News & Upcoming Events

News

Conservation Restrictions Extended

In the recently passed Farm Bill, Congress extended tax benefits for two years to property owners who choose to place a conservation restriction on their property.

Last year The 300 Committee worked with seven property owners to permanently protect 46 acres of land in Falmouth through conservation restrictions.

In mid- to late August we will have a Conservation Restriction Workshop to explain to local property owners the benefits and the process of putting a CR on their land.

Undevelopment at 526 Quaker Road

A team of volunteers has started clearing the briars and bittersweet vines on this .74 acre parcel in North Falmouth which The 300 Committee purchased last spring. Following the razing of the old cottages by Francisco Tavares, Inc., this restoration opens a view of Wild Harbor and will eventually provide public water access for kayakers and canoeists.

The land has a linkage to town conservation land on the south side of the river and to the east around Dam Pond. The next project will be to spread sandy loam over the house site so that wildflower seeds can be planted. These will be provided by the New England Wildflower Society and come from native plants grown on the Cape. This will be followed by shrubs to replace the invasive plants on the riverbank.

Eventually two stone benches will provide a place to linger and enjoy the view, as well as the osprey nest platform to be installed offshore.

Family Walks in the Woods
These are a few of the conservation areas in Falmouth with trails and parking available. Try the Moraine Trail or circumnavigate Long Pond for a long hike. The following areas aren’t large, but offer walks of 30 or 45 minutes – perfect for children and the family dog!

Peterson Farm, 88 acres off Woods Hole Road. Heading to Woods Hole, take a right at McCallum Drive. Entrance to the farm is an immediate sharp right up a long drive. Circle the large pasture to watch the sheep, lambs, and new llama, Scamp, then try the short trails that enter the woods on the north side. Paths also lead into Beebe Woods.

Sea Farms Marsh, 87 acres off Davisville Road. Heading down Davisville Road toward the water, take a left at Gayle Avenue. Beyond a few houses is a small parking area. Trails lead through the woods, at one point cutting across a private paved road. Two narrow paths open up  to scenic views of two inlets of Bournes Pond: Black Duck Cove, where there is an osprey nesting platform, and Israel’s Cove.

Dupee and Matt Souza Conservation Areas, 86.6 acres off Hatchville Road. A kiosk and small parking area are just west of Atamannsit Road, a private road. Fishermen use the dirt road through Matt Souza to launch small boats in Coonamessett Pond. Hilly trails from the parking area wind through the woods of the Dupee parcel. Warning: access to the east side of Dupee requires walkers to get back onto Hatchville Road to reach the trail head on the east side of Atamannsit Road.

Mock Moraine and Eaton Preserve, 20.4 acres up the hill from Route 28A. Access is from Stagecoach Way (which looks like a private driveway), just north of the West Falmouth Market. Trails lead up and along the moraine ridge and, on the south side, down to a small area that was the first Friends cemetery in Falmouth.

Mares Pond Reservation, 152 acres protect the Mares Pond town well. The reservation fronts on Mares, Deer and Spectacle ponds in Hatchville. Access is from Pinecrest Beach Drive, off Deepwood Drive, with a small area for parking opposite Owls Nest Road. Several trails meander through the woods.

Bourne Farm and Wing Pond, 54 acres off Route 28A. Access is from Bourne Farm, owned by Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuary Inc., across from the Thomas Landers Road intersection, and from a dirt drive that leads to a cranberry bog, south of Wing Pond Road. The area offers a variety of habitats: woods, stream, marsh, herring run and cranberry bog. Trails lead from the back of the large field at Bourne Farm into the woods, well marked by Salt Pond. They connect to two trails that take visitors past a marsh and town herring run to Wing Pond and a cranberry bog owned by Handy Cranberry Trust.