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Cape Cod Sierra Club Sand Wars: Adverse Consequences of Onshore Mining & Coastal Use in Massachusetts”
September 17 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sierra Cape Cod’s 3rd Tuesday Talk
“Sand Wars: Adverse Consequences of Onshore Mining & Coastal Use in Massachusetts”
Tuesday, September 17, 7 to 8 pm
Virtual, via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/
In Plymouth and neighboring towns, large landowners are capitalizing on lax regulations to mine massive glacial deposits, resulting in clear-cutting, habitat destruction, and water quality degradation—and calls for a moratorium on sand and gravel extraction. All along the Massachusetts coastline, truckloads of sand applied one day can disappear the next, without providing any erosion protection. On September 17, these questionable resource management practices will be explored, and opportunities for advocacy will be identified.
Sierra Cape Cod’s virtual speaker series continues Tuesday, September 17 at 7 pm with on-the-ground reports from ongoing “sand wars” in southeastern Massachusetts triggered by the growing demand for this limited resource. Featured speakers are Meg Sheehan of the Community Land & Water Coalition in Plymouth, who will focus on the destructive impacts of sand mining, and Ashley Erisman of the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy, who will discuss a failed beach nourishment project with statewide implications. This Zoom event is open to all; time will be reserved for audience Q&A.
Meg Sheehan is a public interest environmental attorney and community organizer, co-author of “Sand Wars in Cranberry Country,” and co-founder of Community Land & Water Coalition, which is leading advocacy for a moratorium on sand mining. Meg was awarded the 2022 Environmental Service Award and Land Stewardship Award by Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) and previously worked for the Earthrise Law Center, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office after graduating from Boston College Law School and Colgate University.
Ashley Erisman is a member of the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy and the former chair of the Nantucket Conservation Committee. She earned a Master of Environmental Studies from University of Pennsylvania based on the thesis, “Erosion Control, Sustainability, and Sea Level Rise: A critical evaluation of Nantucket Island’s planning for coastal resilience.” Ashley has worked as a science teacher and in landscaping and garden design after graduating from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
As part of Sierra Club’s Massachusetts Chapter, the Cape Cod & Islands Group represents members and supporters in Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties. For information and links to videos from recent “3rd Tuesday” talks, visit https://www.sierraclub.