Biological Diversity on Display at VCS Annual Meeting
Rising Seas Special Feature
VCS Board Member Phil Henderson will be giving an encore of his Rising Seas presentation
(see below) before the meeting, starting at 4:30. We hope you can make it!
Please join us Wednesday, June 26 for the Annual Meeting of the VCS Board and Membership at the Wakeman Conservation Center off Lambert’s Cove Road. This year’s meeting will feature guest speaker Paul Goldstein of the Smithsonian Institution. Paul will discuss his experiences with the Island’s unique creatures and ha
tell us about conservation on the Cape and Islands?"
Paul Goldstein is an entomologist, evolutionary biologist and conservation biologist who began studying moths as a youth on Martha’s Vineyard where, among other jobs, he worked at Felix Neck and was influenced by Gus Ben David. Much of his current and past research focuses on the Vineyard’s unique fauna, including a recent inventory of the Island’s native bees.
Refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to all. The Wakeman Conservation Center is located on Helen Ave., one mile up from the Vineyard Haven end of Lambert’s Cove Road; see sign on left.
The M.V. Senior Center hosted a record high turnout Thursday night for a meeting of the All-Island Selectmen’s Association. Leading off the agenda was a striking presentation by VCS board member Phil Henderson on local impacts of rising sea levels. You can view the presentation by simply clicking the play button at right. (Special thanks to Martha's Vineyard Productions for creating the video.)
Phil discussed a variety of issues relating to climate change and sea level rise, but the most attention grabbing element was a series of maps specifically outlining what areas of our island will be completely submerged in the future. So attention grabbing, in fact, that the Gazette’s coverage of the meeting includes reproductions of the maps on their website. Depicting areas inundated at both 1 meter (yellow) and 2 meters (red) of sea level rise, the maps paint a stark picture of valuable land and critical infrastructure lost outright in the not-too-distant future. What the maps do not reveal is the much broader area subject to flooding due to storm surges and the ongoing effects of coastal erosion.
Special thanks to Chris Seidel at the MVC for creating the map projections.
21st Annual Earth Day Beach Clean-Up
Kids and Crafts at West Chop
We were joined at the screening by Executive Producer Stephen Kellert, who is the co-originator (along with E.O. Wilson) and a primary developer of the Biophilia Hypothesis, a broader theory describing the interactions between humans and nature that draws on biology, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and other disciplines. The concepts of biophilia form the underpinnings of Professor Kellert's study of architecture and design presented in the film.
In an effort to dig a little deeper into the world of biophilia, VCS staffer Jeremy Houser recently conducted an interview with Dr. Kellert. Check out the interview to learn more about biophilia in general, Dr. Kellert's efforts to develop a code of ethics drawing on biophilic theory, and even why we are (perhaps unreasonably) afraid of spiders.
Now back in stock!
Back in stock after a year's absence, new VCS members can choose to receive a free copy of Edible Wild Plants of Martha's Vineyard by Linsey Lee when they join. This beautifully illustrated guide to our wild bounty of edible plants includes descriptions of plants and their habitats, with fascinating information about traditional medicinal and folklore uses.
There's never been a better time to join than today!
Edible Wild Plants is also available for purchase at Alley's General Store, Bunch of Grapes, Felix Neck, Morning Glory Farm, the M.V. Museum, and the VCS office.
Walking Martha's Vineyard
Available for $15 at many Island locations, including The Bunch of Grapes Book Store, Edgartown Books, Alley's General Store, Cronig's, Brahmhall and Dunn, The Secret Garden, Felix Neck, Allen Farm, and the Vineyard Conservation Society office. Or, order through our donation page (by choosing the $20 option) and have it shipped to your door.
You can find the book at many Island stores and farms, including Bunch of Grapes, Cronig's, Larsen's Fish Market (Menemsha), Allen Farm, Morning Glory Farm, Mermaid Farm, Nip N' Tuck Farm, and Fiddlehead Farm Stand
Two locally produced videos help make sense of this complex issue ---
Climate Change:
Building and Island Understanding
Video of the entire presentation was recorded and professionally produced by Martha's Vineyard Productions for VCS and MVTV. Click the link below to watch!
An Island in Conflict:
What to do about Climate Change
Longtime VCS friend Marnie Stanton has produced a new video, funded by
the Edey Foundation, that looks at some of the most important local climate change issues. Marnie's 15-minute video features an extensive interview
with Islanders Chris Murphy and Liz Durkee, along with shorter excerpts
from other local opinion leaders. She touches on a variety of issues,
but really focuses on the difficult decisions the Island faces as sea
level rise and increased erosion complicate the business of coastal
planning and managing development. Where should hard armoring of the
coast be allowed, and where should we allow beaches to grow and recede
naturally? How do we manage the competing interests of private business
and property with the public good?
The most important, longest running, and most costly campaign in the Vineyard Conservation Society’s 45-year history involves environmental legal defense at Moshup Trail. The lawsuit isn’t over, but we have registered a significant win.
On August 12, 2010, Judge Charles Trombley, Jr. of the Land Court Department of the Trial Court ruled in favor of VCS and co-defendants in a long-running case involving developers’ efforts to force access through conservation holdings at Moshup Trail, Aquinnah.
VCS has always taken the long view of land protection in this area.
For more, click HERE