Key Nasketucket Bay Shoreline Property Acquired by Coalition for Salt Marsh Migration

Nasketucket Bay in Fairhaven is one of the most ecologically healthy embayments along Buzzards Bay’s mainland coast. It is a mosaic of intact salt marsh and coastal habitats buffered by natural coastal forests, still supporting good water quality and eel grass teeming with a diversity of coastal birds, fish and shellfish. Over decades, the Coalition and its partners have protected many acres of watershed lands surrounding the bay.

The public can access Nasketucket Bay and West Island State Reservations as well as a number of other locations along the shoreline. Recently, a 100-acre waterfront purchase by the Coalition on the north side of the bay has expanded the opportunities for people to access and enjoy this extraordinary, rich and diverse natural shoreline.

“For more than 30 years, the Coalition's leadership has demonstrated remarkable tenacity, creativity, and patience in preserving the working farms, salt marshes, and coastal forests that define the shores of Buzzards Bay,” says Brad Wakeman, a Buzzards Bay Coalition Leadership Council member and a nearby Fairhaven resident. “The preservation of Nulands Neck and the surrounding farmland is the happy culmination of a conversation with the landowner that began more than 25 years ago around a restaurant table on Sconticut Neck—a testament to the persistence, patience, and long-term vision that have defined the Coalition's work.”

The property is primarily mature coastal forest with small areas of agricultural fields currently growing hay. This is surrounded by important salt marsh habitats that will be able to migrate inland as sea level rise continues to flood the area where they are presently located.

The new property is adjacent to our existing Carvalho Farm property where a popular trail winding over streams and through woods and fields connects the regional bike path with the Bay. This will be incorporated into the expanding Nasketucket Bay Reserve and ultimately new trails will be developed. “Nasketucket Bay is a superb example of the natural treasure that is our Bay. This new acquisition will give new opportunities for everyone to experience and enjoy the beauty, awe and wonder for themselves,” says Brendan Annett, the Coalition’s Vice President of Watershed Protection.