Log Pond Cove

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Log Pond Cove
Pulling water chestnut (Trapa natans) from Log Pond Cove, Holyoke, Massachusetts (2017).jpg
USFWS volunteers pull water chestnut from Log Pond Cove
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Log Pond Cove
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Log Pond Cove
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Log Pond Cove
Location Holyoke, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°12′58″N72°36′45″W / 42.216001°N 72.612550°W / 42.216001; -72.612550 Coordinates: 42°12′58″N72°36′45″W / 42.216001°N 72.612550°W / 42.216001; -72.612550
Type cove
Primary inflows Connecticut River
Primary outflows Connecticut River
Basin  countriesUnited States
Surface area18.5 acres (7.5 ha)
Surface elevation102 ft (31 m)

Log Pond Cove, previously known as Money Hole, [1] is a former log pond and scenic wayside on the Connecticut River, about half a mile upstream from the Holyoke Dam at South Hadley Falls.

Sawmill of the Connecticut River Lumber Company on the shores of the cove, c. 1890 Connecticut River Lumber Company mills on Log Pond Cove, c. 1890.png
Sawmill of the Connecticut River Lumber Company on the shores of the cove, c. 1890

The 18.5-acre (75,000 m2) pond was once used for ice cutting, [2] as well as log drives from points north, diverted there in the late 19th and early 20th century. The log boom once set up there supplied contractors and the paper mills of Holyoke's industrial economy. After the last of these logging drives in 1915, silt gradually began to fill in the cove, gradually changing its river island border into a peninsula. [3]

By the mid-20th century the water body and its immediate surroundings had been acquired by the Holyoke Water Power Company, and in 1987 the site was briefly considered for use as the site of a children's nature camp. In 1998 it was recorded as the first body of water in the Connecticut River watershed to become infested with water chestnut, an invasive species that, despite efforts by Federal and local authorities, has persisted since that time. The area was acquired by Holyoke Gas & Electric as part of the dam and canal network on December 14, 2001, and is presently managed in part by US Fish and Wildlife Service staff and volunteers as an extension of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. [4] [5]

Today the cove is surrounded by 62 acres of undeveloped wetlands and functions as a sanctuary to many bird species, including great blue herons and several duck species. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyoke, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located 8 miles (13 km) north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut River</span> River in the New England region of the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Sabbatia</span> Body of water

Lake Sabbatia, sometimes known as Scaddings Pond is a 248-acre great pond in Taunton, Massachusetts, near Watson Pond State Park. The lake is where Mill River begins and the Snake River ends. It is the largest lake in the city of Taunton and the most popularly used. There are several coves and an island within the lake. Parts of its coastline are populated with woods, streets, and residential homes. Lake Sabbatia is used for a variety of recreational activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, and ice fishing. There is a boat ramp off Bay Street into the lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Tom (Massachusetts)</span> U.S. mountain

Mount Tom, 1,202 feet (366 m), is a steep, rugged traprock mountain peak on the west bank of the Connecticut River 4.5 miles (7 km) northwest of downtown Holyoke, Massachusetts. The mountain is the southernmost and highest peak of the Mount Tom Range and the highest traprock peak of the 100-mile (160 km) long Metacomet Ridge. A popular outdoor recreation resource, the mountain is known for its continuous line of cliffs and talus slopes visible from the south and west, its dramatic 1,100-foot (340 m) rise over the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, and its rare plant communities and microclimate ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goose Pond (New Hampshire)</span> Lake in New Hampshire, United States

Goose Pond is a 625-acre (2.5 km2) water body located in Grafton County in western New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Canaan and Hanover. It is considered a great pond by the state of New Hampshire. The lake has 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of shoreline, and is approximately 3 miles (5 km) long by 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide. All but the northernmost end of the pond is in the town of Canaan. The average depth of the pond is approximately 10 feet (3.0 m), with the deepest part approximately 35 feet (11 m). The lake is part of the Mascoma River watershed, flowing to the Connecticut River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swartswood State Park</span> State park in Sussex County, New Jersey

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis Reservoir</span> Body of water

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weymouth Back River</span> River in Massachusetts, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyoke Canal System</span> United States historic place

The Holyoke Canal System is a system of power canals in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It is split into three canals based on elevation and distance from the inlet at the Holyoke Dam- the First Level Canal, Second Level Canal, and Third Level Canal. Constructed over a period between 1847 and 1892, the Canal System, along with the Dam, is recognized as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for its use in the development of the Venturi meter by Clemens Herschel, the first means of measuring large-scale flows, and the McCormick-Holyoke Turbine by John B. McCormick, which doubled the efficiency of turbines to more than 80% in its time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salmon River (Connecticut)</span> River in Connecticut , US

The Salmon River is formed at the confluence of the Blackledge and Jeremy rivers about one mile west of North Westchester, Connecticut. It drains 96,000 acres and courses for 10.4 miles (16.7 km) to Salmon Cove near Moodus where it flows into the Connecticut River. The Salmon River is probably the largest stream and watershed whose sources and mouth are entirely within the limits of Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watuppa Ponds</span> Body of water

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Oxbow (Connecticut River)</span>

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Little Tom Mountain is a 73-acre (300,000 m2) nature preserve in Holyoke, Massachusetts and is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The land was purchased in 2002 by a joint effort of the Trustees of Reservations, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club from the holders of the former Mt. Tom Ski area. The Trustees and the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club have a cooperative management approach of the area and run an environmental education program together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer State Forest</span> Protected area in Massachusetts, United States

Spencer State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest and recreation reserve located in the town of Spencer, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The 92 mile (148 km) Midstate Trail passes through the state forest. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also conducts logging in some parts of the property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doane's Sawmill/Deep River Manufacturing Company</span> United States historic place

Messerschmidt Pond Wildlife Management Area is a tract of land in Westbrook and Deep River, Connecticut, adjacent to Cockaponset State Forest. The area includes the millpond and former site of the Deep River Manufacturing Company, which preserved a variety of historic manufacturing machinery until its demolition in 1987. The mill and an associated shed and dam were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Watershops Pond is a lake in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Located in the Upper Hill neighborhood, it is the city's second-largest body of water, after the Connecticut River. Watershops Pond features 7 miles of shorelines and 186 acres. It was a major site for fishing, featuring species ranging from Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout, and Yellow Bass. The city after multiple lowering of the dam draining the pins for lengthy periods had destroyed the habitat. Not only had it decimated the fish population leaving primarily pumpkinseed, calico bass, and carp. The pond was formed by damming the Mill River, which flows out of the westernmost end and continues 1.25 miles until its confluence with the Connecticut River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopeville Pond State Park</span> Park in Griswold, Connecticut, US

Hopeville Pond State Park is a public recreation area located on Hopeville Pond, an impoundment of the Pachaug River, in the town of Griswold, Connecticut. A portion of the 554-acre (224 ha) state park occupies the site of the lost village of Hopeville. The park manager's house occupies Avery House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park offers fishing, swimming, camping, and trails for hiking and biking. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enchanted Pond</span> Body of water

Enchanted Pond is a mountain pond in the U.S. state of Maine. Situated in the Western Maine Mountains in the Northwest Somerset Region, the pond is located in a deep mountain valley between Coburn Mountain and Shutdown Mountain. Near its southern end, the pond is distinguished by two rockslides from the exposed cliffs of these mountains that extend down into the water along both shores. Enchanted Pond is fed by mountain springs and Little Enchanted Pond, and is the primary source of Enchanted Stream which flows into the Dead River, a tributary of the Kennebec River. Development on the pond is limited to a small set of sporting camps at the northern end of the pond and one remote camp on the southwest shore, both a part of Bulldog Camps. There are no islands in the pond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyoke Dam</span> Dam in Hampden County and Hampshire County Massachusetts

The Holyoke Dam, also referred to as the Hadley Falls Dam, or Hadley Falls Station is a granite dam built in tandem with the Holyoke Canal System at Hadley Falls on the Connecticut River, between Holyoke and South Hadley, Massachusetts. The water differential created by the dam produced mechanical hydropower for industrial uses in Holyoke, and later hydroelectric power.

This is a timeline of the history of the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA.

References

  1. Barrows, Charles Henry (1916). An Historical Address Delivered Before the Citizens of Springfield in Massachusetts at the Public Celebration, May 26, 1911, of the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Settlement. Connecticut Valley Historical Society. p. 59.
  2. "City Will Have Ice Enough". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. February 11, 1913. p. 14. ...the Holyoke ice company plan to begin cutting ice in the saw-mill pond in the river Monday.
  3. Lauer, Martin J. (July 7, 1987). "A natural 'paradise' in Holyoke; Civic Group wants riverfront north of dam preserved for wildlife, partly for camping, swimming". Springfield Union-News. Springfield, Mass. p. 8.
  4. Parcel 071-00-020, Holyoke Assessor's Database
  5. Lapis, Jennifer (October 11, 2017). "The fight against water chestnut: It takes a village". Field Notes. US Fish and Wildlife Service.
  6. "Log Pond - Holyoke - MA". Mass-Trails.
External media
Images
Searchtool.svg A cove near the sawmill, Holyoke, Massachusetts, DigitalCommonwealth via Digital Amherst
Searchtool.svg Train wreck on the bank of the Connecticut River near the Holyoke Dam, Digital Commonwealth via Holyoke Public Library
Video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Water Chestnut control on Log Pond Cove, Ecological Connections