Sunday, April 28, 2013

Club Day at EMS


Club Day at EMS


It's that time of the year again... 

Stop by Eastern Mountain Sports on May 3rd or 4th and save 20 to 25 % off everything in the store.  All you need to do is tell them you are a member of SCT and that we do not give out membership cards.   The Hyannis store is very much aware that we do not have membership cards. 

For the past two years EMS - Hyannis has worked with The Sandwich Conservation Trust, and provided a volunteer source of labor that enhanced the existing trails at Joe’s Woods and Elinor’s Woods.  They have committed themselves to help us again this year.
 
We urge you to support the organizations that help support the SCT.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Earth Day 2013

Welcome to EARTH DAY 2013!




Earth, we call it home and we need to make a difference in saving it. This year you will notice some signs around our town of Sandwich, reminding us of Earth Day and to support your local Land Trust.

A few things of the many that YOU can do to make a difference:

  • Support your local land trust, the Sandwich Conservation Trust, by donating time or funds to help us preserve natural or undeveloped land for habitat protection, recreation and visual beauty.
  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
  • Slow the Flow: A faucet leaking just one drop per second wastes over 1,300 gallons per year!  A leak from a hot water source wastes both water and fossil fuel, creating more greenhouse gasses. Most repairs to plumbing fixtures pay for themselves within just a year.  Fix it!
  • Cleaning products that contain chlorine or petroleum distillates expose your family to toxins and then end up in the ecosystem. Choose nontoxic, naturally derived cleaning products, which are proven effective but won’t cause long term damage to the Earth.
  • Go outside and enjoy our little place on planet EARTH!




Saturday, April 20, 2013

THANK YOU AmeriCorps Cape Cod



AmeriCorps Cape Cod recently volunteered a day of trail work to the Sandwich Conservation Trust.  The five volunteers  were able to clean up Joe's Woods and Elinor's Woods for everyone to enjoy.  Thank you!



What is AmeriCorps Cape Cod?
It is a residential service program dedicated to Natural Resource Management, Disaster Preparedness & Response, Volunteer Engagement, & Volunteer Engagement!  AmeriCorps Cape Cod is dedicated to offering a diverse group of 32 service-minded adults an opportunity to enhance their personal and professional development, foster civic values, build community leadership and address the environmental and disaster preparedness needs in the communities of Barnstable County.
 
Check out their website if you would like to know more:
 
Volunteers:  Adam, Ben, Kayla, Sara, Hannah, and Kristy




 












 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Photos from Take a Hike at Sandy Neck

We had a full contingent and a lovely day for the hike at the SCT 27 acre Sandy Neck property.




Leaving the main parking lot on the way to Sandwich's 27 acre parcel of Conservation Land.





Upon entering the Sandy Neck area John explains the sensitive nature of the property.




Preparing to walk single file due to the fragile environment.




Ground cover.










Primitive natural wild Cranberry bog. 














Wild cranberries in the area adjacent to the bog.










Sandy Neck landscape.










Sandy Neck landscape.










Sandy Neck landscape.










 Sandy Neck landscape.











Sandy Neck landscape.






Natural path to the beach.





Erosion from winter storms.




Natural path to the beach.





Final gathering before returning to the beach.




Back on to the beach and returning to the main parking lot.





Dunes.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Take a Hike - Sandy Neck



Take a Hike – Sandy Neck (in Sandwich)
By John Nye Cullity 



This coming Sunday, April 7 at 2 P.M., the Sandwich Conservation Trust will sponsor a guided walk at Sandy Neck, our first time hiking in this part of town.

Sandy Neck is a fascinating and unique Cape Cod landscape – a windswept place, where a surprising number of plants and animals eke out a living in the white sand.  We tend to associate Sandy Neck with the Town of Barnstable – that’s where the popular beach, parking lot, facilities, staff, and most of the neck are.  Many don’t realize that our Sandwich Conservation Commission owns 27 acres here, purchased in 1971 after a vigorous town meeting debate.

The access to this preserve is through Barnstable land, and figuring out where to park can be a challenge.  Currently there are several spots near the gate house marked “Hiking Only”, and these can be used.  For our upcoming walk, however, we will meet in the upper level of the large parking lot at 2 PM.  We will walk to the gate house, cross Barnstable park land, pass through our 27 acres to the beach, and back to the parking lot.

The walk should take somewhat less than an hour.  Be prepared to walk in soft sand, and, sorry about this, we are allowing only 20 hikers due to the fragility of the environment and narrowness of the trail.  If you wish to participate, please call me at (508) 888-7629 to register for the walk.