The collision between our natural world and the significant—and accelerating—impacts of climate change is a reckoning for ourselves and our environment.

As the largest nonprofit steward of Massachusetts coastline, protecting 120 miles of shoreline, The Trustees recognizes that we stand at an inflection point in 2020, much as our founder Charles Eliot did in 1891. Eliot and his generation faced the major threats of rapid development and privatization. In response, The Trustees commissioned a Province Lands Report, laying the foundation for what would become Cape Cod National Seashore, a conserved landscape of immense beauty.

Today, too, we must not hesitate to secure our coast for future generations. Over the next four years, The Trustees will release an annual State of the Coast report to spark dialogue and action across Massachusetts’ diverse coastal regions. While uncertainty is inherent in projecting future risk, this report pinpoints climate-based threats and highlights solutions—many of which could serve as national models.

Our debut report features 13 North Shore communities, six of which have Trustees-owned properties that are beloved to nearly a half million visitors each year, from Crane Beach in Ipswich to Crowninshield Island in Marblehead. We highlight potential impacts from town to shore, spotlight current strategies, and propose future opportunities.

For us, protecting the coast is not only a priority—it’s part of who we are. We shoulder a responsibility to be a champion for these iconic landscapes of extraordinary ecological and recreational value, all vulnerable to change and critical to the environment. We also understand and appreciate their significance to those who live, work, and play among them, and to New England’s rare habitats and species within.

Achieving our goals requires leadership, collaboration, and innovation to an unprecedented degree. Climate change will call on us to adapt to a “new normal,” so we invite you to explore these findings, and to engage with us on this important work of discovery, protection, restoration, and care for a coast that needs our help more than ever.