Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc. has several public education and outreach programs that are available to the general public, school children, and all guests of the beach. Through outreach, we provide the public with educational and recreational opportunities to enjoy the beach and understand the barrier beach’s role as a storm buffer protecting Duxbury Bay and the mainland - and learn more about the plants and animals that call the beach home!

​​​​

 

Public Outreach Programs

Education Night

Our annual Ed Night usually takes place during the winter or spring. Every year a topic related to the beach is selected with past presentations including the formation and migration of the beach, oystering, tidal pools, sand sharks, and hawks and snowy owls, and rising sea levels. Ed Night programs also address the “State of the Beach” with an overview of the work being done at the beach and the plans for the following year.

​

Grass Planting (Spring)

Every Spring our Technical Committee evaluates the planting needs of the beach after the winter wear. Many volunteers come out to the beach to plant beach grass and woody vegetation, including bayberry, beach plum, and rosa rugosa, on the sand dunes. 

​

Beach Sweep (Spring and Fall)

Twice a year, in conjunction with volunteer leaders, DBR hosts a Duxbury Beach clean as part of a statewide beach cleanup program. A community of volunteers gather to help remove trash and assorted marine debris from Duxbury Beach. Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management provides gloves, bags, and data sheets. The Duxbury Department of Public Works (DPW) hauls the bagged debris off the beach. The trucks are weighed empty and then full to provide an accurate accounting of the weight of the debris. Annually in Duxbury, many volunteers walk the 4.5-mile beach, collecting between 5,000 and 25,000 pounds of trash. All work is coordinated with the Harbormaster Department and the Endangered Species Officer. The information compiled by the yearly COASTSWEEP effort in the United States is reported to Congress and provides a scientific basis for legislation and regulations limiting the types and locations of offshore dumping activities, and to establish safeguards to protect beaches in the future.  Visit our Volunteer page to sign up for this Spring’s beach sweep!

​

​

Enrichment Programs in the Duxbury Public Schools

As part of our education efforts, we offer instructional sections for various schools of the Duxbury Public School (Chandler, Alden, and DMS). Students use the natural resources of Duxbury Beach in a diverse curriculum that is aligned with the standards recommended by the Massachusetts Frameworks.  As the scope and sequence changes to meet higher expectations, teachers and students work to address the key understandings and essential questions in Earth/Space, Life, and Physical Sciences.

​

To schedule a school visit, please complete the School Field Trip Application. 

​

Kindergarten

Students visit Duxbury Beach and have an instructional session at Chandler in the late spring to understand about living sea creatures and their environment. The students use observation, exploration, and discussion skills as they learn more about habitats and the relationships between those habitats. 

​

Grade Seven

The 7th Grade Life Science Program at the Duxbury Junior/Senior High School studies Duxbury’s ecosystems in the spring term each year. A major part of this study is the final unit of study specifically focusing on the ecology of Duxbury Beach. After three weeks of preparation, students have a full day of field study on Duxbury Beach, followed by a week of follow-up lab work in the classroom.
 

Prior to the field study, students learn about the formation of Duxbury Beach, the erosive forces upon the beach, beach flora and fauna, and relative environmental factors that have the greatest impact potential upon the preservation of Duxbury Beach. The full day of field study involves making a comparative study of the Duxbury Ocean and Duxbury Bay microsystems. Data is collected on site to make these comparisons.
 

The Back River channel contour is surveyed yearly along Powder Point Bridge and data are compared to the previous year’s data. Dune and bay transect surveying is done on site to estimate flora and fauna populations. Relative turbidity, temperature, geology, and salinity are compared from bay to ocean. Plankton samples from both sides of the beach are collected, surveyed, and compared through microscopic observation in the high school laboratory. The ultimate goal of the unit is to provide an appreciation of Duxbury¹s great natural asset of Duxbury Beach. This is done through the direct interaction of the students with this environment.
 

​