Town of Duxbury - Beach Operations - Beach Update - 6/1/2023
Duxbury Beach Access Update
June 1, 2023
The Town of Duxbury provides periodic updates on the status of avian activity currently inhabiting the Duxbury Beach and the potential impacts their presence may have on beach patrons. Since beach stickers are non-refundable, we provide this information to the public as soon as it becomes available so that individuals may plan accordingly in terms of whether or not they decide to make a purchase.
Beach Status
As of June 1, 2023, there are 41 pairs of Piping Plovers on Duxbury Beach which includes 32 active nests and 6 active broods. It is important to understand that additional plovers may continue to arrive to the beach. Plovers are still considered a Threatened Species (the level just below Endangered) by Federal and State Fish and Wildlife, and their protection is mandated by both State and Federal laws.
Beach Access
As mandated when restrictions occur, the maximum oversand vehicle limits may be reduced (below the 250 Resident and 250 Non-Resident vehicle limits when no restrictions are in place) on the front beach to maintain compliance with the Duxbury Beach Management and Conservation Plan, and to maintain public safety and order.
As of June 1, 2023, access to the oversand vehicle portions of Duxbury beach are as follows:
Crossovers 1 and 2 are currently closed;
Crossover 3 is reduced to 122 vehicles;
On Friday (6/2) and Saturday (6/3), Crossover 3 will be further reduced to 36 vehicles;
On Sunday, June 4th, all crossovers, the back road and cut outs will be closed until further notice.
Once the birds have fledged, portions of the oversand vehicle corridors will be re-opened and patrons will then be allowed to visit those sections of the beach. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict or guarantee a steadfast oversand corridor re-opening date since these are wild animals and therefore are unpredictable. They may be susceptible to tidal over wash, predation, and mortality from exposure to severe weather, as well as unpredictable movements throughout their habitat on the beach. Restrictions are in place until the birds are able to fly for a specific distance, meaning these restrictions may or may not be incrementally altered. Also, many of these restricted areas may overlap to an extent in both space (area) and timing (time until chicks can fly) and may change based on movement of the chicks.
Hours of Operation
The Town and Duxbury Beach Reservation (DBR) have a strong partnership in the management of Duxbury Beach and each has their own distinct set of responsibilities. As has been the case for many years, the hours of operation for Duxbury Beach and the associated parking lots are determined by the Town of Duxbury and not the DBR. The Town determines the hours of operation based on a number of factors including but not limited to season of the year, weather, tides, avian activity and access to the oversand portion(s) of Duxbury beach and the Town’s ability to ensure safe and appropriate access.
As of June 1, 2023, the Town of Duxbury has set the daily operating hours of Duxbury Beach to be open from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Once the oversand corridor is closed on Sunday, June 4, 2023, those hours will remain the same for the parking lot area near the resident beach area.
Recent occurrences of vandalism at Duxbury Beach have been a source of great concern for both the Town and DBR and any further instances of those illegal activities will have an extremely adverse impact on the Town’s ability to continue to use Duxbury Beach. The Town is obligated to ensure that all beach patrons are following the applicable rules of conduct as noted in the Duxbury Beach Guide and the Town's Beach Use by-law. The Town is maintaining its commitment to providing enforcement of the applicable laws and will issue citations as determined by Duxbury Police.
As an additional means of helping prevent any further acts of vandalism, Police Department personnel will be present at/near the 9:00 p.m. closing time and making routine patrols throughout each night during the season to confirm that those areas remain vacated.
Where to Find Updated Information
Please continue to check for the latest updates as conditions and circumstances can change with little or no advance notice based on activities of wild animals. This information will be updated if conditions change or as new information becomes available. For further information about Duxbury Beach conditions, please visit the Town of Duxbury Beach Operations website at:
https://www.town.duxbury.ma.us/beach-operations
The most up-to-date information pertaining to beach conditions including restrictions and access limitations may be found by following Duxbury’s Official Beach Operations Twitter feed at:
https://twitter.com/BeachDuxbury
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we continue to maintain as much pedestrian and ORV access as possible while managing protected species.