No Alcohol Rule & New Spit Security

No Alcohol Rule & New Spit Security

Based on community, State, and local law enforcement feedback regarding an escalation of excessive drinking, partying, and unsafe behavior on the Spit (and neighboring community), we have made the following changes and need your support.

Effectiveimmediately, we will be sending a clear message through our communities and through social media that there is a zero-tolerance policy of no alcohol on the Spit. Save Popponesset Bay has hired Pilgrim Security to help with education and enforcement and to collaborate with the Police and the Harbormaster. It is unfortunate that it has come to this, but we need to communicate that the Spit is “dry” and that the existing No Alcohol Rule will be enforced.

Pilgrim Security comes highly recommended by members of the Mashpee Police and has experience restoring party beaches to family destinations. The supervisor is a former police officer who has worked on the Spit and lives locally. He is committed to hiring professionals that will build relationships with all of you, ensure the Spit is welcoming to our community, and that we restore our beloved Spit to being a safe, family friendly destination once more.

Please help us spread the word.
Thank you in advance for all you do to help ensure that the Spit is sustainable for our families and for generations to come.

Let’s Talk Spit Rules

Let’s Talk Spit Rules

Many thanks to our SPB community for responding to our recent “No Alcohol” email with excellent suggestions, concerns, and support. We are making every effort to keep the Spit safe and open for all to enjoy. We hope this article addresses some of the concerns you have raised, and we look forward to our ongoing dialogue. Please reach out to us directly if you would like to help us protect our wildlife preserve, our families, as well as our homes whose values are higher in safe communities.

We appreciate as always, your support to ensure the Spit and Bay are sustained for generations to come!

Why is enforcing the no-alcohol rule necessary?
The short answer is that we risk being shut down entirely if “our guests” on the Spit continue to violate these rules. We do not want to risk this possibility.

SPB relies on collaborating with a complex array of owners and overseers in order to stay open. The Spit is an endangered species habitat whose entirety is overseen by Mass Audubon and MA Wildlife and Fisheries. The Spit has a right of way through a private road owned by Popponesset Beach Association (PBA) and private homeowners, and the beach at the fisherman’s landing leading to the State Beach. Save Popponesset Bay owns the first two thirds of the peninsula and Mass Audubon owns the last third to the tip. Audubon regularly monitors the impact our use has on the nesting of endangered migratory birds, which have been threatened by the presence of dogs and human behavior. Audubon and we have received numerous police reports responding to multiple violations and we cannot risk the possibility of being closed down.

Why are you prohibiting alcohol now?
We actually have had a no alcohol rule in place for a number of years. In fact, all Mashpee beaches, including the adjacent State beach as well as South Cape beach, prohibit alcohol consumption. Our former security team had not been uniformly enforcing the rule and we saw a dramatic uptick in excessive drinking over the last few years. Unfortunately, the Spit has become a popular drinking destination that has increasingly spurred violence and destruction of the reconstructed dunes, nesting areas, and private homes in our neighborhoods.

Why can’t we restrict visitors to local residents?
The mission of SPB and Audubon support sharing our nature preserve with everyone. In the last few years, there have been many houses renting to large numbers of college-age and underage kids who come to party on the Spit. Unfortunately, many of the repeat offenders have summer homes in New Seabury and Popponesset and/or have invited friends who have exhibited unacceptable behavior. In other words, we need everyone on board in order to make an impact.

What kind of incidents were you seeing?
Imagine College Spring Break in Daytona, but on the Spit; Beer pong. Kegs. Fires. Tents. People vomiting, defecating and urinating in the dunes and neighbors’ yards. Drunken brawls. Multiple arrests. EMT’s rescuing passed out partiers. Dangerous and erratic boating. Harassing paddle boarders. It was estimated that thousands packed the Spit and waterways on Fourth of July.

All of this has happened in broad daylight (the Spit closes at dusk, around 7pm).

More than a dozen representatives of the villages and communities in the New Seabury/Popponesset area have joined a security task force to help all neighborhoods address these issues. Each private beach owner bears liability for actions on its beach, and SPB is responsible to do what we can to prevent unsafe and illegal behavior. Public safety officials in Mashpee and the Harbormaster (paid for by our tax dollars) will support our efforts to help ensure our families continued ability to safely access the Spit.

Why aren’t adults allowed to drink responsibly?
We were advised by the Police and Security that it is important to send a strong message to our community and beyond that the Spit is dry and will be enforced. It is only by enforcing this rule uniformly that we will be able to change the reputation of the Spit and deter partiers from coming in the first place. Nantucket implemented this intervention, as did our security team in Plymouth where they helped successfully eliminate the party scene which reduced violence and crime and restored their beaches to being a family destination once more.

Next Steps
We are getting the word out through social media in order to change our reputation and reach the key offenders. We need your help to spread the word about the enforcement of this policy, as this will help us keep away the partiers and allow us to restore the Spit to “how it used to be.”  We welcome your input on how to best get there. Please reach out at the email below if you’d like to help.

Thank you for helping us do what we can to keep all of us, our families, and our visitors safe in our “happy place.”

Important News from the Harbormaster

Important News from the Harbormaster

As we start to get a few nice days of weather here in middle to late April, many boaters are returning to the waters, this is a reminder that Barnstable County is still in the process of dredging the channel at the approaches to Popponesset Bay.

I urge all mariners to use extreme caution when transiting the area, to only transit during period of daylight and during high tide, the dredge and pipe are marked in accordance with the Navigation Rules but still present an extreme danger to navigation.

Please treat this area as an active construction site and do your best to avoid any transits through the area, with a little corporation from the weather and limited mechanical delays this project will be completed shortly, and this will allow for a well dredged channel that will last us till next year.

Once the dredging is completed, please give the Harbormaster Division time to replace the winter sticks in the water with lighted buoys and un-lighted buoys, this process does take some time and of course like all water-based actives the weather is the controlling factor.

Disclaimer – This information is accurate as of the time of this email only, the safe navigation and operation of your vessel is the sole responsibility of the captain of that vessel.

Please contact my office with any questions.

Jeff Smith
Town of Mashpee – Harbormaster
Ph: 508-539-1400 ext 8597