View as Webpage

The Orleans Conservation Trust protects and restores natural lands — for people and wildlife, the health of our waters, and the character of our community.

OCT is committed to expanding our Children, Youth, and Family events and activities. We're excited to share our recent activities and new programming!

In 2023, we launched our Educational Grants for Orleans Schools, expanding the environmental education activities and lessons offered to students at Orleans Elementary School and Nauset Regional Middle School. This month, our Education Committee is reviewing submissions for our third grant cycle. We can't wait to share what the students and teachers are up to! We've also worked with NRMS and Mass Audubon to develop a sequence of professional development for teachers looking to learn how to bring environmental education to their students.

Last year, OCT began a partnership with Harwich Conservation Trust to hold free nature walks for our youngest conservationists: Preschool Explorers with Naturalist Andrea Higgins. See below to register for this month's walk!

This week we're launching our brand-new Scavenger Hunt Bingo! Bingo cards can be found on the back of the kiosk at our Woods Cove Conservation Area, and on our website. Three different versions of the bingo card make this a great activity for a family, or for multiple trail walks!

Be sure to visit our Storybook Trail, located at our Ice House/Reuben's Pond Conservation Area. Learn more on our website, below.

Next month, OCT is partnering with the Town of Orleans to offer a special kids-oriented birdwatching walk on National "Go Birding" Day. Learn more about this free program below!

And for the grownups, don't miss tonight's lecture on "Nurturing Nature" with Jill Mays. Jill will share ways to make nature accessible and exciting for your kids and grandkids, with activities to do right at home. See below for more information.

Visit our new webpage to stay up-to-date on offerings for Children, Youth, and Families. This page also hosts our new Scavenger Hunt Bingo cards:

www.orleansconservationtrust.org/family

TONIGHT - Tuesday, March 11, 6:30pm

39 Cove Road, Orleans

Jill Mays shows how beginners can start gardening, from the smallest pot of flowers to a large, flourishing plot of land. She describes why gardening is critical to everyone’s health and provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a garden. She also reviews specific activities, ways to adapt projects to accommodate special needs, and benefits gained from these tasks. Finally, Jill includes recent findings on the health benefits of gardening for adults and children alike.

Read more about Jill’s book, Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs here.

The lecture will take place at the Orleans Yacht Club, 39 Cove Road, Orleans. Doors open at 6pm; lecture starts at 6:30.

Registration is open—reserve your spot on this free program today!

Friday, March 28, 9-10:30am

Orleans

With spring just around the corner, we eagerly await the return of red-winged blackbirds, osprey, alewives, singing spring peepers, and Preschool Explorers. Perfect for families with kids ages 2-5, we hope you’ll join Naturalist Ms. Andrea Higgins to get outside, get creative, and get moving during this adventure sponsored by Orleans Conservation Trust and Harwich Conservation Trust. Breathe in the fresh air, see signs of wildlife, and learn about the land we live on.

This program takes place in Orleans. Location and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email. 

Registration is open—reserve your spot on this free program today!

Naturalist Andrea Higgins leads Preschool Explorers in activities, stories, and nature crafts. Photos by Gerry Beetham.

Orleans Conservation Trust

203 South Orleans Rd.

Orleans, MA 02653

(508) 255-0183

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.