For nearly a century the Westport Weston Family YMCA has been a careful steward of their Mahackeno property, off Wilton Road.
They own the woods — and the land under the water. In effect, they own Lees Pond.
Over the past few years, Camp Mahackeno staff have noticed fewer fish in the pond. (Fishing is part of the summer program — though every catch is released back in the water.)
Last year, Y officials worked with the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) to repair the fish ladder downriver. That would help.
Lees Dam, on the Saugatuck River (Photo/Scott Smith)
But when Y CEO Glen Hale learned that DEEP has a free restocking program, he realized much more could be done.
This morning, DEEP will bring 500 to 1,000 river herring — a type of alewife — to Lees Pond.
This stretch of the Saugatuck River will be restocked today. (Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
There will be many more happy campers this summer.
But the benefits go far beyond fishing.
Juvenile river herring eat plankton. That decreases algae, and makes the water cleaner.
Alewives are an important part of the food chain. Bass and bluefish eat them, so their numbers will increase. Then birds like bald eagles and osprey feast on those fish, keeping the food chain balanced.
Today’s restocking comes at a propitious time. Westport schools are on spring break, so dozens of youngsters at the Y’s vacation camp will take part.
They’ll have their own nets to help with the project. And DEEP biologists will teach them about river herring, and the entire food chain.
River herring
Hale is excited about the restocking, and proud of the Y’s part in it.
He hopes to make it a regular occurrence.
Young fishermen — and older ones too — will be happy to hear that.
Bass, bluefish, bald eagles, osprey and many other forms of wildlife will too.
(“06880” regularly covers the environment, our waterways — and the YMCA, Westport youth, and much more. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Beautiful.
Well, that explains the osprey activity I have been seeing. I a half mile below Lees pond, on the river. Saw an osprey carrying a stick up river for his nest.
This is a zero sum game for fishermen, as herring are vegetarians and DO NOT eat ANY hook baits or flies.
Soooooo, no campers or fishermen will benefit from this random stocking. Andddddddd, the fish ladder at Lees dam; owned by the YMCA has been non operational for dozens of years.
Do we now live in an age of such low information that we just make things up?
Cap’n Jeff, aren’t river herring a source of food for many gamefish? Wouldn’t that be a benefit to the river AND those who enjoy it? Who’s zooming who?
Yes, but only in saltwater. Herring have NEVER made it above Lees dam.
How will they escape from Lees pond for their yearly migration to saltwater where they live for 90% of the year?
I concur with the Captain.
A few years ago, when I was a member of the YMCA’s board of directors, and learned that the Y owned the Hazard B dam, which was due for maintenance, I advocated for the removal of the dam (thus the ladder). That would be the most sustainable action.
If DEEP continued to stock, great but the herring could also naturally migrate upriver from the Sound, and with the dam gone, the water in Lees Pond would cool, beneficially enabling the upstream trout to extend downriver (today the dam warms the water).
A collaboration with DEEP and Save The Sound (STS) was organized. Professional renderings, budgets, schedules and other support materials were presented. The dam removal project, with Y input, would have been managed by STS, and largely if not entirely paid for with state and federal grants organized by STS.
There was some board support but the majority rejected the proposal. I offered a risk-free option, to obtain even more information, so the board would have further opportunity to make an assessment but the option was rejected.
All of the work could have been done by now.
I believe that this public space, with a meadow, native trees and shrub plantings, bird houses, a nature trail, and more, plus the benefits to the environment and Camp Mahackeno, would be an amazing further enhancement to the Westport YMCA and the great Town of Westport!
How is their stewardship of their Red Barn property, on Wilton Road?