Trust Eyes Cedar Pond Land Purchase

RLEANS – A recently awarded state grant has given a significant boost to the Orleans Conservation Trust’s efforts to purchase and protect land along Cedar Pond.

The $260,000 grant from the Massachusetts Conservation Partnership Grant program will support the trust’s work toward securing approximately 3.8 acres of land along the pond’s shore, the trust said in a press release last week.

“This funding represents significant progress toward OCT’s $585,000 fundraising goal to purchase and protect the ecologically important pond shoreline and surrounding habitats, while establishing formal public access to Cedar Pond for the first time,” the release reads.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs awarded $12 million through the state program for 16 projects this grant cycle. The trust was one of five land trusts on the Cape to receive funding, according to the release.

The Cedar Pond Shoreline Protection Project involves purchasing the land to protect 620 feet of shoreline property, as well as mature oak trees and tupelo stands. The property also serves as a roosting site for “egrets and other wading birds,” and is home to a herring run that the trust said has “shown signs of recovery in recent years.”

“The grant, combined with other land acquisition funds, will allow OCT to safeguard critical pond shore habitat, benefiting both Cedar Pond and the Rock Harbor Creek system downstream,” the release reads.

Purchase of the parcel would also connect it with 12 additional acres of protected land, the trust said in the release. That includes an Atlantic White Cedar-Red Maple swamp system to the west of the parcel.

The trust said it has worked with the town of Orleans and private landowners on creating the network of protected land over the past decade. Lynn O’Connell, who chairs the town’s open space committee, said in the release that the town “narrowly missed” acquiring the shorefront parcel along the pond last year.

“We are so grateful to the owners for their patience and willingness to work with the town and with OCT to protect this land as open space,” she said.

The trust’s executive director, Stephen O’Grady, said that creating public access to the property would be a great benefit, especially given the pond’s proximity to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, downtown Orleans and affordable housing.

“Cedar Pond is the fourth-largest pond in Orleans, yet it has no official public access points,” he said. “Through this acquisition, we hope to establish responsible public access so that everyone can enjoy the area.” 

The trust said in the release that it plans to pursue private donations and other funding outlets, such as the Community Preservation Act, to raise the additional money needed for the purchase. Donations can be made at www.orleansconservationtrust.org.