Herring River Restoration Project

Carole Ridley, the Herring River Restoration Project Coordinator, responded to Martin Nieski's op-ed in the Cape Cod Times in a letter dated August 9, 2019. She did not directly dispute any of his assertions. In her summary, she affirmed that he has no case to challenge the project's impact on his property because no structures will be affected, and wetlands protection laws permit restoration of freshwater wetlands to saltwater wetland on private property so long as structures are protected:

"No structure on your property at 505 Chequessett Neck Road, nor your flood insurance requirements, will be affected by the tidal restoration currently proposed for permitting. Extensive monitoring and adaptive management will be in place to reinforce this protection."
"Under state and local wetlands protection laws, tidal restoration projects that restore freshwater wetlands to saltwater wetlands on private property may be permitted, as long as structures are protected and other applicable regulatory requirements are met."
"Because no physical work is proposed to take place on your property, your consent is not required."
"A portion of existing regulated wetlands on your property may experience a change in vegetation as tidal flow is returned. These visual impacts are temporary and the Project team will assist you in managing those vegetation changes if you wish."

RG note: The transition from a freshwater to a saltwater ecosystem will have considerably more than "visual" impacts.

The wild cherry trees, oaks, and pines that Nieski cherishes will be destroyed. The help Ridley offered him with vegetation management is described in the project's environmental impact report as involving "chain saws, mowers, brush hogs, or larger, wheeled or treaded machines that cut and chip."

The birds, squirrels, raccoons, deer, foxes, and turtles that Nieski enjoys will have to flee their freshwater-based habitats, which will be destroyed by the restored (saltwater) tidal flow.

Ridley refers to this process as "temporary," when, in fact, Nieski was right when he stated that it "would take decades before salt water killed all the freshwater plants and animals to make room for salt water species." He was also right when he predicted that "Meanwhile, I would be looking from my deck and windows at a smelly, ugly, dying mudflat." (See a preview of Nieski's cherry trees after implementation of the Herring River project.)

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Herring River Restoration Project

Ridley's response to Nieski