January News from NCF

Protecting Shorebirds and Shorelines:

A Meaningful Gift on Coatue

The Nantucket Conservation Foundation is grateful to Ginger Andrews for her generous donation of land on Coatue late last year. This newly protected parcel on the north shore of Coatue builds on her family’s long history of land protection and stewardship, including participating in prior NCF acquisitions at Squam Farm and Coatue.

This property provides critically important habitat for nesting shorebirds such as least terns, piping plovers, and American oystercatchers, species long championed by the Andrews family. Ginger is a second-generation ornithologist, continuing in the footsteps of her mother, Edith Andrews.

"In addition to strengthening shorebird protection, ownership of this land will play a meaningful role in NCF’s coastal resilience work on Coatue," said Cormac Collier, president and CEO of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. "We extend our sincere thanks to the Andrews family for their vision, generosity, and enduring commitment to conservation."

Nantucket Eel Project

Volunteer Opportunity: Adopt an Eel Mop

We are looking for committed volunteers to participate in The Nantucket Eel Project, a community science program supporting statewide eel research. From March 1 through May 15, volunteers will adopt and monitor an eel mop at one of four island locations, conducting weekly observations that take approximately 30 minutes.

This role requires reliability and care—data collected by volunteers is formally submitted to MassWildlife and plays a vital role in understanding eel populations. If you’re interested in hands-on conservation work and can commit to the full monitoring period, we encourage you to sign up and be part of this important effort.

The Milestone Center

“I'm really excited about the Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s Milestone Center! It will be a world class research and education center, largely hidden from view, providing housing and a much-needed native plant propagation facility."

- Will Kinsella, excerpt from Blue Dot Living Q&A

Current conditions at the site for NCF Staff Housing at the Milestone Center

The Milestone Center will include housing for NCF staff, as well as a LEED-certified research and education center to strengthen our ecological research, enhance our environmental education, and further support our land management, all for the public benefit of the island.

The housing component of this initiative responds to Nantucket’s ongoing affordable housing crisis. NCF conducted a 10-year housing plan to assess existing and projected needs, upholding our responsibility as an employer on Nantucket. To ensure long-term viability for the organization, the Foundation must invest in stable and secure housing for employees.

• Housing at The Milestone Center will include three two-family homes to support six existing year-round employees
• NCF employs 25 year-round employees and 8-10 seasonal employees
• Over 40% of NCF employees rely on NCF-provided housing or have otherwise experienced housing instability
• This effort will help meet a portion of NCF's existing employee housing demand

NCF Winter Programming

Join the Team

We’re currently hiring for both seasonal and year-round positions. Join our welcoming, community-driven team and help protect the island’s biodiversity, care for trails and open spaces, and support conservation work that makes a lasting difference. Our current open positions include:

Environmental Educator (Year-Round)

Seasonal Education & Marketing Assistant

Seasonal Wildlife Field Assistant

Seasonal Botany/Ecology Field Assistant

Seasonal Shorebird Monitor

NCF Scientists Presenting at Sandplain Grasslands Network Zoom Conference

Sandplain Grasslands Network will sponsor its biennial Zoom conference on Thursday, February 5. The conference will feature presentations on the science and management of sandplain grasslands and other terrestrial habitats of the Northeastern US coastal plain.

Members of NCF's Ecology Team will be sharing presentations, including Kelly Omand on the Restorative Botany at Windswept Bog and Karen Beattie on Pitch Pine Forest Regeneration following Southern Pine Beetle Management at West Gate.

Stop & Shop Community Bag Program

Deer Hunting Season

Mass Wildlife is holding a series of listening sessions to gather feedback around potential changes to Massachusetts hunting regulations. We encourage you to take advantage of these listening sessions, as we will be, to learn more about this important subject.

January 27 at 6 p.m. on Zoom - Click here to register

February 3 at 1 p.m. on Zoom - Click here to register

Shop to Support NCF

Header photo taken on New Year's Day, courtesy of Liz Holland.

The first Winter Walk of 2026 at Squam Swamp

Winter walks in the Middle Moors

Our coastal ecology team checking tilt meters at the Medouie Oyster Reef

The first moonrise of 2026 by Liz Holland

Scenes from the Christmas Bird Count at the end of 2025