Orleans Open Space Committee Targets Fall for Resident Awareness Campaign

ORLEANS — March 25, 2026 — Orleans Open Space Committee delays awareness campaign push to fall town meeting cycle. The committee, chaired by Lynn O'Connell and including members David Carrick, Patti Platton, and Chris Keating, spent the bulk of its March 25 meeting discussing a proposed public outreach effort to raise resident awareness of open space preservation, partly inspired by the Association to Preserve Cape Cod's Cape We Shape campaign, which targets priority natural resource areas based on drinking water, water quality, habitat, and coastal resilience. Members agreed a town-wide mailing could reach roughly 6,500 Orleans addresses but concluded there was insufficient time to produce a polished campaign before the spring town warrant goes to print around April 2. Town staff adviser Andrea said any outreach using public funds must focus on the town's own open space work and should be routed through staff liaison George Mazervi and public information officer Amanda. The committee also received an update that 72 Tonset Road, damaged in a recent storm, is now part of a town-wide facility assessment, effectively placing decisions about a "friends of" stewardship group on hold pending that review's outcome.