Photo by Bill Hoenk
2023 was an incredible year for the Land Bank! Property 
improvements were a main focus, including the installation of 18 trailhead signs, a new Nature Play Space at Hinsdale Playground, an accessible boardwalk at Sesachacha Pond, two new trails (Eel Point Trail and Miacomet Woods Trail), and so much more. We spent hours planning for large and small scale projects that will benefit our community, including the Lily Pond Project, Forest Management at Gardner Farm, and the Washington Street Framework Plan to name a few. All the while, we acquired 6 new properties totaling 15 acres!
A Memorable Cross Island Hike
This year marked our 4th annual Cross-Island Hike! Despite the rainy conditions, our hikers were enthusiastic and determined, hiking 21.6 miles all the way from Sesachacha to Settler’s Landing. This year’s course crossed Land Bank, Mass Audubon, Nantucket Conservation Foundation, and MA Department of Conservation and Recreation properties. Click here to see the day from our hikers’ point of view. We are already looking forward to 2024’s Cross Island Hike!
Expanding Agriculture
Our partnerships with local farmers and the American Farmland Trust have enabled us to further expand our agricultural footprint over the past year. We awarded a license to Aidan and Natasha Feeney of Fog Town Farm to farm our property at 19 Wauwinet Road, and we can’t wait to see how they transform this land! We also published a Request for Responses inviting all interested farmers to submit agricultural proposals for the remaining land at our Mt Vernon Farm property at 160 and 168 Hummock Pond Road. As a result, several local farmers were awarded additional farmland to grow their existing farms. We encourage Nantucketers to help the cause by supporting our island growers and buying local!
We found more ways to connect with our community this year!
In addition to the Cross-Island Hike, we hosted our first ever outdoor yoga class at the Creeks Preserve, an Organic Orchard Workshop at Millbrook Heritage Orchard, and public walks at Holly Farm and Gardner Farm. We saw familiar faces at both screenings of our film, The Ottisons: A True Nantucket Story (directed and filmed by Yellow Productions), which won the audience award at the Nantucket Film Festival! In 2024, we look forward to being more accessible to the public than ever, so stay tuned for more events as we celebrate our 40th anniversary this year!
SNEP Grant
The Land Bank and the Town’s Sewer Department were delighted and grateful to be awarded a SNEP Grant in the amount of $600,000 last year! We plan to use this grant to partially fund improvements to the Lily Pond Park (North Liberty Street entrance), including a visitors’ entrance which provides ADA-accessibility, natural features which will provide additional stormwater treatment, constructed wetlands planted with pollinator-friendly native plants, among a plethora of additional improvements. Much more to come on this exciting project!
ACKTrails
To discover new trails for your winter walks, download the ACKTrails App today! More trails being added this year!
