Bassing Beach

Bassing Beach was purchased by the Cohasset Conservation Trust in 1968, marking the first purchase of many to be made by the organization. The Cohasset Conservation Trust was formed a year earlier, garnering enough support from the town to raise the $7,500 necessary to purchase the property.  in 1972, and additional three parcels were donated, including beach, salt marsh and a cabin.  The Cohasset Conservation Trust parcels total about 12.5 acres.

Since its purchase in 1968, the landscape and vegetation of Bassing Beach has changed quite significantly. Several large storms in the past 50 years have had a strong impact on vegetation growth and the physical landscape of the beach. The Great Gale of 1898 washed away an estimated 4 acres of beach and destroyed 20 buildings. A Christmas day storm in 1909 is said to have destroyed pine trees that had existed on the tip of the property, in an area once known as "Pine Island".

Before being purchased by the Trust, the beach was fairly bare, only containing low-laying grasses and few trees. After going into conservation, the property now flourishes with an abundance of trees and shrubs, ensuring the health of this iconic landmark.

Bassing Beach is a hidden treasure to locals, frequented each day purely for leisure. During the summer months, Bassing is visited by boaters, kayakers and paddle boarders. The importance to the community, combined with the area's naturally sensitive ecosystem, emphasizes the attention we must pay to the beach. In order to preserve a place for all to enjoy, residents must keep it clean and healthy to ensure its long term resilience.    

Bassing Beach is a vital habitat for maintaining the local coastal ecology of the Cohasset/Scituate area. The barrier beach protects a large area of salt marsh from erosion, as well as damage from the South Shore’s more significant storms. The beach is habitat to a robust population of dune grass and a vital yet dwindling plant species that aids in sediment stabilization. The beach habitat fosters the growth of other species, further enriching the environment while also buffering wave energy to protect the shoreline. Bassing Beach and the organisms that it supports protects an estimated 125 acres of salt marsh.

Dune grass is a sanctuary for nesting piping plovers, an endangered species of sea bird common to the South Shore. It is crucial to put areas with dune grass under conservation to protect the species that use these habitats. Maintaining ecosystems like Bassing Beach is essential to protecting the resilience of coastal communities. Towns like Cohasset and Scituate are going to start to face larger problems with coastal properties as sea level continues to rise and severe storms become more frequent.

Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research (CSCR) has been using Bassing Beach as a study site for over 20 years. Their work includes a multitude of different projects, ranging from bacteria monitoring to ensure safe swimming, to utilizing AI technology to quantify the amount of dune grass on the beach. The students have also done studies on shellfish living in the mud flats surrounding the beach as well as collecting and recording marine debris that washes up on the beach. CSCR offers real-world research experience to middle and high school students to further research the local area, while also educating the students and public. Their work is essential to the understanding, and therefore protection of Cohasset Harbor.