The Orleans Conservation Trust protects and restores natural lands—for people and wildlife, the health of our waters, and the character of our community. | | As the year comes to a close, we’ve been taking a moment to pause and reflect on the year. Here are a few thoughts from our staff on the people, places, and moments that stayed with us most. | |
What truly made 2025 meaningful was you, the volunteers, members, partners, and supporters who make this work possible. Thank you for being such an important part of the OCT community.
We'll pick up e-blast updates in the new year. Until then, read on for upcoming guided walks, talks, winter clothing drive, and more!
Happy Holidays,
The OCT Team
| | First Day Hikes Cape Cod, Mill Pond Valley Walk | |
Date: Thursday, January 1st
Time: 1:00 - 2:00pm
Location: 13 Champlain Road, Orleans
First Day Hikes Cape Cod is a unique one-day regional celebration, featuring free walks, talks, and hikes across Cape Cod. Greet the new year with OCT staff and trustees, and explore the peaceful woods and waters of the Mill Pond Valley Conservation Area.
This walk registration is filling up quickly! Use the link below to save your spot, or sign up for the waitlist.
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Date: Wednesday, January 14th
Time: 10:00 - 11:30am
Location: Paw Wah Point Conservation Area, Orleans.
Take in the stunning views over Little Pleasant Bay while learning how Orleans voters prevented development and preserved this sensitive area.
Meet at the Paw Wah Point Conservation Area parking lot at the end of Namequoit Rd.
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Preschool Exploration Programs
with Andrea Higgins
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Date: Mondays, January 5th and 12th
Time: 9:30 - 11:00am
Location: Provided to registrants
Winter is a wonderful time to discover the great outdoors and admire the shifting seasons! If you have a youngster aged 2-5 ready for adventure, we hope you’ll join Naturalist Ms. Andrea for this Preschool Exploration sponsored by Orleans Conservation Trust. Together, we’ll look for animal tracks, explore textures of bark and pine needles, and notice the sights and sounds that make winter such a special season.
Space is limited and pre-registration is required. If spots are full, use the notification option on SignUp to join the waitlist.
Preschool Explorations are part of OCT’s ongoing efforts to help children and families experience the joy of the outdoors together. These programs are free thanks to the generous support of OCT members.
Photos by Addie Weeks and Ashley Martin.
| Bird Survival in Winter with Phil Kyle | |
Date: Thursday, January 22nd
Time: 6:30pm
Location: CHO Meetinghouse, 3 River Road, Orleans, MA
Join Orleans Conservation Trust and local birder Phil Kyle for Bird Survival in Winter, a presentation on how birds endure the harsh conditions of the coldest season. Learn about the remarkable adaptations that help birds survive the winter, from clever foraging strategies and energy-saving behaviors to where they sleep, how they stay insulated from the elements, and even how memory plays a role in their survival.
Phil has dedicated his life to the study and public education of the natural world, especially birds. His career includes leadership and naturalist roles at organizations such as the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Cape Cod National Seashore, and South Shore Natural Science Center. Phil continues to share his passion for birds as a volunteer with Wellfleet Bay Audubon and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Doors open at 6:00pm, and the lecture starts at 6:30pm.
| | | January Volunteer Schedule | |
Due to the upcoming holidays, our January Volunteer Workday schedule will fall on:
- Thursday, January 8th, 9:30-11:30 am
- Thursday, January 22nd, 9:30-11:30am
Stay tuned for project details and locations. For now, you can see scheduling times, dates, and save your spot at the link below.
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At Home with Nature
Nature-friendly practices you can adopt for your yard
| | Native Plant of the Month: Winterberry, Ilex verticillata | | |
Winterberry, unlike other native hollies such as inkberry (Ilex glabra) and American holly (Ilex opaca), is not evergreen, but the bright red berries on its naked branches provide a welcome pop of color in the winter landscape.
The berries start forming on the females of the species in August provided a male winterberry is within about 50 feet, but are easy to overlook among the shrub’s green oval leaves.
Even before the berries appear, though, winterberry’s graceful, rounded form is pleasant to behold. It typically grows about six to 10 feet tall and as wide.
Winterberry prefers moist to wet acidic soils in sun or part shade. In the wild, it is often found along streams and in other damp places, making it a good candidate for rain gardens. However, winterberry is adaptable to drier conditions, and gardening sources invariably describe it as “low maintenance.” The filtered sunlight and salt air of Cape Cod woods seem to suit it.
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The extent of winterberry’s geographic range underscores its adaptability. In the United States, it is native from Maine to the Florida panhandle and west as far as eastern Minnesota and Louisiana.
Throughout the year, winterberry provides food and shelter for wildlife. Native bees flock to the nectar of its small greenish white flowers. Rabbits nibble the leaves, which also host the caterpillars of a native butterfly called Henry’s Elfin. Dozens of bird species, including robins, mockingbirds and cedar waxwings, as well as small mammals, eat its berries. However, we humans should let the animals have their fill: the shrub’s leaves and berries, if ingested, are mildly toxic to our species.
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Every month, Meg Voorhes profiles a different native plant for the Mayflower Point Association in Orleans, where she lives. Thank you, Meg, and Orleans Pond Coalition, for sharing this month's native plant.
Learn more about living At Home with Nature on our webpage.
| | | Community Clothing Drive for MLK Day of Service | |
The Orleans Conservation Office is an official drop-off location for new or gently used winter clothing as part of AmeriCorps Cape Cod’s upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. All donated winter clothing will be given to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod.
Stay tuned for more details about the main event at The Family Pantry of Cape Cod on January 19, which will feature a seasonal clothing drive, sewing workshops, and more.
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Upcoming Programs:
- First Day Hikes Cape Cod, Mill Pond Valley Walk (1/1)
- Preschool Exploration Walks (1/5, 1/12, 2/9, 2/16, 3/2, 3/9)
- Paw Wah Point Walk (1/14)
- Baker's Pond Walk (2/12)
- John Kenrick Woods Walk (3/16)
- Three Ponds Walk (4/21)
- Beach Walk to Namskaket (5/15)
Upcoming Events:
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Bird Survival in Winter with Phil Kyle (1/22)
| | Orleans Conservation Trust is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1970. Over its 50-year history, the Trust has preserved more than 660 acres in Orleans. Among the most active land trusts on Cape Cod, OCT stewards a range of ecosystems, from freshwater ponds and wetlands to saltmarshes, wooded upland, and coastal grasslands, managing its lands to protect and enhance wildlife habitat, restore native ecosystems, and provide public recreation and education through a network of trails and informational signage. OCT also educates residents and visitors about important natural values and environmental issues in Orleans and around Cape Cod via guided walks, free lectures, its website, newsletter, and other communications. | | | | |
