It’s always a special day when we open a new wildlife sanctuary to the public and Saturday, July 14, was particularly so as more than 80 members and supporters joined us for a celebration and official ribbon cutting for our new Barnstable Great Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod.

The 120-acre sanctuary overlooks one of the largest salt marsh and barrier beach systems in New England. Here Cape visitors can explore a 1.5 mile trail network that winds through woodlands as well as around pond and vernal pools habitats before ending in a spectacular marsh view. Just a short distance down the road is our Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, a destination for educational programming with another diverse trail system.

Barnstable Great Marsh was established through the generosity and vision of the Ferguson and Chase families and is largely the result of land donations over a period of years beginning in 1971, most notably a bequest of 78 acres from Georgia Ferguson in 1998. The most recent addition, the purchase of an 8.5 acre property in the middle of the sanctuary, was made possible by the continued generosity George and Jean Ferguson as well as significant gifts from the Greeley family in memory of Walter Greeley, Jr.

The gathering had the warm feel of a family reunion as members of both families were on hand for the ribbon cutting at the opening, a walk on the property, and the dedication of commemorative benches at the entrance and overlooks.

We also wanted to thank the Fields Pond Foundation, which provided grant funding to assist in the design and construction of trails and other visitor facilities.

Come by and explore Barnstable Great Marsh and let us know what you think!