The Orleans Conservation Trust protects and restores natural lands—for people and wildlife, the health of our waters, and the character of our community. | | New AmeriCorps Volunteer and Trustees join OCT | | |
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we have a lot to be thankful for. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a whole new season of education programs to warm you up this winter, including Preschool Exploration with Andrea Higgins and a variety of guided walks. Stay tuned for upcoming e-blasts with registration details. We're also welcoming four new friendly faces to OCT. Read on!
A few weeks ago, AmeriCorps Cape Cod member Miranda Johnston joined the OCT team for a year of service. A Drexel University graduate with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Law, Miranda is excited to be returning to her home state. Miranda and her AmeriCorps cohort were officially sworn in at the Barnstable County Courthouse in October.
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Pictured: Miranda Johnston, AmeriCorps Cape Cod Member (top left), Jamie Demas, Trustee (top right),
Ed Hafner, Trustee (bottom left), Emily McKhann, Trustee (bottom right).
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OCT also welcomed three new trustees this fall, each bringing unique experience and perspective to our work.
Returning to the board after a few years of hiatus, Jamie Demas brings deep expertise in business development, financial planning, HR, and operations. A longtime advocate for land and water protection on the Cape, Jamie has served with the Orleans Pond Coalition, Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and OCT, and is an avid gardener, birder, and hiker of Nickerson State Park.
Ed Hafner brings a strong background in scientific research and community service. His experience spans roles at Allied-Signal and Pfizer, years of Conservation Commission service, and volunteer work supporting students in Hyannis and New London. Ed also contributes his expertise through the Orleans Pond Coalition and the Orleans Marine and Freshwater Quality Committee.
Emily McKhann joins OCT with extensive leadership experience in strategic communications. As co-founder and CEO of The Motherhood, she led global social impact campaigns for major foundations and public health agencies, and she has advised senior leaders across media, tech, and nonprofit sectors. Emily also serves on the Orleans Pond Coalition board.
Welcome to OCT, Miranda, Jamie, Ed, and Emily! We're glad to have you.
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Fall is a wonderful time to explore the great outdoors! If you have a youngster aged 2–5 ready for adventure, join Naturalist Ms. Andrea Higgins for one of OCT’s Preschool Exploration walks. Together, we’ll visit unique conservation destinations in Orleans to watch colorful leaves twirl to the ground, breathe in the crisp air, and look for signs of wildlife. Get outside, get creative, and get moving while learning about the land we live on.
Our remaining 2025 dates (Dec 1, Dec 8) are currently full. However, we encourage you to join the waitlist by clicking "Notify Me" on SignUp (link below). Spots tend to open up closer to the program date!
Andrea Higgins is a Naturalist and Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Locations and directions will be provided leading up to the program date.
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New Preschool Exploration Programs
Coming Soon!
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Winter Preschool Exploration program dates will be announced
Monday, November 24.
Tune into our socials for the first look at registration details!
| | | “ReWilding: An Intro to Natives” with Trevor Smith | | |
Trevor Smith, Design and Education Director at Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts as well as the ReEarth Studio of Social Impact Collective in Boston
*Thursday, Nov 20, 6:30pm (Doors open at 6 pm)
CHO Meetinghouse (Centers for Culture and History in Orleans)
3 River Road, Orleans, MA
Native plants and pollinators are all the buzz these days. What are natives? Why should we plant natives? How can we work them into our landscape and gardens?
Join OCT in this brief class, providing you with all you will need to know to make informed decisions for your fall planting.
*This event was rescheduled from November 12. Save your spot ahead of time, you won't want to miss this!
| | | Restoration Maintenance at Ice House and Reuben's Ponds Conservation Area | |
Thursday, November 20, 9:30-11:30am
Meet at 245 Tonset Road
Help us maintain the trail at Ice House/Reuben's Ponds Conservation Area. We will spend the day trimming nuisance Greenbriar from the site and opening space for the native grasses and shrubs.
Be sure to dress for off-trail travel and bring work gloves, water, and any personal items you might need.
We will meet at the Ice House/Reuben's trailhead located at 245 Tonset Road.
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At Home with Nature
Nature-friendly practices you can adopt for your yard
| Native Plant of the Month: Sassafras, Sassafras albidum | | |
Cape Cod’s sassafras trees are bare this month, but they were ablaze with color a few weeks ago.
Sassafras is notable not only for unusually shaped leaves and autumn hues, but also for the bark’s aroma of baking spices and vanilla. Female trees produce yellow flowers in spring that ripen into blue berries that birds and other wildlife enjoy. The leaves, host to the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, generally have three lobes, but can also be mitten-shaped or oval.
Safrole, the aromatic oil in the bark, was prized both by Native Americans and the English colonists. Indians used the root bark for restorative teas and treatments for colds and fevers. English explorer Martin Pring, commissioned In 1603 to assess the commercial potential of New England, noted the abundance of sassafras, then used to treat syphilis and ague, and loaded sassafras into his ship for the voyage home.
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The association of sassafras with healthfulness continued into the late 1800s when pharmacist Charles Hires formulated “root beer” from sassafras root bark and other ingredients as an alternative to alcoholic drinks. (Today, safrole is identified as a potential carcinogen, so root beer uses other flavoring agents.)
Sassafras can grow into a single-trunked tree about 60 feet high or become a multi-stemmed thicket, especially in sandy, poorer soils, where it may be more likely to produce suckers. However, gardeners can remove the suckers and even prune the tree to the ground every few years to maintain it at shrub size.
Another way to enjoy the sassafras experience is simply to walk along the trails of the Baker’s Pond Conservation Area where sassafras grows among oaks and red maple. In summer or early fall these woods are a visual and olfactory delight.
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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.
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Upcoming Programs:
- Preschool Exploration Walks (12/1, and 12/8)
Upcoming Events:
- “ReWilding: An Intro to Natives” Lecture with Trevor Smith (11/20)
Winter Walks and Preschool Exploration programs will be announced soon. Stay tuned for details!
| | 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. | | | | |
