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To: Bluedot Living
From: Dr. Sarah Bois, Director of Research and Education
Subject: Resilient Restoration and Retreat at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation
On the banks of Long Pond, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation has been working on a restoration project which provides an example of how sea level rise can affect even seemingly inland areas of our island. The Linda Loring Nature Foundation (LLNF) is dedicated to preserving and protecting Nantucket’s biologically diverse ecosystems. LLNF determined that portions of the Eel Point Road property which borders the North Head of Long Pond are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise (SLR) impacts. Even some upland areas are vulnerable because the low-lying access to these areas will be cut off by rising water levels.
Long Pond is connected to Madaket Harbor via the historic Madaket Ditch which was dug in the 1660s by English colonists and the native Wampanoag. Because of this estuary connection, Long Pond itself is brackish and undergoes regular tidal turnover. This connection to Madaket Harbor means that Long Pond is subject to projected sea level rise. Even the most conservative projections show that sea level rise will impact the shoreline of the North Head of Long Pond; home to the Linda Loring Nature Foundation.
The LLNF sees itself as a potential mitigation space for climate change impacts; protecting surrounding infrastructure, homes, and creating resilient landscapes to bolster against predicted impacts. To this end, the LLNF began its “Resilient Restoration” project in earnest with funding from the Community Foundation for Nantucket, the Remain Nantucket Fund, and the Community Preservation Committee. The design plan enables LLNF to create a native, biodiverse habitat that blends in with the surrounding upland sandplain grassland on the north side and the brackish wetland bordering the pond. The planting plan uses plants specifically tolerant to the expected brackish/saltwater conditions. Establishing a diverse, healthy pond edge and upland with native species will increase biodiversity and act as a buffer to the environmental impacts.
There are three aspects to this project with a focus on building a resilient landscape in the face of climate change: Retreat – removing any structures from the at-risk area, accommodate – planting the bank of the pond edge with brackish-tolerant species to accommodate rising sea water, and prepare – planting the upland with native, diverse species to restore the sandplain grassland habitat.
Beginning in the fall of 2024, the first step in making the area around the North Head of Long Pond more resilient has been to “retreat” by removing all aspects of the built environment and refraining from further building at this site. The next phase of the project involved removing a suite of non-native and invasive plants around the banks of the pond and in the nearby upland. The area was then graded to create a more natural profile and erosion control blankets put into place to help stabilize the soil for the short term. A native seed mix was strewn overtop to initiate planting to further stabilize the area.
Instead of restoring the area to what has persisted there in the past, LLNF is working toward a transitional landscape with the influence of brackish water as part of the planting plan. The plan facilitates the transition from fresh to brackish water – a restoration practice that achieves what would naturally happen, but in a shorter time frame.
In addition to the impacts projected with sea level rise, the Nantucket Coastal Resilience Plan (CRP) calls for the raising of Madaket Road and creating a bridge or multiple culverts where Madaket Road crosses over Long Pond. The LLNF project accommodates more brackish water onto the LLNF property, which is expected with the proposed increased water flow. In taking on the brackish water resulting from expected sea level rise and storm surge, the LLNF property can help mitigate the effects of climate change protecting the surrounding infrastructure and homes.
LLNF research and conservation staff have been monitoring the salinity of the North Head of Long Pond since 2020, noting tidal influence and fluctuation. In 2022, water level meters were installed at two locations to monitor tide flow. This data will help establish a baseline of information prior to any changes.
This project has been in the planning phase for the past few years and serves as a demonstration area for resilient restoration. LLNF hopes that the direct impacts of this project will be broader within the community, allowing people to see what is possible for retreat and restoration.
To see this in-progress project in-person, go to the LLNF website for information on guided walks in the area. As the project gets further underway, LLNF hopes to open the property fully to the public and provide volunteer opportunities to help with plantings and other community projects.
