DNSI

The map shows what areas of DNSI are open and closed. Also, please keep off the closed areas indicated by the symbolic fencing and run the entirety of beach in front of it. The closed areas include both the eastern and western tips of the island, as well as all the ocean-side and part of […]
The Ides of Summer

Boaters and island visitors traveled to the island to celebrate on the 4th of July. Despite the holiday weekend’s dreary and rainy weather, visitors were treated with the sight of the Cotuit Mosquito Yacht Club skiff race on the 4th where boaters sailed across Cotuit Bay to the island and back. Monday, the sun finally […]
What a June day

As the month of June ends, another week on Dead Neck Sampson’s Island has come and gone. The cool and cloudy weather on Friday and Monday resulted in quiet days that kept most people away. However, sun and warm temperatures on Saturday and Sunday broke the cloudy spell and lured visitors out to the island […]
The Adventure Continues…

Another weekend on Dead Neck Sampson’s Island leads to more adventures and stories to be told. More people are coming to the island’s beaches to escape the heat. BCWC has an information tent set up on the Sampson’s end of the island where you can pick up a scavenger hunt if you are interested in […]
An Island Adventure

Hello and welcome to the Island Adventures of Barnstable Clean Water Coalition. The island of interest is Dead Neck Sampson’s, located just south of Osterville and Cotuit on Nantucket Sound. What better way to start off our 2021 summer season than in traditional New England fashion – a dreary Memorial Day weekend followed by a […]
Island Time with Ranger Rick

After wading to shore from the boat I sit down on the beach to remove my gum boots…much easier (and more comfortable!) to patrol in sneakers. Squinting hard because of the sun ricocheting off the calm water like so many tiny lasers. Going to be a bright one so I’d better break out the sunblock […]
All About the Birds
All About the Birds BCWC and the Massachusetts Audubon Society co-own and co-manage Dead Neck Sampson’s Island (DNSI). Did you know that DNSI is a private wildlife sanctuary where protected species of shorebirds, spend the spring and summer nesting and feeding? Read on to learn more about four feathered DNSI visitors. Piping Plover: Charadrius […]
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) Atlantic population: Threatened (Massachusetts status and Federal status) They are a protected species under the Endangered Species Act as of January 10, 1986 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 Northern Great Plains: Threatened Great Lakes Population: Endangered Summer on Great Plains and along Great Lakes Winter along Gulf […]
Environmentalists Buy Surplus Oysters to Boost Shellfish Industry and Restore Imperiled Waterways
Environmentalists Buy Surplus Oysters to Boost Shellfish Industry and Restore Imperiled Waterways CapeandIslands.org CAI | By Eve Zuckoff Published December 29, 2020 at 11:17 AM EST Local oyster growers are getting a boost after months of restaurant closures have “torpedoed” the industry, according to one grower. The Nature Conservancy, a Boston-based environmental group, and its […]
Diamondback Terrapins: A Girl’s Best Turtle
We have all heard of turtles and tortoises, but have you heard of a terrapin? The Diamondback terrapin is a beautiful reptile with skin spotted like a Dalmatian and scutes, which are the bony plates on the shell, that are shaped like diamonds. What makes terrapins so unique is their preferred habitat: brackish water. Brackish […]


