State approves grants for two HCT land projects
To help fund land preservation in the Herring River watershed, the state has approved two grants for projects being led by Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT): the Pine Island Coastal Resiliency Project ($425,000 grant) and the Robbins Pond Woodlands Project ($225,000 grant).
The grants signal strong state support as HCT continues to raise additional funds still needed to complete each land-saving effort. The land projects address important water quality and natural resource conservation goals to create long-lasting environmental benefits.
Herring swim in the Herring River in Harwich. State grants awarded to Harwich Conservation Trust projects will help protect water quality in the river.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration grants were announced on Oct. 25th by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll during the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commission’s Fall Conference in Devens.
“Protecting open spaces is about investing in the health, safety and wellbeing of our communities,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “These projects support local economies, improve public health and make our neighborhoods better places to live. This funding helps ensure that every resident has access to the benefits of nature.”
Additional funds still need to be raised to complete the HCT land-saving efforts. Each land project addresses important water quality and natural resource conservation goals to create long-lasting environmental benefits for area residents and visitors to Cape Cod as well as our wild neighbors (wildlife).
More about the HCT projects
HCT was selected for a $425,000 state grant toward the Pine Island Coastal Resiliency Project, which will help prevent future septic system contaminants, including nitrogen, from impacting Herring River health and wildlife that depend on good water quality for survival.
Protecting Pine Island will also provide protection from the increasingly unpredictable effects of climate change. Natural sponges like the Herring River salt marsh system and Pine Island absorb storm surges, helping to protect roads, homes, and other inland infrastructure.
Pine Island in Harwich (foreground) is surrounded by the vast Herring River estuary marsh. Aerial photograph by Steve & Eileen Furlong
HCT’s Robbins Pond Woodlands Project was selected for a $225,000 state grant. The effort will help protect the public drinking water supply, as the land is located within a wellfield recharge area to a town well serving about 10,000 households. The project also helps safeguard water quality in Robbins pond and the Herring River watershed, and provides wildlife habitat for animals including raptors, mammals, and an assortment of dragonflies and damselflies.
HCT is still working toward reaching the overall funding goal of $1.5 million for the Pine Island Project and $500,000 for Robbins Pond Woodlands.
Your generous donations to HCT in the spring and as the year draws to a close make land preservation possible. Your financial contributions not only pay for land purchases, but also help keep our hard working staff busy by cultivating and completing these increasingly complex projects. We are grateful for your continued support that allows us to address challenges, find solutions, and save natural lands that provide so many community benefits.
Local organizations “know the land”
While announcing the awards, which total more than $12 million statewide, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll praised the know-how of local organizations to act in the interest of their communities.
“Local governments and conservation commissions are essential to protecting the land that matters most to their communities,” said Driscoll. “They know the land, they understand the needs, and they’re trusted by the people they serve. These grants give them the resources to turn local priorities into lasting protections.”
Wayne Coulson ensured a preservation future for Pine Island by selling it to the Harwich Conservation Trust. The island had been in his family since the 1960s.
The grants are awarded through three programs of the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), as part of a broader effort to support local climate resilience and land conservation.
“As we see more flooding, hotter summers and unpredictable weather, protection of natural land becomes all the more necessary,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Forests, wetlands and other open spaces help absorb stormwater, cool down neighborhoods and reduce the impacts of extreme weather. These grants allow communities to hold onto the land that protects them.”
Several other organizations in Barnstable county received grants as part of the EEA programs. “I’m thrilled to see so many deserving projects on Cape Cod receiving support through these grants,” said State Senator Julian Cyr, who represents the Cape and Islands. “These investments will help preserve the places that make our communities special — our ponds, marshes, and coastal habitats — while strengthening our resilience to climate change.”
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