Pine Island at the Heart of the Herring River Estuary

Conservation vision

Pine Island in Harwich is a land that time forgot, in the best way possible. Surrounded by the vast Herring River estuary marsh, the upland outpost is a throwback to simpler times on Cape Cod. And Wayne Coulson wants to keep it that way.

“I’m kind of an environmentalist,” said Coulson, who also serves on the Harwich Conservation Commission. “This is a special place. I’d rather see it preserved, rather than someone build a big mansion up here.”

In 2021, Coulson donated approximately 10 acres to the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) in honor of his parents, the late Arthur and Barbara Coulson. Pine Island was a beloved retreat for the entire Coulson family.

Island history

“My folks bought it in 1960,” said Coulson. After a few years, his parents built a structure, “but it was just a camp,” said Coulson. “It wasn’t finished inside, but we lived there for the summers for a long time.”

And young Wayne had the run of the island. “I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time out here as a kid,” he said. “My best friend and I used to hunt all over that marsh, walking all over and going up the river in boats, doing all that great stuff.”

Eventually, his parents started spending more time at a home in West Harwich, opening the door for the next chapter on Pine Island. After serving with the U.S. Navy Seabees, Coulson and several buddies took up residence. “We had a lot of fun for a few years,” he said, with a laugh.

In the mid-1970s, his parents remodeled the camp and spent many years enjoying the island and the surrounding natural beauty. He said other residents and visitors over the years have included deer, otters, foxes, ducks, geese and more.

Several other islands are located in the estuary and the marsh was an important resource for early settlers. “These islands didn’t have trees on them back in the early 1800s,” said Coulson. “They would cut the marsh hay for the animals, and they built racks out on the islands to keep the hay dry.”

Coulson said horses used in the haying process were outfitted with snowshoe-like footwear so they could walk on the marsh.

Beyond the obvious beauty, there are many reasons why conserving this place is important.

Wildlife refuge

Pine Island is an upland hammock island surrounded by tidal marsh that provides an important refuge for wildlife and plays a particularly important role as a resting, nesting, and feeding area for migrating birds. A variety of shorebirds including great blue heron, snowy egret and great egret inhabit the surrounding salt marsh. Deer and other mammals also use hammock islands as refuges.

Protecting Herring River health

Migrating herring pass through the surrounding area every spring via the Herring River to upstream spawning ponds. Preserving Pine Island prevents future septic system contaminants, including nitrogen, from impacting river health and wildlife that depend on good water quality for survival.

Preventing and reducing nitrogen loads is a key to the health of the Herring River system. The Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) technical report on the area states that “the primary nutrient causing the increasing impairment of our coastal embayments is nitrogen, with its primary sources being wastewater disposal, and nonpoint source runoff that carries nitrogen (e.g. fertilizers) from a range of other sources. Nitrogen related water quality decline represents one of the most serious threats to the ecological health of the nearshore coastal waters.”

Places like Pine Island also provide protection from the increasingly unpredictable effects of climate change. Natural buffers like the Herring River salt marsh system and Pine Island absorb storm surges, helping to protect roads, homes, and other inland infrastructure and safeguard fresh groundwater supplies.

And two-thirds of commercially and recreationally harvested finfish, like striped bass and bluefish, spend their young days growing up in our “Serengeti-like” salt marshes.

Eco-restoration considerations

The causeway access from Lothrop Avenue will be initially retained to allow for eco-restoration purposes involving structure removal and native plantings. After the disturbed area is naturalized, HCT can determine the salt marsh restoration scope of removing all or a portion of the causeway to allow for tidal exchange across the marsh plain.

Right now, the causeway inhibits some of the twice daily tidal flow. Dense phragmites reeds are taking advantage of the causeway barrier by crowding out and displacing the beneficial salt marsh community. It’s worth studying how causeway removal could enhance Herring River salt marsh health.

Help Us Meet Our Fundraising Goal for Pine Island

On July 18th, to meet longtime owner Wayne Coulson’s closing time frame, Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) nonprofit partner, The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts (The Compact), acquired the property on HCT’s behalf as a temporary buy-and-hold measure to give HCT time to raise the funds for the Pine Island purchase.

The Compact is a nonprofit regional support organization that provides technical assistance to 33 local and regional land trusts as well as watershed associations across southeastern Massachusetts. One of the services that The Compact can provide is to temporarily buy and hold a property while a land trust raises the project funds.

The $1.5 million Pine Island Project includes the property purchase price of $1.1 million and additional project costs including initial island restoration. Thanks to generous donations we’ve reached $1 million.

To donate to the Pine Island Project, please click here.

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—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.