Herring vs. Homeowners
A few years ago someone vandalized the spillway of the dam at the headwaters of the Mashpee River — the stream that carries water out of Mashpee-Wakeby pond and which is also the main highway for the thriving herring population. That run, which crosses under Route 130 in Mashpee near the old Flume Restaurant, is one of the healthiest on the Cape.
Well, healthy until some irate homeowner, upset with the water lapping at his swingset and barbeque, took a chainsaw and cut down the boards that regulate the flow of water out of the pond. That happened several years ago. Now, according to the Cape Cod Times the residents are foaming once again, ticked off that all the spring rain erasing their beaches and putting pond water in their backyards.
Sigh. Herring or property — guess who will win this one?