‘Beautiful and precious’: Leaders tour Six Ponds District, see a bright future

An exhilarating spirit of collaboration was front and center on a tour of the beautiful and environmentally significant Six Ponds District of Critical Planning Concern (DCPC) in Harwich recently. Organized by the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT), the walk brought together board members of the Harwich Ponds Coalition, Town committee members and residents of the area.

Members of the Harwich Ponds Coalition, Harwich town committees, the Harwich Conservation Trust and area residents toured the Six Ponds District recently. They stopped at Hawksnest Pond to take in the scenic view. 

“This area has been my favorite part of town for the 40 years that I’ve lived here,” said Margo Fenn, former Executive Director of the Cape Cod Commission and a member of the Town’s Real Estate & Open Space Committee. “I remember the days when I used to be able to go up to Hawksnest Pond on a Sunday afternoon and bring the paper and my dog and not see one other person on the beach.”

Over time, Fenn has seen a rise in the popularity of the area. “”It’s definitely changed a lot over the years,” she said. “I think you’ll see that as we go around the ponds that the area is suffering from overuse.”

Saving for future generations

The Six Ponds District is the largest assemblage of undeveloped land and pond shore remaining on Cape Cod. To protect this area, HCT has launched a community-based planning effort (the Six Ponds Management Initiative) to deepen our understanding of what we can do to safeguard this fragile stretch of land and water resources for future generations.

In 2000, Barnstable County government created the Six Ponds District, describing it as encompassing “approximately 1,254 acres of land and approximately 114 acres of pond surface area.”

According to the creation ordinance, the area is bounded by “Route 6/Mid-Cape highway to the north, Route 137 to the northeast, Route 39 to the southeast, Queen Anne Road to the south and Route 124 to the west.” This includes Hawksnest State Park and additional Town-owned conservation land, HCT-owned land, Native Land Conservancy-owned land and other Town-owned land.

Why sound management makes sense

The group walked along Olivers Pond in the environmentally significant Six Ponds District. 

In the runup to the creation of the Six Ponds District, the Cape Cod Commission found that “controlled development of land and water within the proposed Six Ponds District is important to the protection of drinking water quality, preservation of an adequate water supply, protection of surface water quality and quantity, the assurance of a safe transportation network, preservation of the area’s unique scenery, cultural resources and community character, protection of rare plant and wildlife habitat and significant natural resources, the provision of open space and well-managed recreational opportunities, and the management of growth in a manner that will not result in adverse impacts on the town’s infrastructure.”

In 2022, HCT led the 85-acre Six Ponds Great Woods Project within the Six Ponds Special District to preserve the largest property left on the Lower Cape at the time. The forested acreage is in the watershed to three of the six ponds. Preserving the 85 acres created an overall 400-acre conservation assemblage because of adjoining town open space and Hawksnest State Park.

To cultivate a connection with indigenous peoples, HCT reached out to the Mashpee-based Native Land Conservancy (NLC), the first Native American-led land trust formed east of the Mississippi River, in hopes that NLC could buy 17 acres in the area.

This spring, NLC purchased the 17 acres, now named Awâhsh Uwatuhshât in Wampanoag. The state contributed funds seeing this acquisition as a valuable expansion of protected land in the larger Hawksnest context.

An opportunity for stewardship

Boundary of the Six Ponds DCPC. Rt. 6 borders on the north, Rt. 137 on the east, Queen Anne Rd. on the south and Rt. 124 on the west.

HCT’s purchase of the Six Ponds Great Woods property created an opportunity to expand comprehensive resource management planning in the area, including stewardship measures that reinforce the purposes of the DCPC and enhance the benefits of resource, habitat and wildlife protection.

Simply put, there are a lot of organizations and people who are concerned with creating the best possible future for the splendid Six Ponds District. The recent walk was a way to appreciate the rare and beautiful landscape and exchange ideas about ways to move forward.

While deep thinking and sparkling conversation were the currency of the walk, there were also times when we fell silent, taking in the beauty of the land and the ponds. There was also a sense of optimism, that thoughtful folks who work together can accomplish great things.

Former State Senator Dan Wolf, who lives within the Six Ponds District, and was along for the walk, put it this way:

“All good things that I’ve seen have started with a lot of stars out there, shedding light in their own way, and getting brighter,” he said. “And then they fall into constellation and they draw a beautiful picture. That’s how I kind of see this. Everybody has the energy and the intent to look at our freshwater resources here on the Cape and do the right thing. and I think what’s happening is you’re seeing a lot of stars that are lighting up.”

Wolf feels privileged to have walked these woods and enjoyed the ponds for decades. “This is a part of Cape Cod that makes living here incredible,” he said. “Most people think of the Cape Cod National Seashore and the beaches and the saltwater. But this part of it, the forests and the ponds, is equally beautiful and precious and worth being really thoughtful about.”

If you would like to stay up to date on this initiative, volunteer, or donate please contact info@harwichconservationtrust.org

To view a presentation on the Six Ponds DCPC from December 12, 2022, please click here.

To view the Six Ponds DCPC Winter Talk PowerPoint presentation from March 11, 2023, please click here. To watch a recording of the presentation, please click here. 

To read the July 1, 2023 Progress Report, please click here.

Panoramic pond photos below by Gerry Beetham and flora and fauna photos by Hardie Truesdale