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 Lane in Harwich.
On Dec. 29, 2021, Coulson donated approximately 10 acres of the land to the Harwich Conservation Trust to be preserved forever in its natural state. He made the generous gift in honor of his parents, the late Arthur and Barbara Couslon.
Coulson, a Harwich cranberry farmer, originally intended to build a home for himself on top of a hill overlooking the property, a former bog which has matured over the quiet decades into a beautiful red maple wetland habitat.
As time went on, however, he chose instead to make his home on another hill, one overlooking his cranberry bog closer to Harwich Center.
Sanctuary for Wildlife
The land on Gilbert Lane that he donated will remain an undisturbed haven for deer, otters, wood ducks, frogs, turtles, birds, and the many other kinds of wildlife which call the place home.
Watching a bright male cardinal, a flash of red against the muted colors of the winter woodland, Coulson explained his reason for making such a thoughtful gift not only to HCT, but to the wildlife who rely on open spaces to survive, and to future generations of people who will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature here.
“There’s got to be a balance of houses and open space. The pandemic tilted the scale. People came in and drove the prices up. I hope it will balance out. This land is great deer habitat. It’s a wildlife corridor that runs between two subdivisions, and the wetland flows all the way to Coy’s Brook through the marsh,” said Coulson.
Otters and the Herring River Watershed
Coulson has seen telltale signs of otters in the main ditch going into Coy’s Brook in the form of otter slides in the snow. “You can see the footprints where they run to pick up speed and then they slide. They’re playful creatures,” Coulson said. “One day I saw nine deer, three big does with a pair of twins each.”
HCT Executive Director Michael Lach said the parcel is an important area within the Herring River watershed.
“This is a significant space to protect for wildlife to nest, shelter, and find food as well as to provide scenic roadside greenery for the public,” Lach said. “It’s important to save these watershed properties to help protect estuaries like the Herring River. Wayne and I have been in talks for many years. He’s been a steward of this land for four decades, and he saw fit at the end of 2021 to make this generous gift in memory of his parents. Our hope is that he provides inspiration for others who might consider creating their own land conservation legacy.”
Coulson explained that the parcel of land once belonged to the Nickerson family, and it is part of the region between Gilbert Lane and Lothrop Avenue known locally as Nickerson Neck. The family split the original expanse into various parcels. The previous owners of the land had purchased it sometime in the 1940s. He first saw the land in 1950, at which time it was a cranberry bog which was no longer in production.
Inspired by his Parents
On the subject of what inspired him to donate the land in honor of his parents, Coulson simply said that they both grew up in the Harwich area, his mother Barbara in West Harwich and his father in a neighborhood known locally as Chicken Village. He is part of the extended Eldredge family, stretching back far enough that “Whether it’s with an ‘E’ or an ‘I’ doesn’t really matter.”
“My father was a hard worker,” Coulson said. “He was a working man. He mostly instilled that, and that the best thing to own on Cape Cod is land. Here on the Cape, people who had land had opportunities. He gave me the general encouragement that if you own property you have options. My parents were both children of the Depression— frugal and thrifty. They didn’t want their kids to struggle as much as they did. Mom taught us to save money. I put my five cents per week into the Cape Cod Five.”
Lach said there are no plans at this time to add walking trails, because the area is a wetland. A sign has been placed on the Gilbert Lane side of the parcel to honor Coulson’s parents.
“It’s important to recognize these kinds of dedications,” Lach added.
By Jennifer Sexton-Riley
