Get Ready for the Strawberry Moon at Perigee

If you head to the beach this weekend, you might just get a little bit more space for your blanket in the middle of the day. If you go at night, however, you should be ready for a very high tide. Every month during the full moon, the moon, earth and sun are aligned with the earth in between. The high tide that results from this line-up is called a spring tide. Spring tides also occur on the new moon when the earth, moon and sun are aligned with the moon in the middle. At the half moon, we have what is called a neap tide. These tides are the smallest of the month because the gravitational pull of the sun and moon are in opposition.

We also need to keep in mind that the moon’s 28 day orbit around the earth is not round, but is elliptical. The distance between the moon and earth varies throughout the month and this cycle does not correspond with the spring –neap cycle. When the moon is closest to the earth, it is said to be at perigee, and when it is farthest away, it is at apogee. Perigee often coincides with spring tides on the equinox, but not always. This year, a spring perigee full moon falls on the summer solstice. This is the moon’s closest approach to the earth for all of 2013, and it coincides with what is already a time of very high tides. Saturday's high tide will be at 7:45 PM.

This photograph from the parking lot at the Watch Hill Yacht Club shows what many Rhode Islanders who live in low-lying coastal areas are already noticing. High tides are impacting their neighborhoods more and more each year. Save The Bay has had a team of volunteer photographers out documenting these changes for a few years, and we continually see roads, parking lots, lawns and parks under water at spring high tides. These photographs are a good way to show what a future with sea level rise will look like, and where we need to concentrate our efforts at adapting to more water. Sea level rise is here to stay, and is becoming  more noticeable every year. We will have photographers out this weekend too, to catch the 2013's highest predicted tides. You can see some our high tide photos on our Flickr page.

The Amazing Freshwater Eel

Globally, there are 16 species of freshwater eel, and they spawn in each of the world’s oceans. The freshwater eel is what we call a catadromous fish, a fish that spends its life in rivers and streams, eventually returning to the sea to spawn and die. This lifecycle is the opposite of anadromous fish, like the familiar river herring which travels up rivers to reproduce and return to the ocean. It is believed that the American eel, Rhode Island’s resident species, spawns in the Sargasso Sea, although no one has ever witnessed this event. In fact, very little is known about this mysterious animal. A PBS Nature documentary was aired last week and provides a fascinating look at these fish.

Populations of eel around the world are at an all-time low, due to the prevalence of dams on our rivers, mortality in hydro turbines, overfishing, and many other environmental challenges. Glass eels and elvers, the tiny young eels that return to rivers in the spring, are currently harvested in Maine and South Carolina. The huge price paid for these eels has made poaching a problem, and has made those who can legally fish for them rich. The elvers, no bigger than your little finger, are sold to fish farms in China and Japan where they are raised to adulthood and sold. Japan alone consumes 130,000 tons of eel each year. This photo, taken by Tim Watts, shows a congregation of elvers at the first dam on the Weweantic River in Massachusetts.

American eel have been minimally managed as a fishery in the United States. An adult female can lay up to 4 million eggs which develop through several life stages and drift slowly back toward coastal rivers. There are few restrictions on commercial harvest of adult eels other than a six inch size restriction, and the recreational limit is 50 eels per day per person with a six inch size limit. A limited elver fishery is still open.

There are many proposed recommendations to help the American eel, including seasonal closures, prohibiting traps and eel pots by recreational fishermen, closing the elver fishery and habitat protections such as dam removal.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has developed an Interstate Fishery Management Plan and has written several addenda to this plan. They are currently holding hearings in Atlantic coast states to gather public comment on Draft Addendum III. The plan proposes increased monitoring by the states and recommendations to improve American eel habitat, as well as recommendations to reduce mortality. Comments are due May 2^nd. To comment, click on American Eel under Managed Species on their website.

Spring fish runs are off to a great start

The annual fish run is off to a great start this spring, and fish are being monitored by volunteers throughout the watershed. On the Ten Mile River, over two thousand fish had been netted by this week and lifted over the dam at Omega Pond. A fish count is being conducted this year at Hunts Mill where the fish ladder is now complete.

Fish are also being lifted over the Saugatucket River dam on Main Street in Wakefield. This site has a poorly designed fish ladder, and fish often get caught below the dam. DEM uses this spot to fill their truck and bring fish to both Indian Lake, which is the headwaters of the Saugatucket River, and to Worden's Pond, the headwaters of the Pawcatuck River. Fish will be able to use a new ladder at Horseshoe Falls on the Pawcatuck this year, and with the addition of a fishway at Kenyon Mill, by next year they will be able to reach Worden's Pond.

On the Mill River in Taunton, fish have been spotted above the Hopewell Mills dam for the first time in over 200 years. This dam was removed last fall and is the first in a series of three dam removals on the Mill River. Because this is a large restoration project, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has installed a video monitoring station on the river to better understand the population of this run and what fish are using the river. This bar rack directs the fish past the video monitor. It is apparent now that there has been a small surviving run of fish, because several hundred herring have been counted, as have many yellow perch and white suckers which also migrate upstream to spawn. We are very excited to see the fish return to the Bay, and love to get reports from dedicated volunteers and partners who work hard on river restoration projects.

Join Earth Hour on March 23rd

The seventh annual Earth Hour is happening tomorrow, Saturday March 23rd at 8:30 PM. Close to 100 landmarks including Russia's Kremlin and Red Square, Australia's Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis, Big Ben, and the Las Vegas Strip will shut their lights and go dark for one hour to symbolize a commitment to protect the planet.

The first Earth Hour was celebrated in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and it soon grew into a world-wide event. In 2008, 35 countries participated, and now the number is close to 150. The movement has gone beyond the hour, to encompass a campaign called "I Will if You Will", where governments and individuals make pledges and challenges for direct action to protect the planet. For example the former president of Botswana is leading an effort to plant one million trees, with 100,000 already planted.

You can accept a challenge or create your own at their website, and view videos and other content, and follow the action live. So, get ready to turn out your lights for one hour and join the movement.

Planning a Rain Garden? There's an App for That

Are you dreaming of spring? Here at Save The Bay, we are looking forward to getting back out in the field and helping folks plan and plant rain gardens all around the watershed. Just in time, the Connecticut NEMO program (also known as Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) has a great new app available at the Apple app store for planning rain gardens. The app helps you determine your soil type, the size of garden you will need, and the best plants for your location. It includes videos, diagrams and plant lists to help you along the way.

This week also kicks off the Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Save The Bay will have educational material, so stop by and get a copy of the Bay Friendly Backyards Shopping List. You can also download a copy of Bay Friendly Backyards on our website! Happy planning and happy planting.

A good New Year for Massachusetts dam safety

The Massachusetts legislature has approved a bill that will strengthen dam safety and provide a new loan fund to help remove and repair dams and coastal infrastructure. The bill has been in the works for many years and has taken several forms. This newest incarnation had the added strength of including structures like seawalls in the $17 million loan fund.

The bill strengthens dam safety by requiring that emergency action plans be written for high and significant hazard dams. It also raises the fines that the Department of Conservation and Recreation can collect from owners whose dams are in violation of dam safety regulations. Another provision allows towns to bond for dam removal projects.

Rhode Island has similar rules about emergency action plans for high hazard dams, but many towns are in violation of this regulation and the Department of Emergency Management has no authority to enforce this portion of the law. In 2011, the Rhode Island legislature did include dam removal as an activity that towns can bond for using the authority of the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency.

Advocates in Rhode Island are interested in developing some type of funding mechanism for the repair and removal of dams, and Save The Bay has worked on legislation for the last two sessions that would require dam owners to inspect their own dams. This has been a rule for several years in Massachusetts. We will continue to make this a priority in the next legislative session.

New State Park in Dighton will be part of the Taunton River Trail

The Taunton River watershed has a new state park. Sweets Knoll State Park is a new 56 acre park located on the Taunton River in Dighton. It includes about two miles of old railroad bed that will be converted into a walking and bike path and connected to the Taunton River Trail system, which is still in development.

The state park was established in 2010 with the purchase of the land at 1387 Somerset Ave. The land was purchased by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation with the assistance of the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts and the Sheehan Family Fund. The landowner donated his former residence which will remain on the property. The park is open to the public and will soon have a public access site for launching small boats, and for fishing access to the Taunton River.

The acquisition of this state park has provided a major boost to the Taunton River Trail committee which has been developing a trail network from Raynham through Somerset and connecting with trails in Fall River and Rhode Island. The trail will one day connect with the East Bay Bike Path in Rhode Island and the planned Aquidneck Island Bike Path. See the Taunton River Trail website for more information about this exciting project.