The dire forecast for the future of the Vineyard environment, signed onto by the Island's major conservation groups 10 years ago this week, was wrong. Dramatically, happily wrong.
Among other things, the 1997 white paper predicted the Vineyard would be built out within eight years, and that only a little over 25 per cent of Island land would be protected by 2005. History has proven these figures to be way off the mark.
Bringing Back Norton Point
Trustees of Reservations Assume Management of Barrier Beach;
Shorebird Protection Increases but Fishing Access Preserved
By IAN FEIN
Stretching from Metcalf's Hole to Mattakesett Creek, bordered
by the calm surface of Katama Bay and the rough waves of the Atlantic
Ocean, Norton Point Beach is a spectacular place - offering
popular spots for shellfishermen and surfcasters, prime habitat for rare
shorebirds, and a vital access route for people going to and from
Chappaquiddick.
Unspoiled beaches. A quiet, rural island community. Canoes and kayaks for rent. Cool caps and T-shirts for sale. Hundreds of cars. Long ferry lines. Fresh talk about how to manage it all.
This is the latest sketch from Chappaquiddick, where discussion has begun to heat up around a new long-range plan for two key properties owned by The Trustees of Reservations: Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation.
Limits on nighttime access to the beach, except for fishing.
Expanded natural history programs and a possible new education center at a still unnamed location.
A boardwalk from the Dike Bridge to the Cedars.
Year-round bathroom facilities at Mytoi.
An extended pledge for better planning, rigorous land management and good neighbor relations.
These are the benchmarks of a new management plan for two key properties owned by The Trustees of Reservations on Chappaquiddick.
The Vineyard could see as many as 7,032 more homes on its 17,475
remaining acres of developable land, officials from the state Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) said at an Island forum held
Thursday night.
"That's a relatively short time frame to be faced with
some tough choices," said Christian Jacqz, director of
Massachusetts Geographic Information System, in a presentation to Island
officials at the Howes House in West Tisbury.