ta b le of contents - sustainable nantucket · final report. the indicators are grouped into four...

Nantucket Sustainable Development Corporation • 1

P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F T

Social Indicators: ........... 371. Political Engagement ..................................... 39

2. Confidence in Government ........................... 41

3. Stability of Local Population ....................... 434. Stability of Professional Services ............... 45

5. Cultural Diversity ............................................ 47

6. Public Safety .................................................... 497. Perception of Public Safety .......................... 51

8. Volunteerism .................................................... 53

9. Preserving Our Sense of History ................. 55

Economic Indicators: ..... 571. Economic Diversity ......................................... 592. Sustainability of Tourist Economy .............. 61

3. Economic Value of Bay Scallop Industry . 634. Income Distribution ....................................... 65

5. Cost of Living ................................................... 67

6. Home Ownership Affordability ................... 697. Housing Usage Patterns ................................. 71

8. Traffic .................................................................. 73

9. Public Transportation .................................... 7510. Size of Off-Island Commuting

Workforce .......................................................... 77

Table of Contents

Preface ...............................2

Acknowledgments.............3

Executive Summary ..........4

Ten Key Findings ...............5

Introduction ......................7

Nature Indicators: ......... 131. Land Preservation ........................................... 15

2. Ecosystem Health ............................................ 173. Bay Scallop Harvest ........................................ 19

4. Harbor Water Quality ..................................... 21

5. Ground Water Sustainability ....................... 236. Air Quality ......................................................... 25

7. Energy Use ......................................................... 27

8. Noise & Light Pollution ................................. 299. Beach Driving .................................................... 31

10. Waste & Recycling .......................................... 33

11. Home Size .......................................................... 35

Well-Being Indicators: .. 791. Sense of Community ....................................... 81

2. Physical Health ................................................ 83

3. Access to Health Care .................................... 854. Learning ............................................................. 87

5. Emotional & Mental Well-Being ................ 89

6. Family Stability & Health .............................. 917. Substance Abuse ............................................. 92

8. Hidden Poverty ................................................ 93

Technical Notes andSources ........................ 95

2 • SUSTAINABLE NANTUCKET A Compass for the Future


Preface

March 2003

Dear Islanders –

We need you!

This Public Review Draft of Sustainable Nantucket – A Compass for the Future is not yet complete. While it does reflect the efforts ofhundreds of people and thousands of hours of work, it is, and always will be, an ongoing endeavor.

The Nantucket Comprehensive Community Plan put forth a challenge: “to create a healthy community – a community whoseenvironment, economy and society function as an integrated system.” To do this we need to know where we as a community have comefrom, where we are, and where we want to go. The following indicators – measures of key, interrelated trends that tell us where we aredoing well, where we need improvement and what progress we are making towards our goals – will help us continue this importantcommunity-wide discussion.

We would like to thank the many supporters and participants who helped make this report possible – without them, we would know farless about our community. We would also like to thank the volunteer organizations, private businesses and town agencies that providedco-sponsorship/support, technical review and/or funding throughout the process.

And finally we would like to thank all of you who will be participating. This report is a beginning, a springboard. Through the communitydiscussions that it launches, the meetings that will take place, and the understandings that will be created, we will face our challenges andsee new opportunities.

Since this report will be regularly updated, starting with the revision to this Public Review Draft, and the publication of our “first official”report, in Summer of 2003, we want your feedback. What was left out? What should be emphasized? What information or data can youcontribute?

There are two ways for you to participate. Please use this website www.sustainablenantucket.org/indicators to review the indicatorsonline and send us your input by e-mail. Or mark up this printed copy and mail it or drop it by our office (147 Orange Street). You canalso submit your own reports or studies about trends on the Island, or reports about projects designed to help move these trends in theright direction. But please get your comments to us soon, so that we may incorporate them into the final public version. Make your voiceheard.

Nantucket Sustainable Development Corporation

and

The Indicators Project Steering Committee



AcknowledgmentsThis report was made possible by the followingindividuals and organizations:

NSDC Board of DirectorsSally CharpiePenny DeyDaniel W. DrakeWade GreeneTerry HastingsTerry MartinBeth Ann MeehanFinn MurphySusan O’BrienThomas L. RhodesMark J. SandlerKate SweeneyWoody TaschAlvin S. TophamBrace Young

Indicators Steering CommitteeTracy BakalarPat ButlerMatt FeeLinda HollandDual MacintyreKathryn PochmanTerry SutphenAndrew VorceMaryanne Worth

Participants/AdvisorsJohn ArakawaRick AthertonPhil AustinMark AveryBernie BartlettCheryl BartlettJohn Bartlett

Gertrude BernardJohn BrockKathy ButterworthJoseph CabralShirley CabralBarbara CarrSusan CaryRenee CeelySteve DeCesareArthur DesrocherTrudy DujardinJohn H. DunnAmy DunsonWilla EmbryDave FronzutoPatty FrostMaia GaillardMary GambeeMike GlowackiDavid GoodmanGrace GrossmanJim HiersJo HiersDawn HillTom KennellyPaula LearyRichard LoftinNat LowellNancy LucchiniMary D. MacyJohn McLaughlinBruce D. MillerAl NovissimoMary NovissimoAnn NussbaumBob Nussbaum

John PaginiRichard RayBarry RectorKathy RichenChris SantosPete SawyerGerry ScheideBill ShermanBetsy SibleyGeorgia Ann SnellBill SnowdenFrank SpriggsMarianne StantonErnie SteinauerLarry StentzelDoris StrangBeverly TophamHelen TrebbyMark VoigtLyn WalshQuint WatersStephen WelchJulie Young

Supporting OrganizationsAtKisson, Inc.Calling All Nantucketers Citizen’s Action

Network (CANCAN), A Healthy CommunitiesInitiative

Congdon & Coleman Real EstateCouncil for Human ServicesNantucket Board of SelectmenNantucket Center for Elder AffairsNantucket Community AssociationNantucket Cottage Hospital

Nantucket Council on AgingNantucket Planning & Economic Development

CommissionNantucket Sustainable Development

CorporationPacific National Bank

Supporting FoundationsAgua Fund of the Tides FoundationBlue Dot Foundation

Report and Data DevelopmentNantucket Sustainable Development

CorporationCheryl CreightonChristine SilversteinLeedara Zola

AtKisson, Inc.Alan AtKissonMatt BanksLee HatcherHal KaneChristine LarsonFrancesca Long

Graphic and Web DesignAtKisson, Inc.Keri Caffrey, Inc.Mediations, Inc.



This report presents the preliminary resultsof a three-year effort to define a set ofsustainability indicators for Nantucket —measures of key long-term trends that shapeour future. Sustainability indicators help us seethings differently so that we can do thingsdifferently. And since Indicators can help framedebates, steer planning, affect budgets andmotivate action, the search for the bestpossible measures will be a continuous one.

These indicators were selected after anintensive citizen dialogue process, combinedwith extensive technical research. First, citizenswere convened in many different locationsaround the Island to discuss our community’s“Assets and Concerns.” Assets are the strengthswe wish to preserve for the future; Concernsare those issues and problems that cause usworry.

The results of this dialogue process generated alist of possible measures, and the final list wasshaped and refined with the help of localexperts and leaders. Then data was gathered (orin some cases generated through surveyresearch), a process which also affectedindicator selection.

This report presents the indicators not as a finallist but as a work in progress. We seek one moreround of public input before re-releasing afinal report.

The indicators are grouped into four categories,using a system called the “SustainabilityCompass”: N = Nature (environment andresources), E = Economy (business, jobs,infrastructure), S = Society (collective socialissues), and W = Well-Being (the health ofindividuals and families). Grouping theindicators this way will allow the developmentof an overall index of progress in each“direction,” as well as an “Overall SustainabilityIndex” for Nantucket, which will beincorporated in the next version.

Executive Summary

On the following page you will find our “TenKey Findings,” a summary of what our researchseems to be telling us about the state of ourIsland and our challenges for the future. Someof the news is good, but some of it is troubling,and will require a collective response from ourcommunity to help set things on a bettercourse.

In order to make this report a true “Compass”for Nantucket, a useful way to navigate ourway into the future, we need your feedback.

1. The NantucketCommunity Is Growing ...but the Island Is NotOur population is increasing sharply – thenumbers of permanent residents, seasonalresidents, overnight visitors, and day-trippersare all growing. We have more cars on theIsland than ever before, as well as more transitriders; and while most people think we have agrowing number of off-island commuters, wedon’t have data to tell us how many. All thisgrowth is happening against the backdrop ofan Island — and Islands, by their very nature,have clear limits to growth.

2. Economically, We AreGenerally Wealthy ... andGetting WealthierOur incomes are generally high, jobs have beengrowing, and the numbers of tourists andresidents who generate the jobs are growing.Our houses are getting bigger, and their valuehas recently gone through the roof, makingsome of us wealthier than we ever expected tobe.

3. But Our NaturalHeritage May BeDisappearingAs our Economy grows, Nature seems to bedeclining. Several key bird species — a measureof our ecology’s stability and resilience — havedeclined sharply in the last decade. Complaintsabout noise are up; the number (and theeconomic value) of scallops fished from ourwaters is way down. The amount of land we’resetting aside for conservation has flattenedout, but the land we’re developing with newbuildings has grown steadily, making thecompetition for the island’s remaining openland high.

4. Our Performance asStewards of our ResourcesIs in QuestionUnlike many other US communities, ourrecycling rates have actually declined in recentyears — and it can’t all be blamed on changesin recycling fees or the increase in what getsfed to our composting system, since we’resending more to the landfill. Meanwhile, ourconsumption of energy and water hasincreased, and the growing number of cars andlarger houses translates to growingconsumption, and an increasing output ofwaste.

TEN KEY FINDINGS





5. It Is IncreasinglyDifficult to Live Here IfYou Are Not WealthyOn average, it costs about 15% more to livehere than in Hyannis, the nearest mainland city.And the rising cost of homeownership meansthat first-time buyers have an increasinglysmall chance of settling down here. Whilemany of us enjoy relatively high incomes, thereis a hidden class of poor among year-roundresidents, collecting food stamps and cashassistance in the midst of extreme plenty.

6. Our Community IsShowing Clear Signs ofStressFamily violence is up. More children who areborn on Nantucket have low birth weight.Drug-related offenses are slowly rising, as isviolent crime. Fewer of us, in percentage terms,are voting in elections and town meetings.Quite a number of us express serious worryabout the state of our “Sense of Community.”

7. The Turnover in ourPopulation Is IncreasingMore people are moving in ... and more peopleare leaving. The total turnover, which we callthe “churn rate” in our population, has archedup sharply in recent years, indicating that ourcommunity is likely becoming less stable incomposition.

8. Despite the RapidChange, We Retain theCore of our CultureOur research — and our experience as residentshere — suggests that Nantucketers continue tobe dedicated to the well-being of theircommunity, as volunteers and engaged citizens.Residents are relatively confident in theirgovernment overall. And both full-time andseasonal residents, when surveyed, expressedconcern about the issues facing ourcommunity. Despite our mounting challenges,the core of the Nantucket culture, which hasseen us through crises in the past, is still withus, and is still strong.

9. Our Young Are DoingBetter Than BeforeRecent improvements in the status of ouryoung people are also an encouraging cause forhope. They are performing better on thestandardized tests used by the State to gaugeeducational attainment; and our teens aregetting cited less often for abuse of alcohol.

10. But We Know Far TooLittle about Some of theThings that Matter MostWe know that our sense of history is whatmakes us unique ... but we have no trend datato tell us how that historical legacy is beingpreserved and passed on. We know that waterquality is critical to an Island ... but our data onwater quality is confusing at best. We believethat more and more Island jobs are being heldby off-Islanders ... but we have no numbers totell us how many, why they are commuting, orwhat the trend is. These are just a few of theholes in our knowledge — and this lack ofcritical information is itself an indicator thatwe must roll up our sleeves and get to work.



“to create a healthy community, one whose

residents have stability and security, whose

resources are safely protected for future

generations and whose civic life is free of

bitterness, frustration and disillusionment”Nantucket Comprehensive Community Plan

Nantucket is an incredible place, but it is morethan just a place. Nantucket is about us asIslanders, about community character, andabout our sense of connectedness. It’s thatintangible quality of Island life that makes uswho we are. And Nantucket isn’t just about thepresent — it’s about how we fit into our past,how we live now, and where we’ll be in thefuture.

Our legacy of small town intimacy lives on inour community gatherings, our volunteerism,our public places and our safe surroundings.Impressively, in the wake of rapid change, wehave managed to hold on to not just the lookof the place, but to many of the intangiblesthat we value.

And there is more we can do. During the yearswe spent developing a ComprehensiveCommunity Plan, hundreds of citizenscontemplated our future and concluded thatNantucket is the sum of all its parts. “There isno single philosophy that will guide ourfuture,” but one overriding goal of theCommunity Plan was articulated: “to create ahealthy community, one whose residents havestability and security, whose resources aresafely protected for future generations andwhose civic life is free of bitterness, frustrationand disillusionment.”

This Indicators Report grows out of that goal. Itattempts to reflect a synthesis of all our parts,to reveal the linkages among them, and tomeasure our progress toward — or away from —a vision of a healthy community.

Objective 7.6.2 in the Healthy CommunitiesChapter of the Community Plan asks that adiagnostic tool, a set of indicators, bedeveloped to help us understand in words andnumbers the status of our quality of life.

During the community workshops citizens fromall walks of life came together from thebusiness, civic, faith, government and at-largecommunity to share their thoughts andconcerns. This report attempts to reflect theircontributions. We know that the measures thatwere chosen only scratch the surface. But wehope that this report will begin to show uswhat trends might be threatening our qualityof life, where we have held steady and whatpotential we have for building a stronger andhealthier community by continuing thecollaboration and cooperation that have goneinto this initiative.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT?The framework we have chosen for thisevaluation is “sustainability” — acomprehensive approach to thinking about ourlong-term health and vitality.

While a common definition speaks to meetingthe needs of the present without compromisingthe future, another way to look at the conceptis from a business perspective. Sustainabledevelopment can be defined in terms of a“triple bottom line” involving the simultaneouspursuit of economic prosperity, environmentalquality and social equity (World BusinessCouncil on Sustainable Development).

Introduction

In a world of so much change, we onNantucket live in a place of extraordinaryhistory. Much of our rich history has beenpreserved in our museum archives, ourliterature, our buildings and exquisitelandscape. Reminders of our economic historyand self-sufficiency live on in our remainingfarms and fisheries.

It is also beneficial to look at what sustainabledevelopment is not. As Alan AtKisson writes inBelieving Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at aPessimist’s World, sustainability does not meanenvironmentalism, and sustainability is notautomatically anti-growth. What sustainabilitymeans is the full integration of our


environment, economy, social systems, andindividual health and fulfillment — over thelong term. As an ideal, it means livingcompletely within nature’s limits, with aprosperous economy, in a healthy community,marked by a high quality of life for all itscitizens. In practice, it means preserving somethings … and changing others.

The question then becomes, what doessustainability mean forNantucket, and what isthe connection betweensustainability andindicators? For

Nantucket, sustainability means using newtools to keep our future generations on Island,to keep our natural resources intact, to keepour historic places historic, and to keepprosperity in the hands of Islanders. It meansmaking our decisions in thoughtful ways thatintegrate all our values. It means an opendialogue and consensus building. And theconnection between sustainability andindicators is that indicators give us tools andmeasurements to assess our sustainability andto guide our choices.

The challenge is whether we can keep what isgood and pass it on to our children.


“Sustainable Development meets the needs of

the present without compromising the ability

of future generations to meet their own ”United Nations World Commission on Environment and

Development (the Brundtland Commission, 1987)

The Compass

Through sustainability, we focus on the future,and consider the status of trends in fourinterconnected categories: Nature, ourEconomy, our Society, and our individual Well-Being. These categories are displayed in theform of a Compass: N, S, E, W, referred to asthe “Compass of Sustainability”.

In the Compass, “Nature” refers toenvironmental quality, ecosystem health,natural resources, and natural beauty. ForNantucket, it relates to issues such as groundwater and land use.

“Economy” refers to the production of goodsand services that make our livelihoods possibleand our lives comfortable, and systems thatsupport economic activity (like transportationand infrastructure), as well as industries such astourism and scalloping. This Compass Point alsoincludes the employment and the economicsecurity of our residents.

“Society” refers to the collective dimension ofcommunity life: government, schools, publicsafety, and the stability of the populationresiding in our community.

“Well-Being” is what we all hope for in ourindividual lives, for ourselves and our families:physical and emotional health, a sense ofsatisfaction and optimism.

What is an “indicator”?

The presentation of data about our lives, oureconomy, our well-being, social issues, nature,and other topics — usually in the form of achart or graph that shows the trend over time— is called an “indicator.” These indicators aredivided by Compass Point, but it should beremembered that sometimes the delineationmay be somewhat arbitrary. For example,Stability of Professional Services is a huge partof our Society, but also has profound effects onour Well-Being and is closely intertwined withour Economy. It is important to keep in mindthat these data points, these indicators,connect and overlap, oftentimes in a fluid way.A change in one indicator may have manyripple effects; causal connections can go in alldirections.

INDICATORS – NANTUCKET’S COMPASS OF SUSTAINABILITY



We also realize that some of these indicatorsrepresent quite complex issues. When we areselecting an indicator, we are of necessitysimplifying and, in some cases, barely

Indicators give us tools and

measurements to assess our sustainability

and to guide our choices.



scratching the surface. But the intent of anindicator is not to gain an in-depth mastery ofany one particular element. The intent is tohelp us understand the big picture, theinterrelations and dependencies among theelements so that we can gain a clearerunderstanding of the whole.

So in looking to affect sustainable changewithin our community, we must look at thewhole, and we must remember theinterrelations. If we take one Compass Point inisolation from the others, our efforts may haveunanticipated and even counterproductiveconsequences in other areas. But if weapproach the interrelated elements as aconnected whole, we have a better chance ofsuccess. Imagine a compass with only threedirections — or with only one. It simplywouldn’t be a functional tool. It is the sum ofthe parts, the “four directions,” that makes acommunity. Understanding these parts andtheir interrelations can help us as Islanderschart Nantucket’s future course.

While Nantucket is unique, and the courseNantucket chooses will be our own, we canlearn from initiatives taken by othercommunities. The U.S. Army, Royal Dutch Shell,the State of New Jersey, the New Orleansregion, the European Union, the City of Seattle— and Martha’s Vineyard — are just a few ofthe hundreds of cities, companies, agencies,and regional initiatives that have madeimpressive strides toward making sustainabilitya reality.

This report provides some of the raw materialsfor charting our own way into Nantucket’ssustainable future. It lays out the trends,statistics, and sources of information that wecan use to shape our decisions about the long-term. It attempts to measure our progresstoward or away from a vision of a healthycommunity; a vision articulated in theNantucket Comprehensive Community Plan.Now we have to combine this resource with ourown experiences and perspectives — and withfocused, effective, long-term strategy andaction.

By themselves, indicators don’t changeanything. Only people do.

THE PROCESSThis report is the product of years of work —several community workshops, an Island-widetelephone survey of hundreds of residents,scores of individual conversations, intensivedata gathering, research and reflection. Theprocess has been a gratifying example of howwilling our citizens are to share their concernsand ideas about our Island.

The journey began in 1999, during the finaldrafting days of the ComprehensiveCommunity Plan. The process of examiningeverything from zoning to health care showedus that our community is a complex mixture ofnatural and human assets that interrelate inobvious and subtle ways. In other words, webegan to understand that the phrase“community fabric” truly describes the diversethreads as they have been woven together overtime to make Nantucket what it is today.

At the same time, during the launch ofNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation (NSDC), its founding board ofdirectors met with experts in the field ofsustainability to learn about a unique tool formeasuring a community’s progress and health –indicators of sustainability. This kind of toolcould help reveal information about thecondition of our community’s “fabric.” It couldalso help us to understand the synthesis and

We have to combine this resource with our own experiences and perspectives —

and with focused, effective, long-term strategy and action.

linkages between and among areas ofcommunity life that impact each other. Moreimportantly, it could engage the community ina continuing dialogue about itself that couldlead to collaboration and creative solutions formaking our “fabric” stronger and ourcommunity healthy. So, Sustainable Nantucket– A Compass for the Future was launched withthe guidance and help of AtKisson Inc. and thesupport of foundation grant funding.

Community workshops were held in whichcitizens offered hours of input andbrainstorming to develop long lists of what wasimportant to them, what they valued in theirlives and their community, and what concernedthem about the future. The lists ran the gamutfrom parents concerned about substance abuseand quality education to business ownersconcerned about housing and a commutingworkforce, from fisherman concerned aboutwater quality to town employees looking atbudgets and policy making.

With these lists we began the job of distilling

“Assets and Concerns” that had the potential toserve as meaningful indicators of the status ofour community. More conversations, groupprioritizing, searching for data sources andconsulting with community experts took thebetter part of another year.

We made several discoveries in this process.Some indicators that reflected a high degree ofcommunity concern were intangible and hadno associated data at all. For example, sense ofcommunity, volunteerism and size of off-islandcommuting workforce were considered to becritical concerns, and yet we had no way tomeasure them. In some cases we chose proxies— a different but related measure — and inothers we simply acknowledged that a newmeasure is needed, and left a question mark. Itwas impossible for all our selections to meetthe criteria for a good indicator: relevant, valid,credible, measurable, consistent, comparableand understandable. But the citizens working

on this project felt strongly that some of ourmost intangible community qualities require abetter level of scrutiny and understanding.

While we are pleased with the initial results,the journey was humbling. We know how hardit is to find good data and to make sense of itand we know that these indicators — to beuseful — will need continuous work.

This is where you, the reader, come in. Sincethis is a Public Review Draft, we need yourreaction, input and collaboration to make itbetter. Please join us in taking the nextimportant steps in this process.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR





ACTION AND NEXT STEPS:HOW TO USE THIS REPORTWhat can we do with these indicators? Andwhat are we asking you to do with them?

We see Sustainable Nantucket – A Compass forthe Future as a catalyst for positive change. Weneed everyone engaged in the process, and weneed improvement in every sector of the“Compass” to succeed overall.

In the coming months we will be developing asection of this report that will help us movefrom measuring trends to taking action. Basedon feedback from the community, we willcompile suggestions for actions that can betaken by individuals, policy makers, volunteergroups, businesses, social service providers andso on.

As part of this initiative we have acted, withothers, as a convenor — a place where peoplefrom all over the community, from everydifferent sector, can gather to learn about ourchallenges and discuss opportunities foradvancing our success. And we will continue toplay that role in the following ways:

1. Educate. We will work to educate the

community on indicators, linkages,opportunities, issues, the benefits ofcooperation, and on sustainable developmentprinciples and practices.

2. Convene. We will continue to bring togethercommunity leaders and stakeholders fordialogue around data, indicators, issues, andthe challenges and opportunities we face as acommunity.

3. Connect. We will constantly seek to makeconnections — connections among the Island’sleadership and existing initiatives, andconnections to objective data, across the wholeSustainability Compass (Nature, Economy,Society, Well-Being).

4. Advocate. We will be advocates forsustainable development generally, by callingattention to the data on important targetissues, indicators, and opportunities.

We encourage other people and groups in thecommunity to take these indicators as astarting point for both personal and strategicaction — and as a final yardstick of success. Wewould like these indicators to generate agrowing sense of care and responsibility for thefuture of our Island, both as reflected in thewhole indicator set, and as measures of specificpriority areas for action.

And mostly, we hope that these indicators —which give us a mixture of inspiring good newsand alarms about urgent challenges requiringredoubled efforts — will inspire all of us tothink more creatively, more systemically, andlonger-term about what is best for ourcommunity... for today, and for the generationscoming after us. We look forward to hearingfrom you, and to working with you.

We encourage other people and groups in

the community to take these indicators as

a starting point for both personal and

strategic action — and as a final

yardstick of success.



Nature IndicatorsLand Preservation

Ecosystem Health

Bay Scallop Harvest

Harbor Water Quality

Ground Water Sustainability

Air Quality

Energy Use

Noise & Light Pollution

Beach Driving

Waste & Recycling

Home Size


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F TN A T U R E


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F T N A T U R E

TRENDPercent of developed land rising dramatically;conservation land nearly static.

WHAT WE MEASURETracking the percentage of land developed,land conserved and land potentiallydevelopable provides us with a rough measureof how general land use has altered onNantucket over the past 15 years.

WHAT IT MEANSA dramatic shift in general land use hasoccurred between 1987 and 2002. The amountof developed land increased more than threetimes the amount of land put intoconservation. This has brought these two typesof land uses into approximately equal acreage.Land that is still open, but potentiallydevelopable, has gone from 53% to 17%.Developable open land was the single largestcategory of land in 1987; in 2002, it is thesmallest.

Though some development has occurred withinalready dense areas serviced by sewer andwater, other development has consumed areasof land that were taken for granted as openvistas, wildlife habitat, recreational and hunting

INDICATOR: Land PreservationSTATUS: Amount of Land Preserved Static; Development Surges

land. As we come to terms with reduced areaswhere we are able to walk without trespassingand enjoy vistas from traveled ways, both onthe land and water, we need to be sure thechoices we make regarding the remaining openland are consistent with our long term needs tofunction within the Island’s limited resources inan economically, socially and environmentallysustainable way.

0

10

20

30

40

50

Conservation Land

Developed Land

2002199719911987

LAND CONSERVATION

Percent of Land Developed and Conserved on Nantucket

As we come to terms with reduced areas

where we are able to walk without

trespassing and enjoy vistas from traveled

ways, we need to be sure the choices we make

regarding the remaining open land is

consistent with our long term needs to

function within the Island’s limited

resources in an economically, socially and

environmentally sustainable way.



Our choice will either increase theincrementally lengthening bar chart linedepicting development, or move the linedepicting conservation beyond its point ofrelative equilibrium. The choice is imminent.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOOpen land allows unpolluted passage ofgroundwater recharge to our ponds andharbors. It is critical to maintaining unbroken,unlit tracts for wildlife habitat as well as for afull variety of land management practices thatpromote a diversity of native plant species.Harbor water quality, ecosystem health, oursense of history and our tourist economy are alllargely dependant on Nantucket’s open andnatural land and water resource areas.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know how to live and do businessin a sustainable way, given the Island’s limitednatural resource base, the level of developmentand associated land use activities.

Potentially Developable (17%)

Conservation Land (42%)

Developed Land (41%)

LAND TYPES ON NANTUCKET, 2002How much of the smallest piece of pie will be developed, and

how much conserved?

While keeping in mind the distinction betweenvacant lots within densely developed areas andparcels of land in the countryside, we also needa comprehensive measure of what the impactswould be of putting our remaining tracts ofenvironmentally sensitive open land intodevelopment or into conservation. Is there acritical threshold at which Nantucket wouldrisk sacrificing either its economic orenvironmental vitality?

INFORMATION SOURCENantucket Planning & Economic DevelopmentCommission, 1998, Long Range TransportationPlan

Town of Nantucket Assessors Office, 2002

Town of Nantucket GIS Office, 2002



INDICATOR: Ecosystem HealthSTATUS: Declines in Key Bird Species May Mean Trouble, but May Also be “Natural”

TRENDDecreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look at certain well-known birds: the red-tailed hawk, the ring-necked pheasant, thegreat blue heron, and the several differentkinds of owls found on Nantucket. The birdtypes we’ve graphed are dependent ondifferent habitats within the ecosystem forfeeding, nesting, and breeding. Their healthsignals something of the health of the wholeecosystem.

The data comes from the Audubon SocietyChristmas Count, using volunteer bird-watchers. It is important to note that suchbird-count data can be variable, because bothweather conditions on the day of the count,and the number and skill of the bird-watcherscan vary. However, by looking at larger birds,we make the measure more reliable, as they areeasier to spot and less likely to be doublecounted.

WHAT IT MEANSThis graph shows much variation in the birdcount over time, which is typical of bird counts.However, it also shows a recent downward

trend overall for three of these birds: hawks,herons, and especially pheasants. Pheasants area ground-based bird, which peaked with 51counted in 1993. Only 11 were counted in2001. But it’s difficult to say whether the trendis signaling a long-term problem, since onlyeight pheasants were counted in 1992.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Owls, all species

Great Blue Heron (blue form)

Ring-necked Pheasant

Red-tailed Hawk

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92

FOUR KEY BIRD VARIETIES, NANTUCKET ISLAND

Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count

The presence of these birds can be part of the

intangible Nantucket character and

uniqueness that we as Islanders and tourists

value — which in turn can affect our

Economy.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThis downward trend may be a signal of theeffect that we are having on the habitat as webuild new and larger homes and commercialbuildings in environmentally sensitive areas,and as development-related traffic increases.The trend also connects to our efforts at landpreservation, at reducing pollution, and atprotecting Nature. Finally, it connects to oursense of natural history. The presence of thesebirds can be part of the intangible Nantucketcharacter and uniqueness that we as Islandersand tourists value — which in turn can affectour Economy.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know more about what causes apopulation swing in these birds, and how tointerpret these numbers. Are we looking atnormal variability, or a slow disappearance? Wealso need to know more about Nantucket’secosystems in general.

Measuring these indicators over the long termwill help us determine whether this is a normaltrough in bird populations, or a signal thatwe’re losing ecosystem health. And we cannotwait until we have a count of “0” to decidethat we have a problem.

INFORMATION SOURCENational Audubon Society

We need to know more about what causes a

population swing in these birds, and how to

interpret these numbers.



TRENDDecreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe track the population of bay scallops.Because we do not have an exact count of thetotal scallop population, we use a substituteindicator: the number of commercial bayscallops harvested. Note that the trend of thenumber of scallops harvested is entirelydifferent from the trend of their economicvalue in dollars, as we show in the Economysection.

WHAT IT MEANSScallops are sensitive to harbor water oxygencontent, salinity levels, nutrient concentrationsand phytoplankton availability. This makesscallops an important “indicator species.” Theyare the canary in the proverbial coal mine,whose health or decline points to the health ofthe marine ecosystem.

Since 1980, the bay scallop harvest hasdecreased dramatically, despite upswingsaround 1990 and 1995. In 1998 the scallopharvest hit a 20-year low and has increasedonly slightly since that time. The MarineDepartment has documented frequent episodes

INDICATOR: Bay Scallop HarvestSTATUS: Our Bay Scallop Harvest has Declined Substantially

of elevated nutrient concentrations that havetriggered phytoplankton blooms, decreaseddissolved oxygen and reduced water clarity.

There are some other external factors that havelikely affected the scallop harvest. In 1993 theMarine Department stopped purchasing seedfrom off-Island to replenish the scallop beds.Instead, they collect local scallop spat and growit out in the harbor or at Brant PointBoathouse. Additionally, between 1999 andNovember 2002, regulations prohibiting theharvest of nub scallops were enforced.

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

Bushels of Bay Scallops

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91'90'89'88'87'86'85'84'83'82'81'80

Note: Data for 1986 not available.

COMMERCIAL BAY SCALLOPS HARVESTED, NANTUCKET

Scallops are the canary in the proverbial coal mine, whose health or decline

points to the health of the marine ecosystem.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThe scallop population is affected by overallecosystem health and is connected directly tothe quality of water in the harbor. Thereduction in the scallop population has aneconomic and social impact, as scallop fishinghistorically has provided economic support formany Islanders during the winter months.Additionally, it connects to the economic valueof fisheries and to economic diversity. Thedecline of scallop harvesting can ultimatelyimpact some cultural and social attributes ofthe Island, as well as an historic way of life.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWater quality monitoring to track cycles anddefine trends of the scallop population andhabitat needs to be continuous. We need todetermine what constitutes a sustainable yield— how many scallops can be harvested and stillhave a viable yield for future generations.Additionally, the effectiveness of currentpropagation practices must be evaluated overtime and compared to previous seedingpractices, in terms of supporting long termharvests.

INFORMATION SOURCEMarine and Coastal Resources Department,Town of Nantucket

The reduction in the scallop population has

an economic and social impact, as scallop

fishing historically has provided economic

support for many Islanders during the

winter months.



TRENDTrend unclear

WHAT WE MEASUREWe measure the concentration of nutrients inNantucket harbor. When in excess, thesenutrients diminish water quality and degradethe marine habitat for shellfish and finfish.

Nutrients occur naturally in the water. Butwhen additional nutrients from the watershedenter the harbor via ground water, streams orstorm drains, that nutrient excess stimulates adecline in water quality. Consequences includea decline in dissolved oxygen and lightpenetration, as well as changes in species ofphytoplankton, seagrass, and algae. Togetherthese conditions stress marine organisms, fishand shellfish by affecting food availability andhabitat suitability.

WHAT IT MEANSThis data is difficult to interpret, even for localprofessionals with an interest in water quality.The sharp differences between differentmonths, and the lack of any discernable trend,suggest that we need to know much moreabout both these measures, as well as any otherpossible measures of harbor water quality. Weare actively looking into this issue.

INDICATOR: Harbor Water QualitySTATUS: Data Difficult to Interpret

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOHarbor water quality is directly connected toecosystem health, and is affected by things asseemingly remote as storm water run-off ofroad pollutants and fertilizers. Water quality isclosely connected to the viability andsustainability of a productive commercial bayscallop industry. It is key to continuation oftraditional recreational shellfish harvests, and itis strongly linked to our sense of culturalmaritime history. For many Nantucketers, theharbor is a piece of who we are. Additionally,the clean, safe recreational waters of ourharbors are a strong draw for a sustainabletourist economy.

0

20

40

60

80

100

SeptemberAugust

JulyMayMarch

200120001999

NITRATE MEASUREMENTS

Nantucket Harbor – parts per billion

Harbor water quality is directly connected

to ecosystem health, and is affected by things

as seemingly remote as storm water run-off

of road pollutants and fertilizers.



0

50

100

150

200

250

300

SeptemberAugust

JulyMayMarch

200120001999

PHOSPHORUS MEASUREMENTS

Nantucket Harbor – parts per billion

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know what additional data can begenerated as a gauge for our harbor waterquality. We know that nutrient levels areimportant, however, and that a significant timelapse occurs between the time when nutrientsenter the watershed and when they reach theharbor. We need to determine what amount ofbuildout, types of land use practices and otherpollutants would cause a long-term demise toour fisheries and recreational waters. Trackingthe timing and locations of when the harborsare closed for shellfish harvesting may providean additional useful correlation to waterquality among all the above factors.

INFORMATION SOURCEMarine & Coastal Resources Department, Townof Nantucket

We need to determine what amount of

buildout, types of land use practices

and other pollutants would cause a

long-term demise to our fisheries and

recreational waters.



TRENDUnchanged

WHAT WE MEASUREWe depend on rainfall to recharge our watersupply, which we draw from the groundwater.To assess our water sustainability, we look atthree things: how much water we pump out ofthe ground to use; how much rainfall we geteach year; and groundwater level.

We have not measured the quality ofgroundwater for this indicator, but weacknowledge that it is a critical concern andwill seek to address it in future reports.

WHAT IT MEANSBalance between each of the above threeindicators is critical to sustainability of theIsland’s drinking water and general water use. Ifwe use water at a rate greater than the rate atwhich rainfall can recharge our aquifer, or if wearen’t getting our average 43” per year rainfall,then it’s time to reassess whether we are livingwithin our groundwater limits.

So far, only one of these three measures haschanged dramatically over the past ten years.We are using more water. We’re still getting

INDICATOR: Ground Water SustainabilitySTATUS: We Have Plenty of Water … So Far

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Total Rainfall (inches)

'02'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

TOTAL RAINFALL ON NANTUCKET

(inches)

roughly the same average annual rainfall; andthe groundwater has been recharging to a safepumping level.

Ground water levels lower than a depth of 13.8’below surface, at monitoring Well C, wouldrequire Wannacomet Water Company totemporarily stop pumping until thegroundwater at that wellfield could recover.Groundwater depths tend to drop lowest Julythrough September when heavy pumpingoccurs to accommodate Nantucket’s peakpopulation, the weather is hot and dry, andthere’s very little recharge.

But the water usage levels are within ourcontrol. All three trends need to be watched inthe future, so that we can change our usepatterns and methods of collection anddistribution if we need to.

We’re still getting roughly

the same average annual

rainfall; and the

groundwater has been

recharging to a safe

pumping level.



-15-14-13-12-11-10

-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-10

Depth to Groundwater Well C, Nantucket

'02'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

T R E N D L I N E

DEPTH TO GROUNDWATER ON NANTUCKET

Groundwater Well C, Wannacomet Water Co.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOWater connects to everything. An adequatesupply of water is fundamental to the Island’shealth, ecology, and economy. Water quality(together with quantity) is essential to thesustainability of our environment and to ourhealth and economic vitality. Future waterissues depend on our current awareness andbehavior patterns.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWA per capita measure for water consumptionwould help us identify trends in personal,irrigation and other uses.

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

Total Gallons of Water Pumped

'02'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

TOTAL GALLONS OF WATER PUMPED

Wannacomet Water Co. Service Area

We do not know what the real limit is on ourwater consumption, given our groundwaterlevels, average annual precipitation, andshallow well recovery time. How muchadditional pumping can be made if average airtemperature were to increase and precipitationdecrease?

We should consider the rainfall for our regionin the computer-based climate models that arebeing used to assess the impacts of globalwarming and climate change.

We also need to develop an island-widemeasure for the quality of our drinking waterfor future reports.

INFORMATION SOURCEWannacomet Water Company



TRENDOscillating

WHAT WE MEASUREWe monitor the number of “bad air quality”days in Truro, Cape Cod, the nearest datastation. Those are days between May andSeptember when ground-level ozone exceedsthe national 8-hour health standard beyondwhich prolonged and strenuous outdooractivity is ill advised.

WHAT IT MEANSAir moves. Industrial and vehicle emissionsgenerated close to home are a contributingsource of ozone pollution, but also winds carrypollutants long distances. So pollutantsgenerated in the industrialized Midwest andheavily populated New York area are carried toNew England by both eastward and southwestwinds.

The Truro measurement shows air quality thatfluctuates considerably from year to year. Yearswith the greatest number of bad air dayscoincide with very sunny, hot summers. We

INDICATOR: Air QualitySTATUS: Annual Highs & Lows of Ozone Concentration Oscillate

enjoyed a run of good years in the mid ’90swhen we had good air for all but about oneweek during the five-month ozone season. Wesaw spikes in the number of bad air days in1997 and 1999, and especially low rates in1998 and 2000. But to have any bad air daysduring the spring and summer, when ouroutdoor activity is at peak, runs a risk to ourhealth. We will need to keep watch of thefrequency of unhealthy ozone levels andconsider how we can affect a reduction ofozone pollution, as necessary.

0

5

10

15

20

# Bad Air Quality Days/year

'02'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

NUMBER OF BAD AIR QUALITY DAYS

In the Cape & Islands as measured at Truro Monitoring

Station

Bad air days during the spring and

summer, when our outdoor activity is at

peak, cause a risk to our health.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOAir quality connects to environmentalindicators such as ecosystem health, and toeconomic indicators such as traffic and energyuse. It also connects with physical well being,because air pollution can become a healthissue.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWThis measure comes from Truro, and monitorsthe ozone level of the lower Cape and Islands.We do not know to what extent Nantucketexperiences its own air quality levels, differentfrom Truro’s, based on microclimate conditions.

INFORMATION SOURCESMassachusetts Department of EnvironmentalProtection

Air quality connects to environmental

indicators such as ecosystem health, and to

economic indicators such as traffic and

energy use.



INDICATOR: Energy UseSTATUS: Electricity Usage Up; Aviation Fuel Consumption Way Up

TOTAL KWH USAGE ON NANTUCKET

TRENDIncreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look at two available measures: electricalenergy used on Nantucket, along with theamount of airport fuel sold in recent years.Among the major missing ingredients here areautomobile gasoline sales, propane and heatingoil, for which figures have not been released.We are trying to collect this data for futurepublication.

WHAT IT MEANSOur energy use appears to be rising at analarming rate, based on these two selectedfigures. Electricity use rose 25% between 1996and 2001 — a rate that is probably accounted

for by population increases. Anincrease in installations ofcentral air-conditioningsystems may also accountfor part of this increase.However, the sale of airportfuel more than doubledduring that same time, anincrease that far outstripspopulation growth. This datareflects both the fact thatthere are more of us onNantucket, and also that moreplanes are coming here andpurchasing fuel.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOEnergy use connects directly to environmentalindicators, including air quality, water quality,and ecosystem health. Energy use is alsoconnected, although perhaps less directly, toeconomic indicators such as cost of living,traffic, public transportation, and size of off-island commuting workforce. Finally, ourconsumption of fossil fuel has been stronglylinked to an increase in global temperaturesand resulting climate change.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Nantucket Electric Company (kWH)

'01'00'99'98'97'96

Our energy use appears to be rising at an

alarming rate, based on two selected figures:

Electricity use rose 25% between 1996

and 2001, and the sale of airport fuel

more than doubled.



AIRPORT FUEL SALES ON NANTUCKET

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know more about the long-rangeimpacts on our environment, society, cost ofliving, and quality of life. We need to knowhow to make alternative energy sourcespractical and viable. And we need informationabout energy-efficient technologies that wecan use to reduce our consumption ofelectricity while still staying warm or cool.

INFORMATION SOURCESNantucket Electric Company

Nantucket Memorial Airport Commission

0

300000

600000

900000

1200000

1500000

Total Gallons AvGas Jet Fuel

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92

We need to know how to make

alternative energy sources

practical and viable.



TRENDIncreasing noise complaints since 1998; notrend data available on light pollution

WHAT WE MEASURENoise and light pollution are both aboutexcesses: excess sound, excess photons. Wehave no data telling us how much noise isactually being generated on Nantucket, orwhat the trend is, apart from what peoplesense with their own ears. We have no way tomeasure “light pollution” — excess artificiallight that dims our perception of the stars andmakes night on Nantucket feel less night-like —except for the eyes of our residents, and theirmemory of how things used to be.

What we do know is how many peoplecomplain about noise, which, althoughsubjective, is a good proxy for measuring noisepollution. So we look at noise complaints toboth the airport and the Police Department.Complaints to the Police are classified as“Founded” after the Police have responded andindeed discovered a noise problem, from eithera loud party, a loud person, or some othersource.

INDICATOR: Noise and Light PollutionSTATUS: Noise Complaints Growing; Light Pollution Trend Unknown

For light pollution, we have only the surveydata collected in December, 2001, by EdgeResearch. The survey asked Nantucket residents,both full- and part-time, what issues theybelieved to be problems on the Island. We willnot have trend data until and unless the surveyis repeated.

WHAT IT MEANSNoise complaints have risen sharply in recentyears. Complaints to the airport are up 73%from their most recent low in 1998; complaintsto the Police have risen 20% since 1997. Whilethe variation in Police data is not readilyexplained, the airport data variations reflect

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Yearly Noise Complaints, Nantucket Airport

'02'01'00'99'98'97'96

YEARLY NOISE COMPLAINTS

Nantucket Airport

We have no way to measure “light pollution” — excess artificial light that dims our

perception of the stars and makes night on Nantucket feel less night-like — except for the

eyes of our residents, and their memory of how things used to be.



the installation of voluntary noise abatementroutes in 1998 and the gradual increase in non-compliance with those routes.

When surveyed in 2001, about one-quarter ofNantucket residents believed noise to be aproblem on the Island. About one in seventhought there had been a troubling increase in“ambient light,” the amount of artificial glow inthe sky after dark. We will have to repeat thesurvey to find out if people’s perception of thisas being a problem becomes more pronounced.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThese indicators connect directly to our qualityof life. Quiet, starry nights are also animportant element of our appeal. So preservinga peaceful atmosphere here, and the chance toescape from the ever-present glow of citylights, are an economic necessity, not a luxury.

Preserving a peaceful atmosphere here,

and the chance to escape from the ever-

present glow of city lights, are an

economic necessity, not a luxury.

0

100

200

300

400

500

Total Noise Complaints to Nantucket Police Classified as "Founded"

'01'00'99'98'97

TOTAL NOISE COMPLAINTS

Nantucket Police Classified as "Founded"

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIt would help to get more specific, objective,measured data of noise and ambient light levels(both are measurable) to correlate with thecomplaint data and public survey data,especially over time. We also need to find outwhat the major sources of annoyance are, andwhat can be done to address their causes.

INFORMATION SOURCENantucket Police Department

Nantucket Memorial Airport

Edge Research, Dec. 2001, “Analysis of a Surveyof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents ofNantucket”



TRENDSteadily high

WHAT WE MEASUREWe would like to measure the actual number ofcars on beaches and the time these cars spendon the beach, but there is no such data — soinstead we measure beach driving permits as aproxy. In recent years, Nantucket has sought toregulate four-wheel beach driving by issuingpermits. We follow the number of permitsissued since 1997, the first year the Townissued permits.

WHAT IT MEANSBeach driving is an increasingly popular activitywith residents and tourists — one that allowsthem to enjoy the natural beauty of the Island,and to reach prime fishing locations. However,the high, steady number of vehicles on ourbeaches is visually unappealing and potentiallyharmful to our coastal wildlife and to peopleenjoying our beaches.

Trend data is limited to the past six years,during which we have seen some fluctuationthat makes it difficult to generalize about

INDICATOR: Beach DrivingSTATUS: A Steady Stream of Cars on our Beaches

trends. We saw an upswing between 1997 and1998, from 5800 to 6000 permits, followed bytwo years of falling permits, with another risein 2001.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOBeach driving connects directly toenvironmental concerns such as ecologicalhealth, shorebird nesting habitat and duneprotection. It also connects to our sense ofhistory and to the sustainability of our touristeconomy — and to our quality of life.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

# of Permits Sold

'02'01'00'99'98'97

NANTUCKET BEACH DRIVING PERMITS SOLD

The growing number of vehicles on our

beaches is visually unappealing and

potentially harmful to our coastal wildlife

and to people enjoying our beaches.



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIn addition to tracking the number of Townpermits sold, we would like to track the permitsissued for Great Point and identify anyduplication. More importantly, we would like tomeasure the actual amount of beach driving,and we need to know the precise impact ofbeach driving on the environment. Ecologicalstudies can give us more information, if weconduct such research.


We would like to measure the actual

amount of beach driving, and we need

to know the precise impact of beach

driving on the environment.



TRENDDecreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe would like to measure the disposal of allwaste in our community. But the best we cando for now is to measure landfill and recyclinguse through Waste Options data as provided tothe Department of Public Works for the Townof Nantucket. We know, however, that thisfigure does not account for all waste disposalon the Island.

WHAT IT MEANSIdeally, we would like to see landfill usedecreasing and recycling increasing. However,between 1998 and 2002, we saw the reverse: asteady rise in garbage going to the landfill,with no increase in the amount of garbagebeing recycled (resulting in a decline in therecycling rate).

This increasingly inefficient use of resourcesmeans we produce more goods than are trulynecessary, spending more of our income thanwe need to and using up additional fuel andother resources. Solid waste deposited inlandfills represents resources whose useful life

INDICATOR: Waste and RecyclingSTATUS: Recycling Rates Dropping Significantly

is thought to be finished. Through recycling,composting, reuse, and waste reduction we canuse our resources more efficiently, reducing theneed to consume new natural resources tomanufacture new products.

Recycling rates are strongly affected by themarket. Currently, paper, newspaper andmagazines are being composted rather thanrecycled, due to a slump in the market forthose materials.

Prior to 1998 there was virtually no compostingmechanism in place. Now with a digester andcomposter in full operation, we are able tocompost sludge, animal manure, food waste,

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

Landfilled

Composted

Recycled or Diverted

'02'01'00'99'98

WASTE & RECYCLING ON NANTUCKET

Note: Dirt & Fill Subtracted to Show Relevant Trend

Our increasingly

inefficient use of

resources means we

produce more goods than

are truly necessary,

spending more of our income than we need

to and using up additional fuel and other

resources.



leaf and yard waste and a considerable amountof household trash. At the same time, we areseeing an increase in the amount of mixedwaste, wood, brush, baled plastic bags andother items that cannot go through thedigester/composter system. Therefore, thismaterial ends up in our landfill.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOEnvironmental indicators such as air quality,water quality, and energy usage are connectedto recycling. So are economic factors, likeeconomic diversity or activity — becauserecycling and efficient resource managementcan reduce production costs in the long run,stimulating business.

Recycling and related waste issues connect tothe overall quality of our lives and the lives offuture generations.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to analyze the ratio of wasteproduction to population growth — do we havemore garbage because we have many morepeople, or because people are throwing awaymore stuff per person?

We also need to know more about theeconomics of waste. For example, is moreconstruction waste than necessary going intothe landfill because it costs more to pay a crewto sort than it does to pay the landfill fee?

And we need to understand how to betterencourage recycling practices. How can weinfluence waste policy so the focus stays onlonger-term practices and sustainability?

INFORMATION SOURCEDepartment of Public Works, Town ofNantucket

Environmental indicators such as air

quality, water quality, and energy usage are

connected to recycling. So are economic

factors, like economic diversity or activity

— because recycling and efficient resource

management can reduce production costs in

the long run, stimulating business.



TRENDIncreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look at the average size of newlyconstructed homes on Nantucket to get a senseof our resource consumption.

WHAT IT MEANSHomes size is an issue not only because largerhomes take up more land, but also becauselarger homes use more resources forconstruction, waste management, and upkeep.This looks good for the local economy in theshort term, but it is not a sustainable trendbecause our resources are limited.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThe distinct rise in the size of Nantucket homesparallels other increases — in population,traffic, environmental impacts, and feelings ofeconomic disparity. This is an area where theperceived health of our Economy, and what webelieve to be good for Nature, seem to be at

INDICATOR: Home SizeSTATUS: Homes Size Increasing … in More Ways than One

odds. If home size keeps growing, and if wekeep using land resources as we do today,pressure on Nature will continue to grow aswell.

Home size also connectsto real estate values:depending on theconstruction quality andmarketplace conditions,large new single familyhomes may increase thevalue of surrounding lotsand dwellings, making itharder for first-time homebuyers to get a footholdin the real estate market.

Depending on the construction quality and

marketplace conditions, large new single

family homes may increase the value of

surrounding lots and dwellings, making it

harder for first-time home buyers to get a

foothold in the real estate market.

0

50

100

150

200

>4,000 sq ft2,000-4,000 sq ft<2,000 sq ft

'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

NUMBER OF BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTED

by Square Foot on Nantucket



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIf larger homes are becoming the norm, weneed to know how to build them in such a waythat they don’t use up a disproportionateamount of resources, and in such a way thatthey mesh with the character of Nantucket.

A measure of the occupancy rate and level ofuse of larger homes could be correlated withother social and economic trends, but we havenot yet done that analysis.

INFORMATION SOURCEAssessor’s Office, Town of Nantucket

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Average Sq Foot

'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

AVERAGE SQUARE FOOTAGE

of Buildings Constructed on NantucketIf larger homes are becoming the norm, we

need to know how to build them in such a

way that they don’t use up a

disproportionate amount of resources, and in

such a way that they mesh with the character

of Nantucket.



Social IndicatorsPolitical Engagement

Confidence in Government

Stability of Local Population

Stability of Professional Services

Cultural Diversity

Public Safety

Perception of Public Safety

Volunteerism

Preservation of Sense of History


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F TS O C I E T Y


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F T S O C I E T Y

TRENDLittle change in the raw numbers, but a declinein terms of the percentage of registered voters.

WHAT WE MEASURENantucket’s political engagement includes notonly standard voting in town, state, andnational elections, but also the traditional NewEngland town meeting form of government.For an indicator of how politically active ourcitizens are, we look at two measurements:voters at local elections, and participation inannual town meetings.

WHAT IT MEANSThese numbers indicate a relatively low level ofpolitical engagement. Although our communityhas seen the number of registered voters risealong with the population as a whole, thenumber of people voting in town elections hasnot grown — at least, not much. This meansthat a smaller and smaller percentage of votersare actually casting votes in local elections. Atthe same time, participation in the annualtown meeting has remained low, even droppingslightly since 1999. In percentage terms, thisalso means that fewer of us are gettinginvolved.

INDICATOR: Political EngagementSTATUS: Less than Half of Us Get Involved in Local Decision-Making

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOLow levels of engagement mean that politicaldecisions regarding the economy, theenvironment, social issues, and other topics areless likely to reflect the values held by amajority of the population. It is also impossiblefor our choices to benefit from our fullcollective wisdom if we are not more engaged.And it could be a sign of disenfranchisement,divisiveness within our community, and afeeling that a small group makes decisions forour community. This indicator is also linked toeducation, especially to education aboutgovernment and civic life.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Voters at Annual Town Meeting

Voters at Town Election

Registered Voters

20022001200019991998

REGISTERED VOTER PARTICIPATION

Voters participating in Town Elections and Annual Town

Meetings

Low levels of engagement mean

that political decisions regarding

the economy, the environment,

social issues, and other topics are

less likely to reflect the values held

by a majority of the population.



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to better understand why the majorityof our population is not participating in politicsand elections. Our local trend reflects anational tendency to disengage from politics,and we need to understand what precipitatesthis — both at a local and national level. Wealso need to consider what this trend means forour Town Meeting form of government.

INFORMATION SOURCETown Clerk’s Office, Nantucket

Our local trend reflects a national tendency

to disengage from politics, and we need to

understand what precipitates this — both at

a local and national level.



TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREHow effective is our system of government onNantucket? We look at approval ratings forgoverning groups on the Island, based on a fall2001 survey. We also look at the difference inperspective between full-time and seasonalresidents. This is the first such survey, so notrend assessment can be made.

WHAT IT MEANSAll the groups covered in this survey ratepositively. But while the Land Bank andConservation Commission enjoyed highapproval, feelings were more mixed about theHistoric District Commission and localSelectmen at the time of survey. The Airportsuffered the lowest approval rating inpercentage terms, with only 58% of full-timeresidents approving the commission’s job, and21% disapproving. Seasonal residents seemedmore satisfied with the performance ofgovernment than did full-time residents, withthe exception of their assessment of localSelectmen.

INDICATOR: Confidence in GovernmentSTATUS: Our Confidence Is Mixed

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOSatisfaction with government connectsclosely to voting rates and politicalengagement. And because governmentofficials make decisions affecting almost everyindicator in all categories, satisfaction withgovernment gives us some indication of howwe feel about the quality of our lives as awhole. This indicator also illustrates a potential

0 20 40 60 80 100

Don't Know

Disapprove of Job

Approve of Job

Airport Commission

Local Selectmen

Historic District Commission

Conservation Commission

Land Bank Commission

FULL-TIME RESIDENTS

Satisfaction with Governance on Nantucket (300 surveyed)

Satisfaction with

government connects

closely to voting rates

and political

engagement. And

because government officials make decisions

affecting almost every indicator in all

categories, satisfaction with government gives

us some indication of how we feel about

the quality of our lives as a whole.



0 20 40 60 80 100

Don't Know

Disapprove of Job

Approve of Job

Airport Commission

Local Selectmen

Historic District Commission

Conservation Commission

Land Bank Commission

SEASONAL RESIDENTS

Satisfaction with Governance on Nantucket (158 surveyed)

difference in the sense of communityconnectedness between full-time and seasonalresidents.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIt will be important to develop a data seriesover time in order to determine trends. Futuresurveys could also be enhanced by askingpeople specifically why they approve ordisapprove of a governmental body’sperformance.

INFORMATION SOURCEEdge Research, “Survey of Full-Time andSeasonal Residents of Nantucket,” December,2001



TRENDChurn is increasing, so stability is declining

WHAT WE MEASURETo get a sense of the stability of ourpopulation, we look at the number of us whomove to Nantucket each year, and the numberof us who move away. We compare the total ofthose two figures to the population level,because that tells us the total rate of change inthe people living here. We call the totalpercentage of people moving either in or out“population churn.”

Note: The data here is based on IRS tax returnsand exemptions claimed, and when comparedto US Census data, it appears to under-represent total Nantucket population by asignificant percentage. In effect, this indicatormeasures only a large sample of our permanentpopulation.

WHAT IT MEANSWe have a high churn rate, and it has beenrising higher. In the year 2000-01, nearly aquarter of us moved. We live in a country ofrapid motion, but the rate at which we move to

INDICATOR: Stability of Local PopulationSTATUS: High Rate of Population Movement (“Churn”) is Increasing

and from Nantucket is outpacing the rest ofthe nation. Back in the mid-nineties, our churnrate was closer to 15%, which is typical for theUnited States.

Even with this increasing mobility, however,according to a survey conducted in 2001, westill have much stability: most full-timeresidents of Nantucket have lived here for morethan 10 years, and 28% of us have lived herefor 20 years or more.

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Out-Migration (number of people moving)

In-Migration (number of people moving)

2000-011999-001998-991997-981996-971995-961994-951993-941992-931991-921990-91

Percent of population turnover relative to non-migrating population

POPULATION "CHURN" ON NANTUCKET



connected to volunteerism, public safety, andcultural understanding, and can also enhancephysical health and mental well-being. On theother hand, a naturally occurring turnover ofthe population can reenergize a politicallystagnant climate and bring enriching new ideasand experiences into the community.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to explore the impact of our manynewcomers on our community’s stability. Arethese newcomers likely to become long-timers?Are they more or less likely to engage in thepolitical process? How can we welcome theflow of so many new residents whilemaintaining and even strengthening our senseof community stability?

INFORMATION SOURCEInternal Revenue Service

Edge Research, “Survey of Full-Time andSeasonal Residents of Nantucket,” December,2001

Among full-time residents, 19% have lived hereless than five years, and 18% have lived here 5-10 years. About 67% of full-time residents arehomeowners — a figure almost identical tonational home ownership rates.

But the trend in recent years shows anincreasing number of people leaving. Thenumber of people leaving every year went upabout 60% between 1997-98 and 2000-2001,reaching its highest levels of the decade. Thisshould give us cause for concern if the trendcontinues.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOA stable population is more likely to develop astrong sense of community. When neighborsknow each other well, they are more likely tocome together for a common cause, to bepolitically engaged, to generally enhance thewell-being of the community. Stability is

A stable population is more likely to develop

a strong sense of community. When

neighbors know each other well, they are

more likely to come together for a common

cause, to be politically engaged, to generally

enhance the well-being of the community.



TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREMost Islanders have heard about the exodus ofour essential community workers – hospitalstaff, school employees, police, and otherworkers who have been “forced” to leaveNantucket because of issues such as housingaffordability and the high cost of living.Unfortunately, while the problem ofmaintaining a stable group of people to provideour community with key professional servicesexists, we have no hard data to tell its trueextent, or to help us better understandsolutions.

WHAT IT MEANSOur lack of data does not mean the problemdoes not exist. This indicator was selectedbecause of the enormous importance placed onthe issue by participants in our communitydialogue process. We need to find a measure sowe can track the status of this difficultsituation.

INDICATOR: Stability of Professional ServicesSTATUS: We Have No Data … but Anecdotal Evidence Causes Concern

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOHaving key professionals in stable and securepositions is essential to continuity, expertise,and understanding in areas such as health care,education, economic development andplanning, and the study and care of ourenvironment. Stability of professional servicesalso connects to cost of living, home ownershipaffordability, learning, economic diversity, andecosystem health. This is one indicator thattouches each of us in our everyday life as wego about providing and using essential services.

Most Islanders have heard about the exodus of our essential community workers –

hospital staff, school employees, police, and other workers who have been “forced” to leave

Nantucket because of issues such as housing affordability and the high cost of living.

Unfortunately, while the problem of maintaining a stable group of people to provide our

community with key professional services exists, we have no hard data to tell its true

extent, or to help us better understand solutions.

STABILITY OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know how many people are leavingand what services they provide. Importantly, wealso need to know why they are leaving — is itbecause of changes in the community, changesin employment, because of high costs, or bypersonal choice? And we also need to knowwhat can be done to encourage them to stay.

And at the same time, the talents and skills ofour long-time residential population can andshould be supplemented with newcomers. Butwhen newcomers do take up these positions,we’d like to know what they need in order tofeel both socially integrated to Island living andeconomically secure.

INFORMATION SOURCEIndicators Community Dialogue Process

We need to know how many people are

leaving and what services they provide.

Importantly, we also need to know why they

are leaving — is it because of changes in the

community, changes in employment, because

of high costs, or by personal choice?



TRENDBoth population and racial diversity areincreasing; age diversity has declined

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look to US Census data to chart populationgrowth and demographic shifts.

WHAT IT MEANSOur full-time population nearly doubledbetween 1990 and 2001, from 6,000 to 11,700.The bulk of that growth happened in the 20-59age group, which grew from 57% of thepopulation to 65.2% ten years later.

During that time, our community became moreracially diverse. In 1990, less than 3% of thepopulation was from a minority group. By2000, 12% of the population identifiedthemselves as being from a minority group.

While Census methods changed regarding howrace and ethnicity were identified in the Year2000 census — making it more possible toidentify oneself as being of mixed ethnicbackground, for example — this sharp jump indiversity is still highly significant.

INDICATOR: Cultural DiversitySTATUS: Island Population Growing, Becoming More Diverse

At the same time, age diversity declined a bit.We had 2% fewer children and teenagers in2000 compared to 1990, and nearly 5% fewerfolks who were 60 or older.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TODiversity in our population connects to thedeeper concepts of cultural, intellectual andphilosophical variety, which lend richness toour work, our art, our music, our food, our livesas individuals, and our community overall.

Diversity also connects to learning, becausewith a diverse population there is more aroundus on a daily level to learn from. And diversityin our population connects to economicdiversity, as different groups bring with themdifferent business perspectives and differentemployment abilities.

Diversity in our population connects to the

deeper concepts of cultural, intellectual and

philosophical variety, which lend richness to

our work, our art, our music, our food, our

lives as individuals, and our community

overall.

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

2000 1990

65 and older

60-64 years

20-59 years

10-19 years

Less than 10 years

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2000 1990

Other minorities

White

Black

CHANGE IN AGE GROUP DIVERSITY

as percentage of Nantucket population

CHANGE IN RACIAL DIVERSITY

as percentage of Nantucket population



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWCensus data does not break down whetherresidents are seasonal or full-time — it wouldbe interesting to see how our demographicchanges over the past ten years divide upbetween seasonal and year- round residents.

Additionally, Census data speaks to presence ofminority groups, not necessarily to communityacceptance. It would be helpful to measurefeelings of community integration as well aspopulation diversity.

INFORMATION SOURCEU.S. Census Bureau

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Total population

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91'90

TOTAL PERMANENT POPULATION

Nantucket 1990 - 2001



TRENDIncreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look at the Island’s crime statistics in orderto measure our overall public safety. We look atnumbers of crimes, rather than crime as apercentage of our growing population, becauseof our small size as a community: an increase inthe number of violent crimes affects all of us,even if the crime rate, in percentage terms, isnot growing.

WHAT IT MEANSOur community is fortunate to have relativelylittle crime. But violent crime (rape, robberyand assault) did rise sharply between 1997 and2001, from 40 violent crimes to 143. Totalcrime in recent years is back up to where it wasin the middle 1990s, but still not as high as thepeak year of 1991. Although we have littlecrime compared to most communities, it’sworth noting that the recent upward trend inviolent crime took place at a time when mostof the country was seeing a decline in violentcrime.

INDICATOR: Public SafetySTATUS: Crime Rate Low, but on the Rise since 1997

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Total Number of Thefts

Violent Crimes

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

CRIME ON NANTUCKET

Reporting Years Correspond to Town Fiscal Year, which runs July 1 - June 30

Theft (including larceny, breaking and entering,and motor vehicle theft) is far more commonthan violent crime, and it has been trendingupward, with oscillations, since 1997. However,theft statistics include even very minor crimes,

Although we have little crime compared to

most communities, it’s worth noting that the

recent upward trend in violent crime took

place at a time when most of the country

was seeing a decline in violent crime.

Note: Data for 1992 not available

such as stolen beachtowels, which can givea misleading picture ofthe seriousness of thecrime rates.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOCrime links to a number of indicators in theWell-Being, Society, and Economy sectors. Thecausal relationships can run both ways, withsocial and economic problems “causing” morecrime, and crime “causing” more social andeconomic negative effects.

Crime undermines the economic, social, andindividual well-being of our community bycausing injury and property damage whilediverting public resources from social services.Crime has clear connections to substanceabuse, income distribution, family stability,poverty, and the size and stability of thepopulation. Crime also links to our feelings ofcommunity connectedness and to thesustainability of our tourism economy.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know the factors behind the recentrise in crime, especially violent crime. We needto know what is contributing to the increase,and, importantly, how we as a community canreverse this trend.

INFORMATION SOURCEAnnual Report, Town of Nantucket

Crime undermines the economic,

social, and individual well-being of

our community by causing injury

and property damage while diverting

public resources from social services.



TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREAs in most communities, Nantucket’s feeling ofsafety is just as important as the hard data oncrime. Changes in that feeling often lag behindthe facts, but they influence other communitybehaviors (such as locking homes and cars). Sowith this indicator, we use a survey question tomeasure whether crime is a major concern ofmost full-time and seasonal residents. Becausewe are relying on a survey, which was recentlyperformed for the first time, we have only oneyear’s data, and cannot yet determine a trend.

WHAT IT MEANSOn a list of 17 issues of concern, includingaffordable housing, traffic, pollution, andothers, crime ranked very low for most of ourcitizens. It came in 16th out of 17 issues cited byresidents. Full-time residents were moreconcerned about noise pollution, the numberof workers commuting to jobs, and other issues.The only issue residents were less concernedabout was the increase in ambient light. Forseasonal residents, crime was ranked 15 of 17,ranking slightly above noise pollution and anincrease in ambient light.

INDICATOR: Perception of Public SafetySTATUS: While Crime Is on the Rise, Concern Is Low

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Seasonal Residents

Full-Time Residents

Increase In Ambient Light

CrimeNoise Pollution

Increase In Air Traffic

Public Services

Increased Tourism

Fewer Year-Round Businesses Downtown

Number Of Workers Commuting

Sense Of Community

Quality/Quantity Freshwater

Decline Of Scallop Harvest

Traffic

Workers Commuting/Not Supporting Economy

Loss Of Open Spaces

Increased Growth/Development

Affordable Housing (Generally)

Affordable Housing For Full-Time Residents

PERCEPTION OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Nantucketers Surveyed Who Say This Issue "concerns me the most or a great deal" (458 Surveyed)

Perception of public safety connects to

the same indicators as public safety,

but also relates directly to our

community connectedness.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOCrime is perceived — in our view, accurately —as a good general indicator of social health.Perception of public safety connects to thesame indicators as public safety, but also relatesdirectly to our community connectedness.

It is interesting to note that residents havelittle concern over crime, even though crimerates have risen in the past five years. Thisfollows the pattern observed elsewhere of“perception lagging behind reality.” (It happensin reverse, too: when communities becomesafer statistically, it takes a while beforeresidents feel safer.) We note, however, that theperception that crime isn’t a top priority onNantucket does accurately reflect our low rateof crime compared to most areas of thecountry.

It is interesting to note that residents have

little concern over crime, even though crime

rates have risen in the past five years.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe do not know how perceptions of publicsafety have changed over the past severalyears. It would be interesting to see whetherthe recent rising incidence of crime has createda change in public attitudes and behaviors.




TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREIt is difficult to measure the concept ofvolunteerism because there are so many waysto volunteer in our community, from year-round operational support to event-specifichelp. Volunteerism is staffing the hotline at ASafe Place and supporting programs at the SaltMarsh Senior Center; and it is also staffing theCottage Hospital’s Boston Pops event or theNantucket Film Festival screenings.Volunteerism can and should include thecountless hours concerned citizens spend ontown boards and commissions, and it shouldalso include the effort we expend advocatingour causes.

And then there is the group that pioneeredrecycling on the Island simply by taking theirown time to go out to the dump on theweekends and sort everyone’s trash. This is allpart of what we feel should be included involunteerism — but there is no concretemeasure of all these hours. So instead we lookfor a proxy. The proxy we have chosen here is

INDICATOR: VolunteerismSTATUS: We Have No Trend Data … but We’re Looking

the number of member and non-member non-profits listed by the Nantucket Chamber ofCommerce. Our assumption is that becausenon-profits historically tend to rely onvolunteers, the more non-profits, the morevolunteerism. But we do acknowledge this is aless-than-perfect proxy and catches only onesmall piece of the broader concept ofvolunteerism.

WHAT IT MEANSThe number of non-profits stands at 96 (54Chamber members and 42 non-members). Wewill watch this and see if it rises or falls in thefuture. One caveat: we also need to note that

NON-PROFITS ON NANTUCKET, 2002

Non-Profits that areMembers of the Chamber of Commerce 54

Non-Profits that are NotMembers of the Chamber of Commerce 42

Total Non-profits on Nantucket 96

Volunteerism connects closely with

our sense of community, because

volunteering leads to engaged citizens,

raises our awareness of issues

affecting our surroundings, and in

general makes us feel a part of a

positive force.



more non-profits do not necessarily mean morevolunteerism. An increase in numbers of non-profits could be a result of external forces - -typically, when federal, state and town fundingdiminishes, non-profits proliferate, trying to fillneeded gaps in services.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOVolunteerism connects closely with our sense ofcommunity, because volunteering leads toengaged citizens, raises our awareness of issuesaffecting our surroundings, and in generalmakes us feel a part of a positive force.

Additionally, volunteerism affects other Well-Being indicators. Many organizations thatbenefit the public depend heavily on volunteersto accomplish goals. Higher volunteer ratesindicate better services for the needy and cancontribute to a better quality of life in thecommunity, while low rates can lead to greaterdemands on local government.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need an effective measure that capturesnot just one facet of volunteerism but allvolunteerism, because it is the entirety of ourunpaid work that benefits our community. Youcould even say that volunteerism is one of theelements that combines to create our sense ofcommunity, and what makes Nantucket theunique place it is.

This will be an important indicator to track inthe future, because a decline in volunteerismcould signal a general decline in communityhealth.

INFORMATION SOURCENantucket Island Chamber of Commerce

Higher volunteer rates indicate better services

for the needy and can contribute to a better

quality of life in the community, while low

rates can lead to greater demands on local

government.



INDICATOR: Preserving Our Sense of HistorySTATUS: No Data Available for this Important Social Indicator

TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREBecause Nantucket’s history is so central to ourcommunity and economic life, we were keenlyinterested in the status of historic preservationon Nantucket. However, because we wereunable to find, or develop, a suitable indicatorto measure our status or identify a trend, wemust acknowledge that “history” casts a broadnet over many aspects of the Island.

The community dialogue process focused oftenon the question of historic buildings being torndown, renovated, or added to, and what thismight mean for community character andidentity. Since the preservation of history goesbeyond buildings, we must also consider ourlandscape, economic activities, and patterns ofdevelopment as possible indicators of ourpreservation efforts. Since history is acontinuum of human life, social and politicalevents and natural and man-made places, weacknowledge that what we are today reflectshow much of the past we have retained and inwhat form. Conversely, we know that the

decisions we make today will contribute towhat we will be in 2103. Finding ways tomeasure our sense of history will be an integralpart of that decision making process.

WHAT IT MEANSOur sense of history on any given day dependson the current “preservation mix” in ourcommunity’s entire pattern of life, whichevolves all the time. Let’s take an example: Asrecently as the early 1900’s, there werenumerous food and dairy farms. Islandersprovided for themselves as much as possible.

Since history is a continuum of human life,

social and political events and natural and

man-made places, we acknowledge that what

we are today reflects how much of the past

we have retained and in what form.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOOur sense of history and our historic fabriccorrelate strongly to our sense of communityconnectedness. History also connects directly toour economic livelihood, because the feelingand presence of Nantucket history is a definitedraw for our seasonal visitors.

Our sense of history can also, however, stronglyimpact both our economic and environmentalindicators. If we simply “forget” that scallopshave long been a part of our culture, we maycease caring about them … and about thewater quality on which they depend. If we loseour sense of the value of our older buildingsand allow them to become degraded, thatcould reduce the viability of our touristeconomy, and so on.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to more fully understand what it isthat creates our feelings of connection withour history, and how to define and carry theseconnections forward.

INFORMATION SOURCEIndicators Community Dialogue Process

Transportation around the Island was by horseand buggy. Livery and blacksmiths were animportant part of the workforce. The workingwaterfront was bustling with fishermen andtrade coming in by sail and steam, the soletransport to and from the Island. Labor-intensive professions kept people busy makingand repairing sails and rigging, and haulinggoods.

A hundred years later we have preserved twoworking farms and a bog, several cobbledstreets and lanes, a small but functioningfishery, hundreds of buildings, acres oflandscape and an extensive archive of thedistant past. From whaling to tourism, ourhistoric past has always been linked to theviability of our economy. That means that thetypes of economic activities we pursue, the mixof structures we preserve, the developmentpatterns we encourage and the lifestyles wemaintain could determine how our economywill fare over the next hundred years.

From whaling to tourism, our historic past

has always been linked to the viability of

our economy. That means that the types of

economic activities we pursue, the mix of

structures we preserve, the development

patterns we encourage and the lifestyles we

maintain could determine how our economy

will fare over the next hundred years.



Economic IndicatorsEconomic Diversity

Sustainability of Tourist Economy

Economic Value of Bay Scallop Industry

Income Distribution

Cost of Living

Home Ownership Affordability

Housing Usage Patterns

Traffic

Public Transportation

Size of Off Island Commuting Workforce


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F TE C O N O M Y


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F T E C O N O M Y

TRENDEmployment leveling off after years of steadygrowth; mix of jobs remains relatively stable.

WHAT WE MEASURETo get a sense of the diversity of the economyon Nantucket Island, we look at where jobs areconcentrated, using data compiled by theCommonwealth of Massachusetts Division ofEmployment and Training.

WHAT IT MEANSA diverse economy is a resilient economy — onethat can ride out the national economic upsand downs more steadily. This employmentgraph shows that employment levels have beenrising overall, with a concentration of jobs inretail sales (“Trade”) and services — the kinds ofjobs that serve a growing, tourism-basedeconomy. Just over two-thirds (68%) of ourjobs are concentrated in those two sectors. Andwhile overall numbers have generally increasedsince 1991 (with a very slight decline in 2001),the percentage of jobs within the varioussectors has not changed markedly, which meansthat our economic mix is relatively stable.

INDICATOR: Economic DiversitySTATUS: Economic Mix Remaining Stable As We Grow

While tourism is a major component of theIsland economy, questions remain aboutdeveloping a year-round economy that isless dependent on that sector. But we areat least holding our ground in this crucialmeasure.

HOW IT CONNECTSThe diversity of our economy affects oursecurity—how vulnerable we are, or are not,to changes that affect any one sector of

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Trade (includes retail sales, does not include construction)

Services

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

Construction and Manufacturing

Government & Transportation, Communication, & Public Utilities

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91'90'89

EMPLOYMENT ON NANTUCKET, BY SECTOR



our economy. Hence it is tied to the size of ouron- and off-Island workforces, to the stabilityof our population, to the stability of ourcareers, and to our overall well-being. Also, theextreme seasonal nature of the tourismeconomy has impacts throughout the entirefabric of Nantucket life, from the cost of livingto our ability to retain stability in ourprofessional services.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIdeally, it would be helpful to find forecastingtools based on trend data to show us whateconomic changes are in store for the Island.This kind of information would help us knowwhether our current mix of jobs will be able toride out these changes, and thrive under them.It may be possible to use indicators to makeprojections of this, or at least to understandour history, which may be our best guide to ourfuture.

We would also like to be able to forecast theconcrete impacts, both pro and con, that wouldresult from efforts to further diversify our Islandeconomy.

INFORMATION SOURCES“Employment and Wages in Nantucket (ES-202Series),” Comm. of Mass. Division of Employmentand Training, http://www.detma.org/

A diverse economy is a resilient economy

— one that can ride out the national

economic ups and downs more steadily.



TRENDIncreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWhile many of us do other things to make aliving, our economy is fundamentally based ontourism. To maintain our standard of living, wedepend on visitors coming here and spendingfreely in our shops, restaurants, inns and otherattractions. Our appeal to visitors is thus one ofour most important economic assets.

To get a sense of the sustainability of ourtourism economy, we track the peak seasonpopulation. To do this we count the “overnightpopulation” and “day trippers.” Overnightpopulation includes anybody sleeping over onNantucket in July, including year-roundresidents and their guests; seasonal owners andrenters; people staying in boats on the harbors;and lodging guests. Day trippers are visitorswho arrive and leave on the same day.

We look at these discrete segments ofpopulation because each segment has adifferent set of needs and impacts, and eachexperiences Nantucket in a slightlydifferent way.

INDICATOR: Sustainability of Tourist EconomySTATUS: Peak Season Population Increases

WHAT IT MEANSThe peak season population has increased by33% since 1990. Growth was steady from 1990to 1999, and it accelerated between 1999 and2001. But note that most of the growth camefrom an increase in overnight residents andtheir guests, not from day trippers/commuters.

The parallel growth in full-time, permanentresidents (from 6,000 in 1990 to almost 12,000in 2001) means that permanent residents are agrowing percentage of the peak-seasonpopulation, relative to overnight residents. In1990, permanent year-round residentsrepresented just under18% of the Island’s peak-season population; by 2001, they madeup 26%.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

DayTrippers / Commuters

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91'900

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

Overnight Population

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91'90

DAYTRIPPERS / COMMUTERS

on Nantucket in July (Peak Season)

OVERNIGHT RESIDENTS

on Nantucket in July (Peak Season)



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThe peak population indicator connects directlyto many aspects of our economy, includinghome ownership affordability, housing usage,size of off-Island commuting workforce, andeconomic diversity. It also connects withsocietal indicators such as the stability of thelocal population, as well as the Island’s sense ofcommunity and identity.

Peak population also connects to Natureindicators such as harbor water quality, wasteand recycling, beach driving and energy use.And of course, what this indicator isattempting to measure — our stableattractiveness as a tourist destination — is

dependant on our remaining attractive.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to understand better how much ofour peak-season population comes directlyfrom tourism; how much of it comes fromvisitors who do not have friends or relativeswho live on the Island; and how much of itcomes from our own extended families andcircles of friends and colleagues.

INFORMATION SOURCE:Howard/Stein-Hudson Association, Inc. / RKGAssociates, Inc.

Nantucket Airport Commission

Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and NantucketSteamship Authority.

The peak population indicator connects

directly to many aspects of our economy,

including housing affordability, housing

usage, off-Island commuting, and

economic diversity.



INDICATOR: Economic Value of Bay Scallop IndustrySTATUS: After Years of General Decline, Recent Signs of Recovery

TRENDOscillating over the decade; lower overall

WHAT WE MEASUREHistorically, Nantucket’s economy has beenbased on harvesting resources from the sea. Bayscallop harvests have been a consistent part ofthat economy. Here, we track the annual valueof the scallop harvest, to assess thesustainability of this historic way of life andsource of sustenance.

WHAT IT MEANSThe annual value of the bay scallop harvestdepends on several factors, including the size ofthe harvest, the price per pound, and themarket demand. The scallop harvest fluctuatedin value throughout the 1990s, but declinedoverall. After declines in the early 90s, theharvest peaked to a ten-year high in 1994, thendropped again. In 1999, the harvest’s valuebegan rising, returning to slightly higher levelsthan at the beginning of the decade beforedropping again in the most recent data year.The oscillation pattern over the decade appearsto be cyclical, and recent years show signs of apossible upswing.

0

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

Estimated Total $ Harvest Value (adj)

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

ESTIMATED TOTAL $ HARVEST VALUE

Commercial Bay Scallops, Nantucket Island

Constant 2001 Dollars

Note: in 1980 the harvest value adjusted to year 2001was

$7.95 million

It is interesting to consider that the value ofthe harvest in 1981 was $7.95 million (in 2001dollar equivalents), and that twenty years later,the value was less than $1 million.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOHarvest value is directly connected to harborwater quality — see the Scallop Harvestindicator in “Nature” for more details on thetight connection between what’s happening toour waters, and what happens to our shellfish.

This indicator is also linked to economicdiversity, since the fishery provides incomeindependent of the tourist trade. And thefishery adds to our sense of Island history andcontinuity.

This indicator is also linked to economic

diversity, since the fishery provides income

independent of the tourist trade. And the

fishery adds to our sense of Island history

and continuity.



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWLike all agriculture, the scallop fishery is cyclicalin nature. A certain amount of variation inharvest is to be expected. It is not clear whatfactors drove the sharp increase between 1998and 2000: prices were stable while catchincreased, but we can’t be sure why catch wasup. In 2001, the price dropped significantly(from $13 to $8 dollars a bushel, in currentyear prices not adjusted for inflation), butagain, we need more information to know whythat happened.

INFORMATION SOURCE:Marine and Coastal Resources DepartmentTown of Nantucket

It is not clear what factors drove the sharp

increase between 1998 and 2000: prices

were stable while catch increased, but we

can’t be sure why catch was up.



TRENDUnknown (only one year of data)

WHAT WE MEASUREWe compare the household incomes of year-round and seasonal Islanders. We group theresults into four categories: below $50,000 peryear, from $50,000 to $100,000, from $100,000to $200,000, and above $200,000.

WHAT IT MEANSOn the whole, those of us who live hereseasonally are a relatively wealthy group, withmore than a quarter of us enjoying incomes ofover $200,000 a year. We can see that those ofus who are here year-round are alsocomparatively wealthy — though not nearly aswealthy as seasonal residents. Nearly half ofour year-round residents earn over $50,000 peryear. The gap in income between those of uswho are seasonal and those of us who staythrough the year is one of the morefundamental factors shaping contemporaryNantucket society.

INDICATOR: Income DistributionSTATUS: Our Seasonal Residents Have Higher Incomes

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOIncome distribution connects to economic well-being and to many social issues. It is alsointertwined with community connectedness,volunteerism (those who don’t depend onemployment for living expenses might havemore time to volunteer), home ownershipaffordability, and even to stability of localpopulation and stability of professional services(if incomes are low, Islanders may be forced toleave). This indicator has quite a bit of meaningfor how we perceive ourselves and how we seeourselves in relation to our neighbors.

DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Year-Round and Seasonal Residents, Nantucket, 2001

Edge Research Survey Data, "No Response" Not Graphed

0 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Seasonal Residents

Year-Round Residents

$200,000 +

$100,000 - $200,000

$50,000 - $100,000

<$50,000

The gap in income between those

of us who are seasonal and those

of us who stay through the year

is one of the more fundamental

factors shaping contemporary

Nantucket society.



We need to understand how the

distribution of income and wealth

shapes our social relationships, our

work, and our community.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to understand how the distribution ofincome and wealth shapes our socialrelationships, our work, and our community.Knowing income is meaningful, but tounderstand our wealth we also need tounderstand asset accumulation. Some of usdon’t live off of each year’s income, but ratheroff of income from past years and frominheritances.

INFORMATION SOURCE:Edge Research, “Survey of Full-Time andSeasonal Residents of Nantucket” (Dec. 2001)



TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREWe use the data we have: a study ofcomparative living costs between Nantucketand Hyannis, performed by RKG Associates inJune of 2002. This study compared prices forgroceries, propane, heating oil, mid-gradegasoline, electricity, and estimates of retail rentcosts. We subtracted out retail rents, sincethese do not affect the average family living onthe Island as directly.

WHAT IT MEANSIt will come as no surprise that Nantucket ismore expensive than Hyannis, our nearestneighbor. The 15% difference in this index isdriven by two factors: gasoline (about 37%more expensive), and heating oil (48% moreexpensive). The other factors, includinggroceries, were nearly equivalent in price; andit may come as a big surprise that electricity(per kwh) was a little cheaper here.

INDICATOR: Cost of LivingSTATUS: Living Here Costs About 15% More than Living in Hyannis

When combined with the fast-rising cost ofhousing — and noting that median incomes onNantucket are only about 17% higher than inBarnstable County — it is no wonder that lowand middle-income families are finding find itincreasingly difficult to make ends meet here.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOOur high cost of living is a product of what weare not connected to, of course: the mainland.This price differential contributes to thechallenges we face in maintaining stability inour community, and in maintaining a stable setof professional service providers. High pricesincrease our vulnerability should our tourism-based economy falter, and they add stress tofamilies as well.

Note that the factors contributing to this cost-of-living difference can be grouped into twocategories: transportation, and energy. Some ofour costs are driven by our geography and the

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Comparative Cost of Living Index

NantucketHyannis

COMPARATIVE COST OF LIVING INDEX

Nantucket Compared to Hyannis, 2002

Hyannis Cost of Living Figures Normalized to 100 for

Comparison Purposes

Comparison based on comparative cost of groceries, propane,

heating oil, mid-grade gasoline, and electricity

High prices increase our vulnerability should

our tourism-based economy falter, and they

add stress to families as well.



fact that additional transportation costs to anisland must be absorbed by the consumer. Ourenergy costs, however, are not as dependent onprice: we can choose to consume less energy,by driving less or riding transit more, bybuilding smaller homes or turning ourthermostats or air-conditioners down.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWThis was a one-time study, and we need trenddata. While knowing the difference betweenNantucket and Hyannis is instructive, acomprehensive cost-of-living study forNantucket should also compare a marketbasket of necessary goods and services withincomes over time, so we can quantify thebreaking point that leads to a family’s decsionto relocate based on cost of living realities.

INFORMATION SOURCES:RKG Associates, Inc., Monitoring the NantucketEconomy: An Update to the 1993 NantucketEconomic Base Study, June 2002

Nantucket should also compare a market

basket of necessary goods and services

with incomes over time, so we can

quantify the breaking point that leads to

a family’s decsion to relocate based on

cost of living realities.



TRENDHome and Lot Values Increasing; AffordabilityDecreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe track housing affordability by looking at anindicator that everyone can relate to: thechange in housing prices over the last decade.We look at both the average and median homeprices, as well as the average and median pricesfor a vacant land. We use both the average andthe median price — adjusted for inflation — tounderscore a point: the “average price” is notthe typical price. The median is the literal mid-point on the list of houses sold in a given year,and so is more reflective of a “typical” houseprice for that year. The average, meanwhile, istugged quite a bit higher, in our case, becausethe price of our most expensive homes is sohigh.

While many other factors influenceaffordability — especially the income of thefamily attempting to purchase the home — thechange in prices here is so dramatic that it tellsthe story quite adequately, and much moresimply.

INDICATOR: Home Ownership AffordabilitySTATUS: Real Estate Values Skyrocketing; Affordable Housing for Islanders Disappearing

WHAT IT MEANSThese measures point to homeownership as adisappearing opportunity. Hovering around$800,000, Nantucket’s median home pricehas nearly tripled over the past ten years. Inorder to afford the monthly payments on amedian-priced home, the median-incomeNantucket household, who might onlyqualify for the debt service on a $200,000mortgage, would need to come up with adown payment of about $600,000. This is ahuge “affordability gap” and it is pushinghome ownership out of the reach of mostmiddle-income Nantucket households.

We are at serious risk of losing many Islanderswho, in the past, could hope to earn their wayinto homeownership via the conventional routeof savings and hard work. On the plus side,

0

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

$1,400,000

$1,600,000

Average Home Price

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

Median Home Price

Average Land Price

Median Land Price

HOME & LAND PRICES ON NANTUCKET

Prices in constant 2001 dollars

The huge “affordability

gap” is pushing home

ownership out of the reach

of most middle-income

Nantucket households.



Nantucket is so coveted a location that returnson investment in real estate are second to nonein Massachusetts, and surpassed by only a fewother places in the USA. These extraordinarycircumstances have made many Island residentswealthy beyond expectations and have helpedour tourism and home building industries soar.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThis is a trend that affects everybody, andeverything, on Nantucket. Nantucket’s uniqueappeal has drawn so many, with so much. It’ssupply and demand economics. There’s a highdemand, and a limited supply. Solving thedilemma of the great success/great challengenature of our real estate market is crucial toour overall sustainability as a community.

A lack of affordable housing contributes to sizeof off-Island commuting workforce, becausemany workers in the Island’s service and retailjobs cannot afford to live in the communitywhere they work. This undermines the Island’ssense of community and detracts from thestability of the local population, and from thestability of professional services.

Real estate values also connect to overall Well-Being via indicators such as incomedistribution, cost of living, family stability,hidden poverty, learning, and even Natureindicators such as land preservation and homesize.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWRecently, an in-depth study was completed,quantifying this crisis. Now we need to learnhow to implement the recommendationseffectively. We need to know what tactics andpaths to take to best achieve solutions thatwork for all of Nantucket.

INFORMATION SOURCE:“Housing Our Community: A Year-roundHousing Needs Assessment”, John Ryan forNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation and the Nantucket ResidentHousing Partnership, July 2002

A lack of affordable housing contributes

to off-Island commuting, because many

workers in the Island’s service and retail

jobs cannot afford to live in the

community where they work. This

undermines the Island’s sense of

community and detracts from the stability

of the local population.



TRENDNumber of houses increasing; ratio of occupiedto vacant remains stable

WHAT WE MEASURETo get a feeling for how the houses are beingused on Nantucket, we look at data on thenumber of housing units available, and we lookat which ones are “occupied.” This measuregives us an idea of how many homes are year-round homes, and how many homes areseasonal. We also look at how the “vacant”housing stock is used.

WHAT IT MEANSOur total housing stock increased by over 30%between 1990 and 2000 — a jump of 2,189houses. This is one of the elements that hasmade Nantucket County one of the fastestgrowing counties in Massachusetts.

However, housing stock alone doesn’t tell thewhole story. Looking deeper into the data wesee that the 30% growth is fairly equallybalanced — it comes from houses classified as

INDICATOR: Housing Usage PatternsSTATUS: Ratio Between Occupied and Vacant Homes Remains Relatively Stable While the

Overall Number of Houses Is Increasing

occupied as well as those classified vacant. In1990, 37% of homes were occupied and 63%were vacant; in 2000 40% of homes wereoccupied and 60% were vacant. And it’s a fairlysafe assumption to correlate vacant homeswith what we think of as seasonal homes; in2000, 94% of the vacant housing stock was forseasonal, recreational or occasional use.

This data quantifies something we all know —Nantucket’s population has significant portionsof both seasonal and year-round residents.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOHouse usage has direct connections to manyEconomic indicators, because housing isfundamental to both our tourism economy andour non-tourist based economy. Seasonalvisitors need places to stay which relates tosustainability of tourist economy, and this needin turn creates a demand for housing thataffects home ownership affordability for allIslanders, seasonal and year-round alike. Houseusage patterns also link to Society indicators; adual population has ripple effects in manyareas, including political engagement,volunteerism and preserving our sense of

Seasonal visitors need places to stay which

relates to sustainability of tourist economy,

and this need in turn creates a demand for

housing that affects home ownership

affordability for all Islanders, seasonal and

year-round alike.

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

Vacant housing units

Occupied housing units

20001990

63%

60%

40%37%

HOUSING STOCK AND USAGE ON NANTUCKET



history. And house usage patterns have manyramifications in our Nature sector. Year-roundand seasonal homes may put different burdenson our land, use resources differently, and theoverall increase in home numbers directlyaffects our preservation of land.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIt would be valuable to know not just thenumber of houses that are vacant versus thenumber that are occupied, but also detailsabout actual houses within these categories.Are their different usage patterns for thedifferent categories? If we can look into theseusage patterns (land use patterns, energy use,

traffic patterns, etc.) we may be better able tounderstand the needs of our various segmentsof populations and, as a whole community, maybe able to address issues of serving these needsin a sustainable manner.

INFORMATION SOURCE:US Census Bureau

Other vacant

For migratory workers

For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use

Rented or sold, not occupied

For sale only

For rent

STATUS OF VACANT HOUSING ON NANTUCKET

2000



TRENDIncreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREAs our overall indicator of traffic conditions onNantucket, we track the number of vehiclesregistered on Island. We also measure the levelof concern about traffic proliferation through asurvey question.

WHAT IT MEANSThis indicator has been rising extremely rapidly:the number of registered vehicles on the Islandhas grown by 80% since 1990.

The rapid rise in traffic is a serious concern toIsland residents, according to a 2001 survey.Nearly half of all full-time residents said trafficwas either of great concern or one of their topconcerns. Seasonal residents were even morealarmed — 63% mentioned traffic as a great ortop concern.

INDICATOR: TrafficSTATUS: Traffic Is Increasing Very Rapidly … and So Is Concern

WHAT ITCONNECTS TOWe feel our connections totraffic almost every day. Whilevehicles provide us withconvenient personal mobilityand move our goods and servicesefficiently, striking a balancebetween their benefits and the potentialcosts to our quality of life is a challenge. Someof these quality of life reductions relate to thenoise and light pollution that come from cars,and also to the impacts to our sense of historyas our Island changes to a more congestedplace.

Traffic also places a major burden on naturebecause our harbor water quality is directlyaffected by road run-off. More generally, theenergy consumption involved with traffic is atthe center of much harm to the environment.

And, more visibly, traffic congestion hurts oureconomy. It makes the Island less appealing tovisitors, and it uses up time that we couldspend working — and time we could spendenjoying ourselves.

0

4,000

8,000

12,000

16,000

20,000

Registered Vehicles

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91'90

TOTAL REGISTERED VEHICLES ON NANTUCKET



There is an inescapable connection betweenincreasing traffic congestion and the need forand use of public transport, as well as the needfor infrastructure that creates more biking andpedestrian opportunities.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know how to reduce demand forautomobile transportation, both for residentsand visitors. We need to know how toeffectively work within our community to alterland use patterns and to encourage planningthat reduces auto-dependency. Specifically, weneed to know what it will take to movesomeone out of his/her car and onto a bus, abike or alternative. We need to know how tomake a car-less Island experience thepreferable experience.

We need to understand why the demand forautomobile transportation has increased, andwhat might reduce it. We also need to know

how traffic is affected by the spread-outnature of some of our dwellings, our land usepatterns, and the growth of our population.And we need to understand how to address thenational trend toward larger vehicles.

INFORMATION SOURCE:Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc/RKGAssociates, Inc, March 2002 Year 2001 Update:Optimal Transportation Carrying Capacity forNantucket

Edge Research, “Survey of Full-Time andSeasonal Residents of Nantucket” (Dec. 2001)

While vehicles provide us with convenient

personal mobility and move our goods and

services efficiently, striking a balance

between their benefits and the potential costs

to our quality of life is a challenge.



TRENDIncreasing

WHAT WE MEASUREWe measure average daily ridership using dataprovided by the Nantucket Regional TransitAuthority (NRTA).

WHAT IT MEANSThe NRTA was founded in 1994 and ran its firstyear of service at no charge in 1995. Fares werelaunched in the 1996 season and NRTAridership grew steadily until 1998, then leveledoff briefly before rising again in 2002 whenNRTA began running a longer schedule. Thesenumbers reflect a significant need for andacceptance of public transportation. Theincrease in ridership is a positive sign forNantucket, because it means fewer auto trips,less traffic congestion, and a more efficient useof resources.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOPublic transportation is generally good for airand water quality and ecosystem health,because it reduces the total number of car

INDICATOR: Public TransportationSTATUS: Ridership Grows on NRTA

trips. Fewer car trips connect to less road run-off, less car emissions, and less need forextensive new roadway expansion. Use ofpublic transportation also links to public safetyand community connectedness. Fewer cars onthe road means less congestion, and hopefullysafer roads. And, public transportation providesan opportunity for people to see each otherand interact; bus riders see the faces of theirneighbors and meet new people more oftenthan those of us who drive our cars exclusively.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to understand what leads people touse public transportation instead of drivingtheir cars, and what could make this option notonly more convenient, but a more sustainableform of island transportation.

Public transportation is generally

good for air and water quality and

ecosystem health, because it reduces

the total number of car trips.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Average Daily Ridership as reported by NRTA

'02'01'00'99'98'97'96'95

NRTA AVERAGE DAILY RIDERSHIP

May-Oct



We need to know what infrastructureimprovements would enhance transit service.

We also need to know how best to overcomestate imposed budget constraints that haveprevented NRTA from expanding service.

INFORMATION SOURCE:Nantucket Regional Transit Authority

Nantucket Planning & Economic DevelopmentCommission

Public transportation provides an

opportunity for people to see each other

and interact; bus riders see the faces of

their neighbors and meet new people

more often than those of us who drive

our cars exclusively.



TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREWe do not have trend data to tell us how manyworkers commute from off-Island on a daily orweekly basis. We don’t even have a definitenumber of commuters for a given year. Whatwe do have is a one-time data point for oneindustry.

This often quoted data point comes from a1997 survey, conducted by a college intern forthe Nantucket Planning & EconomicDevelopment Commission. He counted peopleat the airport, ferry terminal and constructionjob sites to arrive at 290 as an estimate for off-Island commuting construction industryemployees.

WHAT IT MEANSThe lack of data means that we’re in the darkabout this important trend. But we do knowthat commuting from off-Island is a concern,because the topic came up repeatedly duringour Indicators public dialogue process.

INDICATOR: Size of Off-Island Commuting WorkforceSTATUS: We Think It’s Growing Fast, but We Have No Measure Yet

And we do know, anecdotally, that at least twoconditions are contributing to the existence ofcommuters. Jobs on Nantucket are plentifuland well paying, and housing on Nantucket isscarce and expensive. We also know thatcertain workers from off-Island are recruitedbecause of special skill sets that no longer existin the local population. In addition, there arereports from the retail, service, health care andtown employee sectors that Islanders arerelocating to the mainland and keeping theirNantucket jobs out of economic expediency.

Commuting between towns is commonplace onthe mainland but poses special problems for anIsland community. The vagaries of weather and

COMMUTING WORKFORCE ON NANTUCKET

Commuting between towns is

commonplace on the mainland but

poses special problems for an Island

community. The vagaries of weather

and transportation schedules can keep

people from getting to work or from

returning home.



transportation schedules can keep people fromgetting to work or from returning home. Theexistence of a commuting workforce, thougharticulated as a concern during the publicdialogue process, may or may not meananything until we can identify a trend. Somepeople have said that commuters come withtheir lunch boxes and leave with theirpaychecks, but this is yet to be quantified.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOA transient or commuting workforce relates toour cost of living and housing affordability ifpeople are electing to take up residence off-Island while tolerating the expense anduncertainty of daily or weekly commuting.Increases in ferry service and aircraft operationsto accommodate commuting workers connectsto energy use and impacts noise pollution, airand harbor water quality.

In terms of social and individual values, on thewhole workers who commute may not feel thesame community connectedness that Islandresidents feel. They may not become engagedin community life through volunteerism,through political engagement, or through otheravenues, because often times their free time istime off-Island, at home. Stability ofpopulation, professional services and familywell being could also be impacted if a trend incommuting increases.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know how many people arecommuting to and from Nantucket and wherethey live and work, and what transportationmode they use. For example, an airline tells usthat over two-thirds of their patrons arecommuters rather than visitors. But we do notknow what part of this number is residentstraveling back and forth for personal reasons or

for daily jobs. We need to know what economicsectors are included in this demographic groupand why people are coming here to work ormoving away but retaining their local jobs. Ifthere are seasonal changes in the commutingflow, we should find ways to measure bothgroups. If trend data can be developed, weneed to know what impacts a growing ordeclining commuting workforce has on oureconomy, natural resources and community life.

INFORMATION SOURCES“The Study of the Building Industry onNantucket,” Final Report, Nantucket Planning &Economic Development Commission, Summer1997



Well-Being IndicatorsSense of Community

Physical Health

Access to Health Care

Learning

Emotional & Mental Well-Being

Family Stability and Health

Substance Abuse

Hidden Poverty


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F TW E L L - B E I N G


P U B L I C R E V I E W D R A F T W E L L - B E I N G

TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look at responses to the survey question:“What level of concern do you have regardingsense of community on Nantucket?” We alsocompare the responses of full-time residentsand seasonal residents.

WHAT IT MEANSNearly two-thirds of full-time residents andmore than two-thirds of seasonal residents saythey have at least some concern about theIsland’s sense of community. For some, thoseconcerns are quite high: 39% of full-timers saythey have a great deal of concern, or thatwhat’s happening to our sense of community istheir biggest worry. Thirty-two percent ofseasonal residents feel the same way.

On the other hand, one third of full-timers anda quarter of seasonal residents say they havelittle or no concern about our sense ofcommunity. Clearly, feelings about the Island’ssense of community run strong and vary quitea lot from person to person.

INDICATOR: Sense of CommunitySTATUS: Many Residents Concerned

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Seasonal Residents

Full-Time Residents

Don't know

Not at all

Not too much

Some concern

Great deal

Most concern

SENSE OF COMMUNITY

"What level of concern do you have regarding Sense of Community on Nantucket?" (458 Residents Surveyed)

A strong sense of community can also

raise awareness about environmental and

economic conditions: we are more willing

to work for environmental and economic

health when we feel connected to it; and we

remain more vigilant when we watch for

problems that we feel connect to us.



WHAT IT CONNECTS TOOur sense of community is central to ouroverall quality of life. A sense of communitycan lead to higher levels of volunteerism andpolitical engagement. It can improve ourmental well-being and perhaps even our senseof safety and security. A strong sense ofcommunity can also raise awareness aboutenvironmental and economic conditions: weare more willing to work for environmental andeconomic health when we feel connected to it;and we remain more vigilant when we watchfor problems that we feel connect to us.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIt would be helpful to find a better, moredescriptive, and more trackable measure forthis elusive “Sense of Community” indicator.We know that people define sense of

It would be helpful to find a better,

more descriptive, and more trackable

measure for this elusive “Sense of

Community” indicator.

community differently, and so base their senseof “concern” on a variety of factors. It would behelpful to know specifically what factorsdetermine individual responses. We want toknow more about this critical issue.




TRENDIncreasing since 1996

WHAT WE MEASUREHow we care for our newest arrivals — bothbefore birth, and just after — is widelyconsidered a good indicator of health standardsin communities the world over. Here, wemeasure the percentage of low birth weightbabies born on Nantucket.

WHAT IT MEANSNantucket has historically had a smallpercentage of low birth-weight babies. Thenationally recognized standard, put forward ina document titled “Healthy People 2010,” is arate no higher than 5%. From 1992-1996,between 1% and 4.5% of babies had low birth-weights here.

However, rates of low birth-weight rose in thelate 1990s, to as high as 8% in 1999. Despiteour low birth numbers (see “WHAT WE STILLNEED TO KNOW”), this is a worrying trend thatneeds to be closely monitored and betterunderstood.

INDICATOR: Physical HealthSTATUS: More Low Birth-Weight Babies Born on Nantucket

Low birth-weight is an important predictor ofchildhood health as well as an indicator ofparental health and access to appropriate pre-natal care. Low birth-weight often leads to anearly death for babies (the majority of infantdeaths happen because babies are born toosmall or too early). Those who survive are morelikely to have brain damage, lung and liverdisease, developmental problems, or otherhealth issues. And they’re more likely toexperience learning disabilities, attentiondisorders and other problems later in life.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOLow birth-weights and infant mortality areclosely linked to poverty levels, substanceabuse, and access to healthcare. Even thestability of our professional services communitycould have an impact here. Researchers havedemonstrated specific ties between our early

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

# Infants Born with Low Birthweight

'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92

% Infants Born with Low Birthweight

National Goal: No More than 5%

LOW BIRTH-WEIGHT ON NANTUCKET

in both Numbers and Percentages

Low birth-weight is an important predictor

of childhood health as well as an indicator of

parental health and access to appropriate

pre-natal care.



years and long-term health, readiness forschool, overall educational success, andworkforce productivity.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWBecause relatively few births take place on theIsland, even one low birth-weight babyincreases the percentage by nearly a point. Thismakes this traditionally good proxy for generalhealth trends less easy to interpret in ourcontext: we need to know more about why thisnumber is rising to know whether it can belinked to other health issues. We may need tolook at the numbers of islander births thatoccur off-Island and the corresponding numberof low birth weight babies in that group.

But this indicator is very meaningful withregard to infant health, because we are lookingat the percentage of all babies born here, andnot just a statistical sample. It is not good newsthat 10 babies were born with low birth weightin 2000, compared to just 1 in 1997 (the actualnumbers). For the sake of those individualchildren, their families, and our community, weneed to find out what must be done to reducethese numbers.

INFORMATION SOURCEMassachusetts Department of Public Health

Because relatively few births take place on

the Island, even one low birth-weight baby

increases the percentage by nearly a point.

This makes this traditionally good proxy for

general health trends less easy to interpret in

our context: we need to know more about

why this number is rising to know whether

it can be linked to other health issues.



TRENDUnknown

WHAT WE MEASURETo assess trends in health care access, we lookat the number of businesses providing healthinsurance to their employees. This gives us asense of how many people have adequateaccess to health care, because access in ourculture is dependent on insurance coverage.

WHAT IT MEANSNantucket’s numbers reflect a nationalconcern: a growing percentage of thepopulation is not covered by insurance, and isnot assured access to adequate health care.

On Nantucket, an equal number of employersoffered insurance as did not offer insurance.However, a large majority of our smallestcompanies (those with 5 or fewer employees)do not provide health insurance. The larger thecompany, the more likely it is to offer thisbenefit. Fortunately, those companies that dooffer insurance employ a greater percentage ofthe population.

INDICATOR: Access to Health CareSTATUS: Half of Employers Do Not Offer Health Insurance

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOAccess to health care directly affects ouroverall well-being, and affects every facet ofour society. It is directly connected to cost ofliving and hidden poverty because peoplewithout health insurance face higher financialrisks in the event of an expensive healthproblem. Additionally, children lacking healthcare are less likely to thrive at school. This raisesissues of economic disparity, politicaldisconnectedness, and a lack of communityconnections. This indicator could be a sign ofweak community well-being in our society.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Don't Offer Health Insurance

Offer Health Insurance

50+26-5021-2516-2011-156-100-5

BUSINESSES OFFERING HEALTH INSURANCE

Nantucket, 2001

Access to health care is directly connected to

cost of living and hidden poverty because

people without health insurance face higher

financial risks in the event of an expensive

health problem.



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to know how many people total arecovered by health insurance, not just thenumber of companies providing it. We need toknow about coverage for seasonal workers,part-time workers, the self-employed, andpeople completely outside the labor marketsuch as children, the elderly, and stay at homeparents. We also need to know how muchhealth insurance coverage correlates to incomelevels. We lack historic data that would show uswhether we are facing a positive or negativetrend.

INFORMATION SOURCE“Nantucket Employer Health Insurance Survey,”Town of Nantucket Department of HumanServices, October, 2001

We need to know how many people

total are covered by health insurance,

not just the number of companies

providing it.



TRENDImproving overall

WHAT WE MEASURETo what extent are Islanders — particularlyyoung Islanders — improving their ability tolearn? We use Massachusetts ComprehensiveAssessment System (MCAS) test scores, thescores on state standardized testing of 4th, 8th

and 10th graders, as a proxy to measure trendsin the individual Nantucketer’s learningcapacity.

The annual MCAS tests assess student ability inthree categories: English and language arts;math; and science and technology. In eachcategory, students are ranked as advanced,proficient, needing improvement, or failing.Here we look at the combined percentage ofstudents performing at levels deemed“Proficient” or “Advanced.”

WHAT IT MEANSOverall, scores have improved over the pastfour years. Fewer and fewer of our students areperforming at levels below where they areexpected to be — although, as in most schoolsin the U.S., math and science showed moreweakness than English and language. One

INDICATOR: LearningSTATUS: Test Scores up for Language; Fluctuating for Math & Science

exception to the general trend of improvementis math and science scores among our 8thgraders, which have come down a bit in recentyears.

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOIndividual learning depends on strong schoolsand good educational systems. On Nantucket,these are directly tied to factors like affordablehousing for teachers and the stability ofprofessional services.

Learning is also linked to general emotionalwell being, family stability, and it can connectdirectly to the future economic success of ourchildren, their sense of communityconnectedness and community participation.

0102030405060708090

100

Science % "Advanced" or "Proficient"

Math % "Advanced" or "Proficient"

English Language Arts % "Advanced" or "Proficient"

'01'00'99'98

GRADE 10 MCAS RESULTS

Percentage of Students Performing at Advanced or

Proficient Level

Fewer and fewer of our students

are performing at levels below

where they are expected to be —

although, as in most schools in the

U.S., math and science showed

more weakness than English and

language.



0102030405060708090

100




'01'00'99'980

102030405060708090

100




'01'00'99'98



Proficient Level



Proficient Level

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWTest scores are just one measure of scholasticachievement; and beyond that, scores measureonly a certain facet of learning. Self-development and life-long learning are notcovered by MCAS. We would like to see ameasurement that somehow includes thesecritical, but less concrete, parts of learning.

INFORMATION SOURCEMassachusetts Department of Education



TRENDDecreasing

WHAT WE MEASURESince it is very difficult to assess the inner well-being of people directly, when it comes toidentifying indicators, we look for proxies: inthis case, other measures that are likelysymptomatic of psychological health. Here,we’ve chosen the incidence of teenage alcoholoffenses as our proxy. Our assumption is thatthe healthier the community, the less likely itsadolescents are to abuse alcohol. As a caveat,the numbers in this measure are small and thedistinction between our year-round teenpopulation and those who visit seasonally isnot made in the data.

WHAT IT MEANSJuvenile liquor offenses rose sharply in 1999,then declined in 2000 and 2001. The recentdecline is encouraging, as it indicates thatteenagers are using their energies in moreproductive ways that are likely to be lessdestructive to their emotional and mental well-being.

INDICATOR: Emotional and Mental Well-beingSTATUS: Incidence of Teen Alcohol Offenses Declines

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOHigh rates of teen drinking can impact physicalhealth, public safety, learning, and the Islandoverall. Teen drinking activity can be influencedby sense of community, economic opportunity,and general social well-being. This is a keyindicator from which we can learn about ourfamilies and the stability of our families, aboutour community connectedness, and about thefuture potential of our young people as they gothrough school and into the job market.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWAs with any indicator, we need to examine thedata closely. We need to know, for example, towhat extent this data reflects actual drinkingrates, to what extent it reflects fluctuations inenforcement and whether we can distinguishbetween year-round and seasonal teenviolators. Based on this information, we canthink about whether to stay with this indicatorin the future or whether to choose a newindicator that more closely tracks emotionaland mental well being.


0

5

10

15

20

25

Other

Transport

Possession

'01'00'99'98'97

LIQUOR LAW OFFENSES BY JUVENILES

Town of Nantucket

This is a key indicator from which we can

learn about our families and the stability of

our families, about our community

connectedness, and about the future potential

of our young people as they go through school

and into the job market.



TRENDStable after a sharp rise

WHAT WE MEASUREHow are Nantucket’s families doing, asfamilies? To gauge the trend in the stability andhealth of our community’s families, we look atthe incidences of family violence that result inpolice intervention. We track domestic violence(violence between spouses) and family abuse(violence which includes child and elder abuse).

WHAT IT MEANSWorrying news: after years of steady decline,domestic violence and family abuse incidentshave shot back up in the past few years.Current levels are higher than their previoushigh in 1994. According to this data, it appearsthat more of our families are experiencing thetrauma of violence in the home.

INDICATOR: Family Stability and HealthSTATUS: Higher Levels of Domestic Violence and Family Abuse

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOA stable and healthy family life is essential forindividual well-being. Domestic violence andfamily abuse have been linked to substanceabuse, violence, poor school performance, andhigh crime rates. And, of course, this indicatoris about the emotional and mental well-beingof the people who suffer from violence. It isalso about our collective emotional well-being:violence in any home on Nantucket affects allof us.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe do not know why these numbers have risenso sharply in recent years. And it is importantto remember that domestic violence and familyabuse figures track only confirmed reports —and that falling or rising rates could indicatenot a change in actual abuse, but a change inreporting rates. We need to look at this issuemore closely to know whether it reflects anincrease in actual violence, or an increase inour awareness of that violence.


DOMESTIC/FAMILY-RELATED ABUSE

Reporting years correspond to town fiscal years, which run

July 1 - June 30

Total # of incidents — may include multiple responses to

same address

0

50

100

150

200

Domestic/Family Related

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94

This indicator is about our

collective emotional well-being:

violence in any home on

Nantucket affects all of us.



TRENDIncreasing overall

WHAT WE MEASUREWe look at Nantucket Police data on violationsfor narcotics use and violations for operatingunder the influence of controlled substances.

WHAT IT MEANSNarcotics violations have been rising slowly butsteadily since 1999. At the same time, the rateof operating under the influence increasedsharply, though neither measure is back up toits previous high of 1996. In short, substanceabuse on Nantucket appears to be on theupswing.

INDICATOR: Substance AbuseSTATUS: Impaired Driving Offenses Rise Sharply; Narcotics Violations Up Slightly

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOThere is a social and economic cost tosubstance abuse. Substance abuse underminesthe physical and emotional health and thefamily stability of abusers. It also decreasespublic safety and perception of public safety,and undermines our sense of communityconnectedness. We all have to trust each othernot to drive in ways that put each other indanger. And employers need to be able to trustthat their employees are responsible on the job.This indicator connects to all thesefundamental issues.

WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWWe need to understand the factors thatcorrelate actual substance use and number ofoffenses logged by the Nantucket PoliceDepartment.


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Operating Under the Influence (OUI)

Drug Arrests

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95'94'93'92'91

SUBSTANCE ABUSE ON NANTUCKET

Reporting years correspond to town fiscal years, which run

July 1 - June 30

Note: Data for 1992 not available.

Substance abuse undermines the

physical and emotional health and the

family stability of abusers.



TRENDStable since 1997

WHAT WE MEASUREDespite the common perception that Nantucketis a wealthy community , some of us have ahard enough time economically that we qualifyto be called poor. We count families withchildren on temporary cash assistance(“TAFDC”), those who are elderly, disabled, orwho are children needing emergency cashassistance; those of us on non-publicassistance; and those of us receiving foodstamps.

WHAT IT MEANSAs best we can interpret from the data, fewerthan 50 of us at any one time are receivingcash assistance and/or food stamps; and thisnumber declined a bit before leveling offaround 1997. The fact that the welfare officewas closed down and relocated to the Cape in1998 may also be a factor. While the numberseems small, it also means that most of us wholive here probably know somebody personallywho is experiencing poverty.

INDICATOR: Hidden PovertySTATUS: The Poor are Few on Nantucket … but They Exist

WHAT IT CONNECTS TOPoverty has many connections becausefinancial stability, in our society, is afoundation; it is a fundamental and basic need.Poverty has clear connections to many Social,Well-Being, and Economic indicators, especiallyemotional and mental well-being, public safety,community connectedness, and, of course,income distribution. And poverty is directlylinked to our high cost of living.

Specifically, poverty can be correlated to poorhealth, lessened learning opportunities andstrain on family stability. By adding to the“haves” versus “have-nots” reality of incomedistribution, it adds to social divisiveness.Poverty affects our population stability and itsiphons off energy, both on an individual leveland a community level, that could be betterused elsewhere.

0

10

20

30

40

50

Number of people receiving Food Stamps

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95

FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS ON NANTUCKETWhile the number seems small, it still

means that most of us who live here

probably know somebody personally who

is experiencing poverty.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

TOTAL

Non-Public Assistance Food Stamps (NPA FS)

Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC)

Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC)

'01'00'99'98'97'96'95

PEOPLE RECEIVING CASH ASSISTANCE



WHAT WE STILL NEEDTO KNOWIt is impossible to know whether the number ofthose in poverty here is being affected bybetter economic circumstances for the smallnumber of poor, or being affected by the factthat those who cannot afford to live hereeventually move away. We would also like toknow how many of us, though not statisticallycounted in this indicator, struggle to make endsmeet.

INFORMATION SOURCE“Yearly Applications for Assistance onNantucket,” provided by Bruce Demoranville,Commonwealth of Massachusetts,[email protected]

Poverty affects our population stability and

it siphons off energy, both on an individual

level and a community level, that could be

better used elsewhere.



ABOUT THE COMPASSThe Compass of Sustainability, developed byAlan AtKisson and others, is a way oforganizing an array of indicators selected toassess community sustainability. The Compasswas inspired, in part, by the pioneeringtheoretical work of Herman Daly, a formerWorld Bank economist and professor at theUniversity of Maryland; and by modifications tothat work by pioneering systems scientistDonella Meadows.

“Daly’s Pyramid” is a simple model thatdescribes the relationship between Nature, theEconomy, Society, and individual Well-being.Nature is at the foundation of the pyramid,because it is the foundation of all humanactivity. The next level up is the Economy,which converts natural resources andecosystem services into the products andservices—from food to computer software—thathumans use. Economic production makespossible Society, the complex systems ofculture, politics, and collective endeavors suchas education, and these in turn make possiblethe top of the pyramid: the Well-being andfulfillment of an individual human life.

The Compass format provides the reader withan intuitive interface for understanding acomplex indicator array, clustered in a similar

Technical Notes

way. The Compass format, however, eliminatesthe hierarchy in Daly’s Pyramid; that hierarchyhas proven to be controversial, while theclusters (Nature, Economy, Society, Wellbeing)have not. The Compass itself, with its deepsymbolic roots in the human experience and itslink to navigation and direction, is an aptmetaphor for the kind of tool an indicatorarray is meant to be.

Indicators, like compasses, can help us chart acourse into the future.

ABOUT INDICATORSELECTIONThe specific indicators in this array were chosenusing a combination of citizen input andtechnical filtering, using what has emerged asstandard practice in the sustainabilityindicators movement. This movement, whichnow includes hundreds of communities, cities,and states around the world, began with theJacksonville, Fla., Quality of Life Indicators in1985 and the Sustainable Seattle Indicators ofSustainable Community in 1993. A similarprocess was used to develop the White House’sexperimental Sustainable DevelopmentIndicators for the nation as a whole.

The process used by AtKisson, Inc. generallyinvolves using a multi-stakeholder group toframe the key “Assets and Concerns,” and then

to advise the selection of preferred indicatorsfor a community (or any other geographicarea), supplemented by technical input to guideindicator selection and data gathering.

Data availability and other technicalconsiderations may strongly affect refinementof the indicator array; however, the frameworkset by the stakeholders continues to guide theselection as much as possible. In theory, thisprocess produces an indicator array that is bothmore reflective of the particular needs of agiven place and more meaningful to thatplace’s citizens.

The focus here, as in most sustainabilityindicator arrays, is on measures that reflectoutputs (measurable results and performance)rather than inputs (the activity level ofprograms, the existence of policies, etc.). Thisfocus on outputs highlights the extent towhich sustainability concerns are not limited tothe spheres of government, commerce, or civilsociety, but are generally the responsibility ofall three sectors simultaneously.

The Nantucket indicator array is distinguishedby the particularly intensive development andreview process to which it was subjected, overthe course of nearly three years. Citizen inputmeetings happened at several locations aroundthe Island. Original survey research was



commissioned and analyzed. And the draftindicators were reviewed by local experts,leaders, the Indicators Steering Committee, andNSDC.

ABOUT DATAWe have done our best, in the preparation ofthis report, to insure that we had the highestquality available data. However, partly becauseof the specific nature of the issues on a smallisland like Nantucket, data availability wasconstantly a challenge, as a read-through ofthe “WHAT WE STILL NEED TO KNOW” sectionsin each indicator will reflect. We will continueto monitor data availability for these indicators,and update them on our website.

Sources

NATUREAir Quality

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Departmentof Environmental Protection Website. 8-HourOzone Concentration at MassachusettsMonitors: 2002. Retrieved from the World WideWeb: http://www.mass.gov and follow links tohealth, the environment and air quality.

Ann Sorenson ([email protected]),Massachusetts Department of EnvironmentalProtection, February 2002. RE: 8-Hour OzoneConcentration Data for 1991 – 2001. E-mail toM. Banks, AtKisson, Inc.

Beach Driving

Sheila Clinger, Police Department,Town ofNantucket. Re: Beach Driving Permit Data 1997– 2002. Postal mail to Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

Bay Scallop Harvest

Dave Fronzuto, Marine and Coastal ResourcesDepartment, Town of Nantucket. Re: NantucketBay Scallop Data 1978 – 2001. Fax toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Ecosystem Health

National Audubon Society Website. AudubonChristmas Bird Count: Nantucket MA, UnitedStates. 1992 – 2001 Data. Retrieved from theWorld Wide Web: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbs

Energy Use

Carmine Luongo([email protected]), National GridCompany. RE: Nantucket Electric Usage, 1996 –2001. E-mail to M. Banks, AtKisson, Inc.

Tina Smith, Nantucket Memorial Airport,Nantucket MA. RE: Airport Fuel Sales History,1991 – 2001. Postal mail to NantucketSustainable Development Corporation.

Ground Water Sustainability

Mark Willett and Bette Huyser, WannacometWater Company, Nantucket MA. RE: Gallons ofwater pumped, precipitation and depth togroundwater at Wannacomet Water Company,1991 - 2002. Hand-delivered and faxed toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Harbor Water Quality

Tracy Curley, Marine and Coastal ResourcesDepartment, Town of Nantucket. NantucketHarbor Water Quality Synopsis, August 2002

Home Size

Debbie Dilworth, Assessor’s Office, Town ofNantucket, December 2002. Re: Average SquareFoot of Homes, 1991 – 2000. E-mail toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Land Preservation

Nantucket Planning & Economic DevelopmentCommission, 1998. Long Range TransportationPlan. Nantucket MA, pgs 22-24.



Debbie Dilworth, Assessor’s Office, Town ofNantucket, January 2003. RE: Land Use onNantucket. E-mail to Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

Hilliard Wood, GIS Office, Town of Nantucket,December 2002. RE: Land Use on Nantucket. E-mail to Nantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Noise and Light Pollution

Edge Research, Dec 2001. Analysis of a Surveyof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents ofNantucket. (A one-time random telephonesurvey), pg 9. Prepared for NantucketSustainable Development Corporation andNantucket Land Council.

Tracy Curley, Marine and Coastal ResourcesDepartment, Town of Nantucket, January 2003.RE: Nutrient Sampling Data for 2002. Fax toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Waste and Recycling

Jeff Willett, Department of Public Works, Townof Nantucket, February 2002 and January 2003.RE: Landfilled, Composted, Recycled & DivertedMaterials on Nantucket, 1998 – 2002. E-mail toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

ECONOMYCost of Living

RKG Associates, Inc., June 2002. Monitoring theNantucket Economy: An Update to the 1993Nantucket Economic Base Study. pgs 24-25.Sponsored by Nantucket Planning & EconomicDevelopment Corporation and Nantucket IslandChamber of Commerce.

Economic Diversity

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division ofEmployment and Training. Employment andWages by Category on Nantucket (ES-202Series), as measured by place of employmentrather than place of residence. Retrieved fromthe World Wide Web: http://www.detma.org/lmi/local/Nantucke.html

Economic Value of Bay Scallop Industry

Dave Fronzuto, Marine and Coastal ResourcesDepartment, Town of Nantucket. Fax toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Home Ownership Affordability

Flint Ranney, Denby Real Estate. RE: Prices ofNantucket real estate 1991 – 2001. E-mail toM. Banks, AtKisson, Inc.

John Ryan, July 2002. Housing Our Community:A Year-round Housing Needs Assessment.Prepared for Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation and the NantucketResident Housing Partnership.

Housing Usage Patterns

U.S. Census Bureau Website. Household by type,Housing Occupancy, Housing Tenure, VacancyStatus, Table DP-1. Retrieved from the WorldWide Web: http://www.factfinder.census.gov/.

Income Distribution

Edge Research, Dec 2001. Demographic Profileof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents:Employment Status, main Income Source,Income and Age. Analysis of a Survey of Full-Time and Seasonal Residents of Nantucket,December 2001. (One-time random telephonesurvey), pg 8. Prepared for NantucketSustainable Development Corporation andNantucket Land Council.

Public Transportation

Paula Leary, Nantucket Regional TransitAuthority, Town of Nantucket. RE: NRTAridership data 1995 – 2002. E-mail toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Mike Burns, Nantucket Planning & EconomicDevelopment Corporation, Town of Nantucket.RE: NRTA ridership data 1995 – 2002. Email toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Sustainability of Tourist Economy

Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc. / RKGAssociates, Inc. Jan. 2000. Components ofNantucket Peak Seasonal Population. OptimalTransportation Carrying Capacity for



Nantucket. pg 14. Prepared for NantucketCommunity Association, Nantucket LandCouncil and Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

Size of Off-Island Commuting Workforce

Matthew Kay, 1997. The Study of the BuildingIndustry on Nantucket. Prepared for NantucketPlanning & Economic Development Commissionby summer 1997 intern.

Traffic

Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc. / RKGAssociates, Inc, March 2002. Net Accumulationof Vehicles on Nantucket. Year 2001 Update:Optimal Transportation Carrying Capacity forNantucket. pgs 34 & 35.

Edge Research, Dec 2001. Analysis of a Surveyof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents ofNantucket. (One-time random telephonesurvey). pg 8. Prepared for Nantucket LandCouncil and Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

SOCIETYConfidence in Government

Edge Research, Dec 2001. Analysis of a Surveyof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents ofNantucket. (One-time random telephonesurvey). pg 22. Prepared for Nantucket LandCouncil and Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

Cultural Diversity

U.S. Census Bureau, Total Population by Age,Race, Household by Type. Retrieved from theWorld Wide Web at: http://www.census.gov/.

Perception of Public Safety

Edge Research, Dec 2001. Analysis of a Surveyof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents ofNantucket. (One-time random telephonesurvey), pg 8. Prepared for Nantucket LandCouncil and Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

Political Engagement

Catherine Stover, Town Clerk, and JamesGrieder, Assistant Town Clerk, Town ofNantucket. RE: Number of People AttendingAnnual Town Meeting, Number of PeopleVoting in Local Elections. Postal mail toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Preserving Our Sense of History

Indicators Community Dialogue Process.Workshops held during 1999 – 2001 todetermine Community Assets and Concerns.

Public Safety

Annual Town Report, Nantucket MA, 1991 –2001.

Sheila Clinger, Nantucket Police Department,Town of Nantucket. RE: Number of Cases ofCrime Against Persons and Theft. Postal mail toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Stability of Local Population

Eric Henry ([email protected]), StatisticalInformation Services Office, Internal RevenueService. RE: County to county migration for theState of Massachusetts. Change in PopulationDerived from the IRS Tax Exemptions Claimed.

U.S. Census Bureau. Total Population by Age,Race, Household by Type. Retrieved from theWorld Wide Web at: http://www.census.gov/

Stability of Professional Services

Indicators Community Dialogue Process.Workshops held during 1999 – 2001 todetermine Community Assets and Concerns.

Volunteerism

Tracy Bakalar, Nantucket Chamber ofCommerce, Nantucket MA. By telephone toNantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

WELL-BEINGAccess to Health Care

Maryanne Worth, Department of HumanServices, Town of Nantucket. LHAA-NantucketEmployer Health Insurance Survey. RandomSurvey of 1,017 Nantucket Businesses. 283surveys completed and returned (28% responserate). 3,273 employees represented: 2,726Employed (W-2) (821 FTE, 1433 Seasonal); 547Independent (1,099).



Emotional and Mental Well-Being

Sheila Clinger, Nantucket Police Department,Town of Nantucket. RE: Number of Offenses byJuveniles of Town of Nantucket Liquor Laws.

Family Stability and Health

Annual Town Report, Nantucket MA, 1991-2001.

Sheila Clinger, Nantucket Police Department,Town of Nantucket. RE: Number of DomesticViolence and Family Abuse Events. Postal mailto Nantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

Hidden Poverty

Bruce Demoranville([email protected]),Commonwealthof Massachusetts. RE: Yearly Applications forAssistance on Nantucket. E-mail to M. Banks,AtKisson, Inc.

Learning

Massachusetts Department of Education. MCASResults for 4th, 8th, and 10th Grades. Retrievedfrom the World Wide Web at: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu

Physical Health

Charlene Zion, Massachusetts Department ofPublic Health. RE: Resident and OccurrenceBirths and Infant Deaths on Nantucket.1992-2001. Fax to M. Banks, AtKisson, Inc.

Sense of Community

Edge Research, Dec 2001. Analysis of a Surveyof Full-Time and Seasonal Residents ofNantucket. (One-time random telephonesurvey), pg 6. Prepared for Nantucket LandCouncil and Nantucket SustainableDevelopment Corporation.

Substance Abuse

Annual Town Report, Nantucket MA, 1991-2001.

Sheila Clinger, Nantucket Police Department,Town of Nantucket. RE: Events of Drug Arrestsand Operating Under the Influence. Postal mailto Nantucket Sustainable DevelopmentCorporation.

ta b le of contents - sustainable nantucket · final report. the indicators are grouped into four...

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