A draft project aimed at opening up more scenic views along Moshup Trail won the backing of the Aquinnah select board at their meeting Tuesday, pending permits.

The proposal to create seven so-called view channels between Maple Hill Drive and a bend in the road near Towhee Lane was brought to the board by Carlos Montoya and Peter Temple. The view channels would be varied in size, they said.

Mr. Montoya is a native plant landscaper and member of the town land bank advisory board. Mr. Temple is a longtime member of the town planning board.

The salt-blasted Moshup Trail heathlands are considered globally rare, and have been the subject of a decades-long conservation effort that has included the town, the land bank and the Vineyard conservation Society.

Mr. Montoya said no rare plants would be cut. “Anything that is rare, notable, will be saved,” he said. “On the whole, everything else will be cut down to make the view open.”

Both men said previous attempts at a similar project some 15 years ago were halted largely due to issues with maintenance of the view channels.

Mr. Montoya said the new proposal includes some a key differences from past iterations of the idea.

“It’s not fooling around with the followup — the maintenance,” he explained.

He proposed using a large mower to clear the view channels at an initial cost of $17,000, with an additional yearly cost of $2,000 for further clearings. He said mowers could essentially make one pass over the seven channels to maintain them each spring.

“By mowing everything except those items that are rare, you get economy of scale,” Mr. Montoya said.

Mr. Temple said the work could not be covered by grants from resources such as the Community Preservation Act, and costs would likely have to be borne by the town.

“Unlike a lot of other work in town, this is not eligible for CPA funds,” he said.

Select board members Gary Haley and Tom Murphy voted to approve the proposal, with a promise that the town would assist in the permitting process. Board member Juli Vanderhoop was not at the meeting.

In an unrelated Moshup Trail discussion Tuesday, the board heard from a property owner who wants to donate land near the Philbin Beach parking lot, in exchange for parking spaces.

Jessica Roddy, a partial owner of two 80-foot wide parcels extending from Moshup Trail to to the town beach, approached the board to offer the land to the town in exchange for two dedicated parking spaces on the lot.

She said her family bought the land 42 years ago, but the tax burden it brings led them to want to get rid of it.

“So we’ve been trying for 15 years to give you guys this piece of land,” Ms. Roddy said.

But Mr. Murphy said previous attempts to complete the proposed exchange had snagged on legal issues, including an inability by the town to guarantee parking spots.

Ms. Roddy suggested the land could be used to extend the Philbin Beach parking lot, but she conceded that a small, privately-owned sliver between the town property and her parcels posed potential legal obstacles.

The board agreed to consult town counsel on the matter. But after years of attempting to give the land away, Ms. Roddy said she and other owners will soon pursue other means of getting rid of the parcels.

“We would love to make it work, Jessica. We would love to make it work,” Mr. Haley said.