Longer, Wider, Deeper is DONE
With Gratitude from Save Popponesset Bay!
After 12 years of meticulous planning, fundraising, regulatory approvals, and project management, SPB has officially completed our Longer, Wider, Deeper Popponesset Spit restoration project! We owe a huge thank you to you, our many generous donors and supporters, our Spit co-owners and partners at Mass Audubon (MA), the Town of Mashpee and Mashpee Harbormaster team, Pastore Excavation, the Barnstable County Dredge, Coastal Protection Engineering, Woods Hole Group. We thank our many longtime local business supporters such as Mashpee Neck Marina, New Seabury Marina, and Bosuns Marine, neighbors from Popponesset Beach Association, the Villages of Bright Coves, Summer Sea, and Popponesset Island Association, and so many more friends in Mashpee, Cotuit and beyond whose time and generosity have built and strengthened our SPB community and made this project possible! We hope you will join us in celebration with a Thank You Party on July 24 (see below)!
As a result of our LWD Spit Restoration project, we were able to dredge over 65,000 cubic yards of sand from the Popponesset Outer Channel, making the channel 250 feet longer, 50 feet wider and 2 feet deeper. The dredged sand and more than 5,000 cubic yards of trucked sand helped to rebuild the sand dunes and expanded our barrier beach by more than 50 feet, restoring the fragile barrier peninsula that protects area homes and Popponesset Bay. The birds are back, the boaters are back, the beach is back; let’s enjoy a great summer on Popponesset Bay!
What’s Next?
We will be shifting into maintenance mode with the approach channel and catch basin to determine if any dredging and dune/beach restoration will be necessary later in the year. Mother nature ensures that our work is never done . . . the tides, storms, and sea level rise require that we remain vigilant to ensure the Spit can withstand or be repaired in 50 or 100 year storms. We plan to plant more beach grass on our dunes to help retain the sand and continue permitting work on the Popponesset Island channel. We’ve hired security to protect the Spit for this summer, and have already placed posts and symbolic fencing with signage to keep folks off the newly restored dunes.
Reminder: Dogs Prohibited on the Spit though Labor Day
Please help us spread the word that DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE SPIT during plover nesting season, April 1 through Labor Day! The Spit is a wildlife sanctuary and one of the few successful breeding grounds for threatened water birds such as the Piping Plovers and state-protected Least Terns. Mass Audubon has reported that mating season is well underway, and we have 7 pairs of piping plovers nesting and chicks are now hatching! MA regularly monitors tracks and takes note of any predators and potential threats to nesting activity. Unfortunately dog tracks have been found on the Spit!
The very presence of dogs can threaten bird and chick survival. When an incident is documented that could result in harm to nests, eggs or adult protected species, MA is required to report it to state and federal authorities. Even when unintentional, disturbance, harassment or harm to protected species can still be prosecuted. Once a report is made, enforcement agencies such as MassWildlife or US FIsh and Wildlife Service may become involved and could close down the Spit to humans (which has happened to other beaches)! MA rangers will continue to help us install and move symbolic fencing and signage to help prevent destruction of nests and ensure the safety of the plovers.
Please help us spread the word to prevent visitors from walking their dog on the Spit so we can continue to share the Spit with our feathered friends! Please also remember to kindly remove any trash when you leave for the day, and refrain from bringing alcoholic beverages to the beach, and refrain from bringing glass products that can injure beachgoers!
Please Save these Dates- Let’s Celebrate!
Looking ahead, we have several exciting events planned for our community this summer, so please mark your calendar and watch your email/social media for additional information on the following thank you events and fundraisers:
July 24 – SPB Annual Event- Thank You Party
October 5 – SPB Golf Tournament
Should you wish to make a donation to SPB to help us with ongoing activities to protect the Spit and the Bay, please click here Donate — Save Popponesset Bay
Thank you again for your support as we protect the the Spit, the Bay and navigation channels for years to come!
