Orleans Land Purchase Creates More Than Conservation

 "'This is definitely one of the more complex projects that we have taken on, certainly different than our typical path of coming in with an undeveloped property, conserving that land, and more or less leaving it as it or maybe managing the habitat a little ..."

 — Steve O'Grady
Executive Director, Orleans Conservation Trust

What did Orleans Conservation Trust Do?

The Orleans Conservation Trust purchased 4.5 acres off Eli Rd this summer  -- and triggered a process that impacts drinking water, the Pleasant Bay watershed, species and environment conservation, housing, and land fragmentation in one strategic acquisition.

The state designates the land as Zone 2 ground water protection district, which means it is essential for protecting drinking water. The land currently holds houses and septic systems, and by removing all but one of these,  the trust minimizes nitrogen and other elements, buffering the town's water supply and removing source pollutants from the Pleasant Bay watershed.  It also conserves habit and supports multiple species including box turtles and spotted salamanders.

In an unusual twist, however, the trust is also collaborating with regional housing organizations to put an existing four bedroom house into use as a year-round home. It is also collaborating with both the water district in Orleans and across town lines with Brewster and the adjacent Brewster  Conservation Trust land to plan for appropriate public access and future planning.

What does the property include?

The property includes two run down cottages, one four bedroom home in need of some repair, a vernal pond, and upland woodlands.  A similar property next door was subdivided into four house lots; Orleans Conservation Trust executive director Steve O'Grady says would have been a likely outcome for this property as well.

What will happen next?

The Orleans Conservation Trust says that it needs to finish fundraising and grant writing to pay off the property purchase. It will begin removing the old septic systems, complete an environmental assessment and "undevelop" the property. It will also work with a regional housing organization to return one house to year round use. And, it will collaborate with the Orleans Water District and the Brewster Conservation Trust to plan appropriate public access as well.

What about fragmentation?

The pressures of development have created a landscape where protected blocks of land are not contiguous. This fragmentation makes it difficult for wildlife and habitat to flow across distance and creates islands of conservation instead of a larger system. Land conservation efforts have been working to build interconnected blocks of protected land that are linked to each other, essentially filling in some of the gaps between the island. The Eli Rd. property helps connect several other areas to each other, providing a pathway for wildlife and habitat.