The Duxbury Beach Reservation's mission is to protect the structure of Duxbury Beach and preserve its ecological resources while welcoming the public to enjoy.  Part of this responsibility is to maintain a Coastal Ecology Program on Duxbury Beach.  

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Duxbury Beach is much more than just a bathing beach.  The 4.5-mile stretch of beach contains a variety of habitat types that provides wildlife with opportunities for hunting and foraging, raising  young, and finding shelter. The oceanside and bayside beaches and dunes, saltmarshes, and wooded areas each offer a unique set of resources for many plant and animal species. 

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In late summer and early fall, the beach teems with different species of sandpipers, gulls, plovers, and terns. In the winter, south bound snowy owls are captured at Logan Airport and released on Duxbury Beach.  Northern harriers glide and dive along the dunes, hunting for voles and other small mammals.  Duxbury Beach hosts abundant plant life, several mammalian species, and numerous shellfish sheltered in the flats and bays behind the beach. Indeed, the list of species that use or benefit from Duxbury Beach seems endless.

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Protecting the natural ecology of the barrier beach is a complicated task.  It requires balancing the needs of many individual projects as well as the needs of coastal resilience work and recreation.  Learn more about the work being done on Duxbury Beach by visiting our project pages below.

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The Coastal Ecology Program is made up of several ongoing projects:

• Vegetation Planting and Management

• Endangered Species Program

• Species Inventory