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Spit Update

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Spit Update

As you know, Save Popponesset Bay is the owner of 2/3 of the Spit, with the eastern third, owned by Mass Audubon. The entire Spit is home to the endangered plovers and terns. The State owns the section of the Spit immediately at the bottom of the Fisherman’s landing stairs. Since its most depleted state in 2014, we (SPB) have raised, from our neighbors and friends, and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in trucked sand, dredged sand from the outer channel leading to Nantucket Sound, and the purchase and planting of dune grass to anchor the new sand for the Spit. We have provided security in partnership with PBA and our partner Mass Audubon. We have short time windows each year to perform these critical dredging and construction activities due to various Federal, State and Town laws and regulations related to various fish species and the arrival and breeding of the plovers and terns and other wildlife.

Why is there a lack of sand on the western end of the Spit this year?

This February, we again completed the trucking of thousands of cubic yards of sand plus new beach grass which has substantially built the dune closest to Audubon land. However, the Barnstable County dredge program, which has a contract with the Town of Mashpee (not SPB), made a decision this winter to direct the dredge and booster pump (which builds up the beach in front of the state stairs extending to the second crossover from the ocean to the bay) to Chatham. This decision was extremely detrimental to the health of the Spit. As you will notice when walking the beach, the dredge sand spoils are absolutely critical to the sustainability of the Spit. SPB, Mashpee Waterways Commission and the two marinas all spoke at the Mashpee Selectmen meeting on this issue to emphasize the safety implications of not dredging. The Town was ultimately successful in convincing the Barnstable County dredge program to send a dredge however they were not able to send the critical booster pump and piping needed to deliver the sand so critical to the corner and beach. The dredging effort did succeed in making the outer channel safe, helping to avoid serious boating safety injuries to unprepared boaters who rely on an annually dredged channel. So, the Barnstable County dredge succeeded in dredging the outer channel but the 5,000 cubic yards of sand was pumped onto the middle portion of the Spit well short of the beach and corner by the stairs which is owned by the State of MA. This, combined with a fierce storm in April created a small cliff in the now unprotected dune. This section of the Spit is not as beautiful as previous years when it was covered by the sand pulled from the outer channel. (For those interested, the trucked sand is more coarse than the dredged sand that has been smoothed by centuries of churning in the ocean.) SPB has requested permission from the State of MA to make repairs to the sand to shape the “cliff”, but we are not optimistic, given the reluctance of the State to approve any construction activities while in bird season. Our hands are unfortunately now tied by the State of MA.

What about the future?

The good news is that Barnstable County has purchased a second dredge (https://www.capenews.net/bourne/news/new-dredge-coming-to-cape-cod/article_cf15f142-1a81-535f-a7cd-1d71af75b7d6.html) to keep up with increased demand for dredging projects like the outer channel for the Town of Mashpee.

While our beach is not in the condition that any of us would like this year, we want you to know that going forward, providing we do not have any more dredge problems, the Spit should be more resilient with the clean beautiful sandy beach we have always enjoyed. And with your financial support of the longer, wider, deeper outer channel project we will have a much larger beach as the projected estimates are that this will produce an additional 40,000 cubic yards of good sand. We really are hopeful that everyone will contribute to fund this project, not just boaters, as this is the source of the sand to make our beach beautiful for all to enjoy!

Also, after three years of significant work and approximately $300,000 in various studies and engineering, partly funded by a grant from the State of MA, SPB has recently filed an expanded ENF with the State which officially kicks off the permitting process for the longer, wider and deeper outer channel. This longer, wider, deeper outer channel project, when completed, will provide a significant, renewable, larger annual source of high quality sand to support the Spit as well as result in significant improvements to the outer channel, improving boating safety and water quality.
How can I help?

Volunteer:

We are always looking for volunteers who are passionate about SPB to be ambassadors of our mission. We empower you to promote our cause and protect our beach and bay. Currently, we are looking for community members to help facilitate community engagement, and expertise in grant writing, fundraising, marketing and website operations. Please contact Kathy Cramer (kccramer@comcast.net) if you would like to get more involved!

Communicate:

We greatly appreciate the Town of Mashpee’s efforts regarding dredging; however, we are asking that our supporters encourage the Town to step up for the big new channel project as well. Also, read the Mashpee Enterprise to stay informed.

Contribute:

We ALL need to continue to contribute to fund the expanded channel project and annual dune replenishment work as this work is critical to the health of the Spit and bay. We also appreciate the financial contributions which have paid for the remarkable turnaround achieved since 2014 on the Spit. We still have much work to do so we appreciate your future financial contributions. SPB is an all-volunteer group, so 100% of funds raised go to our mission to maintain and protect the Spit, while keeping the waterways in and around Popponesset Bay safe and navigable.

Thank you again for your support and interest,

Save Popponesset Bay

Click here to donate

dune grass

Winter 2019 sand and grass work completed on the Spit

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Winter 2019 sand and grass work completed on the Spit:

Our winter project for this phase of the Spit re-construction was completed last month.  We trucked in 10,000 cubic yards of sand, 8,500 for the eastern side closest to Audubon’s land and 1,500 to repair damage on the western side at the foot of Popponesset Island. We also had grass planted on the eastern side to anchor the sand. The resiliency of the Spit has been improved dramatically, especially along the middle section where it was extremely vulnerable.

We also had a nice, low-profile, hummocky dune built at the entrance to the Spit and installed a dense grass array to deter people from walking on the dune. There is a clear pathway, outlined with grass on both sides.  In the spring we will look at whether we need to add symbolic fencing (stakes and twine) for the walking paths.

Outer channel:

We continue to work with Woods Hole Group and the Town of Mashpee for permitting of the outer channel to improve boating safety, while also providing a critical source of near-term and long-term dredged sand. This permitting process will continue through 2019.

Grant applications:

In 2019, we will continue to pursue grant opportunities including the MA Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and other funding groups which we follow.

With each public funding application, the State emphasizes the importance of the breadth of our private donor base.  We appreciate all contributions, large and small.  Without your support, we could not have accomplished what we have over the past four years.

Thank you:

We thank you for your continued support and hope you will consider a tax-deductible contribution to Save Popponesset Bay in 2019.  SPB is an all-volunteer organization.  We accept and encourage corporate matching gifts.

Please go to: www.savepopponessetbay.org/donate or mail your donation to SPB, Box 920757, Needham MA 02492.

Dear Friends and Supporters

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Dear Friends and Supporters,
We are writing with an update and an immediate request.

You may recall that last year, we added sand to the western end to a point about half way down the Spit; that half has stood up well in the face of storms.  Woods Hole Group just completed its post-storm survey and found that the eastern end of the Spit, closer to Audubon land, is in significant and immediate need of sand, and we need to raise more funds for a project this winter.

We are currently evaluating our options as our decision about the quantity of sand will be driven by the funds we are able to raise over the next month. The cost is approximately $25/cubic yard, depending on the final volume.  Our target for this fundraising campaign is $250,000.

If you could please make your 2019 donation or pledge now we can make plans for this important winter project. Click the button to donate Click here to donate We will complement this trucked sand with dredged sand in March in our annual project with the Town.

In 2019, we will also continue to pursue grant opportunities including the MA Coastal Zone Management (CZM) which we understand will issue requests for proposals early to mid-2019 and we intend to participate in that process.

We are pleased with the progress we have made in 2018 as we work to rebuild the Spit and create a longer, wider, deeper outer channel. Last year we successfully obtained critical permits from the Town of Mashpee and the State of MA that allow SPB to continue to expand and rebuild the Spit, while also dredging the channel at the foot of Popponesset Island. We continue to work with Woods Hole Group and the Town of Mashpee for permitting of the outer channel. This will improve boating safety while also providing a critical source of near term and long term dredged sand. We have completed our numerous studies with MA CZM, the support of which provided a grant of $186,000. We are now working with the Town to prepare the necessary permitting applications. This permitting process will continue through 2019.

With each public funding application, the State emphasizes the importance of the breadth of our private donor base.  We appreciate all contributions, large and small. Without your support, we could not have accomplished what we have over the past four years.

We thank you for your generosity and hope you will consider a year-end tax deductible gift to Save Popponesset Bay.  We accept and encourage corporate matching gifts. Click below to donate or mail your donation to SPB, Box 920757, Needham MA 02492.

Click here to donate