Conservation Foundation Launches Stewardship Fund

CHATHAM – What does a land conservation organization do when there’s little land left to conserve?

 In the case of the Chatham Conservation Foundation, attention turns to the stewardship of the property in its care.

 To help facilitate that, and to build on current stewardship efforts, the Foundation is launching the Land Stewards for Tomorrow fund. 

 “We’re trying to take a holistic view, property by property, determining where threats are and what type of interventions we can take now,” said Cathy Weston, the Foundation’s vice president and chair of its development committee.

 For much of its existence — it was founded in 1962, the Cape’s first land conservation organization — the Chatham Conservation Foundation (CCF) focused on preserving conservation land and open space. 

 “We all know we can’t purchase large blocks of undeveloped land in Chatham anymore, but in these days of environmental challenge, the work to care for already-conserved land is just as important,” CCF Executive Director Lauren Arcomano said in an email.

 The Foundation’s land stewardship staff — director Julie Baca and technician Elijah Valentine — is already at work on a half dozen projects. But among the 800 acres of property the nonprofit owns or holds conservation easements on, many are under a variety of threats, Weston said, including encroachment, invasive species and climate change factors such as sea level rise.

 “We have a lot of properties right on the water,” she noted.

 CCF currently has seven multi-year restoration and maintenance projects underway, including the Mayo House front yard — which was converted from a lawn to a native meadow — the Menekish restoration site at the corner of Old Harbor and Shore roads, and the Nickerson homestead site along Route 28 in Chathamport, 95 percent of which was covered by invasive species. 

 “We’ve been analyzing our properties to look for excessive invasives and where we need to increase resilience,” Weston said. The Foundation also works with the town to monitor public conservation lands.

 Preventing dumping and encroachment on CCF properties to preserve their natural state, as well as maintaining existing trails on several parcels, is also a challenge. Baca and Valentine walk the boundaries of all of the organization’s lands annually, work with neighbors and remove any trash they come across. 

 Stewardship also involves ensuring that the properties remain open and accessible while remaining ecologically healthy, developing an inventory and understanding of each property to ensure it is cared for properly, and prioritizing future restoration projects on properties large and small. Top priorities should be narrowed down by next spring, according to Arcomano.

 The Land Stewardship for Tomorrow fund was launched at the CCF’s annual meeting in August. To encourage donations, the group’s trustees will match contributions made by the end of the year up to $25,000. Those who donate by the end of the year will become Founding Contributors.

 Weston said a fundraising goal has not yet been set, but she noted that taking care of land — even conservation land meant to remain natural — can be expensive. While the staff may be able to address small projects themselves, other projects require professional help. Even simple restoration projects require purchasing native plants to replace invasive species.

 “That’s not cheap, either,” she noted.

 To learn more about the stewardship fund or to donate, visit www.chathamconservationfoundation.org.