ABOVE: Norton Point Beach lost 74 acres between 1897 and 1994. Yet more recently, between 1994 and 2018, the beach lost 93 acres - 25% more acreage in less than 30 years.
Norton Point Beach, one of eight coastal reservations the Trustees protect and steward on Martha’s Vineyard, is facing the accelerating impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and storm surge. As reported in this year’s State of the Coast, this 2.5-mile barrier beach of sand and dunes has already migrated to the north more than 1,500 feet since 1897— a distance longer than the Empire State Building is tall. But in addition to this shift, the beach lost 74 acres between 1897 and 1994, and 93 acres between 1994 and 2018—25% more acreage in recent years, despite the shorter timespan.
A beach resiliency project is working to restore the primary coastal dune on Norton Point Beach and relocate an oversand vehicle (OSV) trail further inland, away from its current position, where it is increasingly vulnerable to high tides and storm surge. Ultimately the project aims to strengthen the resiliency of the coastal landscape, while also protecting public access.
Working with Woods Hole Group to model the reconstructed dune, the project team settled on a 14-foot-high design with a gentle slope ratio of 10:1, meaning that for every 10 feet of horizontal distance there is a one-foot vertical decline. The height and slope were selected after conducting analysis and modeling to see what would be most resilient to erosion and storm surge. Dune construction will use native plants and compatible dredge material sourced from Katama Bay.
“The reconstructed portion will run from the dune break east of the entrance and continue eastward where it will connect to a small dune and onto the larger one,” explains Paul Morrison, Trustees Stewardship Manager for Martha’s Vineyard. “This is first of two phases, and will help to strengthen the dune system, while also protecting access for visitors in the coming season. In the second phase of this project the existing dune in the area behind the gatehouse will be built up, and the new OSV trail will be extended from where it ends in phase one.”