Commission backs recommendation for perpetual conservation restriction at 32 Clarks Point Road

Mark Robinson, executive director of the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trust, asked the Eastham Conservation Commission to recommend that the select board accept a perpetual conservation restriction on a 1.12-acre vacant lot at 32 Clarks Point Road that abuts Great Pond. Robinson said the property is owned by Goose Pond Camp Realty Trust, Sarah Mumford trustee, and that Mumford intends to place the restriction “to preserve it in perpetuity.”

Robinson told commissioners the Compact will be the initial recipient of the restriction to qualify for the state income-tax credit and that the Eastham Conservation Foundation, the local land trust, would be the permanent holder responsible for monitoring and enforcement. "The terms are standard," Robinson said, adding that the parcel will remain private with no public access and that the gift preserves a woodland abutting other protected land.

The commission indicated general support for protecting undeveloped land and for the recommendation letter drafted by staff. The chair asked for a motion sending the commission’s recommendation to the select board; commissioners signaled unanimous assent and the item will be forwarded to the select board for final action.

The recommendation does not change property ownership or public access; it creates a permanent legal restriction governing future uses of the parcel. The select board must still review and accept the restriction before it takes effect.