94-Year-Old Barred From Cape Cod Dune Shack As Bidding Begins For New Leases

By Mike Sullivan, CBS Boston

June 22, 2023

PROVINCETOWN - The National Park Service is giving tours of dune shacks this week to prospective bidders. The problem is some of these shacks have been cared for by families for generations. In certain instances, those families are still living there.

"Our shack is 100 square feet. We have the smallest shack in the dunes," says dune dweller Arielle Tasha. "My grandmother, her ashes are out there, and my father too."

Those families and their supporters protested outside of the dunes on Wednesday. The National Park Service took over the dune shacks by eminent domain in the 1960's. Since then, some families have had long-term leases on the shacks, while others have changed to year-to-year. In an effort to bring long-term stability, the parks department is allowing people to bid on 10-year leases on the shacks. The tours were supposed to happen on June 15, but due to demand, the Park Service says they extended the tours.

People protest National Park Service plan to lease dune shacks/CBS Boston

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