“Outreach on the topic of climate change can likely reach the highest number of people by focusing on the eventual loss of coastal beaches… and using that venue to introduce the public to impacts that are also underway to saltmarshes, mudflats, eelgrass beds and the opportunities that are available to protect and restore those resources.” — Eric Hutchins, 2023, Habitat Restoration Biologist at
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration¹

This analysis explores a variety of solutions to challenges experienced in Good Harbor as a case study of Cape Ann's Beach Landscapes.

The landscape initiatives proposed require the support and collaboration of various stakeholder groups. Decisions toward collective and individual action are nuanced. As a result, the collection of landscape initiatives is not prescriptive, but rather, provides a menu of potential actions. The research serves as a catalyst for continued discussion and debate.

Each of the potential initiatives proposed in relation to Good Harbor's Habitats has been organized into four scenarios:

SCENARIO 0: Imagines a future scenario in which Cape Ann's stakeholders continue acting as they currently do, and no specific interventions are pursued to support ecological health.

SCENARIO 1: Imagines a future scenario in which Cape Ann's stakeholders continue acting as they currently do, but several conventional interventions are utilized to support ecological health.

SCENARIO 2: Imagines a future scenario in which Cape Ann's stakeholders collaborate to pursue progressive interventions to support ecological restoration.

Restoration: Guide Change
Intervening in landscapes to repair human-caused damage while respecting other species' autonomy

SCENARIO 3: Imagines a future scenario in which Cape Ann's stakeholders undertake systemic chance to pursue innovative interventions towards ecological adaptation.

Adaptation: Meet Change
Landscapes are on a trajectory to meet changes in conditions with human management and monitoring.

“Everyone has their own way of valuing the ocean, but the first step to value and protect something is to learn more about it. Our core values at Maritime Gloucester are inspiring discovery, embracing history, engaging science, and living stewardship.” — Kelsey Bradford, 2023, Director of Marine Education
and Aquarium Operations at Maritime Gloucester ²

The proposed landscape initiatives require the support and collaboration of various stakeholder groups. Decisions toward collective and individual action are nuanced. As a result, the collection of landscape initiatives is not prescriptive, but rather, provides a menu of potential actions. The research serves as a catalyst for continued discussion and debate.

Each Infrastructure scenario is explored through case studies, technical details, and additional resources.

Click the links below to access the research documents.

Thatcher Road during a flood in 2024. Photo: Jayne Knott, 2024.

Transportation Infrastructure: Thatcher Road

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Mean high tide rises
and Thatcher Road
floods daily. Hydrology
is limited throughout
the marsh system
leading to an increase
in invasive species.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

REPAIR: Culverts are repaired to improve hydrology and flood barriers are deployed to protect roadways.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

ELEVATE: Thatcher
Road is elevated out
of the floodplain utilizing causeway and bridge structures to improve hydrology and provide substrate for shellfish.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

RELOCATE: Thatcher Road is removed restoring hydrology and marsh landscape. Circulation is replaced with a new inland road that connects to existing secondary roads.

Good Harbor Beach parking during a flood in 2024. Photo: Jayne Knott, 2024.

Transportation Infrastructure: Beach Parking

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Beach parking also floods daily, degrading over time. Impervious surfaces block dune migration.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

MAINTAIN: Parking is cleared of debris and repaired annually. Will continue to prevent dune migration.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

REDEISGN: Parking is redesigned to promote ecological connectivity
and improve water retention. Will continue
to prevent dune migration.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

RELOCATE: Parking
behind Good Harbor Beach is removed, replaced with alternatives out of floodplain. They are connected with accessible paths to allow for dune migration and marsh restoration.

Thatcher Road segmenting hydrology of the marsh with no filter for rainwater runoff. Photo: OFU Team, 2024.

Wastewater Infrastructure: Runoff Pollution

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Runoff from lawns and roads continue to pollute marsh and beach landscapes leading to habitat loss.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

ENCOURAGE:
Individual homeowners
are encouraged to reduce
their use of chemicals and transform lawns and impervious surfaces
into landscapes that
retain water.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

MITIGATE: Vegetative buffers are planted between development
and marsh landscapes
to reduce runoff pollution.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

REGULATE: Regulations are updated within the Good Harbor Watershed.

Signage indicating the Tidal Creek is closed to swimming due to presence of bacteria. Photo: Kim Smith, 2022.

Wastewater Infrastructure: Public and Private Systems

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Pump stations are
flooded during storm events threatening the system. The pipes are compromised as the groundwater table rises increasing pollution. Private Systems continue to pollute the Good
Harbor Beach (GHB) Watershed.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

ELEVATE: Pump stations are elevated out of the flood zone.
INFORM: Residents are informed of risk and able
to prepare.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

REDESIGN: Structures
in the GHB watershed are disconnected from the Gloucester wastewater treatment plant and waste is managed through a local constructed wetland.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

UTILIZE: GHB watershed waste is managed locally or regionally. The wastewater is utilized to create energy or recharge groundwater.

Homes in the FEMA Flood Zone within the Good Harbor Beach Watershed. Photo: OFU Team, 2024.

Habitation Infrastructure: Private Structures

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Homes flood regularly casing structural damage resulting in substantial individual financial burdens.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

INFORM: Residents are informed of risk and able
to prepare.
MAINTAIN: Homes are repaired as damage
occurs resulting in recurring individual financial burdens.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

TRANSFORM: SALTS
are utilized to provide homeowners with incentives to transfer ownership.
ELEVATE: Several structures are elevated
in response to
sea-level rise.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

RELOCATE: Residential structures in the floodplain are removed and residents are relocated to inland areas. Berms, dams, and jetties are unbuilt.

Stop and Shop parking lot flooding. Photo: OFU Team, 2024.

Habitation Infrastructure: Public Structures

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Stop and Shop floods regularly causing
structural damage
and degrading
the parking lot.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

MAINTAIN: Stop and
Shop is repaired as damage occurs.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

REDESIGN: Stop and Shop is fortified to reduce flooding and the parking lot is redesigned to increase water retention and restore marsh landscapes.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

RELOCATE: Stop and Shop is relocated, and marsh restoration initiatives are undertaken throughout the site.

Invasive Phragimites in a marsh. Photo: OFU Team, 2024.

Ecological Infrastructure: Native Species

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Phragmites and Green Crab continue to take over leading to the loss of other species.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

MAINTAIN: Phragmites stands are removed annually. The species will continue to return unless hydrology is restored.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

CONSUME: Green crab fishery is supported and used in local restaurants.
MITIGATE: Cutting treatments are utilized to eradicate Phragmites. Hydrological improvements will limit return.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

CONNECT: Restoration of hydrology through other initiatives in the scenario contributes to Phragmites eradication.

Good Harbor parking, dunes, and beach. Photo: OFU Team, 2024.

Ecological Infrastructure: Beach Restoration

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Beach continues to
erode due to sea-level
rise and the lack of area to migrate inland. The beach and dune habitats are
lost completely. Habitat loss greatly reduces species diversity.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

MAINTAIN: Beach is nourished annually. Key species are seeded that
do not require substrate construction such as eelgrass on muddy and sandy bottoms and Blue mussels along rocky intertidal areas.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

STABILIZE: Dunes are stabilized by seeding beachgrass and woody vegetation.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

PROTECT: Living Breakwaters are
developed to prevent erosion and enhance species diversity.

Saratoga Marsh behind Good Harbor Beach. Photo: OFU Team, 2024.

Ecological Infrastructure: Marsh Restoration

SCENARIO 0
business as usual
no interventions

Marsh health continues
to degrade due to sea-level rise, limited hydrological connection, and the lack of area to migrate inland.
Low marsh and mudflats disappear entirely. Habitat loss greatly reduces species diversity effecting the fishing industry and bird migration patterns.

SCENARIO 1
business as usual
conventional interventions

RESTORE: Marsh
ditches are restored.
SEED: Species are
seeded that do not
require substrate construction such as inedible Ribbed mussels and Saltmarsh cordgrass. The mussels will
contribute to pollution reduction in
Saratoga Creek.

SCENARIO 2
stakeholder collaboration
progressive collaboration

CONSTRUCT: Shellfish beds are constructed throughout marsh system and species are seeded
to increase diversity.

SCENARIO 3
systemic change
innovative interventions

CONNECT: Restoration
of hydrology through other initiatives in the scenario contributes to the health
of marsh landscapes.

Civil society will decide which initiatives are pursued across Cape Ann's Beach Landscapes and Good Harbor. This research includes a spatial example based on a series of probable decisions. The following drawings are not prescriptive but rather provide a visual reference for future conversation.

TownGreen2025, Protecting and Preserving Good Harbor Beach. ↩

“Saltmarshes are natural systems that are resilient to many things, including storms and sea-level changes. When allowed to function naturally, they can adjust to changes by trapping sediment and keeping pace with sea level rise by migrating inland.” — Dr. Jayne Knott, 2022, CEO of Hydropredictions, LLC. ³

There are several ways that the initiatives can be prioritized and pursued. The phasing outline serves as an initial guide.

While each infrastructure type was studied separately, they are interrelated. Some decisions are connected and would benefit from being made together. For example, having a collective plan that outlines the relationship between Thatcher Road and the Beach Parking would ensure that efforts to improve one will not harm the other.

When pursuing several innovative projects at a large scale, it is important to plan an "early win" to build trust with the community and investors. In Good Harbor, seeding species and providing additional educational signage would create momentum that can be built on.

Additionally, interventions that are relatively new to the area or the community has expressed concern about could benefit from a pilot project that serves as a proof of concept. Good Harbor is an ideal location for several pilots, including Marsh Ditch Restoration, Dune Migration, and Living Breakwaters. The pilot projects have the potential to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative interventions that will inform initiatives throughout Cape Ann.

The most innovative interventions, largely outlined in Scenario 3, should not be viewed as a final phase. Decisions to work towards initiatives such as relocating Thatcher Road, redesigning the beach parking, or mitigating bacteria on the beach need to be addressed sooner rather than later, or they will no longer be sufficient solutions to meet existing challenges.

“Over the last five years, our local surfing community has grown dramatically. Our beach is a treasured public resource.” — Courtney Hayes, 2021, Member of Cape Ann Surfers Union ⁴

While this study focused on Good Harbor Beach and potential projects throughout its ecosystem, many initiatives proposed are applicable to beach landscapes throughout Cape Ann.

The following maps illustrate where some of the projects proposed are relevant.

CONCLUSION

If Cape Ann’s ecosystems are simply preserved or left alone, the region will experience marine decline, beach erosion, marsh loss, forest degradation, destroyed infrastructure, and increasing inequity.

Conservation efforts on Cape Ann have focused on place-based species methods. Stakeholders and active management groups on Cape Ann are complex. Each has its own relationship with the landscape, with unique interests, priorities, and agency to act. As a result, ecological intervention throughout the region has been segmented.

Moving forward, efforts to support Regenerative Landscapes must move beyond conservation to adaptation. Deliberate planning, design, and management of landscapes is required to address climate change challenges and ecological degradation. While the initiatives described here imply transformations in the built environment, there are also several shifts in governance required.

Continuing to segment ecosystems by municipality and pursuing one project at a time is not feasible to keep pace with existing degradation due to a lack of resource optimization, counteracting efforts, and unforeseen effects. Yet, creating and implementing a single comprehensive ecological restoration plan for the region is also not plausible due to funding availability and time constraints.

Future actions must balance singular, actionable projects with larger studies and planning efforts to utilize disparate actors’ capacity while fostering collective action.

This research has analyzed Cape Ann's existing landscapes, the challenges they face, and a menu of solutions that aim to
preserve and enhance the region for the existing community and future generations.

Eric Hutchins, Coastal Local Expert Meeting, Manchester-by-the-Sea, February 15, 2023. ↩
Kelsey Bradford, Coastal Local Expert Meeting, Manchester-by-the-Sea, February 15, 2023. ↩
TownGreen2025, Protecting and Preserving Good Harbor Beach. ↩
Taylor Ann Bradford, "Surfers seeking more time in the water," Gloucester Daily Times, June 23, 2021. ↩

Beach Initiatives: Introduction

Scenarios