HCT Launches Herring River View Project Seeks $1.2 Million For Land, Improvements

HARWICH – The Harwich Conservation Trust has a new fundraising campaign to improve access to the Herring River Watershed. The trust is looking to raise $1.2 million to purchase and convert a half-acre parcel along Route 28 into new parking facilities and improved access along the Herring River marsh.

 The Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) initiative is called the Herring River Watershed Land and Marsh View Trail Project. 

 The goal of the project is to save a key half-acre parcel on Route 28 in West Harwich that is next to 14 acres already protected by the trust. The project will provide enhanced public access to views across the Herring River marsh and will also improve the coastal resiliency of the saltmarsh by relocating existing parking facilities away from sensitive wetland habitat, according to HCT Executive Director Michael Lach. 

In 1994, the DeFulvio family donated 12 acres, a mix of tupelo, pine and salt marsh, to the trust in order to preserve the wildlife habitat, scenic vistas and a sense of place. The trust later acquired two additional acres, which are adjacent to the lot targeted in the new fundraising effort, where 15 parking spaces are proposed.

For the past 15 years, the trust has had an existing 150-foot wheelchair accessible boardwalk extending from a small remote parking area down a dirt road off Route 28 that is challenging to find. Although isolated, the spot serves as a magnet for trash dumping and occasional vandalism, said Lach. 

 “It’s been too remote for people, hard to find and confusing to navigate,” Lach said.

The acquisition of the parcel will give the trust the opportunity to relocate the parking right on Route 28 for high visibility and easy access. A new wheelchair accessible boardwalk will lead to a viewing platform perched at the edge of the Herring River marsh, said Lach. 

 “A dense corridor of commercial development along Route 28 blocks access to the marsh. Now we have a chance to create a new trailhead with access to a panoramic vista,” he said.

The Herring River is at the heart of a wetland wilderness ecosystem that is rich in biodiversity. Over many years, HCT has been preserving priority lands that help protect the estuary, the health of the river and the variety of wildlife that depend on the marsh for survival, according to Lach.

The property has been languishing in bank foreclosure for many years, Lach said. An asset management company bought the property from the bank and put it up for sale, he said.

The property was acquired and is being held by the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc. until HCT raises the funds to acquire it. The trust is hoping to acquire the property by December 2027. 

The compact and the trust are scheduled to go before the historic district and historical commission on Aug. 19 seeking permission to demolish a long-abandoned house on the property, which, according to assessing records, is more than 100 years old. 

The property purchase plus removal of a dilapidated building will cost $500,000, and design and permitting for the parking and wheelchair accessible boardwalk is estimated at $50,000. Establishing the parking and boardwalk leading to an elevated platform overlooking the marsh is estimated to cost $650,000, which includes funds for stewardship maintenance, according to the trust. 

A structural engineer hired by the trust to assess the building recommended that the structure should be removed. There is no historical, architectural or cultural significance related to the building, Lach said. 

The trust is presently seeking proposals from engineering design firms for the parking lot and new wheelchair accessible boardwalk. More information on the project can be found at harwichconservationtrust.org.