Joseph Sylvia State Beach – Our Barrier Beach

 

The Joseph Sylvia State Beach, approximately 6500 feet long, is one of the 681 barrier beaches along the coast of Massachusetts. Located on Martha’s Vineyard’s northeastern shore, State Beach, as islanders refer to it, is part of a littoral drift system extending from the East Chop cliffs in Oak Bluffs to the Edgartown Light, at the mouth of Edgartown Harbor. Two inlets, stabilized with stone rip rap, provide for the exchange of water between the Pond and Nantucket Sound. The beach forms the seaward margin of Sengekontacket Pond, a 745 acre tidal, brackish lagoon. Located on the backshore of the beach are a bicycle path and Beach Road, a state road. Beach, pond, sea and sky combine to form one of the loveliest scenic vistas in rural New England, if not the nation.
 

The beach itself is owned by the Commonwealth and managed by the County of Dukes County by virtue of a 1946 Act of the Massachusetts Legislature. The beach’s aesthetic appeal, unsurpassed swimming, and easy public access attract throngs of beach goers on a summer day. Parking, which is free, accommodates about 500 cars. The Joseph Sylvia State Beach provides recreation, support for the Island’s economy by visitors attracted to the coast, and refuge for protected rare bird species, particularly the Piping Plover and Least Tern. In addition, the beach absorbs and dissipates wave energy, thereby providing storm protection to the road, Sengekontacket Pond and the inland wetlands behind it.

 

Sengekontacket Pond

 

The pond is 745 acres in area and about 2.5 miles in length. Pond water is flushed twice daily through two inlets in a tidal interchange with Nantucket Sound. Depths range from approximately 8 feet above mean low water at two inlet bridges to 6-8 feet in the channels in the interior of the pond.

 

About one-half of the pond consists of flats and sand bars which are used for commercial and recreational shell fishing. Salt marshes fringe most of the pond's shoreline, particularly along the mainland shore and Trapp’s Pond which is connected to Sengekontacket Pond through a culvert under Beach Road.
 

Small islands in the pond are important nesting sites for shorebirds such as terns. People kayak and canoe in Sengekontacket, picnic on the protected shores, and scallop, clam, and windsurf its waters. The surrounding landscape includes private residences, a golf course, and conservation property on the inland side and a heavily traveled scenic roadway and a popular swimming beach on the Nantucket Sound side.

 

Friends of Sengekontacket was formed when for the first time in 1988 the pond was closed to shellfishing due to high coliform counts. Since that time we have assessed the foundations of Sengekontacket's natural ecosystems by identifying threats to water quality and initiating long-range planning based on scientific data.

 

Trapps Pond
 

Trapps Pond is currently closed to shellfishing by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. There are populations of Soft-Shelled Clams and Quahogs found in the pond.
 

The Massachusetts Estuaries Program (2005) viewed the pond as a pollution source for the rest of Sengekontacket and recommended some sewerage treatment in the Trapps watershed. A major problem is the restrictive culvert which runs under the road between Trapps and Sengekontacket ponds.
 

To replace the culvert a State or other major grant would be needed, Most State grants for this kind of study / work are for freshwater culverts, so work would have to be done to explore what grants might become available. A hydrographic study would need to be made before the full Tide could be introduced into Trapps. A tide range survey may be on file at the MCV. Another complication is the culvert is owned by the Mass. Highway Department, so they would have to be on board early in any development process.

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