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NCF Awarded GHYC Foundation Grant
Funding Advances Coatue Coastal Resilience Work
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The Nantucket Conservation Foundation extends our sincere thanks to the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation for their generous $70,000 grant supporting LiDAR mapping for our Coatue coastal resilience project.
This funding enables us to use advanced drone-based technology to create highly detailed maps of the barrier beach system that protects Nantucket Harbor.
“With LiDAR, we can track elevation changes down to the centimeter, giving us the precision we need to make informed, science-based decisions about where and how to focus our restoration efforts," said Dr. Emily Junkins, NCF Coastal Wetlands Research Ecologist.
Healthy salt marshes, dunes, and coastal habitats are essential for filtering pollutants, supporting wildlife, and buffering the harbor from storms and rising seas. High-resolution LiDAR allows us to quickly identify vulnerable low-elevation areas, monitor coastal change over time, and guide targeted restoration actions.
“We are deeply grateful for the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation’s continued partnership and their commitment to protecting harbor health,” said Cormac Collier, NCF President & CEO. “Their support makes this kind of forward-thinking, science-driven conservation possible.”
| | LiDAR map of Folger's Marsh from 2025 mapping project. | | | |
Building Resilient Forests
Management at Head of Plains
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This winter, the NCF Ecology and Land Management teams are working with KJP Land & Environment on a Forest Management project at Head of Plains. Naturally, fire and wind would thin these forests, creating open canopies and healthy spacing. Without fire on the landscape, trees crowd together, competing for resources and becoming stressed. Stressed trees become easy targets for southern pine beetles.
That's why the team is at Head of the Plains right now, carefully thinning trees and removing competing vegetation. We're mimicking natural processes to create a stronger, healthier forest. The location matters too! Head of the Plains is right next to West Gate, where we managed a beetle infestation last year. By creating resilient forest here, we're building a buffer against future outbreaks.
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All of the work that we are doing has been approved by MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and was planned by a MA Certified Forester, Adam Moore. Work is being completed by KJP Land & Environment.
TRAIL CLOSURE: February 3-20, 2026
Please respect signs and closures on marked roads and trails!
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The Milestone Center
Connecting Community to Conservation
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“Our collaboration with NCF is an invaluable part of our programming. Having a dedicated and thoughtfully designed space like the Milestone Center, along with access to experts in their field, will allow us to expand our offerings to provide consistent, developmentally appropriate activities regardless of weather or seasonal limitations. Creating a welcoming space where families feel supported, engaged, and connected to the island’s natural environment is a win for all."
Kerrie Willis, Early Childhood Program Assistant, Nantucket Community School
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Rendering of the The Milestone Center with an inset rendering of the outdoor education & community engagement space.
NCF offers free, year-round programming—including guided walks, ecological workshops, wellness experiences, specialized seminars—all with the intention of connecting people to Nantucket’s natural world. Currently, NCF is constrained by limited indoor space, inadequate facilities for hands-on learning, and no dedicated space for year-round educational programming. The Milestone Center will transform our educational capacity and allow us to enhance programming for all ages and experience levels.
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- Flexible indoor education space for lectures, workshops, and collaborative programming with island non-profit partners
- Hands-on learning opportunities for Nantucket's year-round students, providing access to working scientists, research equipment, and real-world conservation projects that transform the abstract to tangible
- Outdoor learning laboratories including native plant demonstration gardens and constructed wetlands that serve as living classrooms
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Little Nature Explorers
with the Nantucket Community School
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Little Nature Explorers invites our youngest community members—and their grown-ups—to discover Nantucket’s natural world together. Through a collaboration between NCF and NCS, this weekly program offers playful, hands-on nature walks for families with children from birth to age six.
Tuesdays from 10:30am - 11:30am
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March 3: Squam Farm
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March 10: Masquetuck
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March 17: Windswept Bog
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March 24: Nantucket Field Station
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March 31: Squam Swamp
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April 7: Picnic at the Milestone Cranberry Bog
Registration is required so we know how many to expect and for rain dates. Boots and raingear are encouraged but not required. Backpacks for carrying kids are welcome. No dogs, please!
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Science-Led Stewardship
Trail Management at Masquetuck
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Sassafras trees across Nantucket have been dying in recent years from an unknown pathogen similar to laurel wilt. Our ecologists Kelly Omand and Coleman Miller are walking trails to identify dead trees that could pose safety hazards and flagging them for our Land Management team to remove. They spent time recently at Masquetuck to tag a number of trees with orange survey tape.
Importantly, we're only cutting trees that overhang the trail. The rest stay standing as "snags"- dead trees that are absolute goldmines for wildlife. Woodpeckers drill nest cavities, bats roost in the bark, squirrels stash food in the holes, and insects feast on the decaying wood (which then feeds even more animals).
It's a perfect example of our integrated approach to conservation: our Ecology and Land Management teams working together to keep trails safe for visitors while creating vital habitat for wildlife.
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Winter at Milestone Cranberry Bog Understanding Cranberry Flooding & Sanding | |
If you've visited Milestone Cranberry Bog recently and noticed the flooded beds, you might wonder why we intentionally submerge the plants in winter. Nick Larrabee, NCF Director of Land Management and a third-generation cranberry farmer, explains that we're protecting the vines from “physiological drought"—a condition that occurs when frozen ground prevents plants from replacing moisture lost to wind and evaporation. Under freezing temperatures combined with strong winds, this damage can happen quickly, weakening or destroying vines that would otherwise produce fruit come fall.
Flooding prevents this injury by fully covering the vines with water during harsh winter conditions. The water acts as an insulating blanket, maintaining stable temperatures around the plants and preventing moisture loss.
Once the cold temperatures turn the floodwater into ice, typically requiring 3-4 inches to support equipment, we can access the bogs to spread sand, a cultural practice dating back to the early 1800s. When the ice melts, the sand sifts into the vines, stimulating new root development and covering bare wood at the base of the plants, which leads to renewal of the root system and production of new shoots.
Nick explains that this off-season management leads to healthier plants, better yields, and improved resistance to spring frost. As you explore our properties this winter, the flooded cranberry beds at Milestone serve as a reminder of Nantucket's agricultural heritage and the careful stewardship required to maintain these culturally and ecologically significant landscapes.
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MassWildlife New Public Hearing
Proposal to Make Emergency Hunting Rules Permanent
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MassWildlife is holding a NEW public hearing on February 23 at 6:00 PM via Zoom to discuss making emergency deer hunting regulations for Wildlife Management Zones 13 and 14 (Martha's Vineyard, Elizabeth Islands, and Nantucket) permanent. Previous listening sessions were for general feedback on proposed changes of regulations that would affect the whole state. This listening session is specific to changes for Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
These emergency regulations are currently in effect and are being considered for permanent status:
- Extended Winter Deer Season: Adding two weeks in February (currently January 1–31) for primitive firearms and archery
- New Early Deer Season: A 10-day season beginning the second Monday before Youth Deer Hunt, using primitive firearms and archery (mid-September 10-day period)
- Streamlined reporting requirements: Removing the visibility requirement during transport and the on-island deer check requirement (except during the first week of shotgun season)
We encourage you to take advantage of these listening sessions, as we will be, to learn more about this important subject.
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Keeping Trails Accessible this Winter
Land Management Clears Parking and Paths
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Our Land Management team focused their efforts recently on clearing snow from key access points across several NCF properties, ensuring our community can continue to enjoy the outdoors even in the heart of winter.
Walking trails and parking lots have been cleared at Sanford Farm, Tupancy Links, the Milestone Cranberry Bog, and the 5th Milestone Overlook with trails to the Serengeti and the Bogs. They will continue to address additional parking areas this winter as needed to maintain access to high-traffic properties.
We're grateful to our Land Management team for their dedication to maintaining year-round access to NCF properties. Their behind-the-scenes work makes it possible for our community to connect with Nantucket's protected landscapes in every season.
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Winter Walk at Folger's Hill
A journey to the often overlooked 2nd highest point on the island. Learn more about the Eastern Moors and enjoy a brisk walk to take in this spectacular hidden vista.
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Winter Walk at Folger's Marsh & the Field Station
Come explore Folger’s Marsh and the harbor coastline to discover how salt marshes form, how they function, and why they are vital to protect. This guided walk will uncover the history of Folger’s through geology, chemistry, and ecology.
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Winter Botany at Ram Pasture with Kelly Omand
Come learn about winter plant identification, from seed pods to twigs and buds, the ecology of our winter landscape, and strategies plants and woody species use to survive winter and wake up in the spring.
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Winter Walk at Windswept Bog
With a year since the wetland restoration wrapped up, see the progress made and how we’re planning to monitor and manage the property and trail network here at Windswept.
| | Nantucket Harbor during the recent winter freeze | Golden hour at Windswept blanketed in snow | | Milestone Cranberry Bog is flooded to freeze each winter | | | |
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Address: 118 Cliff Road
Mailing Address: PO Box 13
Nantucket, MA 02554
Phone: 508-228-2884
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