A Half-Century of Community Effort to Protect Nantucket’s Specialness

When those who are not especially familiar with Nantucket hear the name some react by calling to mind its connection to the country’s whaling past. But for those who through birth or good fortune have established a personal connection with Nantucket, mentioning the island elicits memories of past travel experiences, friendships made, family milestones shared, or times spent roaming moorlands, cranberry bogs, or miles of sandy beaches, rutted roads, and bike paths. On Nantucket people are inevitably drawn to the outdoors. They come out to be rejuvenated by the island’s exceptional openness, expansive views of the sky, and rolling landscapes not hidden behind tall trees or buildings. The vista often extends miles away to the horizon, far out over the water that surrounds this exceptional place and isolates its people and natural rarities from “America.” Over the past 50 years various segments of the community – nonprofit organizations and town agencies -- have worked creatively, cooperatively, and locally to better understand, protect, and perpetuate the island’s natural lands and the elements occurring on them. The result is that nearly 50% of the island is now permanently protected and available for residents and visitors to learn from and enjoy