WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
Anchored in Nantucket. Committed to Community.
Our Mission
Our purpose as a non-profit is to promote the health of Nantucket Harbor and its marine ecosystems. We work with the Nantucket Department of Natural Resources and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations, groups and individuals in furtherance of our primary mission and other activities.
Why Create a Foundation?
The harbor has been central to the very fabric of the Nantucket community from the time it was first settled. It is now our turn to be good stewards and help ensure that, on our watch, we leave a fertile marine habitat for future generations.
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Because Nantucket is the last surviving commercial scalloping fishery in New England, it is a goal of the Foundation that the work we support preserves a traditional way of life unique to our island culture. We may not be able to rewind the clock to the way things were in centuries past, but we can make a meaningful and measurable difference over the long term in preventing the permanent disappearance of this culture, this ecosystem, and this way of life.
Board of Directors & Scientific Advisors
We are grateful for the support of our scientific advisors with experience in eel grass, water quality, and shellfish population rehabilitation. With their guidance, we are focused on a healthier future for Nantucket Harbor.
Board of Directors
Ed Orenstein, President
Karen Ketterer, Vice President
Chris Brewster, Treasurer
Paul Collins, Clerk
Edward Bernard
Elizabeth Gerstner
Flip Huffard
Jeff Krupa
Melinda Puljic
Joe Smialowski
Alicia Seiger
Brooke Stanton
Lisa van den Born
Elliot Gewirtz, Chairman Emeritus
Executive Director
From Our President, Ed Orenstein
The Responsibility of Rarity
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Few communities are entrusted with a resource as rare and extraordinary as Nantucket Harbor—and fewer still have the ability to help protect it.
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Nantucket Harbor is at the heart of island life and at the heart of the Great Harbor Yacht Club. It is where we sail, swim, fish, and gather. It supports one of the last remaining commercial bay scallop fisheries on the East Coast, sustains a vibrant community of oystermen, and provides a shared place for recreation, learning, and connection across generations.
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Today, the Harbor faces increasing ecological pressure. Rising sea levels, warming waters, nitrogen loading, microplastics, and storm-driven coastal change are reshaping this fragile ecosystem. While recent data show areas of stabilization, long-term trends—particularly in eelgrass—remind us that protecting the Harbor will require sustained, coordinated effort.
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The Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation was established to meet this moment. We invest in the research, data, partnerships, and practical solutions needed to understand the Harbor and protect its future. Our work increasingly spans three interconnected priorities: improving water quality, advancing coastal resilience, and strengthening the community's connection to the Harbor through education and access.
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We believe the strongest solutions begin with sound science and meaningful collaboration. Through our grants, research partnerships, educational programs, and community initiatives, we are working to turn data into insight, insight into action, and action into lasting impact.
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This is a responsibility we share—not only as members of the Great Harbor Yacht Club, but as stewards of a remarkable natural resource that belongs to the broader Nantucket community and to generations yet to come.
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Thank you for your continued support of the Foundation and for sharing in the responsibility of protecting Nantucket Harbor.