Sustaining Plum Island

For Now And The Future

Sustaining Plum Island

For Now And The Future

Our Mission

We are dedicated to fostering and protecting a sustainable Plum Island for all to enjoy.

We pledge to provide leadership to consistently and persistently address the issues facing our lovely Island in terms of erosion, sand management, jetties and groins; and ensuring that the beach, the waterways, and the island are here for everyone to enjoy, feel nourished by and experience the wonders of being renewed by the beach and by nature. To accomplish this, we work with the citizens of our Island, and all the stakeholders required to help us accomplish our mission:

the municipal governments of Newbury, Newburyport, and the surrounding towns,
our state legislative delegation,
our federal congressional delegation,
the Army Corps of Engineers—in our District, and the North Atlantic Division, and headquarters in DC.

13 + Years

Our Vision

Our vision is to create and foster a community of leaders (local, state, & federal) who will nurture our island to continue to be a sustainable place for all to enjoy. We actively support these leaders and our citizens to work together and do all that is required to achieve the vision.

The Trustees founded the Plum Island Foundation in 2007, and we were incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2008

Since our founding we have raised over $400,000 in grassroots donations to pursue our mission. By working proactively with our constituents and collaborating with the MRBA we have helped bring in over $25MM is USACE projects and other resources for Plum Island.

This whole process outlined above is our vision of Democracy in Action; multi partisan, multi stakeholder, local/state/federal collaboration for the common good.

Current 2022 Goals

Help guide the process of implementing the 204 dredge and deposit of sand at Reservation Terrace during the fall/winter of 2022-23. Toward this end, we are guiding a collaborative process with our Mayor, our state legislative delegation, and our federal delegation. We are employing Howard Marlowe’s firm to ‘help’ along the way with permitting, and working collaboratively to get it done in a timely manner.
To build a political and citizen force to advocate to the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild the Spur to be installed as close in time to the dredge in order to protect the deposited sand (the Spur was a protective force against the erosive nature of the ocean in the channel of the mouth of the Merrimack). After the Corps rebuilt the jetties, there has been dramatic erosion of over 300 feet of beach, bringing the crest of the waves at high tides to breach over the beach and road and homes. We are initiating a process with both our state and federal delegation, any the mayor, to work with the Corps and others to get this Spur rebuild and create a sustainable beach and neighborhood.
To ensure that the Piscataqua sand (150,000 cubic yards) is deposited in the most beneficial location in the permitted Newbury site.
To investigate the recent erosion and scouring of Center Island, just north of the groin, to analyze the increasing erosion and what remedies might be employed to bolster the berm and create a more sustainable area.
To participate as an engaged member of the Merrimack River Beach Alliance

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Sustaining Plum Island

For Now And The Future