A few days before Thanksgiving, we sat in our cozy homes and smiled while the wind howled and rain poured down. The late 2024 drought has broken, we hope, and our new plantings on Sipson Island will get the water they need to take hold this winter and thrive — without being hand-watered by SIT volunteers! Late fall tasks are wrapping up: the dock was hauled on December 1, well pumps winterized, and our electric-powered skiff is in dry dock. An arborist came over to trim deadwood, and volunteers hauled brushy invasives into piles for early spring burning. Now we can look back and celebrate an incredible year on the island — thanks to you, our supporters. So much has happened since we began to demolish three abandoned houses a year ago….

Walking around Sipson this spring, you can almost hear the ground underfoot breathe a sigh of relief. Our beautiful island is hundreds of tons lighter in the absence of 3 houses, along with their foundations and septic infrastructure, deconstructed last November and barged off to the mainland as 133 container-loads of debris. Read more here about this shrinking human footprint and what comes next in rewilding Sipson Island. The Trust—and the natural systems that are reasserting themselves—thank you for your part in this landmark effort. We hope to see you and your small footprint on the island soon! 

In the gray early morning of November 7, a 140-foot barge made its stately way from Chatham Inlet into Pleasant Bay, maneuvered through the Narrows, and rounded the north end of Sipson Island to an anchorage on the east side — a site chosen months ago for good access to the upland and clear of the eelgrass beds that surround the island. Less than a week later, equipment from that barge began chewing up the first of three abandoned dwellings slated for demolition — the climax of nearly two years of planning and a huge step toward the rewilding of Sipson Island. 

Nonprofit is restoring Pleasant Bay island

ORLEANS — On Friday the Trust, which bought the land in 2020, began demolishing abandoned buildings as part of a restoration to reflect how the marine habitat existed 300 years ago, SIT president Mon Cochran told Morning Edition host Patrick Flanary. …

The long-awaited "undevelopment" phase of rewilding Sipson Island is underway! The three buildings being removed have been emptied and prepped. Demolition will begin on November 1. For the safety of all, the island is closed to visitors until this work is completed. …

There’s so much news to share about the Trust’s work to restore the island’s ecological integrity and make it a place for our community to gather and learn. But first and foremost: We’re counting on your continued support to complete our “Removal & Renewal” capital campaign, launched early this year. We’ve made great progress so far …

The dock is in, the trails are mowed, and a southwest wind keeps the biting flies at bay. The annual cycle of life on Pleasant Bay is peaking, with meadow grasses in full flower and horseshoe crabs nearing the end of their mating season. The eelgrass beds around the island are thriving this year. …

On a blustery March 1, with ‘real feel’ in the single digits, a dozen people were ferried across Pleasant Bay to Sipson Island —members of the team that will carry out our ambitious “Removal & Renewal” initiative. The ultimate goal is to restore this unique saltwater island for the benefit of Pleasant Bay's ecosystems and local communities. …

When our team visits the island, it’s not unusual to see harbor seals, sometimes resting on a rock in Pleasant Bay. Note that this photo was taken from a distance to avoid disturbing the seal and cropped/magnified during editing.

Autumn is especially beautiful on Sipson. Goldenrod, thistle, and asters host mobs of pollinators. Migrating shorebirds and warblers pass through by the hundreds. Our trail cameras capture coyotes and deer that swim or wade over on low tides. On fair weekend days, local boaters and paddlers stop by for a rest or a stroll on the trails. …

As spring moves toward summer, we’re seeing the annual renewal of life on Sipson Island. Our teams working to inventory natural resources find wonders every time we visit: native plants blooming in the meadows, horseshoe crabs spawning on the south spit. migrating warblers in the cedar groves. As part of the greater Pleasant Bay community, you have a stake in what happens at “the heart of Pleasant Bay.”