OPET hired the well known botanist, Mario DeGregorio to do an inventory of the plants growing in OPET's seven acre Zinn Park. Mario is founder of the Botanical Club of Cape Cod and the Islands, and author of several natural history books, including A Vanishing Heritage: Wildflowers of Cape Cod.
At the cost of $1,000, Mario conducted six plant surveys starting in late April and finishing with "A Botanical Tour of Zinn Park" in September. Nearly 100 plant species were found, 80% of which are native.
This is a higher percentage than the state average of 65% native plants found in most natural landscapes. This demonstrates that although the parcel is relatively small, it has fine natural diversity. This information will be used to develop a land management plan for Zinn Park.
Unfortunately, Mario also identified a number of exotic invasive plant species, (luckily NOT Phragmites), that should be removed. Fortunately, most are in manageable numbers. The most problematic is bush honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) which is growing thickly under a magnificent linden tree near Mosquito Creek. OPET is scheduling a work day this spring to clear the area of honeysuckle. This would be an ideal spot for a bench to sit and enjoy the quiet beauty of Zinn Park.
Maintaining an opening in Trunk River for the passage of migrating herring is another visible OPET project. In coordination with Chuck Martinsen, the herring warden, OPET works with the town to keep this important fishway open. Despite the jetties and weir, sometimes old-fashioned manual labor is needed to clear out sand, gravel and seaweed from the river. Keeping the water flowing in Trunk River also keeps the pond level low and helps prevent algae from growing on the lagoon as we saw two summers ago. Members also monitor the river during the spring migration of returning herring, dismantling poachers' illegal dams when needed.
As part of the effort to keep the River open, OPET posted three signs this summer at the Trunk River bridge to dissuade the public from putting rocks in the river. As many of you have seen, children (of all ages) love to play in this water and especially like building little dams across the river. The problem is these dams catch ocean debris carried in by high tides, further blocking the river's outflow. Hopefully the following signs are making a difference.