Coastal Resilience on Nantucket

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.

The first phase of the grant-funded project launched in early 2021, to develop a volunteer-led beach profiling monitoring system, design initial beach resiliency concepts to bolster the Refuge’s resilience for the next 10-20 years, establish a partnership to conduct a coastal wave and sediment study, and prepare for potential longer-term projects.

Photos by Above Summit

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. Explore these multimedia projects below to learn more, and enjoy the stunning coastal landscape.

Nantucket podcast & panorama tour

Resilience on Nantucket: Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge | Podcast ep.1

In part one of a two-part series, climate change podcaster and host of America Adapts Doug Parsons talks history and the ecology of the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge on Nantucket. In this episode, learn from experts, historians, and residents of Nantucket about what makes this place so ecologically unique and important to the island. We also hear about some early steps to adapt the Refuge to climate change.

Resilience on Nantucket: Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge | Podcast ep.2

In part two of a two-part series, climate change podcaster and host of America Adapts Doug Parsons explores the science and adaptation planning work underway at Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge on Nantucket. In this episode learn how The Trustees and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation are managing the refuge for future climate impacts, and why they are hopeful for the future of the beautiful and beloved coastal place.

360 Panorama Tour: Experience Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

Explore an immersive, 360-degree panorama tour! Experience even the most remote corners of this beloved reservation, while learning more about what is being done to protect it for future generations.

The second phase of this project will see the implementation of coastal wave sediment studies and resilience intervention work as well as the establishment of a coastal resilience fund, followed by robust community outreach, education, and engagement in phase III. Additionally, The Trustees have sponsored a three-year Coastal Research Internship with Boston University to conduct a coastal wave-sediment study of the Coskata-Coatue barrier beach system to understand how climate change will impact beach morphology, vulnerability to breaching and harbor impacts, shoreline change, and sediment movement.

Questions? Comments? Email coast@thetrustees.org