News  Court-Involved Assist with Ecological and "Cultural-Rebuilding" Beach Project on Martha's Vineyard This Weekend

A community service crew of four participated in a beach restoration and "cultural-rebuilding" project conducted by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gayhead (Aquinnah)  at Lobsterville Beach on Martha's Vineyard over the weekend.

The four crew members joined other community residents in planting seagrass and and laying cedar shims. This dune stabilization project not only benefits the environment, it also contributes to the protection of "Tribal lands," according to Lisa Hickey, Assistant Statewide Supervisor of the Massachusetts Trial Court Community Service Program, a department of the Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS). The project took place in an area of the beach that was 500 feet long, including a total of 10,000 square feet of beach along Lobsterville Road. 

"Community Service participants made a significant impact on environmental, ecological, and cultural rebuilding. The dunes along Lobsterville protect Tribal lands referred to as 'the Common Lands,' which host some of the few naturally occurring cranberry bogs in the state and a host of endangered or threatened plant species. This fragile environment needs the buffer from the salt water to protect the balance of water, soil, and salinity," said Ms. Hickey.

She added, "This project is of utmost importance as it aims to prevent further dune loss and increase the area in which sand can be collected to restore the beach.  We hope that our  participants foster a sense of community pride in protecting our natural and cultural resources."

This project was arranged by Nate Durwara, Assistant Court Services Coordinator, and the group worked with Beckie Finn, environmental coordinator for the Wampanoag Tribe.

"Since 2016, with the help of our amazing volunteers, we have planted a total of 180,000 stems of beachgrass, covering over 100,000 square feet of beach area," stated Ms. Finn.