Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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90 OCTOBER 2018 NORTHSHOREMAG.COM The Trustees of Reservations acquires Gerry Island in Marblehead, protecting the unique landmark in perpetuity. By Natalie Gale LITTLE HARBOR HEAVEN / I N D E P T H / PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE TRUSTEES In Little Harbor in Marblehead, about a stone's throw from the coast, sits a haven that not many New Englanders know about—Gerry Island. Recently acquired by e Trustees, largest conservation and preservation nonprot in Massachusetts, the acre-and-a-half island will now be preserved and maintained for generations to come. Unocial public access to the island has been allowed for years. Grassy footpaths lead through thorns and undergrowth to the rocky shoreline. Tidepools ll the rock crevices, and birds ock to the easternmost tip of the island, where the breakers crash along the rocks in traditional North Shore style. Here, with the preservation of e Trustees, beach- goers will forever be able to sit on the quiet rocky coast watching the bustle of boats to and from Marblehead Harbor from the iso- Gerry Island is named after its early owner, Thomas Gerry. lated enclave of Gerry Island. at's Gerry with a hard "g." e island is named after its early owner, omas Gerry, father of Elbridge Gerry, the fth vice presi- dent of the United States. Elbridge Gerry is best known for inspiring the coining of the term of gerrymandering, in which electoral districts are redrawn to favor the party in power—a process that has been receiving national attention in the Supreme Court within the last year. Although the "g" in gerry- mandering has softened over the years in its public pronunciation, residents are quick to tell you that it's pronounced "gerrymander- ing." Like gazelle. Or Gerry Island. ere's something unusual about this island: You needn't access it by boat. Just arrive at Gas House Beach in Marblehead at low tide. For two or three hours on either side of low tide, Gerry Island is accessible via a tombolo, a naturally occurring land bridge. When the tide comes in, the land bridge is covered, limiting access to and from the island exclusively to those willing to get a bit wet. What's above ground at low tide is ve feet under at high tide. "Watch your step; there's a lot of poison ivy," cautions Vanessa Parker-Geisman, e Trustees' land conservation specialist. at's one of the focuses of e Trustees' plan for the island. "Cleaning up the poison ivy and thorns, mowing, and clearing some of the non-native species and remains from the last house on the island" are some of the projects Parker-Geisman says e Trustees tackle. e Trustees received an outpouring of support for the preservation of the island, raising $250,000 from 90 donors in just three months."e work should all be done by next summer," says Alicia Leuba, vice president of e Trustees, which owns and protects four other islands on the North Shore. One island is neighboring Crowninshield, which was donated to e Trustees in 1955 and sits just a quick kayak paddle or chilly swim away from Gerry Island. Leuba explains that e Trustees' goal is to create an endowment to help with maintenance, and to ensure the island will always be cared for.