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To: Governor Maura Healey, Colonel Charles Silvanic, General Kenneth Wisbach, Pete Hegseth, Representative Stephen Lynch, and Senator Patrick O'Connor

"Let's Save Fourth Cliff Family Recreation Area in Scituate, MA"

Fourth Cliff Family Recreation Area in Scituate, MA, has been serving active duty and retired military personnel since 1952, one of the few locations for rest and recreation on the East coast. Thousands of people, many retired to New England, count this as a lifesaver for their military career, a beautiful gem circled by the Atlantic Ocean, and North and South Rivers. While patronizing area businesses during their stay, 4th Cliff is a boon to the local economy. Atlantic storms in recent years have ravaged the cliff protecting its frontage, jeopardizing several historic landmarks, tent and RV sites, guest houses, and beach usage. 

Why is this important?

Permanent corrective action to armor the cliff with a rip rap system has been in place since April 5, 2013 – Project # GXUN 13-0016 – and even has been funded several times, with that money then put to other wartime uses. Local, state, and federal agencies are all aware of the problem and detailed studies have been completed with multiple State and local agencies participating. But year after year this project, important to thousands of military and federal personnel, drops out of the funding formula despite this long-standing plan and remedy. Meanwhile prices rise and the damage continues, making the immediate cliff a danger, though not one person has been injured in all this time. The site is currently under the ownership of Hanscom Air Force Base’s 66th Air Base Group, with many of its neighbors to the south on Humarock Beach having adequately armored their properties on their own dollar. The people who have signed this petition (with family and friends who know of and have enjoyed 4th Cliff) urge these lawmakers to take action and see that Project GXUN 13-0016 gets funded this year, saving Fourth Cliff for posterity as an R&R gem. It is also sanctuary to three endangered species of birds. 

As a 100% disabled veteran with a Purple Heart and two Bronze Star metals from combat in Vietnam, Fourth Cliff has been a great blessing to my wife and I for 45 years, from tenting to renting guest houses, to holding our daughter’s wedding in the Pavilion, to beachcombing, swimming, and fishing. My three grown children and grandchildren enjoy and love Fourth Cliff. This is our favorite location in all of New England, no, in the United States, a real gem. Contemplating a future without it is almost too hard to imagine. 

The announcement of its closure late this year for safety reasons (though no one has been injured there in its history), drove me to post this petition and urge our lawmakers to “Save Fourth Cliff!” It is not too late. Find a way to fund this 2013 project now, and provide the resources needed to upgrade an important historical site and campground for thousands of military members and residents who are an important boon to the local economy.

How it will be delivered

Through military and VA Facebook pages ... Those who have visited Fourth Cliff are encouraged to use this link to share their experience on Craig Naylor's "Help Us Save 4th Cliff -- Humarock" on Military Famcamps Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2332669477176557/posts/2513773049066198/?comment_id=2515486542228182&reply_comment_id=2515496535560516&notif_id=1786017924155282&notif_t=group_comment_mention

Links

Updates

2026-08-07 05:54:32 -0400

25 signatures reached

2026-08-06 20:31:45 -0400

10 signatures reached