Location: Lonnie’s Pond is a 12.5 acre salt water pond off of Pleasant Bay accessible from Herring Brook Way.
Access: There are two town landings on the pond, both along Herring Brook Way – one paved with parking for 4-5 cars, and one by the herring run for 2 cars. During low tides, the channel connecting Lonnie’s Pond to Pleasant Bay can get as shallow as one foot deep, so the landings are most suitable for launching kayaks, canoes or paddle boards.
Herring Run from Pilgrim Lake: There is a herring run at the southwestern corner of the pond which winds its way up to Pilgrim Lake. There are two species of herring which run up to Pilgrim Lake in the spring – alewife and blueback. The alewife run when the forsythia bloom and the blueback run when the lilacs do. The herring spawn in the lake, then make their way back to the ocean. The young make their way to the ocean August through October.
This run has been successfully reestablished with strong volunteer help and the herring counts on the run have grown from almost zero to thousands per year over the past 10 years.
Cranberry Bog Pipe from Crystal Lake: Lonnie’s Pond is occasionally fed with fresh water emanating from Crystal Lake. The cranberry bog at the southern tip of Crystal Lake is flooded with fresh water in the fall for harvest and in the winter to protect the vines from winter kill. After the flooding, the water is released into Lonnie’s Pond through a controlled pipe which passes under Monument Road and discharges water on the north side of the paved landing.
Water Quality and Oysters: Similar to all of the freshwater and saltwater ponds in Orleans, Lonnie’s Pond is impacted by nitrogen leaching from residential septic systems as well as fertilizers. This leads to excessive algae growth and degraded water and ecological quality of the pond. In 2016, the Town of Orleans initiated the Lonnie’s Pond Demonstration Project to grow oysters on the pond to determine whether they could reduce nitrogen concentrations and be used as a partial substitute for sewering. Although results have shown that the oysters do have a positive impact on the water quality, it was concluded that further nitrogen mitigation measures would be needed. The area surrounding Lonnie’s Pond is included in Phase 3 of overall wastewater treatment project in Orleans.
Kent’s Point: The eastern bank of Lonnie’s Pond is part of the Kent’s Point Conservation Area. Kent’s Point runs along the northern half of the Kescayogansett River and out into “The River”. Kent’s Point consists of 28 acres and is great for hiking and walking, swimming, shore fishing, bird watching and relaxing in nature. In 2025, a land management plan for this conservation area was prepared by the Town of Orleans.
Recreational Activities: The quiet waters of Lonnie’s Pond are ideal for kayaking or paddleboarding. There are also a number of good routes for kayaking or paddleboarding out of Lonnie’s Pond into the larger area of Pleasant Bay. North takes you by Frostfish and Henson’s Coves, past the White’s Lane Conservation Area, and up into Meeting House Pond. South takes you to either the Namequoit River and west up into Arey’s Pond, or south between Namequoit and Viking Points into Little Pleasant Bay. Further exploration will take you to the back side of Pochet Island and Pochet Inlet, to Sampson and Hog Islands, or south to Paw Wah Pond and the Narrows and onto “Big Pleasant Bay”, the Quanset Ponds and the Pleasant Bay waterways of Chatham.
Friends of Lonnie’s Pond (FoLP) Association: In 1996, Pam Herrick wrote a note to the Orleans Conservation Commission indicating that a group of concerned “Friends” had held a meeting the previous summer, and wanted to assist in monitoring and helping to restore the health of Lonnie’s Pond. The Friend’s of Lonnie’s Pond have been meeting ever since.