Land Acquisition

Marks Cove Vista (120 Cromesett Road)

Planned public amenities at Marks Cove Vista, adjacent to the larger Marks Cove Conservation Area.

 

The Wareham Land Trust finished out 2023 with a bang by closing on the Marks Cove Vista property at 120 Cromesett Road! The lot has frontage on Marks Cove and is contiguous with the existing Marks Cove Conservation Area. This project was made possible through grants from the Community Preservation Committee and the Conservation Partnership Grant Program, along with generous local donors. 

Ribbon Cutting at Accessible Trail
Board Members and community supporters gathered at the 2024 ribbon cutting celebration and grand opening of the Marks Cove Vista Accessible Trail.

In the fall of 2024, WLT celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the fully accessible path we installed on the property.

Situated within the Sole Source Aquifer and containing approximately 1 acre of salt marsh, permanently protecting this property will protect coastal and drinking water quality. If the Wareham Land Trust was not able to raise the necessary funds, this property would have been sold for development, fragmenting this critical habitat and eliminating this landmark public access project. Thank you, supporters!

Thank you to everyone who donated in support of this project! Your contributions resulted in preserving this gem of a property in perpetuity. 

 

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The Sawyer Preserve and the Red Brook Trail Network

The Wareham Land Trust recently acquired the Sawyer Preserve – a 10.1-acre parcel adjacent to already protected land owned by the Wareham Land Trust, the Onset Water District, and the Trustees in East Wareham near Red Brook and the Plymouth town line. Protection of this property “fills in the hole” in the middle of other conserved lands. This property is part of the globally rare Coastal Pine Barrens ecoregion, which provides habitat for over 200 state and federally listed species, such as the box turtles and the barrens buck moth. Preservation of this property helps to support the continued health of this valuable habitat. Additionally, a conservation restriction will be placed on the property which will ensure its protection in perpetuity.

In addition to protecting valuable native habitat, the purchase of the Sawyer property provided an opportunity to greatly expand the public access in the area. The adjacent land owned by the Onset Fire District, which protects the drinking water supply to residents in Onset, has not previously been open to the public. The Sawyer Preserve allows a connection and public access to previously inaccessible land owned by the Trustees, and through a partnership with both the Onset Water Department and the Trustees, the Wareham Land Trust has established the Red Brook Trail Network, comprising an additional 3.4 miles of trails that will be accessible through the Trustees’ Lyman Reserve. Phase I of the Red Brook Trail Network is complete, and Jasper’s Trail and Turtle Trail are open to the public. Final touches are being put on the trail network now as part of a Phase II effort, and we hope to have Kora’s Trail open to the public in early 2024. 

For more info on this property, please see our property page here

 

 

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