Into the Breach: A Weekend of Science, Collaboration, and Harbor Stewardship
Last week, the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation brought together scientists, conservation leaders, town officials, and neighbors for our fall Harbor Health Symposium, Into the Breach: Looking Back, Understanding & Looking Forward.
Speakers examined how Nantucket’s shoreline has changed, from the 1896 Haulover breach to today’s coastal resilience planning, and what a future breach at Great Point could mean for the harbor. Presentations covered sediment movement, the Coskata-Coatue Refuge Resilience Project, and a roadmap for improving harbor water quality. In breakout groups led by our scientific advisors, participants discussed the shape, life, water, and people of the harbor, then shared where they agreed, where they differed, and what deserves further study.
The weekend ended with a field trip to the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, where the science came to life on the ground.
We’re grateful to our speakers, advisors, and everyone who joined in. The symposium reflects what the Foundation does best: connecting people and expertise to protect the harbor we all share. Photos and a film of the event will follow, and we’ll share plans for our spring gathering soon.
In Wandering Sands of Nantucket, coastal geologist Mark Borrelli, PhD, of Wilkinson Ecological Design explains how waves, storms, and sea level shape barrier beaches like Great Point and Coatue. Using historical maps, LiDAR imagery, and examples from Cape Cod and the Mid-Atlantic, he shows how sand moves along the shore and how storm overwash can open and close inlets. He places the 1896 Haulover breach within a long natural cycle of barrier rollover and migration. His central message is that shorelines are dynamic, that short-term change can mislead, and that working with natural processes tends to serve a coast better than trying to manage nature.
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