In many conservation and restoration projects, ecologists work hard to protect native things or bring native things back to a place. But this last year, Nantucket Conservation Foundation Staff acted as predators and aggressively removed a native crab from a few salt marshes in Polpis Harbor. Our prey? The purple marsh crab (Sesarma reticulatum). The…
Written by: Danielle O’Dell, Ecologist/Field Supervisor Ordinarily, at this time of year as we begin preparing for the upcoming field season, I like to share a summary of the bat-related work that we at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation have conducted, what we’ve learned and what our plans are for the year ahead. However, 2020 has…
The era of quarantine has us cooped up and dreaming of sunny days with loved ones, gatherings to celebrate the change of season, and times when accidentally bumping into a stranger in Stop & Shop didn’t fill us with existential dread. Cabin fever is real and the best way to combat it is to responsibly…
There are different ways to go about enjoying mosses: from a distance they form a richly textured background in a forest, or a carpet across an abandoned sandy area, mixed with reindeer lichen. The color spectrum of mosses is heavy in the greens, but you can also find red or coral tinged mosses, or ones…
These days, it seems like everything we took for granted as normal is getting cancelled, closed or postponed due to COVID-19. From a socio-economic perspective, it is apparent that this coming summer will be nothing like recent seasons here on Nantucket. For those of us who love nature and the outdoors, the ongoing rhythm of…
This weeks blog comes from our local School-to-Career Intern, Lily Bartlett! Lily has been an incredible help and has been working hard on a wide variety of projects since she started with us in September . Thank you again, Lily! As coronavirus has taken over our usual routines, we can turn to nature as a…
Meetings on Zoom have suddenly become a huge part of the Work-From-Home lifestyle in the time of quarantine. Video chatting is the new normal for work meetings, school lessons, and catching up with friends over the last few weeks. This detour and increased screen time can leave some people a little drained, which is why…
Getting outside and enjoying Nantucket’s natural world is a great way to do something enjoyable while practicing safe social distancing! The Foundation’s properties are open from sunrise to sunset. We have put together a self-guided property exploration that will introduce you to some of our conservation lands, teach you a few unique things about each…
Calling all artists, graphic designers, people who love a good doodle, and otherwise conservation-minded creatives!! The Nantucket Conservation Foundation has decided to reach out to our community to help promote and advocate for a very important habitat. As we enter 2020, the island community of Nantucket faces an urgent need for planning and action to…
Within the next few weeks, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation will be initiating a project to remove non-native, invasive Japanese black pines (Pinus thunbergii) within a 2.03-acre management unit in the Middle Moors along Altar Rock Road, immediately to the northwest of Altar Rock. This work will improve habitat for rare plant, invertebrate and animal species,…