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Dear Friends of Allens Pond,
Now is the time of year we can take a deep breath and reflect on the wonderful whirlwind of a summer we had here at Allens Pond.
Mmmmmm.
First and foremost we feel a tremendous sense of gratitude for all of the effort, enthusiasm and support we received this past summer from members, visitors, volunteers, and seasonal staff.
Here is a glance at Allens Pond 2008 in numbers:
- Sanctuary visitors: ~12,000
- Rubber ducks raced at the 2008 Duck Derby: 4165
- Burgers/hotdogs consumed at the Duck Derby: 310
- Funds raised at the Duck Derby: $33,000 (net proceeds!)
- Sanctuary BBQs: 4
- Public programs: 27
- Public program participants: 450
- Osprey chicks banded: 107
- Invasive knapweed plants removed: 1000+!
- Nesting Bobolinks: 2
- Nestboxes: 57
- Nesting Tree Swallow pairs: 27
- Nesting House Wren pairs: 9
- Nesting Eastern Bluebird pairs: 5
- Nesting Eastern Bluebird chicks fledged: 14!
- Barn swallow pairs nesting on the porch: 1 (twice!)
- New bike racks: 1
- Volunteers: 491
- Total volunteer hours: 4624
You can see why it's been such a wonderfully busy summer! We know Allens Pond is a treasure and without hardworking supporters we would not have that sense of teamwork at the foundation of our ecological, educational and fundraising efforts. So to all of you THANK YOU for being a part of the Allens Pond team.
We look forward to a fantastic, fun-filled fall! Read on for updates and upcoming events:
Allens Pond Annual Butterfly Census, Sept. 13 and Sept. 20, 10am-12:30pm
Here’s a chance to savor the last remnants of summer, enjoy some time outdoors and perhaps learn something new at the annual Allens Pond Butterfly Census.
 This free annual event welcomes butterfly watchers of all ages and skill levels to help census as many areas of Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary as possible. Members of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club will lead teams into different areas of the Sanctuary and provide expertise in identifying butterflies. Here’s a chance to witness the migration of Monarch butterflies and discover the many types of butterflies that visit our Sanctuary.
We will meet at the Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary field station parking lot located at 1280 Horseneck Rd., Westport, MA at 10am to divide into census teams. Participants can choose to join a team depending on how far they would like to walk and how long they would like to partake. Participants should wear long pants, sunscreen and bring water and a snack or lunch. If you have any questions or would like to make a reservation please call the Sanctuary at (508) 636-2437 or email Allens Pond.
How can you help with the Shrubland Restoration?
One of the goals of the shrubland restoration is to preserve native fruit-bearing shrubs, which are important for the survival of shrubland birds.  Right now birds like the Grey Catbird and the Cedar Waxwing are feasting on wild shrubland fruits like blueberries, bayberries and blackberries to help fuel their fall migrations. Fruit that remains through the winter provides food for shrubland birds like Eastern Towhee and Brown Thrasher that spend the winter foraging along the Boulder Loop trail thickets. Even poison ivy berries are eaten by winter birds. The evergreen Red Cedars in this shrubland landscape provide winter cover as well as winter food. To help provide fall and winter food for wildlife you can plant your yard with native fruit-bearing shrubs like American Holly, Winterberry Holly, Highbush Blueberry, Common Blackberry (above), Elderberry, and Northern Arrowwood (right).
We are also looking for Shrubland Restoration Volunteers to help restore native plant species at Allens Pond. We will have 6 group workdays this fall focusing on eradicating invasive plant species, namely Multiflora Rose and Asiatic Bittersweet. The workdays are Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30am-12pm. Dates are: 9/25, 9/27, 10/9, 10/11, 10/30 and 11/1. Work may be, at times, physically demanding, but rewarding and instrumental in preserving the ecological integrity of areas in and around the sanctuary.
The lands that have been invaded by these invasive species are important winter habitat for bird species such as the Brown Thrasher and the Eastern Towhee. Northern Harriers also use this habitat. Upon the removal of invasive species, we will be planting native species. The presence of native flora will facilitate the use of this habitat by native bird and other animal species as well.
Water Quality Update: Allens Pond shows signs of eutrophication...
Preliminary studies conducted by SMAST at UMASS Dartmouth, in cooperation with the Coalition for Buzzards Bay and with partial funding to Mass Audubon from the Mass Environmental Trust, are revealing that Allens Pond is showing signs of eutrophication, depicted by low dissolved oxygen levels, a reduction in water quality, and sporadic fish kills.
Eutrophication is characterized by an increase in nutrient levels in an ecosystem, namely nitrogen and phosphorous. These nutrients in a sense "fertilize" plants in the pond, increasing the growth of aquatic plant . Although this may sound harmless enough, it can seriously compromise the health of the pond as it depletes the available oxygen available for other aquatic animals which need dissolved oxygen to survive process of decay of both plant and animal matter also uses oxygen contributing further to oxygen-depletion. If left unchecked, oxygen levels may be depleted to levels which are harmful to the organisms living in the pond. This condition of low oxygen is also known as hypoxia.
A possible reason for eutrophication in Allens Pond is that, due to the restriction of the channel for the past few months, land-derived nutrients are accumulating in the pond rather than being flushed out with the daily tides. Nutrients can come from many sources, natural and human-caused, including septic systems, fertilizer runoff, and animal waste. These nutrients increase the primary productivity of the system, creating excessive plant growth and decay, which in turn reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Over the next several months we will be working to understand the sources of nitrogen that could be better managed so as to improve the long-term water quality of the pond.
Please Consider Sponsoring an Osprey Platform
Now that the Osprey are moving out of their summer nesting sites we will begin the major task of repairing platforms in preparation for next season. The Osprey will start returning in early-mid March so we try to make most of our repairs during the fall. This effort  takes a lot of work and resources which are most directly funded by the Osprey Platform Sponsorship Program. Individuals, families or businesses that wish to support the Osprey project can sponsor a platform for $100 a year. In return they will received updates on their platform throughout the breeding season as well as on the Westport/Dartmouth Osprey population as whole. For those wishing to make a larger commitment, a sponsor pledging for 5 years ($100/year) will have the option of a personalized plaque being affixed to the chosen platform. Osprey Platform sponsorships are great gifts and are tax deductible. Please help Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and Westport River Watershed Alliance continue this important monitoring and stewardship effort. To learn more please contact Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary at (508) 636-2437 or email Becky Cushing. | 
