The beaches, salt marshes, and open spaces on Cape Ann are an invaluable part of the region’s cultural heritage. The Cape’s coastline is composed of oceanic granitic headlands, sandy beaches, salt marshes, and estuarine areas.

Sea level rise and storm surge will reshape Cape Ann’s beaches in the near future. In areas with steep or rocky upland topography, some beaches will not be able to migrate inland. These beaches should be allowed to erode without diverting limited municipal resources. Other beaches can benefit from beach renourishment and implementing living shorelines, constructing artificial dunes, and restoring the coastal bank.

Historic shoreline armoring practices, including revetments and seawalls, have limited effectiveness and exacerbate erosion. Living shorelines are nature-based restorative approaches that combine living materials (such as oyster shells, natural fiber, and native vegetation) with sand and stone. These shorelines are designed to protect property and prevent erosion while improving habitat, water quality, and the ecological condition in a way that is consistent with the character of coastal areas.¹

In addition to sandy beaches, marshlands are a valuable cultural resource that perform critical ecosystem services. They act as buffers that absorb wave energy and protect development located further inshore.

Buildings and infrastructures constructed in current and former (filled) marshland are more likely to flood in the near future. Degraded marshlands, including marshes with agricultural mosquito ditches, should be the first priority for coastal adaptation.² Marshland developments that flood intermittently should be returned to nature wherever possible to increase the resilience of Cape Ann’s natural ecosystems.

Cape Ann’s landscape resources comprise marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems. The region’s geology is shaped by glacial moraine deposited on top of Cape Ann granitic bedrock. This glacial moraine has broken down over millennia into exposed granitic bedrock of the rocky coast as well as sandy beaches. The glacial outwash has eroded into sand and salt which is covered by extensive salt marsh, mud flats, and salt-tolerant shrubs.³

A rich variety of marine life has evolved to survive the intense wind and wave energy along the rocky coast, including anemones, barnacles, seaweed, and many fish and bird species that live in the intertidal zone.⁴ The sandy beaches of Cape Ann support migrating bird species as well as valuable marshland.

Characteristic geologic features, including glacial drumlins (such as Pigeon Hill in Rockport) and low-lying swampy shrubland kettles (such as Briar Swamp), support coastal forests dominated by oak and pine species.

Ornamental grasses, shrubs, and trees have been introduced to Cape Ann’s developed areas and provide habitats for domestic animals as well as bird species.⁵
Cape Ann’s rural uplands include large tracts of land set aside to conserve forests growing on thin layers of glacial topsoil. These areas include second-growth mixed oak, maple, and eastern white pine forests containing vernal pools and other critical habitats for endangered species. These upland areas also include natural and man-made reservoirs as well as freshwater surficial watercourses. The variety and complexity of these biomes define Cape Ann’s natural landscape.

Cape Ann’s salt marshes characterize its picturesque beauty. These include the Great Marsh in Essex, the marshes surrounding the Annisquam estuary, and remnant patches of marsh growing in sandy, shallow water across the Cape.

Salt marshes are complex ecosystems that provide valuable habitat for various fauna, including bald eagles and egrets. Mud flats have cultural and economic significance as shellfishing grounds that provide habitat for bivalves such as the Ipswich clam. These lowland marshlands also serve as a buffer that absorb wave energy and protect the inland areas behind them. Sea level rise threatens low-marsh flora, including salt marsh hay, formerly an important agricultural crop in the nineteenth century.⁶ The marshes protect inland areas from the ocean, defending vital infrastructures from storm surge. As sea levels continue to rise, these areas become more vulnerable to flooding, and high-marsh areas will convert to continuously-submerged low marshes.⁷

There are 28 public and private beaches across Cape Ann.⁸ All of these beaches will be reshaped by sea level rise. Storm surge can transform the landscape within minutes.

Instead of restoring these beaches to a baseline condition that will continue to erode, some of the Cape’s beaches should be adapted to include living shorelines, protective dunes, and restored marshlands that protect the coast while providing habitats for shellfish, fish, birds, and other wildlife that live in these biomes. ⁹

There are 14 beaches in Gloucester. Norwood Heights Beach, Pavilion Beach and Crab Beach will retreat into granite cliffs. The City should not spend money renourishing (adding sand) to these beaches. Wingaersheek and Half Moon Beaches can retreat without intervention. Allowing the other 10 beaches in Gloucester—including Good Harbor Beach—to retreat will require relocating and demolishing roads, erosion control structures, and some inland buildings.¹⁰

There are 7 beaches in Rockport. The Town should not invest in Old Garden Beach, Back Beach, Front Beach or Loblolly Cove. The other 4 beaches, including Long Beach and Cape Hedge and Pebble Beach, should be allowed to retreat by relocating and demolishing coastal infrastructure.

There are 6 beaches in Manchester-by-the-Sea. All of these beaches should be allowed to retreat by relocating and demolishing coastal infrastructure and relocating residences.

Clammers Beach in Essex is an important access point to mud flats for shellfishing. The Conomo Point seawall system should be removed to allow the beach to retreat. A pier and boardwalk system will allow future access to the site by boat.

Good Harbor Beach is visited by residents and tourists throughout the year. In the event of a large storm or hurricane, the marsh behind the beach is at risk of being overwashed by sand from the dune system.¹¹

Thatcher Road is demolished so that the beach can migrate inland. The marsh is restored, requiring the Stop and Shop Plaza, which is built on fill directly into the Good Harbor marsh. A bus system brings visitors from downtown Gloucester to the beach; otherwise, visitors can access the beach from the stairs off of Beach Road. Constructed dunes are built over the existing dune system and a series of living breakwaters off the coast tamper wave energy coming onto the beach.

The beach will migrate inland while the dune system deposits sediment on the marshland.

Any structures constructed on Salt Island may be lost due to storm surge. The island should be preserved, as the landform provides a natural defense that can be supplemented with submerged living breakwaters that provide habitat for shellfish.

Adaptation measures for Good Harbor Beach proceed inland from the coast. The living breakwater diminishes wave energy and provides habitat for shellfish. The constructed dune system restores the scrub oak-pine ecosystem. Raised marsh grasses and widened channels through the salt marsh absorb wave energy and protect the structures behind the marsh.

Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea is accessible from the Commuter Rail and is a destination for residents and tourists.

The existing stone revetment causes scouring and erosion at other areas along the coast. The revetment should be removed and the coastal bank restored with a more stable engineered core to protect the residential homes behind the beach.

Sea level rise will reduce the area of the beach in coming years. Annual renourishment deposits additional sand on the beach.

A walking path, lined with pine and oak trees, above the coastal bank provides daily visitors with additional open space and blocks winds in the surrounding residential neighborhood.

The coastal bank is stabilized with coir logs and live planting.

Clammers Beach in Essex is part of the Great Marsh ecosystem.

The existing seawall system has slowed the beach’s natural rate of accretion. The seawall was damaged in 2018 and is currently being repaired.¹²¹³ Eventually, the seawall should be removed to minimize scouring and the public leases on Conomo Point should be retired. Residents should be incentivized to relocate structures inland to discounted municipal parcels. The existing structures are vulnerable to storm surge and dependent on Conomo Point Road, which already experiences sunny-day flooding.

Due to sea level rise, the high marsh along the Annisquam River will transition to a low marsh, developing more tidal creeks and flats.

Residents will be able to use Clammers Beach as shellfishing grounds until Conomo Point Road is damaged or demolished. Conomo Point is transformed into a public coastal park for the Essex community.

The structures at Long Beach are owned by individuals who lease land from the Town of Rockport. The cottages provide tax revenue to the Town. However, the seawall scours the beach and impedes the flow of water from Saratoga Marsh into the Atlantic Ocean.

The lease period for the cottages ends in 2023.¹⁴ At this time, the leases for the cottages should be removed, waiving liability to the Town of Rockport if the structures are damaged during storm surge. Residents should be offered an opportunity to pursue a land swap and move the structures to a nearby municipal parcel. This will maintain the tax base. At that time, the seawall and road should be demolished.

A dune system should be constructed at Long Beach and the marsh behind the seawall enhanced and raised by adding sediment onto the existing topography. The beach will endure for years to come as a recreation site for Cape Ann residents.

The restored marshland will buffer inland development, including the land swap cottages, from storm surge.

Restoring historic marshland is essential to reducing flood risk.

The structures in the Mill River floodplain between Mill Pond and Babson Reservoir should be unbuilt and returned to marshland in perpetuity. The area’s vulnerability poses a threat to human life. It is critical to protect infrastructures built in the floodplain, including the Department of Public Works and Babson Water Treatment Plant.

Poplar Park, a senior residence, should be relocated immediately. Elderly and low-income populations are among the most vulnerable to disasters, and the City should prioritize moving affordable and senior housing out of the floodplain immediately.

The Mill River is unearthed through a process called daylighting.¹⁵ The Mill River floodplain is transformed into a large recreational space, with a boardwalk and hiking trails open to the public.

The enhanced dune system at Good Harbor Beach is stabilized with coastal pine and oak trees. The bathhouse is demolished and converted into a bird habitat, while a bus shuttles visitors to the beach from downtown Gloucester.

Good Harbor Marsh is a birdwatcher’s paradise. The elevated marsh is habitat for plovers, egrets, shellfish, and fish stocks.

The banks of Sawmill Brook are widened and retention ponds dug around the Lincoln Street Well. Additional vegetation is planted as a buffer against pollution.

The banks of Sawmill Brook are widened and retention ponds dug around the Lincoln Street Well. Additional vegetation is planted as a buffer against pollution.

The natural ecosystems on Cape Ann are already changing, and will continue to change.

Restoring former marshland and expanding wetlands is a critical part of Cape Ann’s adaptation effort. Converting these areas into open space can alleviate development pressures in upland conservation zones that are being considered for relocating and developing additional housing on Cape Ann.