The Cost of Buying Conservation Heaven on Nantucket? $15 Million Dollars

“Property Profile: Rare and Oh, So Special”
The Nantucket Independent, July 9, 2008

NANTUCKET -- Large pieces of vacant land with water views are becoming scarcer and scarcer on Nantucket. So are properties which offer multiple choices for locating a house. So are properties which abut Conservation Foundation land on two sides. So are properties with 1,000 feet of waterfront on one of the island's most beautiful tributaries. And so are properties with a boat house and a grandfathered fixed and floating dock.

The 31-acre tract at 16 Medouie Creek combines the best of Nantucket heath land, tupelo and oak forests and shorefront. ... ©

Read the full property profile.

Residents, Nantucket Land Bank Consider Removing Dead Trees to Reduce Risk of Fire

"Residents, Land Bank Working on Dead Pine Tree Removal Plan"
The Nantucket Independent, July 9, 2008
By Peter B. Brace

Peter Brace reports that a Nantucket resident's association will work with the Nantucket Islands Land Bank and the Nantucket Conservation Commission to remove 70 to 100 acres of dead pines along Hummock Pond Road. With less than two inches of rain in June and the island’s fire danger rating high, concern is the dead trees could fuel a forest fire.

History of the Sconset Trust on Nantucket

“Inside the Sconset Trust”
Nantucket Today, November/December 2006

Thanks to this fairly recent article from Nantucket Today, we learned about the history of the Sconset Trust on Nantucket.

Founded in 1984, the Trust is “dedicated to the conservation of the moors, beaches, marshlands and meadows in a wild state; the preservation of buildings and sites of historic significance; the protection of areas of natural beauty; the safeguarding of the public water supply; and the production of education materials about Sconset’s social, economic and natural history.”

The Trust successfully relocated the historic Sankaty Lighthouse in 2007.

Nantucket’s Linda Loring Nature Foundation Launches Website

“Linda Loring in Cyberspace”
The Nantucket Independent, June 25, 2008
By Peter B. Brace

Peter Brace reports that a year after hiring Kitty Pochman as its first executive director and renowned naturalist E. Vernon Laux as property manager and resident naturalist, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation on Nantucket has launched its website at www.llnf.org.

Established in 1999 by Island resident Linda Loring, the Foundation owns 270 acres of natural habitat near Long Pond and “is dedicated to being stewards of the property and fostering learning that promotes environmental awareness.”

For more information about the history of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, please read these newspaper articles:

•  “Loring Foundation Hires Renowned Naturalist,”
     The Nantucket Independent, August 29, 2007

•  “Loring Foundation Hires Pochman as First Director,”
     The Nantucket Independent, July 25, 2007

•  “A Prize Worth Protecting,”
     Nantucket Today, November/December 2006

Nantucket to Clear Public Ways to the Water

“Hidden Public Ways to the Water Under Scrutiny”
The Nantucket Independent, June 25, 2008
By Peter B. Brace

Peter Brace reports that the town of Nantucket is undertaking an effort to clear and mark public ways to the water, many of which have become overgrown or obstructed by abutters. The Nantucket Islands Land Bank and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation are involved in the effort.

Nantucket Land Bank Buys Four Waterfront Acres

“Land Bank Buys Four Waterfront Acres”
The Nantucket Independent, June 25, 2008
By Peter B. Brace

Peter Brace reports that the Nantucket Islands Land Bank has purchased four-acres of waterfront property. About a half-acre lot with a cottage overlooking Hither Creek was purchased for $1.8 million from Nancy A. Chase, while an adjoining half-acre was donated by her neighbor. (Chase’s sister, Susan Ottison, sold eight acres to the Land Bank for $12.4 million in 2005.) In an unrelated transaction, the Land Bank acquired about 3 acres of “fragile coastal dune habitat” at Dionis Beach for about $900,000.

Nantucket Family Adventure Enters Final Week

"Nantucket Family Adventure Leads Children Back Into the Woods”
The Nantucket Independent, June 18, 2008
By Peter B. Brace

Peter Brace reports that the first Nantucket Family Adventure, which started on June 8th, culminates on June 29th, 2008. The event has given 20 participating families an opportunity to explore Nantucket’s conservation lands and ecosystems through geocaching, letterboxes, and scavenger hunts. Event sponsors include the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Mass Audubon, Nantucket Land Council, and the Linda Loring Nature Foundation.

Protect Your Noggin With a Conservation Cap

As summer approaches, it’s important to maintain proper head protection from the powerful rays of the sun. A great way to do this is to purchase a conservation cap, which is nothing more than a baseball cap or bucket hat with a neat conservation logo! Check out offerings from these organizations:

•  Coalition for Buzzards Bay

•  Nantucket Conservation Foundation

•  Orenda Wildlife Land Trust

•  Quissett Harbor Preservation Trust

•  The 300 Committee

•  Mass Audubon

•  The Nature Conservancy

•  Trust for Public Land

Federal Land in Madaket on Nantucket Declared Surplus, to be Sold

"Fed Land in Madaket Declared Surplus”
The Inquirer & Mirror, June 12, 2008
By Jason Graziadei

Jason Graziadei reports that the U.S. General Services Administration has declared 100 acres of federal land in Madaket on Nantucket to be surplus property. The land, assessed at $12.6 million and zoned for residential development, will be sold in the near future. The town of Nantucket has expressed interest in the site as a potential location for a wastewater treatment facility. Meanwhile, several conservation organizations, including the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, are interested in protecting the property as open space.

Nantucket Field Station Has Rich History

“Finding Yourself and the Island at the Field Station”
The Nantucket Independent, June 11, 2008
By Peter R. Brace

NANTUCKET -- Students who survive one of Dr. Sarah Oktay's intense, 90-minute lablecture fieldwork sessions at the University of Massachusetts' Nantucket Field Station off Polpis Road are rewarded with a peek inside her eerie Freezer of Death. ...

The field station still plays host to graduate students performing research, but is also open to the public 365 days a year from dawn until dusk for exploration of its trail system, salt marsh and beaches. ...

The field station opened in 1969 ... In May of 2004 ... the Nantucket Conservation Foundation committed to purchasing the 110-acre property including its buildings, 40-acre salt marsh, 2,000 feet of harbor beach frontage, meadows, upland shrub habitat and large freshwater pond for $22 million. ... ©

Read the full article in The Nantucket Independent.

Head of Nantucket’s Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund Takes New Job

“Cheryl Bartlett Leaving SBPF, Pursues Job in Boston”
The Nantucket Independent, June 4, 2008
By Peter R. Brace

NANTUCKET -- Cheryl Bartlett, Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund's executive director, is reducing her workload - helping east-end islanders protect their property from erosion - to take a job with Boston's Department of Public Health.

As Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) lost its battle with voters this April to mine 1.9 million cubic yards of sand three miles off of Sankaty and rebuild the beach from the lighthouse to Codfish Park, SBPF conceded Bartlett's services are no longer needed in a full-time capacity. ... ©

Read the full article in The Nantucket Independent.

Norcross Wildlife Foundation: Recent Grants

The Norcross Wildlife Foundation was founded in 1965 by Arthur D. Norcross, founder of the Norcross Greeting Card Company and a native of Monson, MA. Located in New York City, the Foundation’s mission includes “To support, through grants, gifts, easements and loans-for-land, the activities of a national and international constituency of not-for-profit wildlife conservation organizations.”

With assets of more than $70 million, the Foundation has awarded grants over the past few years to several Cape Cod organizations, primarily for computer-related equipment. For example:

•  Barnstable Land Trust, $2,000 in 2006, for digital camera and LCD projector

•  Coalition for Buzzards Bay, $3,000 in 2004, for equipment for new facility at Nashawena Mills

•  Coalition for Buzzards Bay, $5,000 in 2007, for an electronic fish counter and/or associated equipment and materials

•  Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, $3,000 in 2006, for computer equipment, digital camera, and GIS software

•  Harwich Conservation Trust, $3,200 in 2004, for PowerPoint projection equipment for public education

•  Harwich Conservation Trust, $3,000 in 2007, for digital copier and desktop computer

•  Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, $2,000 in 2003, for computer-related equipment

•  The 300 Committee, $3,000 in 2003, for digital camera and projector

•  Tuckernuck Land Trust, $5,000 in 2005, for materials for closets, shelves, and hardware for new field station

Conservation Tax Law Update

The Nantucket Land Council has posted on its website a ten-page Land Trust Alliance booklet detailing the 2006 federal tax incentive for conservation restriction donations. The incentive expired on December 31, 2007, but now has been extended through December 31, 2009, by recent passage of the federal Farm Bill, so the information in the booklet should still be current.

For more information about the extended conservation tax incentive and the Farm Bill, please see the Land Trust Alliance’s "Federal Tax Incentives" page.

Nantucket’s Loring Nature Foundation Gains Approval for Blinds and Trails

“Loring Nature Foundation's Duck Blinds and Nature Trails Receive ConCom Approval”
The Nantucket Independent, May 28, 2008
By Peter B. Brace

NANTUCKET -- By early summer, Nantucketers will get to walk around the North Head of Hummock Pond and in three different places, stop and view ducks and other birds from blinds along the shore.

At its May 21 meeting, the Conservation Commission voted 5-0 to issue an order of conditions to the Linda Loring Nature Foundation at 110 Eel Point Road to cut walking trails around that pond, which sits on its 270-acre property now protected by a conservation easement secured by the Nantucket Land Council for $14 million in April 2007. ...

In addition to the nature trails and blinds, the Foundation wants to begin conceptual and design phase of building a barn on the property for educational purposes. The Foundation will assemble a building committee later this year. All of this work, begun in 1999 when Linda Loring formed her six-member foundation, is for the island environmental education of children. ... ©

Read the full article in The Nantucket Independent.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: The Nature of Learning Grants

Last week, Philanthropy News Digest reported that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is seeking applications from organizations interested in initiating The Nature of Learning program in their communities:

“ The Nature of Learning is a community-based environmental education initiative of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System that seeks to use National Wildlife Refuges as outdoor classrooms to promote a greater understanding of local conservation issues; encourage an interdisciplinary approach to learning that seeks to enhance student academic achievement; utilize field experiences and student-led stewardship projects to connect classroom lessons to real-world issues; and involve a partnership among local schools, community groups, natural resource professionals, and local businesses.

Programs must involve a partnership among a local school(s), community group (e.g., Refuge Support Group), and National Wildlife Refuge. Programs must promote an understanding of local conservation issues, improve scientific literacy, and conform to appropriate academic standards of learning. Preference will be given to start-up programs that can demonstrate a commitment to sustaining the program over time.

First year start-up grants are available for up to $10,000 each. Second year follow-up grants of up to $5,000 each are available to support continued implementation of The Nature of Learning program.”

The deadline for submitting an application is June 16, 2008. Visit the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation web site for more information and the complete Request for Proposals.

Note that Cape Cod and the Islands have four National Wildlife Refuges:

•  Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge
•  Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge
•  Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge
•  Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge

For some background information and perspective on the state of funding for our National Wildlife Refuges, please read the following pieces:

•  “America’s 548 National Wildlife Refuges Under-Funded By 43 Percent,” a press release issued May 22, 2008, by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement

•  Restoring America's Wildlife Refuges 2008: A Plan to Solve the Refuge System Funding Crisis, a report by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (May 2008)

•  Restoring Our Refuges: a Plan for Massachusetts, a fact sheet prepared by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (2008)

Calendar of Events for June 2008

June offers many wonderful opportunities to enjoy and learn about the environment of Cape Cod and the Islands. Below are just a few of the dozens of local events scheduled. Some events are members-only but most are open to the general public. Please check the respective websites for details and more listings!

Sunday, June 1st, 2008
Bird Walk, Wellfleet
“The early bird gets the worm and the early birder gets the best birds. The sanctuary’s many habitats support a wide variety of birds from herons to hummingbirds, waders to warblers, and everything in between.”
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
Walk: Bell's Neck Conservation Area, Harwich
Cape Cod Natural History Museum

Saturday, June 7th, 2008
Natural History Book Sale, Brewster
“This special sale will include contributions from members, a superb collection of recent gardening books AND a huge pile of ‘Oldies But Still Goodies’ from the Clarence Hay Library.”
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

Saturday, June 7th, 2008
Botanical Walk Coy’s Brook Woodlands, Harwich
“Botanist and journalist Rich Eldred will point out flora in a variety of wetland and upland habitats.”
Harwich Conservation Trust

Sunday, June 8th, 2008
1st Annual Nantucket Family Adventure, Nantucket
“Families will get outdoors, explore Nantucket, and participate in fun activities such as scavenger hunts, geocaching, games, letter boxing, nature walks and more.”
Hosted by Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Mass Audubon, Nantucket Land Council, Linda Loring Nature Foundation and other organizations.

Sunday, June 8th, 2008
Landscape Painting with Karen North Wells, Brewster
“A two-day workshop with noted Brewster artist Karen North Wells.”
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

Wedneday, June 11th, 2008
Great Island Hike, Wellfleet
“This hike will traverse salt marshes, dunes, and Cape Cod Bay, and will explore the woods of the interior of the island. Scenic vistas of Wellfleet Harbor will also be seen from high cliff tops.”
Cape Cod National Seashore

Saturday, June 14th, 2008
Bridge Creek Conservation Area Walk, West Barnstable
“BLT’s own Tom Mullen will lead you on an exploration through the town-owned Bridge Creek Conservation Area and BLT’s recently preserved two-acre parcel at Bayview Farm. Learn about recent efforts to preserve Bayview Farm and restore Bridge Creek.”
Barnstable Land Trust

Saturday, June 14th, 2008
A Walk in the Hawksnest Woods with Commentary, Harwich
“Join walk leader, Irwin Schorr, as he interprets the history, folklore, geology and botany of the six ponds area.”
Harwich Conservation Trust

Saturday, June 14th, 2008
Kayaking Chase Garden Creek in Yarmouth
“This creek is a long meandering creek that is protected from the stronger winds of Barnstable Harbor. Close encounters with osprey nests and other bird life is a certainty. Kayaks, paddles and life vests provided.”
Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon

Sunday, June 15th, 2008
Family Day at Peterson Farm, Falmouth
“Join us for an afternoon of exploration and fun activities at one of Falmouth's oldest farms. Watch sheep herding, build a scarecrow, or go on a bird walk or nature scavenger hunt. You can also see live turtles in a program led by Ian Ives, sanctuary director for Mass. Audubon.”
The 300 Committee

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Nature Photography with Stan Godwin, Brewster
“This course will introduce the technique of fine nature photography using digital capture.”
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Sandy Neck Plover Walk, West Barnstable
“Join Sandy Neck Park Manager and Naturalist, Nina Coleman and BLT for a one-mile hike through the dunes of Sandy Neck to the Piping Plover nests hidden along the front beach. Explore barrier beach ecology, learn about the Plover’s life-cycle and the conservation measures that are being taken to protect these endangered shorebirds.”
Barnstable Land Trust

Thursday, June 19th, 2008
Seashore Ramble, Wellfleet
“Explore the area where the land meets the sea, searching for animals and plants of the salt marsh and tidal flats. Using nets, small fish traps, and buckets, you will discover the world of crabs, shrimp, fish, and clams.”
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon

Thursday, June 19th, 2008
Campfire Sing-Along with Denya Levine and Tim Dickey
Marconi Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet
Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore

Friday, June 20th, 2008
Solstice Cruise Around Sandy Neck
Celebrate summer with a cruise aboard the Hyannis Whale Watcher. Commentary and local lore by Nina Coleman, a Sandy Neck Park Manager, Ian Ives, of Mass Audubon, and Ken Morton, the Sandy Neck Lighthouse Owner.
Barnstable Land Trust

Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Shore to Shore Hike, Wellfleet
“Walk across the Cape starting on the bay side of the Sanctuary and head to the ocean. We’ll walk through the pine woods of Bay View Trail, cross Route 6, hike along Fresh Brook swamp, then enjoy a panoramic view from the heathland above the cliffs at the Outer Beach.”
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon

Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Meadow Point Walk, Cotuit
“Join BLT member Bob Livingston for a walk through Meadow Point, BLT’s 28-acre ‘crown jewel’ at the southern-most tip of Barnstable. Enjoy the beauty and serenity of this meadow fringed by upland and bordered by Popponesset Bay. Bring a snorkel, mask, and water shoes if you’d like to participate in an optional swim.”
Barnstable Land Trust

Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Family Walk: Aquatic Creatures at Bank Street Bogs, Harwich
“Families with school age children will search the bogs with walk leader Jan Cormier.”
Harwich Conservation Trust

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
Kayaking Barnstable Harbor and the Great Marsh
“Launching from Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, we will explore the many tidal creeks and islands of the harbor, looking for shorebirds, osprey, horseshoe crabs and other creatures of the marsh. We'll also come ashore at the Sandy Neck barrier beach lighthouse. ... Kayaks, paddles and life vests provided.”
Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon

Thursday, June 26th, 2008
Walking With Authors, Eastham
“Experience Cape Cod through the eyes of some of the area’s most beloved authors, such as Beston, Thoreau, Hay, and others. See what they saw, feel what they felt, and hear what they heard. Join local author Dana Eldridge, and stroll the edge of Nauset Marsh.”
Cape Cod National Seashore

Saturday, June 28th, 2008
Searching for Thoreau’s Cape Cod, Wellfleet
“Searching for Thoreau, a compilation of essays by Tom Slayton, transports the reader to places in New England most important to Thoreau, highlighting and reflecting on 150 years of change. Slayton was the editor-in-chief of Vermont Life Magazine from 1986–2007 and a long-time commentator for Vermont Public Radio.”
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon

Saturday, June 28th, 2008
Botanical Walk: Bank Street Bogs Conservation Lands, Harwich
“Join botanist Robert Zaremba for a look at the many wild grasses in and around this conservation area.”
Harwich Conservation Trust

Saturday, June 28th, 2008
Hike: “More Walking, Less Talking,” Provincetown
“Wake up early Saturday mornings and join us for an energetic fitness hike off the beaten path and into some of the Outer Cape’s unique and secluded places.”
Cape Cod National Seashore

Nantucket Land Bank Outfoxed on Tuckernuck

"Land Bank Loses Out on Tuckernuck Acreage"
The Inquirer & Mirror, May 22, 2008
By Jason Graziadei

NANTUCKET -- With the Land Bank on the verge of acquiring 12 acres on Tuckernuck, the small island west of Nantucket, a private buyer has stepped in and purchased the property before the public agency could complete the deal.

Attorney Arthur Reade, who is representing a blind trust called High Meadows Trust, said ... the trust’s intention was not to develop the land on Tuckernuck. ...

Bartlett’s land is assessed at $1.9 million, and last year the Planning Board approved a plan that would allow him to subdivide the property into four lots. That decision was appealed by the Nantucket Land Council and the Tuckernuck Land Trust, and the matter is currently pending in Massachusetts Land Court. ©

Read the full article in The Inquirer & Mirror.

Related article: “Tuckernuck Owners Oppose Land Bank Buy of Bartlett Land,” The Inquirer & Mirror, May 16, 2008

Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative Week

The 2008 Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative Week will be held Sunday, May 25 through Saturday, May 31, 2008.

“The Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative (NBI) is a collaborative effort of Nantucket’s leading conservation organizations and off-island partners to inventory and monitor the many species of plants and animals found on Nantucket and to educate the public about the importance of protecting the rare elements that contribute to Nantucket’s rich local biodiversity.”

Participating organizations include the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Nantucket Islands Land Bank Commission, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Nantucket Land Council, Linda Loring Nature Foundation, The Trustees of Reservations, and Tuckernuck Land Trust.

For more information, read the newspaper article "Explore Island's Wild Side During Biodiversity Week," The Nantucket Independent, May 21, 2008

Owners of Nantucket Oceanfront Property Get Small Settlement in $2.7 Million Lawsuit

“Owners of Oceanfront Property Get Small Settlement in $2.7M Lawsuit”
The Inquirer & Mirror, May 16, 2008
By Jason Graziadei

NANTUCKET -- While the battle against coastal erosion along the Sconset bluff has grabbed all the headlines in recent months, another dispute over the island's eroding beaches along the south shore has moved along quietly in Superior Court over the last five years.

On Wednesday, a jury ordered the town to pay a group of Sheep Pond Road residents $145,832 in damages related to the loss of access to their homes after a portion of the road washed away in 2002. ...

When the town declined to conduct an eminent domain taking to construct a new road, the residents struck a deal with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF) to build a new road on NCF property, but the agreement came with strict conditions. ... ©

Read the full article in The Inquirer & Mirror.

Tuckernuck Owners Oppose Nantucket Land Bank Purchase of Bartlett Property

“Tuckernuck Owners Oppose Land Bank Buy of Bartlett Land”
The Inquirer & Mirror, May 16, 2008
By Jason Graziadei

NANTUCKET -- The Land Bank is in negotiations to acquire 12 acres on Tuckernuck, the small island immediately to the west of Nantucket, in a deal which would net the town the first public access to the exclusive island, and protect the land from further development.

Yet the potential deal has already raised concerns and criticism from Tuckernuck property owners ...

Tuckernuck contains about 70 different privately owned lots with about 35 houses, but no year-round residents. ... and much of the land is in conservation through the Tuckernuck Land Trust, the Nantucket Land Council, the Trustees of Reservations, and the Nature Conservancy. ... ©

Read the full article in The Inquirer & Mirror.