Wasque[1] (/ˈweɪskwiː/, "way-squee") orWasque Beach[2] is a 200-acre (0.81 km2)nature reserve onChappaquiddick Island,Martha's Vineyard,Massachusetts. The site was established as a reservation for the public in 1967 and is one of five conservation areas on "the Vineyard"[3] managed by theTrustees of Reservations.[1][2][4][5] Wasque contains a sandy strand theBoston Globe calls "a magnificentbeach."[3]Travel + Leisure named Wasque Beach the number one beach inNew England andWHDH-TV reports "It's pristine, serene, and rain or shine, it's a beach-goers' delight."[2] Off the shore of Wasque Beach isKatama Bay, "a vast and pristinesalt waterbay that includes many acres of productiveshellfish beds."[6]
Wasque has asand barrens ecosystem. One of a number of suchhabitats in isolated locations fromMaine toNew Jersey, the reservation's landscape and geography were formed by ancient outwash deposits fromglacial till. The free-draining,acidic, dry, and sandy soil sustains coastalheathlands,oak andpitch pinewoodlands, and sandplaingrasslands.[1][3] Wasque is home to such species asbeach plum,bearberry,blackberry,black huckleberry,blue toadflax,bluets,chokeberry,dwarf cinquefoil,golden heather,late lowbush blueberry,Nantucket shadbush,rockrose, andyellow stargrass.[7] These areas are "globally rare communities"[1] and only maintained through relatively intensiveland management that includesdomesticated animalsgrazing the grass, mechanicalmowing andclearing ofvegetation, and evencontrolled burning.[1]
The reservation has a number of rare animal species that depend on the conditions of these habitats;[1] in 2004The Boston Globe said that the Wasque Reservation is "a great place for fishing and birdwatching".[3] Observers can spotblue herons,egrets,ducks, andmigratingshorebirds that can be found in themarshes.Ospreys can be seen swooping down to pluck fish from theAtlantic Ocean. Butterfly watchers can seemonarchs,sulphur butterflies, andred admirals that stop here to drinknectar fromwildflowers before continuing their southward migration.[1]
Algonquian people camped at this site in warm weather; the name is said to come fromwannasque, anAlgonquian word meaning "the ending".European settlement came to this part of Chappaquiddick Island in 1750 or later. Several 19th centuryland speculation proposals never came to fruition. "Chappaquiddick-by-the-Sea," one failed concept forland development, would have included a grid of 750 quarter-acre parcels, broad avenues, public parks, andyachtfacilities. In 1967, when the property was purchased for the public, there were only a few homes in the area.[1]
Relatively remote, this "little-known"[2] beach and nature reserve is about 70 miles south of Boston off the coast ofCape Cod. Martha's Vineyard is a shortSteamship Authorityferry ride from mainland Cape Cod, out of Falmouth or Woods Hole.Bicycles andmotor vehicles may be transported on the ferry for additional fees.[3] A ferry fromEdgartown on the Vineyard allows one to get to Chappaquiddick.[1] The property is open 24 hours a day all year. Due to severebeach erosion at Wasque Point, one is no longer allowed to take vehicles over the sand to Wasque from adjacentCape Poge Wildlife Refuge. Formerly this was allowed except for occasional summer closures to protect the nest sites of rare shorebirds.[1]
Wasque is a great place for recreational fishing.[3] Recent reports of fishing off Wasque Beach have mentionedbonito that werereeled in at the Wasquerip and Menemshajetties.Bluefish and 10-15 lbs.Striped bass have been reported as well.[8] In some years, the waters off Wasque Beach have been "hot with both game species."[9] At times, dedicated anglers have come to the Wasque just to sit in their vehicles “watching the water for signs” that fishing conditions were favorable.[10]
41°21′5″N70°27′28″W / 41.35139°N 70.45778°W /41.35139; -70.45778
