Cartway South

Acquisition Details

One of three properties on the 28 acre “Mixter Peninsula,” the parcel was acquired in 2026 through a fee-simple transfer. The donor had previously established a 1.1 acre Conservation Restriction on the property, which was then transferred to the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts. Having developed a rapport with the surrounding landowners, the donor established conscious stewardship of the land and conservation work to manage the habitat for the protection of wildlife.

Size and Land Type

The property is 2.1 acres of primarily upland surrounded by salt marsh, with commanding views of Cape Cod Bay and Boat Meadow Marsh. At lower elevations, dunes and open grasslands above the high tide line of the marsh provide significant habitat for nesting Diamondback terrapins. 

Background and Notes

The donor, a longtime advocate for open-space protection and Clerk of the ECF, has supported the Foundation’s conservation mission. The structure includes a residence, and office space designated as the first official office for the Foundation. In addition, the Native Land Conservancy (NLC) acquired the abutting 20 acre parcel on the north side of the peninsula in 2026, further ensuring protection of the habitat and the management of conservation work to protect wildlife in Eastham. A New Encounter Comes with a Significant Gift

Conservation Significance

Protecting Cartway South helps preserve an important connected wildlife habitat on the Mixter Peninsula, including significant Diamondback Terrapin nesting habitat.  The property’s protection will help keep terrapin habitat undisturbed, while providing opportunities for ECF education and outreach. Annual mowing will maintain sandplain grassland, an increasingly rare habitat type.

Cole Road Property

Acquisition Details
The Cole Road lands represent a multi-generation conservation effort led by Ms. Marian Thomas, a descendant of Eastham’s founding Doane family. Beginning in 1990, she donated a beachfront acre to The Nature Conservancy, which later transferred the parcel to ECF. Prior to her death in 2000, she established perpetual Conservation Restrictions on additional pondfront and upland acreage.

A remaining one-acre portion, formerly held for a family member, became available in 2020. The family approached ECF to keep the land preserved. Through a combination of fundraising, grant awards, and Conservation Land Tax Credit approval, ECF completed the acquisition in June 2023.

Size And Land Type
The land includes pond frontage, upland forest, and acreage surrounding the historic Bridge Pond Herring Run.

Background And Notes

• Purchase price: $350,000

• CPAC awarded $50,000 for a Conservation Restriction (2023)

• Commonwealth Conservation Partnership Grant: $175,000 (October 2022)

• Conservation Restriction executed: June 5, 2023

• Sale closed: June 22, 2023

Conservation Significance
This acquisition protects a historically meaningful landscape, preserves critical habitat around the Herring Run, and unifies a large corridor of open space—strengthening Eastham’s ecological resilience and continuity of protected land.

Crosby Village Road

Acquisition Details
Purchased by ECF in 2018 for $60,000, this property became available when the owners, unable to sell due to limited buildability, approached ECF seeking a conservation-based outcome.

Size And Land Type
The 1.74-acre parcel includes 0.5 acres of freshwater swamp and wetlands, a small beach area, and a narrow upland strip parallel to the bike trail.

Background And Notes
Development would have required complex septic engineering beneath the bike trail and was further constrained by utility easements near power lines. The land therefore provided high conservation value with minimal development suitability.

Conservation Significance
Protecting this land safeguards freshwater wetland habitat, maintains scenic and ecological buffers along the Cape Cod Rail Trail, and prevents an intrusive residential build in an environmentally sensitive location.

Provides nesting habitat for pond turtles.

Dyer Prince Road

Acquisition Details
Acquired in 2016, this Eastham property was purchased by ECF for $325,000 and fully reimbursed by a private donor committed to local land conservation. Neighboring residents retain a legal right-of-way across the ECF driveway, a longstanding condition of the parcel.

Size And Land Type
This 4.08-acre property includes rare brackish marsh, a cedar bank ecosystem, and 1.2 acres of upland once considered buildable.

Background And Notes
The former owner secured permits for home construction and listed the land for sale before conservation became a priority. Recognizing the ecological value of the marsh and upland habitat, ECF acted to protect the property from development.

Conservation Significance
Safeguarding this land prevents new construction along a sensitive marsh corridor and preserves an important mix of upland and tidal wetland—strengthening Eastham’s long-term open-space and coastal habitat protection.

Goody Hallett Drive

Acquisition Details
Donated to ECF in 2000, this 2.92-acre property was historically leased to American Youth Hostel (AYH) and later Hosteling International under two 10-year agreements. The organization managed utilities, maintained eight cabin structures, and committed to funding demolition when no longer in use.

Size And Land Type
2.42 acres formerly used for seasonal lodging and now restored to natural open space. With the addition of an adjoining 0.5-acre parcel acquired to help protect the site's vernal pools, the conserved property now encompasses a total of 2.92 acres.

Background And Notes
Due to COVID-19, the hostel closed, and Hosteling International honored its agreement to demolish all structures. In 2025, ECF redeveloped the site into Joe Moran Memorial Garden, a native plant habitat and outdoor learning space.

Conservation Significance
Today, the area features native plantings, solar capacity, a water well, and a public bench. Plans are underway to expand its role as an educational site for conservation practices, making it a model for community-based ecological restoration in Eastham.

Governor Prence Road

Acquisition Details
ECF acquired this land in 1992 for approximately $7,500 during a bankruptcy proceeding. Because the property’s swamp conditions made it undesirable to developers, it presented a prime opportunity for long-term conservation.

Size And Land Type
19.85 acres of maple swamp and cedar swamp, historically referred to as a cedar bog.

Background And Notes
The acquisition preserved a large, continuous wetland system—one of the most effective natural landscapes for flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, and wildlife habitat.

Conservation Significance
Protecting this nearly 20-acre wetland complex prevents disturbance to a fragile ecosystem and supports Eastham’s broader goals for climate resilience, habitat conservation, and preservation of undeveloped open space.

The Kelly Property

Acquisition Details
Donated around 1999 by Laura Kelly, the family’s matriarch, this land represents one of the most meaningful conservation gifts in Eastham. Although her sons held nearby homes, she insisted that this large marsh parcel be preserved permanently.

Size And Land Type
A significant stretch of salt marsh and upland woodland (exact acreage forthcoming) with an historic dike feature. The land is not buildable and is accessible only by footpath from the former Kelly home, now owned by an ECF director.

Background And Notes
Visible from Bridge Road, this landscape forms a vital ecological corridor within the local marsh system.

Conservation Significance
The property provides essential habitat for Diamondback Terrapins and Box Turtles, species of high conservation concern. Preserving this land ensures ongoing protection of one of Eastham’s most valuable coastal ecosystems.

Samoset Road Property

Acquisition Details
This 1.4-acre property entered conservation through a Charitable Remainder Trust established by an ECF director who purchased the parcel in 2011. The owner retained a Life Estate, paying taxes and maintaining residency until voluntarily relinquishing the estate early in 2019, enabling ECF to remove the flood-prone house.

Size And Land Type

• 1.4 acres

• 0.18 acres of upland

• 1.22 acres of salt marsh

Background And Notes
The home experienced periodic tidal flooding during storms, underscoring the vulnerability of the site. Its demolition restored the natural marsh, improving resilience and ecological function.

Built as a duck hunting camp in 1960 and later used as a seasonal home, the property was acquired in 1992 by a future ECF director. A Charitable Remainder Trust established in 2012 ensured the property's eventual transfer to ECF while allowing the owner to retain a life estate until 2019.

Conservation Significance
Returning this parcel to its natural condition will improve wetland resilience, reduce future storm impacts, expand Eastham's protected coastal habitat, and preserve important nesting habitat for the diamondback terrapin.