Our Beliefs

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Duxbury Beach Reservation appears to be improperly leveraging Endangered Species Regulations in order to restrict seasonal recreational access to both resident and nonresident permit holders. 

Save Duxbury Beach is advocating for a return to a balance between responsible recreation (beach goers), active conservation (protecting plovers and terns) and preservation (preserving barrier beach from erosion due to storms, thus protecting the Duxbury coastline).

 The Duxbury Beach Reservation has significantly elevated its monitoring program for piping plovers and least terns beyond basic state & federal requirements. Historically, the organization relied on local high school students to observe and document avian activity on the beach. In recent years, however, it has shifted to hiring more highly qualified personnel, typically college students or recent graduates pursuing or holding degrees in wildlife biology, environmental science, or related fields—often with preferences for those with prior fieldwork experience in avian monitoring.  Job postings for shorebird monitors emphasize candidates working toward or possessing a bachelor's degree (and sometimes advanced coursework), along with skills in data collection, public interaction, and adherence to the Habitat Conservation Plan protocols. This professionalization has transformed the Reservation into a  practical laboratory for aspiring coastal wildlife managers and conservation professionals.  This enhanced staffing contributes to more rigorous data gathering and higher compliance with conservation measures, it has also led to more intensive on-site presence, enforcement of restrictions, and unnecessary management practices that prioritizing bird training and research objectives over recreational access.

Continued seasonal over sand vehicle (OSV) closures will lead to further decreased sticker revenue for the Town of Duxbury. This reduction in revenue  could ultimately result in the Town’s residents’ decision to not renew their annual lease of the beach, something Save Duxbury Beach believes would be detrimental to the preservation of the barrier beach that protects the Duxbury coastline and all the commercial and residential properties along it. 

Current leadership of Duxbury Beach Reservation has deviated from the DBR’s founding principles of maintaining balance between recreation (beach goers), conservation (plovers and terns) and preservation (preserving barrier beach for protection of Duxbury coastline), resulting in an adversarial relationship with beach goers, local businesses, and the Town of Duxbury.