Press Release: Cape & Islands Environmental and Conservation Organizations Back “YES on 6” Ballot Campaign to Protect Water and Nature

For Immediate Release

October 13, 2026

Contact: Andrew Farnitano, 925-917-1354, andrew@acfstrategies.com

Cape & Islands Environmental and Conservation Organizations Back “YES on 6” Ballot Campaign to Protect Water and Nature

Local Conservation Groups, Land Trusts, & Community Organizations Endorse Ballot Question 6 to Create Dedicated Nature for All Fund for Water and Land Conservation in Massachusetts — Without Raising Taxes

Barnstable, Mass. — More than a dozen local conservation groups, land trusts, and community organizations across the Cape & Islands are endorsing the “YES on 6” ballot campaign, which aims to create a dedicated source of funding for land and water conservation in Massachusetts. Question 6, the Protect Water and Nature ballot initiative on the November statewide ballot, would create a new Nature for All Fund and dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods to protecting and conserving water and nature — without raising taxes.

“Voting Yes on 6 is an investment in the Outer Cape’s natural infrastructure — and in our local economy. It means more resources to protect natural habitats, maintain trails, and care for the places that draw visitors here in the first place,” said William Mullin, President of the Provincetown Conservation Trust. “And because the initiative doesn’t create a new tax, we’re not simply spending more — we’re investing in the natural assets that bring eco-tourism dollars back to our Cape Cod communities. Protecting our land and trails isn’t just good for nature; it’s good for business.”

“With a changing climate and increasing development pressure, conservation work has become more urgent than ever. In recent years, Barnstable Land Trust has helped protect more land and advance more conservation projects than at any time in our history, but significant needs and opportunities remain,” said Mike Molnar, Executive Director of Barnstable Land Trust. “Question 6 will help communities leverage additional funding to protect forests, wetlands, farms, trails, and natural areas that are essential to clean water, climate resilience, and outdoor recreation. Once these special places are developed, we don't get a second chance, which is why we strongly support Question 6. Supporting this measure is an investment in our shared forever legacy for future generations.”

“Friends of Pleasant Bay chose to endorse Question 6 because its purposes closely intersect with the organization’s own mission and decades of work on Pleasant Bay,” said Peter Cohen, President of Friends of Pleasant Bay, Inc. “Protecting water quality, conserving habitat and open space, supporting public access, and strengthening the resilience of natural systems are all central to our work and the long-term health of the Bay.”

“Scratch a Cape Codder, born or moved here, who is true to the Cape in spirit, and you will find that person is most at home out of doors. Our special places did not stay special by accident. We have invested millions of local tax dollars to preserve open space that protects our wellfields, our forests and access to our bays and ponds,” said Mark H. Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc., a nonprofit network of 29 land trusts and watershed groups in SE Mass. “The State has been helpful around the margins of this enormous lift of dollars when we buy very expensive coastal lands. Having access to a new steady stream of state funds dedicated to preserving watersheds and wildlife habitats will magnify our local efforts. That is why we support Question 6 and hope all Cape Codders will vote to approve it.”

The following Cape & Islands organizations are supporting Question 6:

Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Barnstable Land Trust

BiodiversityWorks

Brewster Conservation Trust

Brewster Ponds Coalition

Chatham Conservation Foundation

Farming Falmouth

Friends of Pleasant Bay, Inc.

Harwich Conservation Trust

Native Land Conservancy

Orleans Conservation Trust

Orleans Pond Coalition

Pocasset Water Quality Coalition

Provincetown Conservation Trust

The 300 Committee Land Trust (Falmouth)

The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts

Wareham Land Trust

Wellfleet Conservation Trust

Woodwell Climate Research Center

In supporting Question 6, the local groups join a broad coalition of more than 125 organizations led by the state’s leading nonprofit land and water conservation groups such as Mass Audubon, The Trustees, Appalachian Mountain Club, the Conservation Law Foundation, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and Trust for Public Land. Also supporting Question 6 are sporting and outdoor recreation groups such as Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Surfrider Foundation Massachusetts, and the New England Mountain Bike Association, and farming and gardening advocates including the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, American Farmland Trust, Grow Native Massachusetts, and Native Plant Trust.

Individual endorsers include current and former elected officials like Governor Maura Healey and former Governor Deval Patrick, and environmental leaders like former U.S. EPA Administrator and White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and author, environmentalist, and activist Bill McKibben. A full list of Question 6 endorsements can be found at natureforma.org/endorsements.

This month, the YES on 6 campaign began airing an ad titled “Naturally” on television and digital channels across the state. The ad features Mass Audubon wildlife biologist Lyra Brennan and The Trustees park ranger Matt Zieper addressing how Question 6 would protect clean drinking water; conserve forests, family farms, and natural wildlife habitat; and create more parks, trails, and greenspaces for all to enjoy — without raising taxes.

Background

Question 6, the ‘Protect Water and Nature’ initiative, would dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods to protecting and conserving water and nature — without raising taxes. Question 6 would create a dedicated Nature for All Fund with as much as $100 million each year to support the conservation and restoration of water and natural areas in Massachusetts, protect the quality of our drinking water and natural wildlife habitats, and support the creation and improvement of parks, trails, greenspaces, and other outdoor recreation spaces. A full list of endorsements can be found at natureforma.org/endorsements.

The Nature for All Fund would be funded by the state’s existing sales tax on sporting goods like camping gear, golf clubs, and fishing equipment — not by creating a new tax. Question 6 allocates just 0.16% of the state’s $63.4 billion annual budget, but it would make a big difference for land and water. Question 6 would also establish a public oversight board that would approve all expenditures from the fund, with strict annual reporting requirements to track every dollar spent.

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The YES on 6 campaign is led by Nature for Massachusetts, a large and diverse coalition of environmental, conservation, and community organizations that seek to create a dedicated, annual revenue stream to conserve water, land, urban greenspace, outdoor recreation access, and wildlife in Massachusetts. For more information, visit natureforma.org.