NLWC News

Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation Awards Generous Grant to Nantucket Land & Water Council to Advance Eelgrass-Friendly Moorings Pilot Project

February 25, 2026

New partnership will transition conventional moorings in Monomoy to protect and restore Nantucket Harbor habitat


The Nantucket Land & Water Council (NLWC) has received a generous grant from the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation to support the installation of eelgrass-friendly moorings in Nantucket Harbor, a major step forward in protecting one of the island’s most important marine habitats.


Healthy eelgrass is essential to the vitality of Nantucket Harbor. Eelgrass meadows provide critical habitat for wild bay scallops and juvenile fish, improve water quality by filtering polluted runoff, absorb excess nutrients, store carbon, and stabilize shorelines against erosion and storm surge. Yet eelgrass in Nantucket Harbor has declined significantly in recent decades due to nutrient pollution, warming waters, and physical disturbance — including abrasion from traditional boat moorings. Since 2018, NLWC has worked with Harbormaster Sheila Lucey and her team, the Town of Nantucket and island partners on eelgrass restoration initiatives aimed at reversing this decline. One of the most practical and immediate solutions is transitioning conventional chain moorings to eelgrass-friendly systems — a key recommendation of the newly adopted Nantucket Eelgrass Management Plan.


In 2022, NLWC partnered with Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey and Anderson Stillwater Moorings to design and implement an environmentally-sensitive mooring system adapted for Nantucket’s unique needs. The design uses a 300-pound pyramid anchor and an eco-rode that keeps gear suspended above the seabed, preventing the heavy chain “scouring” that destroys eelgrass beds around traditional moorings.

The NLWC Waterkeeper vessel has been successfully secured using this mooring system for three consecutive seasons. Thanks to generous funding from the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation, NLWC and the Harbormaster’s Office will now launch a pilot program this spring, in partnership with local mooring companies, to transition up to 25 conventional moorings to eelgrass-friendly systems. Ed Orenstein, GHYC Foundation President, states: “The Foundation prioritizes projects that deliver both immediate and long-term benefits to Nantucket Harbor’s ecosystem and our community at large. These new eelgrass-friendly moorings accomplish both. We couldn’t be happier to team with NLWC on this impactful initiative and applaud Emily Molden’s leadership." 

NLWC will monitor the pilot sites to measure eelgrass recovery and seabed stability, with the goal of informing future harbor management decisions and expanding the program if successful. 


“Eelgrass is the foundation of our harbor ecosystem — without it, we lose scallops, water quality, and coastal resilience. The beauty of eelgrass-friendly moorings is that they solve a problem without restricting boating. This project shows conservation and harbor use can work together for the betterment of our environment and to the benefit of our community, and we hope it becomes a model for broader adoption.” – RJ Turcotte, Nantucket Waterkeeper


The Nantucket Land & Water Council extends its sincere appreciation to the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation for their foresight, vision, and generous support for innovative solutions that protect the island’s land and water through science, advocacy, and community engagement.

NLWC Comments on Vineyard Wind Response Plan

June 26, 2026
As a part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Town of Nantucket and Vineyard Wind 1 , public comments were due on the Debris Infrastructure Failure Incident Response Plan Summary on Monday June 15th. The Nantucket Land & Water Council (NLWC) submitted a comment letter outlining the inappropriateness of providing a four page summary instead of the plan itself for the community to see, as well as deficiencies in the language provided and suggestions for improving it . That comment letter can be found here: NLWC VW1 Incident Plan Summary Comment Letter

Help Protect Nantucket's Waters: Concerns with the Mass Ready Act

June 12, 2026
The Massachusetts Senate recently passed S.3064 , known as the Mass Ready Act, a sweeping environmental bond bill that would invest over 3 billion dollars in climate resilience, water infrastructure, flood protection, PFAS remediation, conservation, and municipal environmental projects. Many of these investments align closely with priorities long championed by the Nantucket Land & Water Council, including funding for clean water infrastructure, climate adaptation, and the protection of natural resources. However, several amendments added to the bill during the Senate process have raised serious concerns among environmental organizations, municipalities, conservation commissions, and clean water advocates across Massachusetts. These provisions would weaken local municipal authority to protect wetlands and water resources and would disadvantage communities like ours that have adopted stronger environmental safeguards than just those required by state law. 

Nantucket is in a drought. What does that mean for you as a resident?

June 12, 2026
Nantucket has officially been designated as being in a Level 2 Drought Condition, triggering mandatory water conservation measures for properties served by Wannacomet Water. Although the current green lawns and foggy mornings of June may not make the island feel particularly dry right now, drought determinations are based on more than appearance alone . State officials evaluate long-term precipitation trends , groundwater conditions , and other indicators of water availability .
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