Harwich Conservation Trust showcases pollinator garden and volunteer nest‑box monitoring

Connor O'Brien of the Harwich Conservation Trust described the Trust’s pollinator-garden and nest-box initiatives and encouraged residents to visit and volunteer.

"We installed this pollinator garden last year, and it was really the brainchild of Karen and Jerry Beaton," O'Brien said, noting the garden uses native host and nectar plants chosen to support every native butterfly species found on Cape Cod. He said the site is intended both to support butterflies and to give visitors ideas for planting native species in their own yards.

O'Brien also outlined the Trust’s nest-box monitoring program. The organization maintains bluebird and tree swallow boxes at five properties; volunteers inspect and maintain boxes and report nesting data to Cornell’s ornithology lab, which has records for Harwich dating back to about 2009. The Trust also hosts purple martin gourds at the Robert F. Smith Coldbrook Preserve and said scientists sometimes tag birds as part of research.

The speakers clarified that not every box is occupied at all times — occupancy varies by season and species (eggs, brooding, feeding young) — and asked residents to recognize volunteer monitors when they see them on Trust lands. The Trust invited people to participate in citizen‑science monitoring and thanked named volunteers, especially Karen and Jerry Beaton, for their work and photography.

Practical information: volunteers and visitors are asked to follow posted guidance on properties and to contact the Trust for opportunities to help with monitoring and maintenance.