But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches Would brag, ‘We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.’ With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort, ‘We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!’
— From “The Sneetches,” by Dr. Seuss
If you’ve ever walked along Goose Rocks’ magnificent beach, you know what an extraordinary place it is. Its fine white sand, picturesque surroundings, and gentle surf are why it’s an ideal beach for families, particularly with small children — and why it has been for generations.
That may be changing. Some of the beachfront homeowners are battling the Kennebunkport township to close off most of Goose Rocks to the public. If they get their way, non-residents may be stopped from using most of the beach down to the low water mark.
My family owns a cottage on Goose Rocks Beach and has for a century. My children and their cousins are the fifth generation of the family to spend summers there. We strongly oppose this effort and are mystified that some of our neighbors are so driven to restrict beach-goers from such innocuous activities as walking, picnicking, swimming, sunbathing, playing frisbee, and building sandcastles on the beach. We suspect and hope there are other beachfront owners who feel as we do.
The group striving to close the beach — which calls itself the “Steering Committee of the Goose Rocks Beachfront Property Owners” — argues public access “deprives beachfront owners of their private beach rights.” Some have even put up signs on the beach in front of their houses saying, “Private Beach. No Public Access.”
They want the town to install signs and “enforce trespassing laws.”
In the most recent development, the “Committee” has retained a lawyer, threatening to sue the township if it does not restrict the public.
Kennebunkport town officials have resisted these efforts, pointing out that by general practice the public has had access to the beach for as long as anyone can remember and should not be restricted from using it. They assert they reserve “the right in the future to take all necessary steps to restore public use to any areas of Goose Rocks Beach that are illegitimately closed or restricted to general public use.” Goose Rocks has always been part of coastal Maine’s culture and longstanding tradition of openness. For decades, the town has maintained paths leading from King’s Highway to the beach for public use. As my dad wrote in a survey response last year to the group of homeowners,
It is inspirational to walk the whole beach and watch fathers building sand castles with their children — just as they must have done a century ago.
Besides vacationers, the “Committee’s” actions would also restrict the community, which cherishes and protects the beach as much, if not more, than beachfront owners. For many residents, Goose Rocks is their backyard — and not just during the summer season but year-round. Many concerned local citizens along with local groups are devoted to protecting the beach’s wildlife. Thanks to folks with local chapters of the Wildlife Refuge and Maine Audubon Society, the Goose Rocks community leads the state in protecting the endangered piping plover, as this newspaper reported last month in “Plover Chicks Hatch in Southern Maine.” Similarly, numerous non-beachfront residents and vacationers are responsible for helping protect the animals that wash up on the beach. This writer knows of one particular community member who stood on the beach with a stranded baby seal for over an hour waiting for a rescuer to come.
Lawyers can fight back and forth over a 1647 colonial ordinance, drawing property lines in the sand, if they desire. For us, those lines were erased by the ebb and flow of tides long ago. We hope that Goose Rocks will be enjoyed not by a limited few but by visiting families and the local community for generations to come.
Dana Joel Gattuso is a freelance writer who lives in Alexandria, Va., and comes to Goose Rocks with her family every summer. Written this summer prior to the lawsuit actually being filed, Dana’s article very much captures the spirit of this issue, and we thank her for her contribution!
Originally posted at www.seacoastonline.com. Used by permission.
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I so agree with Dana Joel Gattuso and thank Dana for this article. My husband’s grandmother owned beach front property, plus back property at Goose Rocks and he spent every summer of his childhood living at the beach. We no longer have Goose Rock property but we have been bringing our children their every year for 25 years now. This is a part of us. I remember our grandmother telling us of the great fire of 1947 or how the clubhouse was moved by way of the ocean waters, (have articles of this still). My husband remembers the summer a whale got beach and died as a child. Goose Rocks is and has been a great part of our lives. I could not image life without the beauty each summer of time spent at Goose Rocks and walking the entire beach each AM, afternoon, and PM. My heart broke for myself as well as my family reading about this controversy. I can only pray and hope all will be able to continue to have GRB in their family traditions as we hope to continue the tradition with our family for generations to come.
Thank you, Dana, for such a thoughtful and well written article. Goose Rocks Beach and the whole Goose Rocks community has been an important part of my family’s life for many years. As long as I can remember it was called the walking beach by my mother who grew up in Gorham, Maine. When I first introduced my husband to Maine, it was here at Goose Rocks where we walked the “walking beach” and wondered would we ever be lucky enough to live here and share the wonder of this beach area. Fortunately for us this dream was realized.
I am sure that many others share a similar story. Many neighbors have spent their whole lives coming to Goose Rocks Beach and while they do not own beach front property, their love of the beach and its environment runs deep. I know for me and I expect for others, this is their emotional home. The place that renews their spirit and gets in one’s soul.
So it is with great sadness that the place one loves so deeply is involved in a petty land war. We all love the beach and want it to be protected so that further generations can know the joy we have had. As the American Indian knew, we do not own the land, but it is in our stewardship for the time we are here. In the best of worlds this is done with the greater good in mind and with a generousness of spirit.
I couldn’t disagree more with the current movement to restrict access to Goose Rocks Beach. The current access plan is not broken and should not be modified. Chances are the people looking to restrict access are being advised to do so by someone who only cares about monetary compensation.
Goose Rocks Beach should not become Broad Beach East (Malibu). Anyone who has been to Broad Beach in Malibu will know exactly what I am talking about. What’s next? Will visitors or land owners without deeded access be relegated to just the public access ways?
Goose Rocks Beach is all about family and not just about families who own property along the beach. My family has owned land at Goose Rocks Beach for at least 6 generations. My grandfather told me many years ago that people who care only for money will try to change the beach. I say we should organize, raise money and refuse/resist these unjust efforts.
I find the argument that beach front owners actually own down to the low water mark to be laughable. Should they pay back taxes on that extra land? Overall I am saddened that one little kid will not get the chance to make the same kind of memories that I made or that I will continue to make with my kids. This effort is pathetic, misdirected and sad.
Summer vacations on the coast of Maine have long standing traditions. I for one spent my summers / formative years on Gooches Beach. This life experience has contributed to who I am and what I value today. My wife and I, as young parents, wanted to share the same meaningful experiences and traditions with our children……the Goose Rocks Beach community presented an affordable opportunity. For the past 17 years, my family has built longstanding friendships, evening camp fires and long walks on the beach. The most idealic time of the day to stroll on Goose Rocks Beach by the way is at sunrise. Our family traditions now include my daughter’s in-laws who joined us for the first time this past Summer. Their comments based on their experience….we have had no beach experience like this on the West coast…..we’ll be back next year with Gramma. Goose Rocks Beach has been and remains a spiritual place for so many; a magical place which should not be denied by a select few for primarly personal reasons.