November 8, 2015

RE: Herring River Restoration (HRR) community concerns

Dear Wellfleet Board of Selectmen,
We understand that the Selectmen are currently considering the MOU III as the next
step in the proposed HRR project. As Wellfleet home owners and abutters to the
proposed HRR area, we are writing to convey our concerns about this project to you,
our elected officials.
We believe the scope of the Herring River restoration is too broad because it would
have substantial negative impacts on portions of the community. While we agree that
restoring the river is a worthy objective, including land that lies far from the main river is
unnecessary to achieve improved water quality of the river, and is unfair to landowners
who do not wish their property included. The arguments made by proponents for the
water quality improvements do not apply equally well across the entire historical
estuary, yet there is no balance in this discussion that considers what will be lost. This
project is far from being a 100% positive initiative that it is described to be and we feel
the BOS should publicly and directly address community concerns.
Our concerns include impact on property values, changing home ownership costs, such
as property taxes, homeowners and flood insurance, shifting property owner's rights that
would result from moving the tide lines and river boundaries, and last but not least - loss
of landscapes and ecosystems that we love. These concerns also include the threat to
retaining access on the High Toss Road recreation area.
In addition, there are likely to be unintended damages that will occur after the
restoration, such as, shell fishermen's livelihood, property damage not prevented by the
up-front mitigation measures, loss of rental income, or saleability of a property, if the
restoration creates a lingering smelly mess. No liability plan has been disclosed publicly
to address these problems. What does the BOS plan to do to address this important
deficiency? This question was raised by the Stakeholders committee years ago and
remains an important unanswered question.
Going forward, a process by which the proponents remain the driving (and only) force in
this complex project is unacceptable because it does not address the full spectrum of
community needs. The extent of this project should be a compromise between
protecting current, legitimate land uses and implementing a limited restoration of the
Herring River. We look to our elected officials to provide that balance.
In recent years the proponents have been the contact persons for discussions of private
property concerns, but their specific objectives to promote the fullest possible
restoration go beyond what we feel is reasonable for Wellfleet. The implementation of
their goals would lead not only to divisions among the towns people, but also potential
legal actions that no one wants to see happen.

For all of these reasons, we request the BOS talk directly with constituents in a public
forum before they commit the town to another step in the restoration process through
the MOU III. The community should know exactly where the selectmen stand on the
extent of restoration. In such a forum, we have the opportunity to forge a common
understanding and avoid the sense of us and them which inevitably occurs if there is
an (appearance of?) imbalance in a communitys shared sacrifice.
We look forward to hearing from the BOS on these suggestions, and hope to set a date
for a public forum soon.
Thank you for your time and service to the Wellfleet community.