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Windswept Cranberry Bog Restoration Project Awarded $1 Million USFWS Grant

By Allison Levy | February 15, 2024 | Comments Off on Windswept Cranberry Bog Restoration Project Awarded $1 Million USFWS Grant

The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), in partnership with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, has been awarded $1 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the Windswept Bog Wetland Restoration Project, which will restore and enhance a 231-acre property containing 39 acres of former cranberry bog and 111 acres of natural wetlands.

Windswept Wetland Restoration Project Groundbreaking Scheduled for January 2024

By Karen C. Beattie | December 21, 2023 | Comments Off on Windswept Wetland Restoration Project Groundbreaking Scheduled for January 2024

Since 2019, NCF has been working with the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration’s Cranberry Bog Program (DER) to plan a watershed-level wetland restoration project for its Windswept Bog property, located…

2023 Shorebird Season is a Wrap!

By Danielle O'Dell | August 29, 2023 | Comments Off on 2023 Shorebird Season is a Wrap!

Gracie Bell, Seasonal Shorebird Technician This year, Nantucket, Tuckernuck, and the Muskeget Islands collectively shared a total of 76 breeding Piping Plover pairs, an increase of 1 pair from last…

Crab Spiders (Not Spider Crabs!) of Nantucket

By Kelly A. Omand | August 15, 2023 | Comments Off on Crab Spiders (Not Spider Crabs!) of Nantucket

If you’ve spent some time around Nantucket’s marshes and harbors, you’ve probably found a spider crab or two, but did you know that crab spiders—yes, crab spiders—can also be found on Nantucket? Not to be confused with the similarly named crustacean, crab spiders are usually found on or near flowers, waiting for their next meal. This can include bees, butterflies, ants, and more—crab spiders aren’t picky!

Southern Pine Beetle Outbreak Detected on Nantucket Conservation Foundation Property

By Danielle O'Dell | July 25, 2023 | Comments Off on Southern Pine Beetle Outbreak Detected on Nantucket Conservation Foundation Property

By: Danielle O’Dell, Wildlife Research Ecologist Staff from the Ecological Research, Restoration and Stewardship Department at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF) have confirmed the first detected infestation of southern pine…

Bumble Bees of Nantucket: Life Cycle and Ecology

By Kelly A. Omand | July 18, 2023 | Comments Off on Bumble Bees of Nantucket: Life Cycle and Ecology

If you take a walk at Windswept Bog while the roses and irises are blooming or venture out to Head of the Plains while the bearberry and blueberries are in flower, chances are you’ll be greeted with the delightful hum of bees! Native bees are the true unsung heroes!  In addition to bumble bees and carpenter bees, the most well-known native bees, there are also thousands of species of other native bees, including squash bees, sweat bees, digger bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carder bees.

Lone Star Ticks and Alpha-gal Meat Allergy

By Danielle O'Dell | June 12, 2023 | Comments Off on Lone Star Ticks and Alpha-gal Meat Allergy

Danielle O’Dell; Wildlife Research Ecologist By now, most of us have sadly accepted the fact that black-legged or deer ticks are part of the Nantucket experience whether we like it…

Pond Management Progress at Capaum and Gibbs Ponds

By Karen C. Beattie | May 15, 2023 | Comments Off on Pond Management Progress at Capaum and Gibbs Ponds

The management of freshwater ponds that abut our protected conservation lands has been an increasing area of focus over the past several years for the Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s Science and…

They’re Back! But Did They Even Leave-?

By Karen C. Beattie | March 14, 2023 | Comments Off on They’re Back! But Did They Even Leave-?

Although it is only March, our Science and Stewardship Department staff have been busy hiring and gearing up for the arrival of our seasonal ecology staff and the start of…

Whoooo’s on Nantucket?

By Karen C. Beattie | October 28, 2022 | Comments Off on Whoooo’s on Nantucket?

Over the next few days, there will be Halloween celebrations happening around the island with lots of spooky decorations that often include wildlife themes. At this time of year, bats…