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Quote of the Week
“High quality water is more than the dream of the conservationists, more
than a political slogan; high quality water, in the right quantity at
the right place at the right time, is essential to health, recreation,
and economic growth.”
- Edmund Muskie, U.S. Senator, speech on March 1, 1966
e-Resources
Search the Almanac Archives
Past issues of the Conservation Almanac are now searchable through the
VCS website! Trying to relocate that recipe for stuffed bluefish you saw
this spring? Just type "bluefish" into the small white search box at
the top of the VCS homepage.
An Atlas of Local Food
The Island Grown Initiative has a wonderful resource on their website. This map,
detailing 41 individual locations, will help you find just about any
local meat, cheese, or produce you could ever need, straight from the
farm stand. And check out the rest of the IGI site as well, for information on school programs, gleaning days, and even help for beginning beekeepers.
Conservation Calendar
Cape Spin
Tuesday, August 2, 7:15 to 10:00 pm, at the Union Chapel, Oak Bluffs.
The M.V. Film Society presents a sneak peak screening of Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle, a new documentary exploring the "epic battle" over wind development in Nantucket Sound. Doors open at 7:15, film starts at 8:00. Admission $10, $7 for members. At the Union Chapel, 55 Narragansett Ave.
Vineyard Farm Project
Tuesday, August 2, 7:00 pm, at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury.
Please come to a public meeting to discuss the future of Thimble Farm. The Vineyard Farm Project
is an effort to preserve permanently the former Thimble Farm as a
sustainable, working farm that will produce food for Island residents in
perpetuity. Free.
Drawing From Nature
Thursdays, Aug. 4 and 11, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, at the Polly Hill Arboretum.
Learn art techniques to record observations of the natural
landscape with Diane Nicholls, painter, illustrator, and landscape
historian. $35 non-members, $30 members. Please call to register and for
additional information including supply list, 508-693-9426.
Down Island Farmers' Market
Tuesdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Tisbury Wharf.
The Down Island Farmers' and Artisans' Market
is on through Sept 6 this year. Collect your fresh local produce, and
sample the wares of the many vendors. On the harbor at the Tisbury
Wharf, 144 Beach Rd, V.H. Free parking available.
Birds on the Beach
Saturday, Aug 6 from 9:00 to 10:00 am at State Beach, Oak Bluffs.
Walk the beach with a Felix Neck shorebird biologist, observing and collecting data on terns, plovers, and oystercatchers. FREE. No registration required, meet at the State Beach access trail on the Oak Bluffs side of Big Bridge.
Community Chores
Saturday, Aug 6 from 9:00 to 10:00 am at the FARM Institute, Katama.
Spend the morning like true farmers feeding and watering the animals! A
great activity for the entire family. Suggested donation of $10 for
families, $5 individuals. For details call 508-627-7007.
Window to the Sea
Saturday, Aug 6 at 8:00 pm at the Tabernacle, Oak Bluffs.
National Geographic Underwater Photographer Brian Skerry will deliver a presentation titled " Window to the Sea."
From Mr. Skerry: "My hope is to continually find new ways of creating
images and stories that both celebrate the sea yet also highlight
environmental problems." Free will offering.
Eelgrass Restoration
Thursday, August 11 at 5:00 pm at the Tisbury Senior Center.
Jay Baker will present his work on eelgrass restoration with
conservation (elastic) moorings. His slides illustrate the impacts of
traditional moorings on eelgrass and the results of restoration with
elastic moorings.
In Season Recipe
Zucchini Bread
This delicious quick bread is one of the best ways to put those overgrown zucchini to work.
Ingredients:
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3 local eggs
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1 cup vegetable oil
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2 cups sugar
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2 cups grated zucchini
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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3 cups all-purpose flour
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3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1/4 teaspoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans. In a
large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir
in zucchini and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon,
baking soda, baking powder, salt and nuts. Stir dry mix into the egg
mixture. Divide batter into the 2 pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or
until done.
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Monday, August 1, 2011
Local News
VCS Ponds in Peril Forum Spurs Action to Clean Lagoon Pond, Expand Aquaculture
Cultured clams, photo courtesy of USDA NRCS
Nancy Phillips and the residents surrounding Lagoon Pond first became
seriously concerned about nitrogen loading in the pond following the VCS
Ponds in Peril forum in July of 2009. Alarmed by presentations showing
that nitrogen in the Lagoon was already at 127% of the “tolerable
Nitrogen Load,” as per the MV Commission, the Lagoon Pond Association
quickly took action on several fronts. A petition was circulated,
bringing the issue to the attention of the Oak Bluffs Selectmen, and a
joint Tisbury/Oak Bluffs Lagoon Pond Committee was created. Inspired by a
talk at the Ponds in Peril forum by Rick Karney, Director of the
Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group (MVSG),
there was great interest in aquaculture as a partial remedy, and the
Joint Committee sent letters to elected officials and administrators
requesting, among other solutions, the re-opening of the old
Massachusetts State Lobster Hatchery in Oak Bluffs.
Last week, the lobster hatchery was rededicated for shellfish
aquaculture as part of a multi-faceted effort to improve water quality
in the Lagoon. During a signing ceremony Friday, use of the facility was
granted to the MVSG. The agreement, signed by Rick Karney and Paul
Diodati on behalf of the state, provides additional growing space for
the production of scallops, oysters, and quahogs. Where the primary
threat to water quality is nutrient loading (as is the case in Lagoon
Pond), aquaculture can provide two benefits at once: in addition to
being a valuable commercial resource in their own right, these shellfish
are filter feeders, reducing excess nitrogen in the water. For more
information on the re-opening ceremony and the Shellfish Group’s plans
for the hatchery, see the recent newspaper articles.
As reported in the newspapers, much of the credit for making the
hatchery re-opening a reality goes to state officials, in particular
Division of Marine Fisheries Director Paul Diodati and Department of
Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin. However, the drive to clean up
Lagoon Pond, and the seed of the idea to explore aquaculture as one
method, began with local community action.
The rapid turnaround from the Ponds in Peril forum to the re-opening of
the hatchery (described by Ms. Phillips as, “warp speed for such
municipal and public/non-profit cooperation”) is a remarkable testament
to the power of community action. VCS is proud that one of our
educational programs played an early role in spurring efforts to improve
water quality in the Lagoon, but most of the credit goes to those
residents who brought the issue to the attention of government
officials, and kept the pressure on such that real action is now
occurring.
VCS, Moshup Trail Project Benefit at Gay Head Gallery
Rez Williams, "Moshup Trail"
The Gay Head Gallery will celebrate its Grand Opening (after a ten year
hiatus) with a show to benefit the VCS and the Moshup Trail Project. An
Artists' Reception will be held Sunday, August 14 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.
In addition to the exhibits, leaders of the Moshup Trail Project will
give background and updates on this complex project, including oral
histories from some of the key players. The gallery is located on State
Road in Aquinnah, on the left 0.4 miles past the turn to Lobsterville.
Please park along the road with all 4 tires off the road.
From August 12 - 26, an exhibit of paintings, photographs, and other
works of art inspired by the globally rare coastal heathland habitat of
the Moshup Trail area will be on view, and available for purchase at the
Gallery. Works by a number of artists, including Doug Kent, Steven
Kleinrock, Ellen Liman, Peggy Roth Major, Lucy Mitchell, Steve Lohman,
Mary Elizabeth Pratt, Julia Purinton, Linda Thompson, Dan VanLandingham,
and Rez Williams, among others, will serve to inspire each of us to
participate in this important conservation effort. For more information,
please call Megan Ottens-Sargent, Director of the Gay Head Gallery, at
508-645-2776.
Other News
Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health
The carbon footprint of beef is double that of most other meats, according to a recent study by the Environmental Working Group.
The Environmental Working Group has just released their Meat Eater’s Guide.
Apart from the questionable verbal aesthetics of encouraging us to eat
"greener" meat, it's an excellent resource for helping consumers make
smarter choices in the meats they buy. The guide addresses the health
benefits and risks of different meats, as well as the widely varied
environmental impacts (one of the most interesting pieces being a study comparing the total carbon footprint of many meats and vegetables.)
EWG is perhaps best known for their annual guide to pesticides in produce.
However, from an environmental standpoint, the choices we make
regarding our meat consumption are considerably more important than
whether we choose organic or “conventional” produce. Because so many
pounds of feed are needed to produce a pound of meat, the environmental
benefits of organic production are magnified. Unfortunately, however, so
is the cost. More important, the carbon footprint of meat greatly
exceeds that of milk, eggs, and vegetable proteins. Buying local (and
especially pasture-raised) meat greatly reduces the amount of fossil
fuels needed to truck fertilizers, feed, animals, and processed meat
(refrigerated, no less) around the world. From the perspective of global
climate change (not to mention national security, energy prices, air
pollution, and others), greater benefit would come from reducing our
meat consumption, even rather modestly, and/or reducing the miles it
travels, than convincing everyone to buy organic.
Reducing consumption is the message behind the Meatless Monday movement
being promoted by chef and author Mario Batali on behalf of EWG. Armed
with Chef Batali’s meatless recipes, EWG is working to convince 100,000
people to pledge
to skip meat one day a week. The pledge is a great idea as a
motivational tool, and even a creative way to institute a new family
tradition. But on an island full of creative people, I don’t see a need
to limit our motivational tools to something so simple. Personally, for
example, awareness of meat’s outsized carbon footprint simply led to my
reducing portion sizes in general. It turns out that, despite what every
restaurant thinks, I don’t really need a half pound burger when I’m
grilling them myself. But, while effective (surely I’ve reduced my meat
intake by more than one seventh, which is all Chef Batali is asking),
I’ll be the first to admit to a lack of creativity in my approach. Post
your suggestions to our Facebook
page, or email us; if we get enough replies, maybe we can put a list of
the best meat reducing motivational schemes into the next Almanac.
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