Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge Earns National Natural Landmark Designation

Nantucket’s Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge on Thursday was officially designated as a National Natural Landmark by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The designation was made in recognition of the area's "unique ecological diversity and rare coastal features," according to the National Park Service.

The refuge, which is owned jointly by The Trustees of Reservations, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, encompasses more than 1,000 acres of barrier beach that is already held in conservation.

The federal National Natural Landmark (NNL) program is managed by the National Park Service, part of the Department of the Interior, and it recognizes sites that contain “significant examples of the nation’s biological and/or geological features.” Areas selected for NNL designation must be one of the “best examples of a type of biological community or geological feature in its biophysiographic province.” The program was established in 1962, and the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge became the 606th National Natural Landmark in the United States. 

“National Natural Landmarks are a key component of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to supporting locally led conservation efforts,” Haaland said in a statement released by the National Park Service. “The Nantucket Barrier Beach and Wildlife Refuge holds immense value to scientists and nature lovers alike, and its designation as a National Natural Landmark will help to preserve and protect this unique ecological diversity for generations to come.”

Karen Beattie, vice president of science and stewardship at the Nantucket Conservation Commission, told the Current in October that federal authorities first reached out about the possibility of designating the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge as a NNL area more than 15 years ago, and “it has slowly been making its way through their system.” She emphasized that there will be no change in the use of the land by the three major property owners, but the designation will be beneficial for grant funding as efforts to protect the refuge from sea level rise get underway.

“National Natural Landmarks shine a light on outstanding examples of our nation’s natural heritage,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And in the case of Nantucket Barrier Beach and Wildlife Refuge, the designation recognizes an area that is not only scenic but also teaches us so much.”

"The thing that is very significant about this site is the unique geologic processes that formed the ‘cuspate spits’ - First - Wyers Points - on our inner harbor, and also the old dune fields around Coskata Pond," Beattie said earlier this year. "There is no other site similar to this anywhere else. There will be no changes in land use at all if this goes through - all land use is still up to the property owners. What could be beneficial for NCF and The Trustees is, if we apply for future grant funding for any projects on the property, having this designation is a recognition of the uniqueness and importance of the site that could be beneficial.”

The National Park Service also noted the unique cuspate spits of the inner harbor:

"At Nantucket Barrier Beach and Wildlife Refuge, coastlines and habitats are constantly changing," the agency stated. "The sand resembles the rhythm of waves, a unique result of Nantucket Harbor’s orientation combined with a steady supply of sand deposited by glaciers over 20,000 years ago. Six of these rhythmic deposits repeat, creating a world-class example of the rare geologic feature that has improved scientists’ understanding of coastal ecology."