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Things To Do and See on Mashpee Conservation Lands

Geocaching 

Join a real life treasure hunt with Geocaching! Geocaching is a worldwide outdoor scavenger hunt that uses handheld GPS or Smartphone to find hidden objects.  Items, called caches, are hidden outdoors and its GPS coordinates are posted online. Anyone can then look up these caches online and follow the GPS coordinates to within a few feet of the cache; from that point you have to use your own detective skills to find the object. The first caches were containers that held log books and maybe a small object that could be swapped for another.  Now caches can be the traditional type or they can come in more interactive forms, such as a multi cache where there are clues leading from one GPS location to another until you reach a final cache; puzzle caches have a puzzle you must solve before finding the object; Earth caches are unique locations with educational information about a geosciences feature that can be observed at that location.  Once a cache is located you can log your find online.  This is a great activity for teenagers and kids! To get started go to geocaching.com and sign up for a free membership.  Once you join you can look up caches near a location.  Mashpee Conservation lands have numerous caches with different skill levels. Good Luck!

 

Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge

The Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) consists of over 5,000 acres of land set aside for the protection and preservation of wildlife, specifically waterfowl.   When exploring these lands you may come across salt and freshwater marshes, cranberry bogs, Atlantic white cedar swamps, and vernal pools.  Wildlife like the red fox, white tailed deer call the refuge home.  For the avid birdwatcher the MNWR provides habitat for migratory wildfowl, song birds, raptors, and shore birds.  The MNWR was established in 1995 and is located in Falmouth and Mashpee.  This unique refuge is owned by 9 Federal, State, and private conservation groups.  Pickeral Cove is the newest addition to the MNWR.

 


White Cedar Swamp, South Mashpee Pine Barrens Conservation Land.

Mashpee acquired Pickeral Cove in 2008 to preserve the natural and open space for fish and wildlife and for wildlife conservation, habitat protection, and public recreation.  Take a stroll on the multiple walking trails found on the property and check out the three main types of plant habitat: upland forest, forested woodlands, and pond habitat.  While walking the trails you may be able to see the Eastern Box Turtle, which has been designated a rare species.  Additionally, Wakeby and Mashpee Ponds have been designated Living Waters Core Habitat for three rare freshwater mussel species by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.   The kettle ponds are home to Terete Arrowhead, a rare plant.  This parcel is just one of part of an important refuge system that will total 5, 871 acres when completed.

Information from the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge.

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