We are excited to announce the completion of a new boardwalk and viewing platform at the Barnstable Conservation Center in West Barnstable. The building boardwalk offers visitors access to the trails around the 2-acre pond behind the office. The viewing platform looks over the pond, which is home to roosting egrets and herons in […] Read more »
Little Parker Pond Restoration
Why is this project being proposed? The existing conditions in and surrounding Little Parkers Pond have been degraded by a combination of restricted tidal flows, build up of sediment within the pond, and invasive plant species displacing the native plant communities surrounding the pond. This has led to: 1 . Reduced water quality. 2. Increased nitrogen released in to downstream salt marsh and estuary. 3. Loss of benthic habitat and shellfish resources. 4. Loss of quality native plant communities. 5. Loss of the habitat associated with native plant communities. Read more »
Cape Symphony
Join us for a delightful evening of music! Sunday, September 22nd 2:00-7:30 p.m. Barnstable Land Trust invites you to a performance by the Cape Symphony, featuring a program filled with the sounds of nature. Ticket holders are welcomed to a 2:00 p.m. pre-concert talk to learn about the environmentally-inspired musical program, followed by Beethoven on […] Read more »
Barnstable Land Trust 2019 Annual Meeting
Members are invited to BLT’s 36th Annual Meeting, which will take place at the Wianno Club in Osterville, overlooking spectacular Nantucket Sound! Learn about our shared achievements in conservation, hear from guest speaker Heather Goldstone, NPR Science Editor; and share a drink and the view from the patio with fellow members. We will also honor the […] Read more »
The Arrival of Spring
Spring on Cape Cod is an elusive proposition at best. Some would describe it as a mirage, a distant hope, or just plain old wishful thinking. Even the first small flowers that emerge in March can easily be buried in snow from a surprise nor’easter. While most people look for signs of spring in their […] Read more »
BLT Preserves Bumps River Parcel and Completes Corridor Protection
As of April, 2019, this 6-acre woodland on Mill Pond in Centerville, called Mill Pond West Shore, is permanently protected, thanks to the conservation goals (and patience) of the Maddalena family. On the land conservation radar for over 30 years since the first Open Space Plan, the protection of the Bumps River wetland corridor is […] Read more »
Barnstable Land Trust Conserves Three Acres Abutting Bridge Creek Conservation Area
Barnstable Land Trust has protected a 3-acre parcel on Church Street in West Barnstable, called the Bridge Creek Pathways Connector, expanding the protection of land in one of the most ecologically important areas in the town. The parcel abuts both the Bridge Creek and Meetinghouse Way Conservation lands, which total over 200 acres. This area […] Read more »
Salt Marshes: Diverse Natural Nurseries
A wetland may be one of several different kinds of ecosystems, depending on the presence of water, the type of vegetation and soil, and its proximity to the water table. There are several types of wetlands, including barrier beaches and rocky shores, salt marshes and estuaries, ponds and lakes, bogs and swamps, and rivers and […] Read more »
Continued: Wildlife Camera Observations
In a previous post on camera trapping, I mentioned that the unveiling of the camera images back at the office often elicits awe. What have been my greatest moments of oohing and aahing? River Otter! I’ll admit, I turned to Google to confirm what I was seeing, since I have never encountered a river otter […] Read more »
Wildlife Camera Observations
I unexpectedly and happily fell into the practice of wildlife camera trapping (and by camera trapping I mean capturing images of the animals, not trapping them). When I came to Barnstable Land Trust looking for a volunteer project and interested in ecology, Will Holden, BLT’s Land Stewardship Coordinator, told me about his idea to deploy a […] Read more »