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Please join us in welcoming Colby Baker to the NCF team!

Colby joins NCF as a Seasonal Shorebird Monitor to keep an eye on the Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers nesting on Coatue and Eel Point.

He holds a degree in Wildlife Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. A birder and wildlife photographer, you may spot him on NCF trails with a camera or spotting scope documenting the wildlife and landscapes of Nantucket. See his photos at @cmb_wildlife.

Welcome to Nantucket Colby!

Got a green thumb and an eye for ecology? 🌱

Join Plant Propagation Manager Stacey Cooper for hands-on work preparing our nursery for the busy growing season. You'll learn how to cultivate native plants for island conservation efforts while getting your hands dirty alongside our team.

Thursday, May 21 | 9:30-11:30am

Group size is very limited! This is your chance to see how native plant propagation works from the inside. Registration required, click link in our bio to sign up!

Windswept Bog is teeming with wildlife right now. 🐢🐦‍⬛ 🐍 🪿

Baby spotted turtles bask on mossy logs. Killdeer and tree swallows swoop overhead. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence. Garter snakes move through the grass, and painted and snapping turtles emerge to nest along sandy trails.

The restoration of this former cranberry farm into a thriving natural wetland was a deliberate choice, years in the making. Wetlands do something farms cannot—they filter the water that flows through them, removing excess nutrients before it reaches Polpis Harbor. A healthier Windswept means cleaner water, happier wildlife, and a healthier island for all of us.

Join us for a guided walk of Windswept Bog on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30-10:30am to see this restoration success story up close. Registration required—link in bio!

Windswept Bog is teeming with wildlife right now. 🐢🐦‍⬛ 🐍 🪿

Baby spotted turtles bask on mossy logs. Killdeer and tree swallows swoop overhead. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence. Garter snakes move through the grass, and painted and snapping turtles emerge to nest along sandy trails.

The restoration of this former cranberry farm into a thriving natural wetland was a deliberate choice, years in the making. Wetlands do something farms cannot—they filter the water that flows through them, removing excess nutrients before it reaches Polpis Harbor. A healthier Windswept means cleaner water, happier wildlife, and a healthier island for all of us.

Join us for a guided walk of Windswept Bog on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30-10:30am to see this restoration success story up close. Registration required—link in bio!

Windswept Bog is teeming with wildlife right now. 🐢🐦‍⬛ 🐍 🪿

Baby spotted turtles bask on mossy logs. Killdeer and tree swallows swoop overhead. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence. Garter snakes move through the grass, and painted and snapping turtles emerge to nest along sandy trails.

The restoration of this former cranberry farm into a thriving natural wetland was a deliberate choice, years in the making. Wetlands do something farms cannot—they filter the water that flows through them, removing excess nutrients before it reaches Polpis Harbor. A healthier Windswept means cleaner water, happier wildlife, and a healthier island for all of us.

Join us for a guided walk of Windswept Bog on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30-10:30am to see this restoration success story up close. Registration required—link in bio!

Windswept Bog is teeming with wildlife right now. 🐢🐦‍⬛ 🐍 🪿

Baby spotted turtles bask on mossy logs. Killdeer and tree swallows swoop overhead. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence. Garter snakes move through the grass, and painted and snapping turtles emerge to nest along sandy trails.

The restoration of this former cranberry farm into a thriving natural wetland was a deliberate choice, years in the making. Wetlands do something farms cannot—they filter the water that flows through them, removing excess nutrients before it reaches Polpis Harbor. A healthier Windswept means cleaner water, happier wildlife, and a healthier island for all of us.

Join us for a guided walk of Windswept Bog on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30-10:30am to see this restoration success story up close. Registration required—link in bio!

Windswept Bog is teeming with wildlife right now. 🐢🐦‍⬛ 🐍 🪿

Baby spotted turtles bask on mossy logs. Killdeer and tree swallows swoop overhead. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence. Garter snakes move through the grass, and painted and snapping turtles emerge to nest along sandy trails.

The restoration of this former cranberry farm into a thriving natural wetland was a deliberate choice, years in the making. Wetlands do something farms cannot—they filter the water that flows through them, removing excess nutrients before it reaches Polpis Harbor. A healthier Windswept means cleaner water, happier wildlife, and a healthier island for all of us.

Join us for a guided walk of Windswept Bog on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30-10:30am to see this restoration success story up close. Registration required—link in bio!

Windswept Bog is teeming with wildlife right now. 🐢🐦‍⬛ 🐍 🪿

Baby spotted turtles bask on mossy logs. Killdeer and tree swallows swoop overhead. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence. Garter snakes move through the grass, and painted and snapping turtles emerge to nest along sandy trails.

The restoration of this former cranberry farm into a thriving natural wetland was a deliberate choice, years in the making. Wetlands do something farms cannot—they filter the water that flows through them, removing excess nutrients before it reaches Polpis Harbor. A healthier Windswept means cleaner water, happier wildlife, and a healthier island for all of us.

Join us for a guided walk of Windswept Bog on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30-10:30am to see this restoration success story up close. Registration required—link in bio!

Turtles Are On The Move 🐢
If you see a turtle crossing the road this spring, slow down and give it space. It knows exactly where it is going! If you help it across, always move it in the direction it was already heading.
Snapping turtles and painted turtles leave the ponds and brackish waters they call home each nesting season seeking the soft, sandy soil along roads and trails to lay their eggs.
Their presence is a sign that Nantucket's freshwater habitats are healthy, and giving them safe passage ensures they stay that way.

Turtles Are On The Move 🐢
If you see a turtle crossing the road this spring, slow down and give it space. It knows exactly where it is going! If you help it across, always move it in the direction it was already heading.
Snapping turtles and painted turtles leave the ponds and brackish waters they call home each nesting season seeking the soft, sandy soil along roads and trails to lay their eggs.
Their presence is a sign that Nantucket's freshwater habitats are healthy, and giving them safe passage ensures they stay that way.

Runners, walkers, families, first-timers, longtime island friends: this one's for you! 🏃

Join us for the 25th annual Race for Open Space on Saturday, June 27th. Pick your pace with a 5K, 10K, or 2-mile walk through the scenic Middle Moors and celebrate the open spaces that make this island so special.

Register at the link in our bio. We'll see you out there!

Southern Pine Beetle Forest Watch Training
Saturday, May 16 | 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Nantucket's pitch pine forests are part of what makes this island look like nowhere else. The dense, twisted pines at Ram Pasture, Trott's Hills, and throughout the Middle Moors are iconic.

Southern pine beetle arrived on Nantucket in 2023 and moves through pitch pine forests quickly, killing trees before most people notice anything is wrong. Want to help protect these landscapes? Join us for a free training to learn what to look for.

Danielle O'Dell, NCF Director of Research, will teach you how to spot the signs and report your findings. Registration required. Sign up at the link in our bio. 🌲

One of Nantucket's most iconic views is waiting for you. 🥾

Join us this Friday for a guided walk to Altar Rock, part of our free weekly walk series. We'll start in the flat, open fields of the Serengeti and wind through rolling hills and ridgelines to one of the island's most beautiful vistas.
Friday, May 15 | 8:30-10:30am

Registration required. Sign up at the link in our bio. See you on the trail!

We need more eyes on our forests and would love your help!

If you love to walk on our trails then you can help us manage southern pine beetle outbreaks. Join our Director of Research Danielle O’Dell Saturday, May 16th from 1-2pm at Ram Pasture to learn southern pine beetle infestation signs and “adopt a forest” by watching a Pitch Pine stand on island.

Visit our events calendar to sign up!

Please join us in welcoming Collin Jackson to the NCF team!

Collin is back for his third season living and working on Coatue, keeping the refuge open and accessible while protecting the nesting shorebirds that return here every year. He holds a bachelor's degree in Ecological Restoration from Paul Smith's College.

When he's not in the field, you'll find him sailing the harbor or photographing around the island.

Welcome back Collin!

Fifteen years ago, we banded an American Oystercatcher we called Yellow 1C. This week, we found her on Coatue, her journey complete after two decades summering on Nantucket's shores.

Over those years, 1C raised more than a dozen chicks, survived storms and predators, and returned to nest in the same spot year after year. She taught us how oystercatchers navigate beaches shared with beachgoers, what drives them to abandon nests, and how they build resilience in a changing environment.

Banding and tracking birds like 1C gives us long-term data we share with the American Oystercatcher Working Group. That data helps us protect nests, reduce disturbance, and keep these populations stable, especially on Nantucket, where our beaches are critical breeding habitat.

Every bird carries a story. Protecting Nantucket's shorelines means ensuring those stories can continue.

Rest easy, 1C. 💙

Ready to explore the island on two wheels? 🚴‍♀️

Saturday, May 9 | 7:30-9:30am | Join avid cyclist and NCF Trustee Jim Meehan this Saturday morning for a Guided Bike Tour through Windswept Bog and into the Middle Moors.

Early morning. Fresh air. A scenic route. The perfect way to start your weekend!

Helmet and mountain bike suitable for rough roads required.
Registration required. Sign up at the link in our bio. See you out there!

A tiny runner with a big story.

The Piping Plover nests right on our beaches, where eggs and chicks are incredibly vulnerable to disturbance, pets, and habitat loss. We protect nesting areas, monitor chicks, and share the shoreline so they can safely grow and migrate. These birds are indicators of healthy coastal ecosystems—when they thrive, it means our beaches are working for wildlife and people alike!

#Plovers #Conservation #Nantucket #PipingPlovers