regional projects

First Gifts of Land to Cape Cod Land Trusts

Land Trust Successes Coordinated by The Compact in 2009: The Compact works cooperatively with and on behalf of local nonprofit land trusts to acquire and preserve open space. Projects in 2009 offer a sampling of land protection highlights across Cape Cod.

Cape Cod Land Bank - "Golden Age of Open Space": In November 1998, each of 15 towns on Cape Cod voted to approve a 3% surcharge on property taxes to fund acquisition of open space. The Cape Cod Land Bank program was a bold experiment to buy land and save it from the rampant development that threatens the Cape. Cape towns purchased 4,450 acres through the beginning of 2007, when the Land Bank was converted into the Community Preservation Act (CPA) program. This report, including comprehensive and original research conducted by staff of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc., and funded by a grant from the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, documents the significant impact the Land Bank had on preserving critical natural resource lands on the Cape and the need to continue the effort in the CPA era. Click here to view Land Bank summaries and statistics for each town.

Overlay Protections (eg: Charitable Trust): The Compact has assisted several land trusts in completing overlay protections (eg: charitable trust) to ensure permanent protection of land trusts' fee simple properties.
Please click this link, overlay protection FAQs, for answers to frequently asked questions about overlay protections.
Please click this link, PDF of sample charitable trust documents, to download a PDF of sample charitable trust documents.
Please click this link, WORD sample charitable trust documents, to download sample charitable trust documents in Microsoft Word.

Conserving Tax Title Lands: The Compact has initiated a process to encourage disposition of environmentally-sensitive tax title lands into conservation status. In the spring of 2005, The Compact on behalf of the Brewster Conservation Trust (BCT) offered to bring this idea forward for discussion by town officials. The Compact is sharing this concept with other towns.

Southeastern Massachusetts Land Trust Convocation: To offer valuable land conservation insights from a variety of perspectives, The Compact continues to organize a regional land trust conference featuring well-known and informative speakers. Topics can include land protection, land stewardship, membership outreach, fundraising, capital campaigns, and others. The Compact welcomes suggestions for future convocation topics. To view the most recent convocation agenda, please click here.

Perceived Open Space Project: A two-year effort (2005-6) to identify all private parcels of land in each town (roughly 9,000 acres total) that are used for agricultural, recreational or institutional purposes, such as farms, summer camps, and museum lands, that may or may not be protected as open space. An outreach effort to encourage these owners to employ protective overlays on their lands will be pursued. Funded by a grant from the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust.

Charles H. Thomsen Land Fund for Cape Cod: A revolving loan fund providing local land trusts with timely access to capital to purchase critical property for conservation. Capitalized at $650,000, the Fund has provided 25 loans since 1992 totaling $1.16 million. Over $68,000 in small grants have also been distributed to local projects. In total, grants and loans have resulted in the purchase of 590 acres worth $15 million. Charles H. Thomsen was a founder of The Compact in 1986 and its long-time Treasurer and Vice-President. In 2004, he received The Compact's Chaplin Award for outstanding service in preserving open space on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod Wildlife Conservation Project: This scientific mapping and planning process (1997-2003) advances the goal of preserving biodiversity on Cape Cod by identifying priority parcels of wildlife habitat. The needs of critical and keystone wildlife species have been evaluated, and lands with characteristics that fit those needs have been identified as high priorities for protection. Funding provided by International Fund for Animal Welfare, Sweet Water Trust, Woods Hole Research Center, and The Nature Conservancy.

Priority Ponds / Lands Project: This effort (2001-2003) identified the most important freshwater ponds to save on Cape Cod, based on their relative importance for water quality, wildlife habitat and recreational values. One result is a list of the top 200 pondfront parcels remaining undeveloped. An outreach effort is being made to the owners of these important pondfront parcels to educate them about conservation options. Funding provided by The Dolphin Trust and the Agua Fund.

Community Preservation Committee Training for Open Space Acquisition: In 2005, most Cape Cod towns replaced the Land Bank with the modified Community Preservation Act (CPA). The Land Bank was a 20-year dedicated fund for open space purposes raised through a 3% surcharge on local property taxes, approved by voters in 1998, but provided no funds for town staff. The CPA has no sunset and uses the 3% surcharge to fund open space, affordable housing, historic preservation, and recreational projects. A volunteer Community Preservation Committee will provide project recommendations at Town Meeting for voter approval. The Compact can provide free training on issues including environmental value analysis, outside funding, landowner negotiations and tax incentives for landowners.

Take Back the Cape: Discovering Opportunities for Undevelopment: In 2001 The Compact produced a color booklet describing nine case studies on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard in which towns and land trusts have restored blighted developed sites into natural areas and parks. It is hoped that this publication will inspire other communities to consider efforts to do likewise. Funding by the Dunn Foundation of Rhode Island and the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank.

Cape Cod Pathways: This project (1995-2004) involves the creation of a countywide network of linked walking trails from one end of the Cape to another. Over 50 miles of paths have been dedicated to the regional system. The Compact has produced five extensive interpretive trail guides, and planning maps for six towns and the National Seashore. Funding provided by the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust and Barnstable County.

Challenge for Cape Cod Wetlands: A two-year (1992-1993) outreach effort to all private owners of wetlands on Cape Cod resulted in the acquisition of 30 new parcels for conservation, after local landowner workshops and private meetings. Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Massachusetts Bays Program, and the World Wildlife Fund.