Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah Natural Resources Department

04/17/2026

Come join us on Moshup Beach, this Saturday from 10-12am, for this year's Earth Day Beach Clean Up! Bags and gloves will be provided and there's an after party from 12-3pm at the MV Museum. To learn more, visit https://vineyardconservation.org/events/

04/13/2026

Thank you so much, once again to our amazing volunteers for another beautiful and successful Beachgrass Planting Day this past Saturday! Another 20,000 stems planted. We love the joy and energy you all bring to this event every year! It is truly a gift. Also thanks to the wonderful women at Quitsa Cuisine for creating a beautiful spread and feeding us all very well, once again! Pics to follow.

04/10/2026

Nice article in the MV Times today! See you tomorrow morning!

On Saturday, April 11, from 9 am to noon, the natural resources department of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) invites the public to a beach grass–planting day at Lobsterville Beach. Beach grass is essential for stabilizing coastal beaches and sand dunes, protecting shorelines from erosi...

04/03/2026

One more week! Come join us on April 11th!

03/03/2026

Save the Date and come join us again this year!

02/23/2026

Winter storms can knock out power and limit travel for days — especially here on the Island. Taking a few simple steps now can make a big difference later.

🏠 Be Storm Ready at Home:
✔️ Keep at least 3 days of non-perishable food, water, and medications
✔️ Have warm clothing and extra blankets available
✔️ Make sure your first aid kit is fully stocked and up to date
✔️ Charge phones and backup batteries ahead of time
✔️ Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts and monitor trusted sources for updates

🌬 Wet, heavy snow and strong winds can increase the risk of power outages. Plan ahead so you and your family are safe and comfortable if the lights go out.

Stay informed. Stay prepared. Stay safe.

02/20/2026

Congratulations to our fearless leader as he embarks on this new phase in his career! We are happy to say that he remains with us in his supervisory role to continue to advise us and keep us on the right path. We are continuously grateful for his guidance and leadership in our department. There are so many projects with so many moving parts, and he has been instrumental in keeping us all together every step of the way. Thank you Bret, for all that you do! Seriously.

After over 30 years as director of the natural resources department for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head in Aquinnah, Bret Stearns is stepping away from his role to join the Chilmark police department full-time.

02/16/2026

Christmas tree recycling saves sand dunes!

01/16/2026

We would like to thank everybody who donated their Christmas trees to us in the New Year! This week we were able to assemble these trees into a structure to help give our beach grass plantings a backbone to grow on. We would also like to thank the Town of Aquinnah Conservation Commission for approving this project.
Attached below are photos of the before and after results of our project.
Thank you again for your donations!

12/31/2025

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah Natural Resources Department is hosting a Christmas Tree Pickup for all aquinnah residents. We will come by, pick up your tree from your curb at a time of your choosing between Monday January 5th and Friday, January 9th. We will then use the trees to provide our Lobsterville Beachgrass that we plan to plant in April a rigid structure to grow on. If you would like to sign up for the pick-up please fill out this form by the day before your pick-up time:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoC6XT9kjXwiw__RDX_9jFhvjxD4qlCFQ1HaorzAaFnFap0w/viewform?usp=dialog

Thank you for helping us with our beach grass restoration!

12/31/2025

Happy New Year from the Natural Resources Department! 2025 was a year full of exploring new projects, expanding old ones, and responding to new developments as they arise. Here is a reflection on what has happened in the past year.

At the start of 2025 we continued our Codium removal project, successfully removing a total of 14,640 lbs of codium from menemsha pond, with the help of our local shellfishermen.

Then in the spring, through your help we were able to lead another successful beachgrass planting at lobsterville beach. This long standing project continues to happen solely through the help of people like you.

This summer was full of surprises, from a Minke Whale washing up in Chilmark, to a Leatherback Sea Turtle washing up in menemsha pond, to helping a young fawn who had fallen down our Gay Head Cliffs, we had our field technicians to help respond to these events.

This summer we were able to continue our Bivalve propagation projects, continuing our two decade long project of scallop repopulation, and renewing our quahog repopulation project for a second year, being able to, through the help of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, quadruple the amount of quahog rafts we deployed.

Now wrapping up a year full of successes, we look forward to more successes in the coming 2026.

12/04/2025

They're on their way!

We spotted our first North Atlantic right whale calf of the season!

On November 28, 2025, an aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute saw right whale 3904 “Champagne” and her new calf approximately 7 miles off Ocean Isles Beach, North Carolina. Champagne was named for her callosity pattern, which looks like bubbles in the sparkling beverage. She is 17 years old and this is her second known calf. Her 2021 calf, Wall-E (5104), a male, was seen as recently as this summer. Champagne was seen in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast just last season, an unusual visit to make 2 years in a row!

Photo: North Atlantic right whale 3904 (Champagne) and her calf. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit 26919. Aerial survey funded by the Army Corps of Engineers.