As the Foundation welcomes more people to our properties, the work of our Properties Maintenance Department has become increasingly important.
Our staff works on a year-round basis to maintain open trails and navigable roads in order to keep the Foundation’s properties both safe and enjoyable, as well as provide critical support for our ranger program.
Proper stewardship of over 9,000 acres of land includes installing and maintaining fences, signs, gates and parking areas, as well as diligently patrolling of our properties for misuse and areas in need of attention.
The Properties Maintenance team also tends to all of the Foundation’s buildings, vehicles and mowing equipment, and their impressive skills allow us to do almost all of this work in-house.
They also support our Ecological Research, Stewardship and Restoration Department's efforts in numerous ways, including implementing property management plans, cutting firebreaks, installing fencing to protect nesting shorebirds and undertaking invasive species management projects.
The Foundation’s Ranger Program is an important part of the interpretation, management and oversight of our extensive conservation land holdings. Our rangers work seasonally, spending their time patrolling their assigned properties, interacting with visitors, maintaining trails and removing trash. During the busiest time of the year, they serve as our "eyes and ears" and are the face of the Foundation.
In addition to patrolling the Foundation's properties on the main portion of the island, we also maintain a ranger presence on our Coatue property holdings to interact with beach visitors arriving by vehicle and boat, monitor and protect rare nesting shorebirds and colonial waterbirds, and supervise public use of this pristine wildlife refuge during the spring and summer. For over 30 years, the Craig family has made this program possible by allowing the Foundation to use their Bass Point cottage as a ranger station. Their generous donation of the cabin and the land it sits on in late 2019 has allowed this important work to continue.
If you see something unusual or illegal happening on one of our properties, please email or give our office a call at 508-228-2884.
