Your 2024 Accomplishments with HCT

Thank you for making a lasting local difference for land, water, wildlife, and people. Through your support of Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) in 2024, you have ecologically restored the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve, launched new and exciting land preservation campaigns like the 50-acre Cape Cod Rail Trail Project, funded innovative land stewardship projects, and connected the community to the great outdoors through a variety of walks and talks for all ages. From all of us at HCT, thank you for your enduring commitment to protect this special corner of the Cape. 

Cold Brook Preserve Eco-Restoration Project Recap

Ecological restoration is being recognized as a new way to enhance the health of the land, water, and wildlife as well as the recreation potential of retired bogs. Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT), the Town Community Preservation Committee and Town Meeting voters, State Division of Ecological Restoration, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service partnered to fund the eco-restoration of the retired bogs at HCT’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve. Inter-Fluve led the design process and SumCo Eco-Contracting constructed the design. 

In 2024, after more than a dozen years of planning, nearly a mile of stream and 44 acres of wetland were re-wilded at the Cold Brook Preserve to improve wildlife habitat diversity, wetland health, water quality, and ecological resilience to climate change. The design included construction of a more sinuous stream course, ponds of varying sizes, a salt marsh, large woody habitat installations throughout the channel and floodplain, and native tree and shrub plantings.

As the Cold Brook trails reopen, folks will experience enhanced access to the Preserve’s scenic walking trails including a half-mile wheelchair accessible All Persons Trail, continuing the HCT tradition of connecting the local community with the natural world. Preview Tours with HCT Board President Tom Evans and Birding Walks with naturalist Peter Trull will be offered this winter for a soft re-opening of this scenic conservation destination. To learn more and sign up, please click “Walks and Events”. As walks fill, more dates will be added to the lineup, so stay tuned to your HCT eNews for announcements.  

50-Acre Cape Cod Rail Trail Land Preservation Project

In 2024, HCT introduced the 50-acre Cape Cod Rail Trail Land Preservation Project to preserve the largest remaining privately owned property in Harwich. If you’ve ever biked or walked along the Cape Cod Rail Trail through the woods in Harwich, there is a memorable moment where the forest suddenly opens up to reveal breath-taking vistas across the Thacher family’s cranberry bogs.

Preserving a property of this size on its own would be worthwhile, but when looking at the bigger conservation picture with the property’s central location to more than 400 acres of protected lands, the land-saving vision becomes even more compelling.

The property is the largest remaining undeveloped parcel in Harwich and could be converted into a 9-lot subdivision. If developed, septic system nutrients would increase for the Herring River which already suffers from impaired water quality.

But if the land is preserved, the eco-restoration potential of the site could create free flowing stream channels with enhanced fish passage and connectivity between natural wetland habitats. Imagine if you could hop off your bike or park off Main Street at this unique destination to experience true Cape Cod beauty while strolling scenic trails through rewilded wetland and upland habitats.

Our fundraising goal of $3.5 million will cover the cost of acquiring the land, acquiring an adjacent parcel from the Barrows family, land stewardship including a parking area with trailhead, and an eco-restoration planning study. Based on the study results, we would then seek state and federal sources to fund the actual eco-restoration. 

The state has approved a grant for $2 million. We need your help to raise the rest by June 30, 2025. Your support will forever protect the scenic views along the Cape Cod Rail Trail and preserve this sensitive land in the Herring River Watershed. To donate to this land-saving endeavor, please click here. 

Also introduced this year were the 6.3-Acre Pleasant Bay Watershed Land Preservation Project and the 1.42-Acre Rushy Pond Land Preservation Project. To learn more and donate, please click the links.

Land Stewardship Accomplishments

The stewardship of Harwich’s conservation lands is a story of community partnerships between HCT staff and volunteers, the Town of Harwich’s Conservation Department, Natural Resources Department, and Highway Department, AmeriCorps Cape Cod, and volunteers from local businesses. These community partnerships protect and enhance native habitats, recreational trails, and scenic views while serving HCT’s mission of protecting woods, water, wildlife, and our shared Cape Cod quality of life. 

In 2024, HCT’s stewardship staff and volunteers:

• Planted native trees, shrubs, and meadow grasses across Harwich conservation properties to restore native habitats
• Found and protected Eastern Box Turtles during eco-restoration construction at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve, as well as improved erosion control on hiking trails and installed split rail fencing on property boundaries
• Installed a new roadbed and gravel driveway at the A. Janet DeFulvio Wildlife Sanctuary Boardwalk to improve access to one of the most scenic spots in Harwich

We at HCT look forward to a new year of continued partnership to steward our local habitats and natural refuges and thank our volunteers for their time, passion, and skills.

Walks and Events

In 2024, HCT offered 181 walks led by 17 walk leaders, plus five Winter Talks to teach about the nature and history of the Cape.

72 free family adventures were led by naturalist Andrea Higgins, including Preschool Explorers for families with children ages 2-5, Newbies in Nature for infants and their parents, SAIL SHORE to SHORE programs for Monomoy High School student learners with different abilities, family forest and tracking explorations, and more. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor in 2024, every family regardless of income had a chance to connect their kids to the nature of Cape Cod. Let’s keep the momentum going in 2025! We’re still raising funds to keep these programs free, and thanks to an anonymous $15,000 challenge grant, your donation will be doubled until we reach our goal. To donate, please click here. 

In total, there were approximately 2,500 participants across all walks offered in 2024, for an average of about 14 people per walk. Folks enjoyed learning about local and migratory birds at a variety of conservation destinations with Peter Trull, Tree & Shrub ID and Lichen Walks with Tom Walker, mindful walks and retreats, and a variety of other field classes about the Cape’s environment and history. 

Happy New Year!

From all of us at HCT, thank you for your support in 2024 and we wish you a happy and healthy 2025.