Conservation

Protecting our Town’s wild lands, forever

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At the core of the DCLT’s mission is the permanent protection of natural lands across the Town of Dennis. To achieve this goal, the DCLT acquires land, acquires permanent conservation restrictions on land owned by others, and assists the Town in the acquisition of conservation land.

Old Fort Field Trail
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ACQUISITION IN PRACTICE

Establishing Priorities

Faced with limited resources, and substantial variation in the conservation value of parcels found across our Town, the DCLT has worked to establish a rigorous, systematic approach to prioritizing parcels for potential acquisition.

Our approach combines criteria from local to federal resources, which we use to produce a ranking that reflects the conservation values of the DCLT, the latest scientific information, and the values of State and Federal grantmaking programs.

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CONSERVE YOUR LAND

Explore Your Options

Since its founding in 1988, the DCLT has worked collaboratively with hundreds of landowning families to conserve land across our Town. Central to this work are honest, open discussions between the DCLT and landowners that are handled with confidentiality top-of-mind.

If your family owns land in town, please reach out to us today for a free, initial assessment of the potential benefits of conserving your land. The DCLT will work with you to find creative solutions that meet the goals and financial needs of your family. Please visit our “Support” page to learn more.

  • Simple Property Ownership

    The typical way DCLT conserves land is through simple property ownership. DCLT acquires properties through gifts of land, or, for high priority parcels, through targeted fundraising efforts. To ensure the land is protected forever, the DCLT works closely with the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts and Orenda Wildlife Land Trust to add multiple, independent layers of conservation protections on every DCLT property. To date, the DCLT has permanently protected over 435 acres through fee simple ownership.

  • Permanent Conservation Restrictions

    The DCLT also protects land by holding permanent conservation restrictions (CRs) on properties owned by others. A CR is a type of legal easement that restricts activities detrimental to the conservation values of a property. As the CR holder, the DCLT monitors restricted properties on an annual basis to ensure the terms of the CR are upheld, and enforces violations as needed. To date the DCLT has permanently protected over 225 acres through the acquisition of conservation restrictions. Learn more about land gifts.

  • Collaboration

    While the DCLT is a private, independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, it has a rich history of collaborating with the Town of Dennis to assist in the acquisition, protection, and restoration of properties for conservation and recreational purposes. For example, the DCLT promoted the acquisition of the Town’s Sea View Playland in Dennis Port, and raised $75,000 in funds to contribute towards the project.

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

– Margaret Mead

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