Eco-Restoration Journey Week 9: A deep dive into Hinckleys Pond

There is a blue jewel in the middle of the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project. This shimmering gem offers a stunning vista for bikers and walkers along the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

And it will be a star attraction for visitors to Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Preserve once the project is finished.

As you may have guessed, we’re talking about the big blue beauty known as Hinckleys Pond. It lies between two retired cranberry bogs that are being rewilded as part of the eco-restoration project, which will also improve the pond’s water quality, restore 500 feet of shoreline and benefit river herring and other aquatic species that call the pond home.

The project will also create a nearly one-mile wheelchair accessible All Persons Trail at the Preserve, allowing people of all ages and abilities to connect with nature. These improvements will include an accessible scenic overlook at Hinckleys Pond, and provide a walkable connection between the Preserve and the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

Currently, a derelict pumphouse partially obscures the pond vista along the bike trail. This structure was used to pump water from Hinckleys Pond into the cranberry bogs, sometimes dropping the pond’s water level by a foot.

As part of the eco-restoration, the structure will be removed to reveal a wide-open view of the pond for passersby on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. A pond viewing area with a bench will be built on the building’s footprint, creating a great spot to enjoy the vista and watch for wildlife.

With Hinckleys Pond playing such an important role in the eco-restoration project, we figured it was time to take a deeper dive into this lovely little loch and find out some fun facts.

Hinckleys Pond 101

According to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DMF), Hinckleys Pond is an approximately 176-acre great pond, with a maximum depth of 27 feet and an average depth of 12 feet. Great ponds are defined by the state as any pond or lake that contains more than 10 acres in its natural state.

A stroll across the bottom of the pond would reveal that it is composed of sand, a bit of rubble and some aquatic vegetation. According to DMF, Hinckleys Pond is fed by groundwater and connections to Seymour Pond and Long Pond.

Hinckleys Pond is located at the headwaters of the Herring River estuary and drains into the Herring River. Each spring, river herring make their way up the river to spawning habitat in Hinckleys, Seymour and Long ponds.

A robust herring fishery existed in the state for centuries, but in 2005, the DMF implemented a river herring harvest ban due to declining numbers of herring at runs in Massachusetts. In many coastal communities, herring are counted each spring as they swim up runs, to provide important data for future policy decisions by DMF.

Volunteers from the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) are on the front line of this vital citizen science effort. During the spawning season, which typically runs from April to June, HCT volunteers are “on the run,” counting herring at a location where Hinckleys Pond meets the Herring River.

Other fish, including yellow and white perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and American eels are also found in Hinckleys Pond.

A peculiar connection to Seymour Pond

Back in the 1850s, a Harwich sea captain named Alvin Cahoon figured that cranberries could be grown along the shore of Seymour Pond if the water level was lowered. This was the birth of the “Cahoon Canal,” a 600-foot waterway that was dug between Seymour and Hinckleys Ponds.

According to an article published in Cape Cod Magazine in 1918, work began in the fall of 1852. “With only common wheelbarrows and very little help, Capt. Cahoon started, with the help of his small sons and one or two hired workmen,” the article reported. “This was a gigantic undertaking at that time.”

By April of 1853, the five-foot wide canal was finished, “running in many places through hills which were nearly 30 feet high,” according to the article. Shortly thereafter, the water level in Seymour Pond had dropped by at least two feet as it drained into Hinckleys Pond. This allowed cranberry bogs to be created along the shore of Seymour Pond.

The Cahoon Canal still exists today, but functions as a herring run up to Seymour Pond. It’s one of the wonders of Hinckleys Pond, a beautiful place that will be enhanced by the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project.

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, at the headwaters of the Herring River estuary and immediately downstream of river herring spawning habitat in Long Pond and Seymour Pond.

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 made it more difficult for some local growers to continue farming.

In 2021, thanks to generous donors, HCT was able to purchase the 31-acre retired bog area from the Jenkins family. If not preserved, the forested upland along Headwaters Drive and Rt. 124 could have been converted into a subdivision which would have impacted pond health and closed off the popular spot to the public.

The project also seeks to improve shoreline habitat of Hinckleys Pond, which is a herring spawning pond. The Brown family, who owns a retired bog on the other side of the pond, is also partnering with HCT on the project. The partnership eco-effort aims to increase biodiversity, restore freshwater wetland habitat and enhance recreational opportunities.

The eco-restoration project was 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.

Revisit our eco-journey chapters: Here are the links for week one, week two, week three, week four, week five and week 6, week 7 and week 8.

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.