The mission of Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries, Inc. (SPABS) is to protect and preserve Falmouth’s open space wildlife habitat, historic buildings, and to provide educational classes to all ages.

Ermine Watkins Lovell was born in 1905 on a farm outside of Richmond, Virginia. She met her husband, Hollis Lovell and was married in 1929. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Falmouth and set up housekeeping on the Lovell’s Ten Acre Farm in Davisville, East Falmouth.

In 1935 Mrs. Lovell started her real estate business and the contacts provided her with the means to push for her vision of saving environmentally sensitive areas of Upper Cape Cod.

In 1960 Mrs. Lovell established the Salt Pond Committee of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and became its president. In 1962, this organization was incorporated as a non-profit organization, Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries, Inc. She tirelessly solicited land owners for donations of ponds and marshlands for preservation and publicly and privately advocated the underground placement of utilities.

Ermine Lovell was a strong community leader with a clear vision of the future. The trustees of Salt Pond are dedicated to seeing that her goals for the preservation of open space in Falmouth continue to be their top priority.