Stories of the Land
The stories are rooted in the lands all around us. Many stories are lost forever when natural lands are converted to other uses while some stories are preserved by virtue of permanently protecting the landscapes within which human history resides. Enjoy these stories of the land made possible by your land-saving support of Harwich Conservation Trust.
Donating Land in the Red River Valley
Stars Align to Connect Two Friends that Preserve Land Together Gifts of land to Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) preserve precious natural habitats for the benefit of wildlife and people alike. When individuals choose to donate property, there is a tangible feeling of hope for the future. For a pair of neighbors just upstream of Red…
Wayne Coulson Gives Land for the Benefit of All
“Buy land. They’re not making it anymore.” — Mark Twain Mark Twain had a gift for getting to the heart of a matter. If he were here today, he’d heartily approve of Harwich resident Wayne Couslon, who followed Twain’s advice back in 1980 and purchased a tract of land along Gilbert Lane and Six Penny…
Tuttle Family Protects Local Land, Water & River Herring
To protect windswept wetland, tall oaks, and an active herring run, Doug and Carol Tuttle donated their 7-acre Oak Island Bog to HCT this May after their family stewarded the land for 132 years. The land is comprised of mostly salt marsh with some bordering upland in the Red River estuary. This particular salt marsh…
History of the Island Pond Conservation Lands
Island Pond Conservation Lands: Created Through Partnership, Patience & Persistence Story by Lee Roscoe Vision, luck, persistence, compassion, patience, flexibility, fate—just some of the elements that form the origin of the more than 80 rolling acres of forest and wetland that beckon within the Island Pond Conservation Lands. This conservation assemblage with walking trails traversing…
Pleasant Bay Woodlands: Unearthing the Story Beneath Our Feet
By Scott Ridley As we come to understand the history of a place, driving along a road, or walking a trail becomes a very different experience. We get to see another dimension in a landscape or neighborhood. Sometimes if we are lucky, we find that buried beneath our feet is a fascinating story about someone…
Brown Family Donates 7.2 acres on Hinckleys Pond
Story by Lee Roscoe & Michael Lach “It’s a magic place,” says Sophie Eldredge about Sophie’s Corner. “When we were little we had a garden down there. It’s a special feeling there. It’s beautiful; it’s quiet. It’s a corner nook in the middle of the woods. You can’t see any houses around. It’s peaceful.” When…
This Generation’s Caretaker
by Mary J. Metzger “We came only in the summers, as there was no heat or electricity in our camp. Long Pond Drive was just a dirt cart path then (the late 1930’s), wide enough for a horse and cart or an old beat-up car. The first thing we would do on arrival would be…