Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 228,996. Its shire town is Barnstable. The county consists of Cape Cod and associated islands.
Mashpee is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, on Cape Cod. The population was 14,006 as of 2010. The town is the site of the headquarters and most members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, one of two federally recognized Wampanoag groups.
Chappaquiddick Island, a part of the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts, is a small peninsula and occasional island on the eastern end of Martha's Vineyard. Norton Point, a narrow barrier beach, connects Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick between Katama and Wasque. Occasional breaches occur due to hurricanes and strong storms separating the islands for periods of time. Most recently, the two were separated for 8 years from 2007 to 2015. While both land forms have mostly been connected to one another in modern history, Chappaquiddick is nevertheless referred to as an island.
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit organization of its kind in the world and has 140,000 dues-paying members as of 2018. In addition to land stewardship, the organization is also active in conservation partnerships, community supported agriculture (CSA), environmental and conservation education, community preservation and development, and green building. The Trustees of Reservations own title to 120 properties on 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) in Massachusetts, all of which are open to the public; it maintains conservation restrictions on over 200 additional properties. Properties include historic mansions, estates, and gardens; woodland preserves; waterfalls; mountain peaks; wetlands and riverways; coastal bluffs, beaches, and barrier islands; farmland and CSA projects; and archaeological sites.
Waquoit Bay is a public national estuary, which is typically used as a research reserve. It is a part of Nantucket Sound and is located on the southern shore of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA. This bay forms the border of the towns of Falmouth and Mashpee, Massachusetts.
Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge on Chappaquiddick Island owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations. The refuge consists of 516 acres (2.09 km2) and includes the 1893 Cape Poge Lighthouse.
The Quashnet River, also known as Quoshnet River or Moonakis River, is a 5.1-mile-long (8.2 km) estuary in Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Its area is about 1-square-mile (2.6 km2).
The Mashpee River is a 4.8-mile-long (7.7 km) tidal river on Cape Cod in Mashpee, Massachusetts.
Mytoi is a small Japanese garden set within an open pine forest on Chappaquiddick Island, in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The Trustees of Reservations owns and maintains the property.
The Brooks Woodland Preserve is a 558-acre (226 ha) open space preserve located in Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, named after industrialist and diplomat James Wilson Brooks, is managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations and offers 13 miles (21 km) of trails and primitive woods roads available for hiking, horseback riding, and cross country skiing. Second growth forest, overgrown farm fields, granite ledges, historic stone walls, creeks, and rolling hills characterize the preserve.
Holmes Reservation is a conservation parcel located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. During the American Revolution, the land was used as a muster ground for the Plymouth militia. The property is owned by The Trustees of Reservations, starting with a donation, with endowment, by the Holmes family in 1944.
Royalston Falls is a 50 foot (15 m) waterfall and granite gorge located in Royalston, Massachusetts along Falls Brook, a tributary of the Tully River which in turn is a tributary of the Millers River. The falls are part of a 217-acre (88 ha) open space preserve acquired in 1951 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations. The 22-mile (35 km) Tully Trail and the 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, a National Recreation Trail, pass through the property.
Wasque ("way-squee") or Wasque Beach is a 200-acre (0.81 km2) nature reserve on Chappaquiddick Island, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The site was established as a reservation for the public in 1967 and is one of five conservation areas on "the Vineyard" managed by the Trustees of Reservations. Wasque contains a sandy strand the Boston Globe calls "a magnificent beach." Travel + Leisure named Wasque Beach the number one beach in New England and WHDH-TV reports "It's pristine, serene, and rain or shine, it's a beach-goers' delight." Off the shore of Wasque Beach is Katama Bay, "a vast and pristine salt water bay that includes many acres of productive shellfish beds."
Doane's Falls is a series of five waterfalls located in Royalston, Massachusetts along an 0.2-mile (0.32 km) section of Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Millers River that originates from Laurel Lake in Fitzwilliam. The falls are part of a 46-acre (19 ha) open space preserve acquired in 1959 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations. The 22-mile (35 km) Tully Trail passes through the property.
Jacobs Hill is a 173-acre (70 ha) open space preserve in Royalston, Massachusetts acquired in 1975 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations. The preserve includes scenic vistas, ledges, woodlands, a northern bog, and Spirit Falls, a 30 foot (9.1 m) waterfall. The 22-mile (35 km) Tully Trail passes through the property. Views from the ledges include the Berkshires as well as nearby Long Pond and the Tully River Valley, Tully Mountain, and Mount Grace.
The Lowell Holly Reservation is a 135-acre (0.55 km2) nature reserve in Mashpee and Sandwich, Massachusetts and is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The area was extensively planted by Abbot Lawrence Lowell and Wilfred Wheeler with rhododendrons, mountain laurel and holly trees, for which the reservation gets its name. There are 4 miles (6.4 km) of hiking trails and two peninsular knolls that jut into Mashpee Pond and Wakeby Pond. Abbot Lawrence Lowell bequeathed the property to the Trustees of Reservations in 1943.
The Swift River Reservation is a 439-acre (178 ha) open space preserve located in Petersham, Massachusetts, United States. The property, named after the East Branch of the Swift River, is managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations and offers 7 miles (11 km) of trails available for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and cross country skiing. Ledges, river corridor, woodlands, scenic vistas, and wetlands characterize the preserve.
Noon Hill is a 204-acre (83 ha) open space preserve located in Medfield, Massachusetts and centered on 370-foot (110 m) Noon Hill, a prominent summit and scenic vista. It is managed by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations and offers 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of trails available for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and cross country skiing. Oak-hickory forest, wetlands, vernal pools, steep ravines, boulders, and rocky ledges characterize the preserve. Noon Hill is a link in the 200-mile (320 km) Bay Circuit Trail. Holt Pond, a constructed mill pond, is located on the property.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is one of two federally recognized tribes of Wampanoag people in Massachusetts. Recognized in 2007, they are headquartered in Mashpee on Cape Cod. The other tribe is the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha's Vineyard.
The Doyle Community Park & Center, located in the city of Leominster, Massachusetts, is a 170-acre (69 ha) landscaped urban park and open space reservation managed by The Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit conservation organization. It is also the location of the Doyle Center: a conservation education center, regional office, and green building initiative. The property consists of three main areas: Pierce Meadow, a landscaped urban park and former estate of Harry W. Pierce; the Doyle Center grounds, buildings, and adjoining woodlots; and a hay field and adjoining wetland.
