Select Board pilots summer Bluff Walk docent and narrows advisory hours to ease crowding in Sconset

The Nantucket Select Board voted unanimously to pilot management changes for the Sconset Bluff Walk, including an advisory hours change and permission for the Sconset Civic Association to fund a summer Bluff Docent.

Carol Greenberg, president of the Sconset Civic Association, presented a multi-point plan aimed at reducing visitor pressure and protecting the bluff path, proposing advisory seasonal hours, narrowed entries (not turnstiles), shore-friendly signage and a non-enforcement docent during peak hours. "We respectfully ask you to consider our proposal as a pilot program for this July and August focused on enhancing the experience through education and respect, not enforcement or added regulations," Greenberg said.

Board members and several residents debated practical details — including hours, docent duties and equity for year-round neighbors — before Select Board member Brooke moved to change advisory signage to 08:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and authorized the Civic Association to engage a Bluff Docent for July and August 2026 as a pilot, subject to feedback and with a requirement that the town review a revised job description before the position is posted. The motion passed unanimously.

Speakers at public comment described steep erosion, heavy visitor traffic and specific local impacts: Burton Balkine of the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy urged earlier public discussion of related coastal projects, and multiple residents recounted photographers, tour groups and buses increasing wear and reducing privacy for adjacent homeowners.

The board emphasized the advisory (non-enforceable) nature of the hours and the need to avoid steps that would close the path or criminalize public use. The board also asked town staff and the Civic Association to report back after the pilot period and retain the ability to suspend the pilot if significant negative impacts arise.

The board asked staff to revise the docent job description and return it for review before any hiring. The pilot is limited to July–August 2026 and will be evaluated based on community feedback and operational outcomes.