High profile event showcases efforts on 203 Bank Street property
(Pictures and event description courtesy of the Harwich Conservation Trust)
On May 19th, to underscore the importance of partnerships to preserve priority natural lands and protect water resources, Cape legislators including State Representatives Sarah Peake and Chris Flanagan met in Harwich Port with leaders from 11 mid-lower-outer Cape towns, land trusts, and the nonprofit Harwich Fire Association (HFA). The event was cosponsored by Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) and Barnstable Land Trust (BLT). Mike MacAskill, Chair of the Harwich Select Board, spoke on behalf of fellow board members Don Howell, Julie Kavanagh, Mary Anderson, and Jeff Handler. Representatives Peake and Flanagan shared remarks about continuing proactive partnerships to help fund important land preservation and eco-restoration projects. HCT President Tom Evans, HFA President Bruce Young, HCT Exec. Dir. Michael Lach, BLT Exec. Dir. Janet Milkman, and Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition Exec. Dir. Robb Johnson also spoke.
The original (circa late 1920s) Harwich firehouse is in the background. Thanks to recent Town meeting voter approval of $350,000 in historic preservation Community Preservation Act funds, HFA will start renovating the exterior this summer. Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) and HFA are designing a parking area and connector to a future half-mile wheelchair accessible trail. Together, the two nonprofits are reimagining a new and inviting trailhead gateway to HCT’s adjoining 66-acre Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve.