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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Coalition?
The Coalition is a group of local citizens and local organizations
concerned about the future of public land in the Connamessett River
watershed.
What are your goals?
Our goal is to restore Town-owned land in the Coonamessett River
watershed to serve a variety of uses for the benefit all the
citizens of Falmouth. We
advocate the restoration of the Town-owned cranberry bogs along the
Coonamessett River to natural riverbank wetlands. Approximately 125
acres of public land could become a public greenway in East
Falmouth, linking Coonamessett Pond to the Great Pond estuary through a
series of walking trails, small-scale organic cranberry
growing, and restored fishing grounds.
We hope to see this land fulfill its promise and become the "jewel in
the crown" of Falmouth's Conservation lands.
Why should we stop commercial cranberry production on the public
land on the River?
The Coonamessett River is one of our town’s most significant natural resources and a precious part of our natural heritage. It is particularly valuable because the Town of Falmouth owns the majority of land along the river. The Coonamessett has a high freshwater flow and is the longest river linking upland and coastal ponds on Cape Cod.
The Coonamessett has one of the Cape’s most important and historic herring runs, but this run could be greatly improved by better conditions on and near the river. Herring are important to both freshwater and coastal ecosystems as they are essential food to game fish. Maintaining a healthy herring population is important to Falmouth's economy, since fishing is one reason people come to Falmouth. Restoring the river will enhance the herring and many other fish and animal populations, and improve conditions in Great Pond and beyond.
What's the impact of commercial cranberry production on the river and the estuary?
According to the Ashumet Plume Citizen's Committee Report, the bogs contribute 1% of the nutrient loading to Great Pond. How significant is this number? To remove an equivalent amount of this nitrogen loading, we'd have to install denitrifying systems in 52 homes, at a cost of $19,000 per home, or a total cost of $1 million.
These bogs have several direct effects on habitat along the river. They cause unnaturally high water temperatures, and provide conditions where birds can decimate the fish population. Bog sanding makes the river bottom sandy and shallow, poor habitat for fish like trout. There are 11 culverts and 13 weirs to be navigated by anadromous fish for spawning. Water level is manipulated for the benefit of berries, not fish, sometimes resulting in the stranding and loss of a large part of a generation of fish.
Many of the pesticides applied to the bogs are federally labeled as "not for use in areas with surface water present". These are toxic to fish and shellfish, and may remain in the water for days or months after application. Pesticides are designed to kill pests, including plants, insects or fungi. Unfortunately, pesticides may kill or harm other, non-target organisms such as birds, fish or humans.
Isn't there a compromise between cranberry growing and restoration?
The Board of Selectmen and the Conservation Commission voted to continue conventional growing on the upper bogs for four years, to permit the continued conventional agricultural use of the public bogs along the Childs River, to support organic growing on the Flax Pond bogs, and to move forward on restoration of the three lower bogs. In other words, we have already reached a compromise.
Can't we have cranberries and restoration?
We can, though not with commercial-level production. "Wild bogs" exist in other towns, maintained by annual mowing, occasional hand weeding, and flooding at strategic times. In addition to more and better habitat for fish and other creatures, the public benefits would include the preservation of cranberry bog vistas and an opportunity for people to harvest their own berries.
Aren't the town bogs open to the public now?
Not really. In 2002, the cranberry grower posted a sign that read: “It is recommended that humans and pets stay off the bogs during the growing season.” Limiting access to the bogs from March to October, seven months of the year, is not making this land available to the public.
In an article in the Falmouth Enterprise, the cranberry grower said he applied pesticides about 7 times per season. After these applications, people should not venture onto the bogs. In 2003, there were no postings of any chemical applications. People walking on the bogs did so without knowing whether they were risking their health by venturing onto on this public property.
Why not separate the bogs from the river?
A berm or dike along the river would appear to separate the river from the bogs. A berm could prevent the surface transport of chemicals from bogs to river, but would not keep chemicals out of the river. The river and bogs are linked not only by surface water flows, but more significantly through groundwater flow. Along most of its length the Coonamessett River is groundwater-fed. As the source of the river itself, that upwelling groundwater flows under and through the bogs to reach the river. Therefore, chemicals applied to the bogs can reach the groundwater and be carried to the river.
Furthermore, chemicals sprayed on the bogs through the irrigation system can be dispersed by the wind across a berm to the river. The only way to guarantee that agricultural chemicals are kept out of the river is to eliminate their use on town-owned land.
Berming public bogs on the river would require filling about 2 acres of wetlands. It would take years just to complete the permitting process, and would cause irreparable harm to this fragile ecosystem.
Wouldn't moving the river allow continued commercial cranberry
production?
Aside from the numerous permitting hurdles and the significant cost associated with moving the river, there other practical considerations. One concern is the real possibility that very long-lived pesticides, such as DDT and lead arsenate, would be found in the soils underlying the river or bogs. Major construction activities could release these chemicals into the river. Another constraint is the need to provide sufficient buffer between actively cultivated bogs and the river to prevent movement of chemicals. Current research suggests that a vegetated buffer of 100 feet to 300 feet would be necessary to adequately protect the river. Along the Coonamessett River, there would be little bog remaining to support commercial growing.
Doesn't the Town receive a lot of income from growing cranberries?
Even in good years the income is a tiny amount of the revenue received by the Town. A reasonable rent on the house that is part of this property would have outpaced the revenue from the bogs over the past several years. Prices for chemically-grown cranberries have fallen from a high of $80 a barrel in 1997 to the 2002 price of $32.50 a barrel, although organic cranberries sell for up to $300 a barrel. The costs associated with adequately supervising the lease and maintaining fish passage in the face of agricultural demands on the river can easily be argued to exceed the potential income form argiculture, without the environmental damage.
Are you trying to stop all cranberry farming in Falmouth?
No. We are concerned about Town owned land in the Coonamessett River Watershed. Data from the Woods Hole Research Center states that this is about 3% of the bog acreage in Barnstable County.
Will the open vistas disappear?
Not if we don’t want them to. The river and wetlands can be restored and the vistas maintained. The Selectmen are appointing the Coonamessett River Restoration Working Group to plan the future of these lands and the river. They can decide to keep the vistas by actively restoring the river to wetlands with low growing vegetation such as wetland meadows. In fact, the property could look nearly the same as it does now.
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