Help us protect and promote biodiversity on Falmouth's conservation lands.
What is the Community Biodiversity Initaitve
Started by the Dennis Conservation Land Trust, the Community Biodiversity Initiative (CBI) is an effort to bring together land trusts and other conservation-focused organizations from across Cape Cod to monitor, document, and protect biodiversity in their communities. Partner organizations can participate in the CBI by reporting potential vernal pools and state-listed species to the state's database, as well as by hosting bio blitzes and other public events that involve community members. After signing a "Partner Pledge" in 2025, the 300 Committee has been taking part in the initiative by reporting potential vernal pools, starting a Biodiversity Ambassadors program, and hosting bio blitzes.
Ways to Get Invovled in Falmouth
As a partner of the Dennis Conservation Land Trust, the 300 Committee has taken on several initiatives to monitor biodiversity in Falmouth, which include vernal pool monitoring/certification, bio blitzes, citizen science, and documenting "Heritage Trees." Read more about the following programs and how to get involved.
September 2026 BioBlitz
**See our photo gallery above with pictures from the BioBlitz**
In September of 2026, the 300 Committee hosted a BioBlitz at the Upper Coonamessett River. The last BioBlitz conducted at the Coonamessett was in 2010. In the 16 years that have passed since the first BioBlitz, the Coonamessett River has undergone significant change and restoration. It will be interesting to see what impact the recent restoration efforts at the Upper Coonamessett might have on biodiversity. A BioBlitz is an organized effort to identify as many living things as possible within a limited time frame and geographic area. Professional naturalists, volunteers, and community members used the popular plant and wildlife ID app iNaturalist to record over 700 observations of 350 species. The next step in the process is to analyze the data and put together a comprehensive report that showcases our findings.
To communicate our findings to the public, we will be choosing two species every month to cover in our E-newsletter. See our "Critters of the Month: Biodiversity in Falmouth" column to read more about the species we are featuring each month.
Vernal Pools
Vernal pools are temporary or "ephemeral" wetlands that provide important breeding habitat for amphibians like salamanders and frogs. Due to their role as essential breeding habitat, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts affords special protections to vernal pools to protect them from development. To receive these protections, vernal pools must be certified by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP). The process of certification involves collecting and submitting photo or video evidence of "obligate species," including egg masses, mated pairs, and chorusing frogs. Obligate species require vernal pools for all or a portion of their life cycle, and these include fairy shrimp, spotted salamanders, and wood frogs.
We have been monitoring potential or uncertified vernal pools in Falmouth for the last two years, and since we started we have documented 12 (3 in 2025 and 9 in 2026) potential vernal pools across town, collecting photos and videos of amphibian egg masses and fairy shrimp for submission to NHESP. 2026 was the first year that we recruited volunteers to help with these efforts, and this past spring we involved 25 volunteers from both inside and outside the organization. The 300 Committee is going to continue to certify in Falmouth, so stay tuned for more information on how you can get involved with these efforts.
State-Listed Species
In addition to observations of potential vernal pools, citizen scientists can also report sightings of endangered or state-listed species to NHESP. See the link above for a complete list of endangered, threatened, and special concern species in Massachusetts. Observations are reported using a database called Heritage Hub, and once NHESP approves an observation, the area where the organism was documented can be designated as priority habitat. Priority habitat can then be expanded or preserved to protect vulnerable organisms.
Biodiversity Ambassadors
Biodiversity Ambassadors is an initiative led by the 300 Committee Land Trust to learn more about biodiversity on Falmouth's conservation lands. Members of the public can use the popular wildlife and plant identification app, iNaturalist, to catalog biodiversity on the following conservation areas in Falmouth:
Getting involved is easy. All you need is an iNaturalist account and mobile device. Visit one of the above conservation areas, take a picture of an organism, share the observation to your iNaturalist profile, and your observation should automatically upload to the Biodiversity Ambassadors project on iNaturalist. You do not have to manually join the project. Each parcel has its own project page on the Biodiversity Ambassadors landing page. Look for your observations there. The landing page is linked above. The project is set up to collect observations in perpetuity. There are no time limits or constraints. Never visited any of our conservation lands? Visit our "Land and Trails" tad for access instructions and to learn more about each parcel. Also, see the links and resources below for overviews of the iNaturalist mobile app and webpage, including how to set up your iNaturalist account.
Upcoming Programs and Events
Nothing Yet. Stayed Tuned.
Critters of the Month: Biodiversity in Falmouth
Take a closer look at our finds from the September 2026 BioBlitz. Each month, we will cover a two species identified during the BioBlitz.