On September 4, 2019, The Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) announced more than $2.4 million in funding to support coastal resilience projects, to help prepare for, and adapt to, the effects of our changing climate, including storm surge, flooding, erosion and sea level rise. In addition to $163,732 in funding for the ongoing Argilla Road Adaptation Project in Ipswich, The Trustees was also awarded a grant for $82,000 to fund A Focus on Our Most Vulnerable Places, a first-of-its-kind coastal communications project to be awarded by CZM to a non-profit.

Using three of our properties as case studies to explore the opportunities and benefits of nature-based resilience interventions for barrier beaches (Norton Point Beach, Martha’s Vineyard), coastal banks (Wasque, Martha’s Vineyard), and publicly accessible shorelines (Crane Beach, Ipswich), the communications grant enabled The Trustees to create a whitepaper series and suite of multimedia content (podcasts, 360 panorama tours, and a video) incorporating perspectives from coastal landowners, stewards, visitors, and other stakeholders, as they considered coastal change, and resilience options.

The Trustees hope the findings can serve as a model to help other communities and non-profits proactively confront and share their own coastal challenges and resilience projects.

White Papers

Coastal properties along the Commonwealth’s shorelines are dynamic, ever-changing environments where storm events and sea level rise can threaten the existence of the built and natural environments.

Using three reservations—a tiny sliver of the 120 miles of coastline the Trustees manage—the Trustees engaged local community members and coastal engineers to understand their perspectives about coastal change, the inherent risk associated with dynamic coastal areas, and adaptation options for barrier beaches, coastal banks, and publicly accessible shorelines. The three whitepapers linked below highlight perspectives on the threats to Norton Point’s barrier beach, Wasque’s coastal banks, and Crane Beach’s access, as well as potential adaptation options available to adaptively manage these coastal landforms in the face of rising sea levels and larger storm systems.

Read The White Papers

• Crane Beach White Paper
• Norton Point White Paper
• Wasque Reservation White Paper

Video

Podcast

*Editor’s Note: Norton Point is no longer a Trustees Reservation as of April 1, 2023.