Vineyard Marsh Stewards
This page serves as a central resource for Vineyard Marsh Stewards, a project funded by the MA Office of Coastal Zone Management through June 2027. The project brings together local and regional experts to identify priorities for improving the resilience of Vineyard salt marshes.
What Are Vineyard Marsh Stewards?
Salt marshes provide nesting and nursery habitat, water filtering, protection from storm surges, and carbon sequestration. In the past, salt marsh elevation has changed along with sea level as sediment and organic material are deposited, but this natural process will likely not keep pace with projected sea-level rise through 2100. Along with erosion, this threatens to transform the Island’s high-marsh habitat into tidal flats with fewer ecosystem services.
Funded by MA Coastal Zone Management through June 2027, Vineyard Marsh Stewards brings together diverse stakeholders to prioritize marsh systems and identify actions for resilience. Partners include the MV Shellfish Group, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, MV Land Bank, Trustees, Mass Audubon and Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Natural Resources Department, and Island towns, with coordination by the MVC.
For more info, contact MVC Climate Resilience Planner Sakiko Isomichi at isomichi@mvcommission.org.
News and Updates
News and updates will be posted here.
General Scope
| Task 1: Project Coordination, Meetings, and Site Visits | In progress | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder meetings | ||
| Site visits | ||
| Project team meetings | ||
| Digital communication |
| Task 2: Review, Synthesize, and Interpret Existing Information | In progress | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Collect existing information on Vineyard salt marshes | ||
| Interpretation and synthesis |
| Task 3: Develop Marsh Resilience and Restoration Actions | In progress | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Establish profiles of specific salt marsh systems | ||
| Develop marsh restoration and resilience actions | ||
| Identify priority restoration and resilience actions |
| Task 4: Public Outreach | In progress | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinate public outreach | ||
| Climate Summit |
| Task 5: Project Coordination and Management | In progress | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Project team meetings | ||
| Digital communication |
| Task 6: Develop Comprehensive Salt Marsh Resilience Plan | In progress | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Draft plan | ||
| Final plan |
Studies, Plans, and Data
Key resources will be posted here.
