Barnstable Land Trust Partners with Tern Foundation on Renewable Energy Initiative
Solar panels installed at the Wheeler House in Marstons Mills.
West Barnstable, MA - Barnstable Land Trust (BLT) has partnered with the Tern Foundation to install solar panels on a house on the Wheeler Holly Preserve in Marstons Mills, which BLT purchased for conservation in 2024. The solar installation will be on the south-facing roof and consist of 18 Hanwha Q cell 430W modules and Enphase IQ8M microinverters. The house serves as below market rate housing for young nonprofit land conservation professionals, providing a model for others on how affordable housing can integrate green energy in ways that benefit local communities, individual residents, and the natural environment.
“This is the next step in seeing our vision for the Wheeler property become a reality” says Janet Milkman, Barnstable Land Trust’s Executive Director. “We acquired the property in 2024 from the Wheeler family who wanted to preserve the legacy of the historic holly bushes nurtured for generations by their family. Thanks to support from the Tern Foundation, we are now able to illustrate how BLT’s conservation work also incorporates sustainable solutions for today and for the long term.”
“We are excited to support forward-thinking organizations like Barnstable Land Trust, who embraced renewable energy design and solar panels as part of its vision for its abutting Fuller Farm property and who have now expanded that commitment to their vision for the Wheeler Holly Preserve” said Marianne Lampke & Lisa Linnehan, the Tern Foundation’s co-founders. “To involve and educate young conservation professionals about the value of making green energy part of their daily living makes this an even better partnership.”
The Wheeler house, built in 1939, was home to the Wheeler family for three generations and now houses four young land conservation professionals. When purchasing the 10-acre property for conservation, BLT decided that maintaining and improving the house as a below market rate rental would be a way to contribute to solving affordable housing concerns felt by young people across the Cape. Other recent investments in making the house an example of sustainable living have included the installation of a dual fuel heat pump, adding new insulation, and upgrading to energy efficient lighting.
Currently, the Wheeler Holly Trail which is accessible from Fuller Farm, is also hosting a story walk in partnership with Barnstable High School’s Children’s Literature class. It features the children’s book Greta and the Giants by Zoë Tucker which is inspired by Greta Thunberg's climate activism.
Barnstable Land Trust (BLT) is a community-supported, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving open space and natural resources in the Town of Barnstable and nearby areas. BLT has protected 1,250 acres in the Town of Barnstable and supported the Town in conserving over 11,000 more. As a regional leader in collaborative land preservation and stewardship, community engagement, training, and advocacy, BLT also leverages its conservation expertise to inform local public decisions as they impact our ecosystems, community health, well-being, and quality of life. To learn more about BLT, visit the website at http://www.BLT.org or call 508-771-2585. To view one of their free trail guides (Barnstable Trail Guide, Cape Cod Pathways/Barnstable Trail Guide, and Eagle Pond & Little River Sanctuary Trail Guide), click here; to learn more about their Words in the Wild poetry initiative on the trails click here.
Tern Foundation/TernSOLAR Program: The Tern Foundation’s TernSOLAR challenge grant program is designed to expand renewable energy use in Massachusetts communities, making solar technology more accessible to nonprofit organizations. Grants are offered to dynamic nonprofits that engage creatively with their communities, and that also consider future generations and the natural environment in their strategic priorities and sustainability planning. Learn more here.