How OCT Protects Land
The Trust acquires land for conservation in a variety of ways. Generous, preservation-minded landowners make gifts of land (owned by OCT and conserved in perpetuity), establish Conservation Restrictions on their land, or arrange to sell land to OCT.
But as land becomes more valuable, setting aside new land for open space becomes ever more challenging. Sometimes it takes a village — or at least a neighborhood — to help the Trust raise enough funds to purchase a piece of land that’s special to people who live nearby, or to the entire community. A property may protect treasured views or water quality or rural character; it may offer the potential for a wildlife corridor or a peaceful trail.
OCT has over a half-century of experience in protecting land in Orleans, and a track record of bringing people together to make it happen. Providing our expertise, leveraging grant opportunities, and working with committed residents who help organize neighbors and step forward with contributions, OCT has successfully completed land acquisitions that at first seemed dauntingly difficult. Such projects help build community and offer immense satisfaction to those who had a hand in permanently protecting treasured places in their own backyard.
Current Land Acquisition Projects
22 Tonset Road: Protecting water quality and community character in the heart of Orleans
From now until March 31, 2026, OCT has a time-limited opportunity to protect 2.32 acres of red maple swamp that drains directly into Town Cove, part of Nauset Estuary. Purchasing the land for conservation will ensure that the lot will not be developed, a prospect that would add more harmful nutrients to the already-impaired Town Cove.
The parcel was identified as a priority acquisition in the Town’s 2016 Conservation, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. The land includes valuable habitat, providing refuge for wildlife in an otherwise heavily developed area. It also includes over 250 feet of frontage on a highly trafficked stretch of Tonset Road, and the purchase will provide visual relief, helping to retain the semi-rural look and feel of the community. Opportunities like this, to protect a natural landscape in the heart of town, are exceedingly rare.
OCT negotiated a favorable purchase price with the conservation-minded seller. OCT supporters Hardie and Marcie Truesdale have stepped forward with a remarkable lead gift of over $100,000. That leaves just $65,000 to raise, with a deadline of March 31, 2026.
Donate today to protect 22 Tonset Road and the character of the community!
Cedar Pond Shore Land Protection Project: Protecting water quality, wildlife habitat, and public access
OCT has until June 30th, 2026, to protect 3.78 acres of ecologically valuable land at 32 Locust Road, including 620 feet of shoreline on Cedar Pond—Orleans’ fourth-largest freshwater pond. Conserving this property will expand upon 12 acres of adjacent OCT and Town-owned open space, safeguard critical pond-shore habitat, protect the water quality of Cedar Pond and Rock Harbor Creek, and prevent residential development on the town’s largest remaining unprotected pond-front parcel.
The land has been identified as a priority acquisition in the Town’s 2016 Conservation, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. Located within the Inner Cape Cod Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern, the parcel includes mature forest, freshwater shoreline, and connections to an extensive Atlantic white cedar–red maple swamp system, strengthening an important wildlife corridor and providing habitat for wading birds and other species.
Protecting this property also creates a rare opportunity to establish the first formal public access to Cedar Pond, walkable from the town center, the Cape Cod Rail Trail, and nearby affordable housing. This long-missing access will support passive recreation, environmental education, and equitable enjoyment of one of Orleans’ Great Ponds.
OCT is partnering with The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts on this acquisition, and The Compact will take title and control of the property temporarily, allowing OCT time to raise the funds needed for the purchase. A Massachusetts Conservation Partnership Grant and Orleans Community Preservation Funding are both anticipated toward the $585,000 fundraising goal, leaving $145,000 by June 30th to close the gap!
Donate today to help protect the Cedar Pond Shore for clean water, wildlife, and access to the water.
Recent Land Protection Projects
- Shoal Pond Shore (1 Boulder Lane): 1.1 acres on Shoal Pond protected on November 18, 2025 that expands the Twinings Pond Conservation Area and protects shore-front wildlife habitat and water quality. Learn more about the land protection process here.
- Mayflower Point Habitat (19 Pershing Lane): 1.4 acres of pine-oak woodland, protecting Pleasant Bay water quality and providing habitat within a cluster of privately owned wooded lots. Read more about the project here.
- Namequoit Wood Conservation Area: 25.79 acres of waterfront property on Pleasant Bay, making this donation the most valuable upland property OCT has acquired since 1973. Read more about the acquisition in OCT's press release.
- Eli Rodgers Road Woodland and Watershed Protection (33 Eli Rogers Road): 4.5 acres of land serving as an important link between 500 acres of preserved land in Brewster and the 500-acre protected Orleans Watershed. Watch a Lower Cape TV video about the project here.
22 Tonset Road
By the Numbers
Cedar Pond Shore Land
By the Numbers
