In order to protect fragile coastal sites, innovative solutions that can have a lasting impact on resilience and public access are key.
Explore some of our innovative projects and priorities:
To confront the impacts of climate change on Nantucket, The Trustees and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF) partnered to use the diverse acreage of Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge (916 acres, Trustees), The Haulover (104 acres, NCF) and Coatue Wildlife Refuge (390 acres, NCF) as a “living laboratory.” Under a three-year adaptation project, the team is working to identify resilient intervention methods and adaptation strategies that can maintain access to vulnerable stretches of the Refuge, and sustain habitat and barrier beach integrity. Also part of Phase I was the production of two podcast episodes and a 360-degree panorama video tour, to share both the beauty and challenges that are unique to this special place.
Argilla Road is an important point of access for the thousands of people who visit Crane Estate and Crane Beach each year, as well as for local residents, fishermen, and clammers. The road has been facing increasing challenges from flooding due to sea level rise and more frequent and severe storms. In fact, this essential road and the surrounding landscape were identified as one of The Trustees’ properties most susceptible to climate change impacts by an extensive climate vulnerability assessment (CVA) carried out in partnership with the Woods Hole Group in 2017. Explore our StoryMap to learn about what we’re doing to protect this road and ensure our members and visitors can continue to access and enjoy Crane Beach and the Crane Estate.
Youth Coastal Ambassadors Program
In November 2021, The Trustees launched a Youth Coastal Ambassadors Program (YCAP) on Martha’s Vineyard, connecting island high school students interested in coastal studies with Trustees stewardship and resilience work. Developed through the Claire Saltonstall Education Program, the YCAP is designed to help teens develop skills in leadership, stewardship, public engagement, and education. Students take part in short training sessions and hands-on site work one Saturday each month to learn about ecology, the effects of climate change on coastal landscapes, and restoration and adaptation techniques.
Great Marsh Restoration Project
The Great Marsh restoration project aims to fortify 300 acres along Old Town Hill and two other Trustees sites in Essex and Ipswich. Over time historic ditching processes have compromised the resilience of the marsh by destroying its natural draining process, leaving it increasingly vulnerable to floods. In order to ‘heal’ these ditches, the Trustees and partners will use an innovative, nature-based method of “ditch remediation” which, to date, has only been piloted on a very limited basis on the neighboring USFWS Parker River Wildlife Refuge.
Beach Resiliency on Martha’s Vineyard (Complete)
On Martha’s Vineyard, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Coastal Resilience Grant Program awarded a $240,674 grant to the town of Edgartown to restore the primary coastal dune on South Beach and Norton Point Beach, relocate one of three bathhouses 50 feet inland, and remove an asphalt lot. Project partners include The Trustees and Dukes County. The Town of Edgartown took over management of Norton Point Beach after our management contract expired on March 31, 2023.
Coastal Wave and Sediment Study
Under a $190,349 MVP Action Grant awarded to the Town of Essex, The Trustees and Boston University are taking part in a coastal wave and sediment study exploring the future integrity of Crane Beach and Essex Bay / Estuary. The partners are using modeling tools (hydrodynamic, wave, and sediment transport), to illustrate and quantify the impacts of future sea-level rise and increased storminess on the Essex Inlet, how these factors will affect tidal heightening and wave energy during storms, and how sand movement into Essex Bay affects ecosystem services such as shellfisheries and protective marsh systems.
As protector of more than 120 miles of the state’s coastline, Trustees shoulders a responsibility to champion and innovate, and bring energy and focus to bear for the future of our beloved coastal places. This ambitious goal, outlined in the Trustees strategic plan Momentum, includes plans to author a series of annual “State of the Coast” reports to celebrate and bring awareness to Massachusetts’ remarkable coastal communities, pinpoint the common climate-based threats they face, and highlight current and potential actions and solutions.
A Focus on Our Most Vulnerable Places
Using three of our properties as case studies to explore the opportunities and benefits of nature-based resilience interventions for barrier beaches, coastal banks (Wasque, Martha’s Vineyard), and publicly accessible shorelines (Crane Beach, Ipswich), this Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) grant will enable The Trustees to create a whitepaper series and suite of multimedia content to help educate the public on the science behind coastal resilience projects. The multimedia components being developed include a video, 360 panorama tours, and three podcast episodes.
Climate Vulnerability Assessment
In order to help assess and make important decisions about protecting our properties from the far-reaching impacts of climate change now and in the future, The Trustees partnered with Woods Hole Group to complete a climate vulnerability assessment (CVA) of our coastal properties. The assessment included a risk-based vulnerability model to predict how our individual coastal assets will respond to sea level rise over the coming decade, as well as 50 years into the future.
As The Trustees continues its mission of preserving for public use and enjoyment distinctive properties throughout the state, we are increasingly concerned about protecting and providing access to open space in the face of our changing climate, especially along our vulnerable coastline—including Boston, one of the most at-risk waterfronts in the nation. Over the past three years we have been working to identify land areas along the waterfront where we can build a series of community parks to help protect the city from flooding and sea level rise and provide residents, visitors, and workers with much needed access to this beautiful and critical resource. Visit our One Waterfront microsite to learn more.
As part of caring for the places people love, the acquisition of reservations is followed by the best possible care, while planning for changing interests and environment.
Click the image above to learn more about Gerry Island!
In July 2018 The Trustees announced that Gerry Island had become our 117th reservation. Thanks to a generous donation of the island by its former owners Ted and Julie Moore, we will carry on the Moores’ legacy of sharing this special community treasure with the public and protecting it in perpetuity for generations to come. Now, our teams embark on stewardship projects such as cleanups and managing encroaching vegetation, followed by the creation of a new short trail for visitors to explore the island. Signage will be added to welcome visitors and provide information on the rich history of the island and its namesake, the Gerry family, and benches will be placed onsite to create opportunities for rest and relaxation.