Eco-Restoration Journey Week 18: New Pond View

With broken boards and peeling paint, the abandoned pump house at the edge of Hinckleys Pond had become both a hazard and an eyesore. It had been used for pumping water from the pond under the bike trail and into the commercial cranberry bog.

An excavator, operated by SumCo Eco-Contracting’s Andrew Wernig, removes a piece of the roof during demolition of a former pump house on Hinckleys Pond. 

During pumping times, the pond water level could drop by up to a foot, which is considerable given that the pond spans 174 acres. In recent years, the structure became a canvas for graffiti, and, judging from litter and the repeatedly busted door, a place of nocturnal shenanigans.

On Monday, the building was taken down, as part of Harwich Conservation Trust’s Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project. Under the watchful eye of site foreman Jeremy Sanders, workers from SumCo Eco-Contracting fenced off an area along the Cape Cod Rail Trail. In the pond below, turbidity curtains were set up to protect the water by catching any debris from the demolition.

Then, the mighty excavator rolled in, operated by SumCo’s Andrew Wernig. If demolition is an art form, then Wernig is the da Vinci of destruction. With exquisite technique, he carved the structure into bite-sized chunks for easy removal. It’s amazing what a powerful machine and gravity can do in a matter of a few minutes.

A great view is revealed

After the building was removed, there was a delightful revelation from our vantage point along the bike trail: what a view! 

It turns out that a spectacular vista of Hinckleys Pond had been obscured by the pump house. This is sure to be appreciated by rail trail users and visitors to the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Preserve, especially when the next chapter for this pondside perch, including a viewing platform, is completed.

This composite photo shows the view of Hinckleys Pond that was revealed after demolition of an old pump house. 

The public access connection to the rail trail has taken careful planning. To link the bike path with the pond overlook and the Preserve’s All Persons Trail, the earth on either side of the bike path is being contoured into gently sloped ramps.

The ramps and All Persons Trail aren’t intended for bicycles, so folks will park their bikes at a handy bike rack and then make their way down the ramps. People of all physical abilities and families that have youngsters in strollers will be able to easily navigate the new ramps to enjoy the rewilded scenic vistas.

Along with the bike rack, a painted crosswalk will span the rail trail, and there will be signage nearby to inform bike trail users that a crosswalk is ahead.

On the Hinckleys Pond side of the rail trail, the gently sloped ramp will lead to a viewing platform with two eight-foot benches. This is sure to be a popular spot for rest and reflection, allowing folks to observe nature and take in the spectacular water view.

Project refresher

The Hinckleys Pond – Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project includes the restoration of two retired cranberry bogs that bookend 174-acre Hinckleys Pond in Harwich, located at the headwaters of the Herring River estuary. Hinckleys Pond is also connected by streams to river herring spawning habitat in Long Pond and Seymour Pond.

Harwich Conservation Trust’s Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project includes the rewilding of two retired cranberry bogs that bracket Hinckleys Pond, indicated with red circles. The blue arrows pointing into the three ponds show upstream migration of river herring each spring.

By the late 1990s, much larger off-Cape bogs were producing an extra supply of cranberries that caused the price to fall. This shift in the industry makes it more difficult for local growers to continue farming. Some are looking to exit the industry.

Farmers have a choice. They can either sell their properties for conversion of the upland to subdivisions which can cause water quality changes and end up closing off public access to the land. Or they can seek a conservation future by selling to local land trusts and towns. In 2021 at Hinckleys Pond, the Jenkins family finished their farming chapter and chose to sell their 31 acres to HCT for the next chapters of conservation and eco-restoration.

The Brown family, who owns a retired bog on the other side of the pond, is also partnering with HCT on the project. The collaborative eco-effort will increase biodiversity and restore freshwater wetland habitat as well as enhance opportunities for everyone to enjoy the trails, views and wildlife watching.

The eco-restoration project is funded by HCT donors, the Brown family, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Watershed grant, EPA National Estuary Program Coastal Watershed grant under cooperative agreement with Restore America’s Estuaries, Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation MassTrails grant, foundation funds through the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and a Transformational Habitat Restoration & Coastal Resilience grant through the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

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