Eastville Point Beach came into the spotlight this week after a member of the Island family that donated the beach for public use many years ago criticized the way it is being managed.
A beach on the Lagoon Pond side of Eastville in Oak Bluffs has been reopened after it was closed due to high bacteria counts, the town health agent confirmed Wednesday.
An Oak Bluffs resident is challenging the award of an aquaculture license at Eastville Beach. Jacob H. Ludwig 3rd is asking the superior court to overturn a decision to grant Dan and Greg Martino an aquaculture license.
The 4-1 vote clears the way for brothers Greg and Dan Martino to begin a pioneering aquaculture venture. There were complaints from abutters and concerns about navigation, but the town strongly backed the project as a boost to the shellfishery.
Residents along Beach Road near Eastville Beach were informed at the end of January of a proposal by the Martino brothers to establish a for-profit commercial oyster farm in the open waters off Eastville Beach. Residents of Beach Road were given less than a month’s notice of this proposal and little time to research and provide comment at the March selectman’s meeting, a time of year when seasonal residents are not on-Island.
Brothers Greg and Dan Martino plan to grow 50,000 oysters per year in bottom cages off of Eastville Beach in Oak Bluffs as early as next spring. Oak Bluffs selectmen gave preliminary approval as long as the Martino brothers' equipment does not prevent boats from passing through the area.
Waters on the Lagoon Pond side of Eastville Beach are closed to swimming as of Friday morning, according to David Caron from the Oak Bluffs board of health. The beach near the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is used for clamming and occasionally for swimming, but test results for bacteria have come back slightly elevated, with a reading of 113 when the top of the acceptable range is 100. It will remain closed for the weekend; the town will retest on Monday.
All the main swimming beaches in Oak Bluffs are open to swimming, Mr. Caron said.
Barrier beaches, strips of coastal dunes bordered by water, provide an opportunity to observe how plants and animals adapt to harsh conditions of wind, surf, and sand. To learn more about this environment, join Dick Johnson at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 15 for an exploration of Eastville Point Beach.
Eastville Beach is an apt place to examine attempts to balance recreational use with the habitat requirements of natural communities.
