Cuttyhunk Island is the outermost Elizabeth Island, just west of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. A one-hour ferry ride from New Bedford, Cuttyhunk is home to just ten year-round residents. In the summer, the population swells to a few hundred, who navigate the island on foot or via golf-cart. 

 

Cuttyhunk is about a mile and a half long, and three-quarters of a mile wide, with two natural harbors. A full half of the land is set apart as a nature preserve, with sweeping grassy hills, rocky and sandy coastline, and a diversity of wildlife.  ​When participants are not working, they can swim at one of the four beaches, visit the tiny but well-stocked library, or take walks along the winding paths that lead to oyster ponds and shorelines scattered with sea glass.