Brewster Conservation Trust Annual Meeting – Thursday, August 12, 2021 at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
BCT presented their Conservationist of the Year Award to land donors and long time conservationists, Thoburn Stamm and Jane Ditzel.
The featured speaker Kristin Andres spoke on “Land Preservation and Climate Change: What You Can Do”. Ms. Andres is the Associate Director at Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), where she develops relationships with a wide range of organizations and the public in addressing educational needs related to preserving the Cape’s natural resources.
You can see Kristin’s presentation here.
Watch a recording of our meeting presentation here.
2021 – Annual Meeting Report
Land Protection
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BCT has protected over 215 parcels and leads Cape land trust in acres protected and projects completed per year.
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We protected 7 parcels totaling 45.82 acres. These parcels reflect our focus on sensitive areas, 3 of the parcels are in the drinking water supply areas and 3 parcels include wetlands.
Highlights
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Warrens Road – BCT purchased 3.27 acres including .37 upland and 2.90 coastal wetland near Freeman’s Pond.
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Red Top Road – BCT purchased 1.39 acres including an historical footpath. This will be a key parcel in a future trail connecting several conservation properties.
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Donation of 26.62 acres with a reserved life estate. An additional 3 acres will be donated in the future. This will be the second largest donation of land to BCT.
Land Stewardship
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Increasingly people used and enjoyed our trails. Our stewardship staff and volunteers noticed and addressed issues such as off-trail use, dune sledding, deer stands, horse and bike riding, and much dog waste and litter.
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In addition to our full-time Land Stewardship Coordinator, Jon Bruce, BCT also had support from an AmeriCorps Cape Cod member, Mary Doucette and our summer intern, Kealahn Mullen, and BCT field work volunteers.
Highlights
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At Ellis Landing we installed biomimicry stakes to help mitigate beach erosion and placed informational signage to raise awareness around Brewster’s sensitive dunes.
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At Eddy Bay Trail we continued management of the holly grove and increased erosion control efforts on the bluff. We also installed a brand new informational kiosk at the trail head.
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We began multi-year habitat restoration projects at both Eddy Sisters and Hay Conservation Center.
Communications and Outreach
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Our annual program included a new Wednesday Walk Series, virtual and in-person educational programming, and a visit to the Laurel School. Guest speakers included: Greg Berman on Erosion, Kristin Andres on Native Plants, Don Schall and Mark Robinson on Natural History, Thomas Walker on Lichen, Russel Norton on Edible Plants, and Mary Doucette on Social Construction of Nature.
Highlights
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We produced virtual programs on Tree Identification and Vernal Pool Exploration for the Eddy Elementary School science program and Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
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In partnership with the Garden Club of Brewster, scholarships were awarded to Shayla Flaherty, Isabella Valenno, Delaney Smith, all Nauset Regional High School graduates from Brewster.
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Brewster Conservation Day’s “All About Ponds” program was co-hosted by Brewster Ponds Coalition. Together we presented a week-long celebration with educational programs both in-person and virtual including the Kid’s Passport Challenge.
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BCT’s popular StoryWalk® program continued with walks at Eddy Bay, Eddy Sisters, Windmill Meadow and No Bottom Pond.