Conservation

The Trust’s properties come in all sizes, feature native plants and coastal habitats, some of them increasingly rare; host a unique variety of avian, animal, and insect species; and provide opportunities to observe the ways in which non-native plant species, many of them introduced by nineteenth-century settlers, have adapted to the sandy terrain and windy, salty climate of eastern Nantucket Island.

The Trust is committed to maintaining its properties through careful landscape management, including any necessary remediation management, consultation with local experts to address non-native invasive species, and reviewing various pro-active projects such as creating fire breaks.

We also work to open public access to Trust owned properties through the creation of walking paths and bike trails with connections to other island trail systems where possible. In recent years, the ‘Sconset Trust has focused on increasing and maintaining public beach access in ’Sconset through property purchases and beach stair development, most recently the rebuilding of the Magnolia Stairs in partnership with the Nantucket Islands Land Bank.

The restoration of coastal dunes and the beachfront at 2 Gully Road is ongoing, as is the expansion of our trail system in collaboration with other island conservation groups.

The Trust continues to have conversations with village property owners in partnership with other island conservation groups as we look to continue our mission of land conservation with the goal of providing open space for our community to enjoy.