you to this year’s AmeriCorps member, Emily Gilot. She is assigned to WCT on Tuesdays, spends two days assisting the Provincetown Conservation Commission, and the rest of the time on projects elsewhere on the Cape. Here is the transcript of the e-interview we conducted with Emily to get to know a little bit about her as she begins her time here.

Being a part of AmeriCorps 25th year seems very special. Any more thoughts on this?

It is special and I did not realize this when I started the AmeriCorps Cape Cod program. However, each service project I have done, each Cape Cod resident I have met in the last 7 weeks, the more I feel how special it is. There are signs all over the Cape of AmeriCorps impacts, from marsh boardwalks still standing, to elementary school gardens that rely on AmeriCorps members to prepare for spring planting. The alumni community on the Cape is fantastic and it has been wonderful getting to meet and serve with many of them the last few weeks. Doing so has instilled in me a sense of pride in the service I am doing here on the Cape, that what I am doing is having an impact and will add to the program’s legacy.

What were some of the best parts of orientation?

During orientation we got a taste of everything we might get to do doing group service projects. It was a mix of in the field, such as learning how to use power tools for trail maintenance, and in the office, with lectures on Cape History, First Aid, and the County’s Sheltering System. My favorite trainings involved being on the water. We went on a marine nature walk with a scientist from the Center for Coastal Studies and received an introduction to shellfish propagation while digging up quahogs with Chatham Shellfish Department.

What are your first impressions of Wellfleet?

I had never been on the Outer Cape prior to this fall and I was a little surprised at the ruralness of the area. That being said, I much prefer it to the hustle & bustle of the more developed parts of the Cape. One of the major benefits I am finding to living in the Wellfleet house is the limited light pollution, which is a testament to the community, the proximity to the National Seashore, and the more rural nature of the area. I also love that I can see the sun rise and set over the water in the same day, going from one side of town to the other.

What assignments will you be doing with the Wellfleet Conservation Trust?

While serving with WCT, I will be assisting with trail maintenance and mapping. I will also be assisting with organizing and updating various documentation for all the properties the Trust owns and/or works with

What WCT properties have you viewed so far?

Denny[O’Connell] and Michael [Fisher] have taken me to a number of WCT properties, including Box Turtle Woods and Herring River Overlook. I love the combination of woods and marsh on many of WCT’s properties and I am excited to explore them more over the coming months. In Wellfleet, I have spent the most time at the town pier and beach. I love looking for different animals and going beach combing. Watching the seals feed in the harbor has been awesome and, while sad at times, I have been really enjoying looking for Mola Mola (Sunfish).

Did you experience Wellfleet Oysterfest?

I had a great time at Oysterfest. To my understanding, it’s oysters that Wellfleet is known for. It was wonderful to see how the community supports the shellfish industry and vice a versa. I volunteered Sunday morning, assisting with the recycling stations, which was a great opportunity to assist the Wellfleet Oyster Alliance with their public outreach. I also ended up staying for the entire shucking contest that afternoon and wow. Great personalities up on stage, the crowd was so into it, and the lobster auction was so wholesome. I did try fried oysters for the first time and the jury is still out on whether I like them.

Tell us a little bit about your background and where you grew up.

I am originally from along the SE’rn Connecticut shoreline and am part of a family of 4, plus three cats I miss dearly.

Are you looking forward to winter on Cape Cod?

Oddly enough, I am. Growing up along the Connecticut shoreline, I am no stranger to a New England winter. My family has always gone on beach walks in the winter time so I expect to do the same here. The ocean keeps us in Connecticut and the Cape a little warmer than the rest of the region and I am looking forward to having the area to myself for a few months. As a degreed weather nerd, I am interested to see how we fair with Nor’easters this winter and am excited to track the systems then watch the waves at the local beaches when they do come through.

Did you have teachers or courses that fostered your interest in science/environment/nature?

My high school was special, from the enthusiastic and compassionate teachers to the e marine-science focus it had. I got to take maritime history and learn about a variety of marine science topics from biology, to fisheries management, aquaculture, safe boating, physical oceanography, just to name a few. I eventually chose atmospheric science (meteorology) to study in college and had some amazing professors in my department. My favorite classes in college were some of the intro classes to my major, where a lot of basic weather questions were answered (why is the sky blue, what causes a thunderstorm, etc.). In terms of more advanced classes, I really enjoyed synoptic meteorology which is the study of large scale features (highs, lows, fronts, etc.) and tropical meteorology (hurricanes and also phenomena like El Niño). Outside of my major, I loved classes I could connect to weather such as ‘Intro to Emergency Management’ and ‘The Role of Hazard Mitigation in Community Planning’.

Who or what have given you inspiration for conservation of the natural world?

My interest in conservation definitely can be traced back to growing up where I did. I was constantly exposed to conservation efforts in the area, from walks at the local nature center to exploring the local aquarium. I also spent a lot of time out on and along the water, visiting my grandfather’s beach cottage year-round. Having developed deep connections with my local landscape throughout my childhood, the desire to assist conservation efforts just feels second nature.

Tell us about an accomplishment that we wouldn’t know about.

Something I am really proud of is earning my 25-Ton Inland Master Captain license this past spring. An instructor at my previous AmeriCorps position taught the classes. I was able to apply my sea time from working with them and from boating with my family to qualify for the license. I know I want to work, if not live, near the coast and I am looking forward to employing this license to achieve that goal. Additionally, I worked for a company that forecasted for and routed private and commercial vessels all around the world for two years after graduation. I want to see, maybe one day by boat, at least some of the places my clients travelled and this license could help me do that

Welcome aboard, Captain Emily!

Coastsweep, 2023

WCT participated in the 2023 Coastsweep on Monday. Volunteers picked up tally sheets at Mayo Beach, then fanned out to a dozen other sites in the Wellfleet area.

Over 40 came to collect artificial debris–mostly plastics, which soil our beaches, endanger wildlife, and pose immediate hazards to humans. The beach pickup addresses just some of the accessible portion of the much larger problem of polluted oceans.

Duck Creek overwash, just one of many sites for the cleanup

Coastsweep is part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Volunteers from all over the world collect marine debris—trash, fishing line, metal scraps, and other human-made items. They make beaches cleaner and safer. Categorizing and tallying their harvest helps reveal sources of marine debris sources and potential solutions.

Not all of the debris we encountered could be picked up and carried in bags back to the start point.

Flag, left as necessary for monitoring the overflow at Duck Creek

Woodlands, Marsh, Historical District: WCT 15th Annual Guided Walk

Contributors: Mary Rogers, Mark Robinson, and Dwight Estey.

Editors: Alice & Bill Iacuessa

The 2023 Wellfleet Conservation Trust (WCT) walk was delayed, as were the previous two. As in the 2019 (13^th) walk, the weather delayed it by a day. The 2020 walk was delayed two years due to covid and became the 2021 (14^th) walk. On a positive note, the weather was warm and sunny for all three.

The plan for the walk

The 2023 walk started in the middle of the Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Spring Woodlands Conservation Area. Denny O’Connell, President of WCT, opened the walk at the Robert Hankey Memorial Stone by welcoming the 35 participants. Robert Hankey was a founding member of WCT and was directly involved in the creation of this conservation area.

Bill Iacuessa, WCT Vice President and organizer of the walk, explained that the walk would go through three distinct areas, woodlands (mostly along narrow paths), along the edge of a marsh, and finally through an historical area of South Wellfleet.

Speakers

This year, the speakers concentrated on the history of the area. The first stop was at the bench dedicated to the Ira Ziering family. Denny described how instrumental Ira was in helping to acquire a few of the parcels of the area. He also pointed to the Trust’s newest acquisition, the nearby Bouchard property.

Mary Rogers hypothesized on the name of a particular area of the walk, Pilgrim Spring Woodlands. She suggested it could have been the possible location of the natural spring that gave Pilgrim Spring Woodlands its name. She also described the Cape Cod Pilgrim Mineral Spring Company that produced bottled tonic water prior to World War I.

At the edge of Fox Island Marsh, Mark Robinson, Executive Director of the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, spoke about how the WCT led the partnership that resulted in the Town, Commonwealth, and private donors raising $4.5 million to acquire 68 acres of upland for conservation. Mark was involved in the negotiations and fundraising including liaising with the Commonwealth. This assemblage is the largest conservation area north of the Orleans rotary and is an important habitat for the endangered Diamondback Terrapin.

Further along the marsh and into the woods, Denny told the story of the burial that took place a number of years ago. It was the burial of a cast iron bath tub that was acquired with the land. Trustees and AmeriCorps members, dug it out of its hole, widened the hole, turned the tub upside down and buried it. Photos of the event were passed around.

At Whalebone Point. Mark Robinson described the vista that came into view, including Indian Neck, Blackfish Creek, Lt Island, the bridge to the island, and Old Wharf Point.

As always, these walks are a group effort involving a number of our trustees.

Growth of the town

Dwight Estey used two locations to describe the relationship between the growth of the town during the 19th century driven by the mackerel fishery and today’s Paine Hollow Historic District. At Paine Hollow Landing he pointed out the abandoned location of the Southern Wharf at the end of Old Wharf Point and the long-gone Townsend Salt Works which was near where they were standing. The wharf served a few dozen two-masted and three-masted ships primarily used in the mackerel trade. Among its buildings was a salt-shed used for salting down the catch. Overall, from 1820-1850 the town population grew from 1,400 to over 2,400, schools increased from 6-12 and there were up to 100 boats in the mackerel trade.

Moving to the corner of Paine Hollow Road and Pleasant Point Road (formerly known as Hinckley Corner) he referred to Irene Paine’s book, Eva and Henry, as a reference to better understand the area. Prior to 1800 there were scattered houses of the Youngs, Riches, Wiley’s and Lombards – among others.

Within the historical district there are now seven houses associated with the Paines. They were all built in the early 19th century when the Paines were involved in the fishery. The purchase of the Southern Wharf by Collins Cole and Nathan Paine began a long history of both families settling down in this area that is sometimes referred to as “the road that time forgot.”

The contingent was told the tale of Isaac Rich who was born (1801) on Pleasant Point Road. The eldest of ten children, Isaac at age 14 moved to Boston with his father to find employment. Starting by pushing an oyster cart, at age 19 his father died and Isaac opened an oyster stall. Using earning he first invested in ships and then Boston real estate. A devout Methodist, Isaac died in 1872 as one of the richest men in Boston, leaving his entire estate for the founding of Boston University. Though worth 1.5 million when he died, the Great Fire of Boston removed half that worth.

The last site discussed was that of the Robert Young Cemetery. Started in 1799 its last burial was 1854. The stones were moved to the South Wellfleet Cemetery but the bodies were not. Only eight of the stones still exist although over a dozen bodies were buried there.

15th annual walk, September 16, 2023

Our 15th annual walk will be held on September 16, 20203. This is a week later than usual.

The walk will cover the Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Springs Woodland Conservation Area.

Much of the walk will be along the shore with views of the marsh, Fox Island, Blackfish Creek, Indian Neck, Field Point, and Old Wharf Point.

The walk, which is expected to take about two hours, starts at 9:00 am. Participants are asked to arrive by 8:45. There is limited parking, so we urge you to carpool. No pre-registration is required.

Directions to the start: Take Paine Hollow Rd off Route 6. After 0.3 miles, turn right onto Baker Road and follow it to the sand road. There will be people there to assist with parking.

Be sure to wear sturdy shoes, since the terrain is mostly dirt roads and pathways with some hills. It may be muddy in spots. Don’t forget sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, and water.

The rain date is September 17.

We’re looking forward to a lovely day and hope you’ll join us.

Can we have both open space and affordable housing?

Seth Rolbein’s latest post, Buying open space, pushing big-lot zoning, provides a straightforward discussion of the need and possibilities for affordable housing on Cape Cod. The loss of affordable housing has transformed daily life, including hollowing out communities, increasing traffic, and endangering health.

Seth shows clearly how the loss of affordable housing was not due to protecting open space for conservation and recreation. Instead, decades of zoning battles that emphasized single-family homes and ever-larger lot sizes drove up costs “and ignored alternatives like more density in well-selected places.”

Finding lichen on the Fox Island trail

Many of us grew up playing the Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? game. You had to guess an object, knowing only which of those three categories it fell into. Animal and vegetable (plant) were supposed to cover all living things.

Beard lichen (*Usnea*), a genus of fruiticose lichen

You can play that game on one of the WCT trails, for example, the photos shown here are from the Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Spring Woodlands Conservation Area, which is the site scheduled for the WCT Annual Walk on September 16, 2023.

But what if you came across some living thing that was neither animal nor vegetable? What if the thing you found looked like a plant, but wasn’t; looked like a single organism, but wasn’t; could appear as a mineral of some sort, but was full of life?

Powdered ruffle lichen (*Parmotrema hypoleucinum*); a foliose type

You could be looking at one of the most interesting phenomena on Cape Cod, but one that is often overlooked, even by those otherwise expert about birds, trees, wildflowers, turtles, mammals, mollusks, insects, and other fascinating flora and fauna.

That strange thing you observe might be a lichen, a composite organism made up of algae or cyanobacteria living among multiple fungi species. The fungi are in a kingdom separate from either plants or animals. That kingdom includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Like animals, they cannot photosynthesize, but acquire food directly or indirectly from plants.

Greenshield lichen (*Flavoparmelia caperata*); foliose

Within a lichen, the fungi provide structure and attachment to a tree, rock, or split rail fence. The algae contain the green pigment, chlorophyll, which gives the green color to the lichen and captures energy from the sun to support. photosynthesis.

One common type you may find is foliose, or leaf-like lichen. Another is fruiticose, reminiscent of tiny fruit trees. There are also crustose, which attach to rocks so tightly that they can’t be removed without destroying them or the rock. They seem like the Mineral in the old guessing game. Some common crustose lichen are bright orange.

Reindeer lichen **(Cladonia portentosa)**; fruiticose

Lichens are gray when the algae components are dead or dormant, but they may turn bright green after a rain. The fungus (which surrounds the algae) soaks up water, causing its to become more transparent, and revealing the green pigment of the algae.

See what you can find the next time you venture onto a WCT trail.

Field trips for elementary school

The month of June has become a time to welcome students from Wellfleet Elementary School to trails sponsored by the Wellfleet Open Space Committee and the Wellfleet Conservation Trust.

The two organizations have collaborated for many years on programs for schoolchildren. One of their most important functions is to help young people appreciate the value of nature and open space.

This year Peggy Sagan from the Open Space Committee led a program for grades 3, 4, and 5, involving activities in class related to nature, conservation, and map reading, plus field trips.

Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Springs Woodlands Conservation Area

The classes included Melanie Griswold’s grade 3, Kristin Connolly and Tessa Wood’s grade 4, and Brendan Pursel’s grade 5. For grade 4 there was a field trip to the Fox Island / Pilgrim Springs area and for grade 5 a trip to the Herring River Overlook. Others helping Ms. Sagan at various times included John Grieb from the Open Space Committee, and Bill Iacuessa, Denny O’Connell, and Chip Bruce from the WCT.

Grade 4 explores the Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Spring Woodlands

At the start of our hike, we asked two students to read the text on the Robert Hankey plaque. They were stars, prompting a discussion about what a trust is and why we need to conserve open space and habitats.

Memorial for Robert Gordon Hankey at Fox Island

At the end of the hike, students recalled their best experience. Two said that they liked the fiddler crabs the most. But one said she liked the dead ones, because you could hold them more easily and look closely. Another said she liked the live ones.

One student liked sea shells along the salt marsh; another liked seeing the berries. Yet another liked hearing about how we construct trails.

In notes after the field trip, students wrote things like this:

My favorite was seeing all the crabs and sea pickles. Thank you for the amazing field trip. I had the best time ever.

Thank you for teaching us a lot of nature facts that I didn’t know.

Thanks for letting us go on that really inspiring field trip!

Grade 5 explores the Herring River Overlook

Grade 5 students at the Herring River Overlook trail were asked to observe. Within 10 seconds of starting out they had found a box turtle.

They observed many things after that in an all too short adventure. They learned about lichen and moss, bayberry and bearberry, and the glacial history of Cape Cod. They talked about the estuary with its brackish water.

When we came to the last bench on a counter-clockwise circuit, the first one said, “Wow! What a view!”

Another student, already contemplating graduation, asked whether the middle school students would get to do this.

We talked about staying on the trails, both as a safety measure and to protect the fragile ecosystem.

Judging by the smiles, the many questions, and thank you notes, the students in all three grades had a great time and learned a lot.

Swamp or sheep laurel in the HRO wetlands area

Maintaining trails

A friend commented that he had done a lot of hiking and walking on nature trails, but that he’d only recently become aware of the many decisions and the work it took to build and maintain a trail. He would be interested to see what we do with Wellfleet Conservation Trust trails.

We plan these trails to entail minimal destruction to the environment. They should be obvious so that walkers can stay on them without creating social trails through the woods. But we like them to be as unobtrusive as possible. This requires a balance of engineered and natural features.

Among other things, we cut overhanging branches that pose a hazard to walkers, but leave any vegetation higher than a Celtics player, unless it’s in danger of falling. We make the trail wide enough for anyone to walk easily, but usually require a single file. We place trail blaze arrows at confusing junctions, but try not to use more than absolutely necessary.

Visitors from Nepal helping to repair a roped off area at Herring River Overlook

In some places we’ve added stakes and ropes to discourage off trail walking. As enticing as that bushwhacking may be for some, it can be very destructive for the land. For example, at the Herring River Overlook trail, walking down the dune towards the river kills fragile lichen, moss, bearberry, mayapple, violets, sea oats, and other vegetation. That in turn can lead to serious dune erosion.

The ropes are easily bypassed, but we don’t want to mar the sites with massive barriers. We have to trust that responsible visitors will recognize the message and stay on the trail.

National Park Service plea, too often ignored

In many parks today we see the sign that “vegetation grows by the inch but dies by the foot.” That’s especially true on Cape Cod. Tenacious plants can survive despite salty winds off the sea, sandy, nutrient poor soil, and hungry wildlife, but only if we’re on their side.