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 proud to steward 700 acres of land in Orleans. Careful acquisition and management have allowed us to protect and restore natural lands—for people and wildlife, the health of our waters, and the character of our community. A key component of our work is educating the public on these mission-related topics: | |
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Staff and volunteers work hard to share our knowledge and best practices with our community, but doing so requires significant resources and funding. We need your support to help meet the challenge! OCT’s recent launch of our At Home with Nature initiative, our grants for Orleans schools, improvements to our programs, and improved interpretive signage on our properties are just a few of the ways OCT puts education at the forefront of our work.
Will you join our efforts? Read on for a glimpse of our recent accomplishments.
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OCT's At Home with Nature Initiative | |
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At Home with Nature, an initiative to help residents increase the habitat value of their home landscape, focuses on nature-friendly practices you can adopt for your yard.
We're committed to integrating At Home with Nature principles into all our public programs: guided walks, presentations by experts, educational materials, and other resources offered at no cost to year-round and seasonal residents of Orleans. And we look forward to working with local partners on more educational programs. Protecting nature in our community is up to all of us—and it starts at home.
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Have you picked up your copy of our At Home with Nature brochure? Click the image, or find copies for yourself, friends, family, and neighbors at our office or an OCT program. | |  |
Click the image above to visit our At Home with Nature webpage. Find answers to frequently asked questions, native plant lists, local resources for purchasing native plants, webinars, and more. | | |
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Look for this butterfly icon in our newsletter and e-blasts to find special At Home with Nature programs: learn from expert speakers at our evening lectures, or in the field with OCT staff at volunteer workdays and guided walks. | | | |
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"Nature is the source of all true knowledge."
— Leonardo Da Vinci
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Environmental Education Grant Program | |
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In 2023, we launched an environmental education grant program at the Orleans Schools. Offering up to $25,000 ($12,500 per school), we were able to fund nine educational projects that enhanced environmental education for our local students at Orleans Elementary School (OES) and Nauset Regional Middle School (NRMS).
Students participated in studies of water quality and ecology of local ponds, bird nest box observations, native plants and their traditional uses, and many other topics. Students used their new knowledge to create dioramas, posters, video presentations, 3D figures, illustrated journals, and more.
We're excited to continue the grant program for the 2024/2025 school year!
Click on the thumbnail images below for a sample of the first-year projects.
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"Let nature be your teacher."
— William Wordsworth
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Activities for Children, Youth, and Families | |
OCT is committed to enhancing educational experiences for our next generation of conservationists. Our partnership with Snow Library can be seen at the Ice House/Reuben's Pond Conservation Area in the form of a Storybook Trail. And, coming soon, OCT will offer special walks for children ages 2-5. | |
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Storybook Trail
Just off the Tonset Road trailhead, a Storybook Trail begins. This .75-mile loop contains a children’s picture book that is taken apart and mounted on a series of stations along the gentle trail, and four different books are available throughout the year. Visitors make their way through the story as they walk from station to station. Storybook trails bring together reading and fresh air, with the stations positioned at eye-level for young readers.
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Preschool Explorer Programs
In October, OCT will be launching a new partnership with Andrea Higgins and Harwich Conservation Trust. Our youngest nature adventurers, ages 2-5, are invited to bring their caregivers to these free programs that include a short walk, a story, and an activity in nature. Stay tuned for registration details!
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"Every child needs nature. Not just the ones with parents who appreciate nature. Not only those of a certain economic class or culture or set of abilities. Every child."
— Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods
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Whether you prefer a guided walk or a solo stroll, OCT is committed to sharing our knowledge with you. | |
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Our monthly guided walks cover ground on conservation properties stewarded by OCT and the Town of Orleans. Led by staff or volunteers, walks cover a range of topics from area history to flora and fauna to the small details that make each property unique and worthy of protection.
Find upcoming walks here.
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Aided by several seasons of summer interns, OCT has added plant ID tags to a few walking trails. Find them at these OCT conservation areas (map here):
- Henson's Cove
- Ice House Pond
- Meadow Bog
- Mill Pond Valley
- Twinings Pond
- Woods Cove
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"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught."
— Baba Dioum
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Will You Support OCT's Education Goals? | |
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. | | | | |
