Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce - eCapeChamber
Organizations for historical preservation, environmental protection, and natural resource conservation

The residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have long appreciated the unique qualities of Cape Cod, and at the same time have recognized its fragility and consequent need for protection. Careful development, with attention to the preservation of historic sites, the protection of the environment and the conservation of natural resources, are the focus of several important agencies on the Cape.

In 1990, the Cape Cod Commission was created to oversee land use planning for the Cape Cod region as a whole.  It is a department within the Barnstable County government and is financed by the Cape Cod Environmental Protection Fund. T he scope of the Commission’s work involves planning, providing technical assistance and regulating land use.  In its programs and associated programs or projects, the Commission interacts with many non-profit groups which conduct research and/or engage in protection and conservation activities at particular sites on the Cape .  A few of these groups are the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, The Center for Coastal Studies, the Cape Cod Coastal Resources Committee (of the Massachusetts Bays Program), The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (of the Massachusetts Audubon Society).

Cape Cod Land Bank is a program with which the Cape Cod Commission is associated.  Formation of the Cape Cod Land Bank was allowed by the legislature and approved by the voters of each of the fifteen towns of Barnstable County in 1998, as a means of purchasing parcels of land to be preserved as open space in order to protect drinking water supplies, and to provide land for recreational uses.  In Fiscal Year 2000, Land Bank funds were established within the towns. Sources of revenue for the funds are three percent of the property taxes on real estate, proportional matching funds from the Commonwealth, and donations from individuals or groups.

Several non-profit organizations assist with the Land Bank.  National organizations involved with the Cape Cod Land Bank are the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, and the Trust for Public Lands.  Assistance is also forthcoming from The Trustees of Reservations, the Orenda Wildlife Trust, the HSUS Wildlife Trust (a national Humane Society affiliate), and the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts (a coalition of Cape Cod land trusts).