After the storms of the past month I would like to comment on the general destruction at Squibnocket beach. The issues neatly divide into two, the turn around at the end of the town road and the breach of the dune just west of there.

Several years ago Chilmark rearranged and rebuilt the beach access and parking area, an example of well thought out managed retreat. But, of course, the ocean never stops its landward advance so now it is time for a small further retreat, removing the edge of the road that has been undercut before it falls onto the beach and moving the big rocks back a bit makes sense. Really it is just an ongoing maintenance project and very much in keeping with the spirit of the original project.

The breach in the dune is a different matter. For the south side of the Vineyard our worst storms usually come from the Southeast. If the storm arrives on a high tide the ponds from Squibnocket to Edgartown often over-flood as the ocean rises higher than the dunes, but that is not what happened at Squibnocket.

What happened at Squibnocket was caused by man’s attempt to armor the dune in the belief that the rock armor would protect the end of the bridge. When the storm-generated waves arrived on the high tide the energy contained in them hit the rock armor and it had to go somewhere. Instead of sliding along the beach as they did from Edgartown west, the waves built up against the rock revetment and smashed a hole in the dune next to it. Of course, the dune will heal itself over time or with a little help from us a new dune can be put in place and planted with beach grass, similar to the one that washed into the pond. But it seems a bit silly to replace the dune without removing the rocks that caused the blow out in the first place.

Managed retreat works. Resisting an unstoppable ocean does not.

Chris Murphy

Chilmark