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A remnant of the Great Plains which once covered much of Martha's Vineyard's south shore, the Katama Plains is a miniature prairie which sustains many rare species of birds, butterflies and plants such as the short-eared owl, the regal fritillary butterfly, and the Nantucket shadbush. This natural grassland known as a sandplain grassland is a globally endangered community restricted to Massachusetts' coastal islands and Long Island, New York.
Visiting and based aircraft pay a fee for landing and parking. Much of this is reinvested into the facility by the airport management. Also the airport provides jobs for almost a dozen permanent and seasonal island residents. The Town of Edgartown needs only to invest a minimum amount of funds into the airport each year. However, it receives a great deal in return. Many families use Katama Airfield as their primary means of arriving on the island. A large group of these are seasonal homeowners and taxpayers. They contribute to the economy by the purchases they make at island businesses and the services they buy from island tradesmen. Among these are many families who rent their homes thus attracting more tourist dollars. Transient pilots are big users of taxis and restaurants. These quick airplane trips to Martha's Vineyard always make them eager to return and spend an extended time on island. It is likely that the pilot who uses Katama Airfield is more affluent than the college student who arrives by ferry. Having invested a hundred thousand dollars or more in his transportation, he also is likely to be more respectful of island properties and natural assets. Smaller general aviation planes are simply another way to travel to Martha's Vineyard. The beauty of Katama Airfield attracts them and they are happy to spend their money in the Edgartown area. Happily, airplanes do not add to the number of cars on the roads! Your assistance in the form of a grant to the Katama Airfield Trust will preserve one of the Island's most environmentally sensitive and visually beautiful properties. It also will help continue a tradition which began in 1924 on the coastal plains on Martha's Vineyard.
The Katama Airfield Trust was established to assure continued aviation use and to minimize the continued outside funding needs for the field's operation. The Katama Airfield Trust's goal is to raise and invest $600,000.00. This amount would earn enough at current interest levels to supplement normal income thereby allowing the airport to be managed through the summer months and for capital improvements to be made as needed year round. Trust funds would not be used unless other methods of support were depleted. This judgment would be made by the Board of Trustees as situations arise. Katama Airfield, of the three landing facilities on the Island, (Dukes County Airport in West Tisbury and Tradewinds Airport in Oak Bluffs are the others), has the acknowledged ambiance which attracts aviators from all over the U.S. and Canada. Preserving this will have the effect of establishing a living aviation museum. One only need count the number and variety of aircraft at Katama on any summer weekend to understand the benefits of keeping the airport active in perpetuity. It is also important to note the number of non-aviator visitors at Katama. The lure of "the living past" is irresistible to most of us. Your support is necessary and welcomed. As a trust contributor you will perhaps be showing your love of aviation or perhaps showing your love of Nature or History. Your gift will be used under the careful direction of the trustees. It will be combined and invested with the gifts of others to provide the ongoing ability for the public to always enjoy Katama Airfield as it is now. Katama
Airfield Trust No public funds were used in the production of this website. Donations to Katama Airfield Trust are tax deductible. |
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