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Quote of the Week
"Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans"
--Jacques Cousteau
Conservation Calendar
Dinner and Lecture: Removing Ocean Debris
Wednesday, April 8, 6:00 to 9:00 pm, Vineyard Haven.
Dinner at the Black Dog Tavern followed by a talk from Rachael Miller of the Rozalia Project. $25, for reservations and more info see Sail MV or call (508) 696-7644.
Island Grown Story Time
Thursday, April 9, 10:30 to 11:00 am, West Tisbury.
Guest reader Nicole Cabot from Island Grown Initiative will share
stories and a love of fresh greens, IGI's Harvest of the Month, during
preschool story time at the West Tisbury Library. Free.
Bird Language Course
Sunday, April 12, 10:00 am to noon, Aquinnah.
Sassafras hosts a try-out for their five-day bird language course that
will be held April 29 - May 3 in Maine. Learn if you have the interest
to pursue an in-depth immersion to the world of bird language. For
adults and teens. For more info on the try-out day, call Sassafras at
(508) 645-2008, for more on the course itself, call White Pine Programs
at (207) 361-1911.
Walk at Three Ponds Reservation
Sunday, April 12, 1:00 pm, Chappy.
Join Land Bank staff for a guided walk at a very interesting property
nestled between three ponds of Chappaquiddick. For more info see website or call (508) 627-7141.
Horseshoe Crab Surveys
Wednesday, April 15, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary.
Felix Neck’s Citizen Science Program collects data on breeding horseshoe
crabs for the Department of Marine Fisheries. Train to become a
volunteer to help with the surveys (this year on Sengekontacket and
Tashmoo Ponds) at one of two sessions held at Felix Neck (the other is
May 2nd at 9 am). For further information and registration, call (508)
627-4850.
In Season Recipe
Lamb Leftovers: The MOF-MOF Approach
Instead of one recipe, this week we'll toss out a few ideas for taking
advantage of any leftover Easter lamb, courtesy of U.K.'s Guardian
newspaper. The simplest, and in my opinion most appetizing, suggestion
comes from Chef Antonio Carluccio's "MOF, MOF" perspective -- minimum of
fuss, maximum of flavor. From the article:
To stay true to this principle with your
leftover lamb, just fry the pieces in a pan (you probably won't need to
add any oil), so that they go crispy at the edges. Toss in some finely
chopped garlic a couple of minutes before you take it off the heat, and
finish it off with a large handful of chopped green herbs (mint, parsley
or coriander all work well) and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
The Guardian also provides recipes for two other leftover
classics, shepherd's pie and moussaka. For even more lamb ideas, see
these previous editions of the Almanac: curry and souvlaki. And if all of these leftover ideas have inspired you to go out and roast some lamb in the first place, check out this Almanac for where to find it and how to cook it!
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Monday, April 6, 2015
Local News
This Weekend, the Beach Clean-Up becomes a Birthday Party
Has it really been 23 years? View photos from our more recent beach clean-ups at the VCS website.
Earth Day is every day, but on Saturday, April 11th, the 23rd Annual VCS Earth Day Beach Clean-up is also a celebration of the 50th
birthday of the Vineyard Conservation Society. Gather family and
friends and head out to your favorite beach from 10:00 am to noon to
help protect our ocean environment and beautify our Island. Years ago,
we created this local event as a means of fostering appreciation and
respect for the natural environment and to encourage community support
for the worldwide Earth Day holiday.
This year’s after-party and birthday celebration will be graciously
hosted by the Harbor View Hotel. From 12:00 to 2 pm, relax over lunch
and compare treasure hunting stories with other beach cleaners. There
will be great food from Island restaurants, cake, and refreshments. Make
sure to stay for the unveiling of the VCS Island Adventure, a new
questing program for kids (more info below).
WMVY will be broadcasting live from Eastville Beach during the clean-up.
Once again, the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank is sponsoring the
cleaning of Eastville Beach, and has also contributed advertising space.
Food sponsors include Isola, Sharky’s, The Wharf, and Stop & Shop.
This year’s clean-up features the special addition of a new beach: not
just new to the clean-up, but one that has returned to the Vineyard
itself after an eight year absence. In the past week, the channel
separating Norton Point from Chappaquiddick has closed,
rejoining the two islands. The Trustees of Reservations have invited
the public to join them at the site of the breach at noon for a ceremony
to commemorate the closing. Earlier, at 10:00, beach clean-up
participants can meet at the Dike Bridge, where the Trustees will have
their trucks available to help with clean-ups around Wasque and/or Cape
Pogue.
2015 Beach List
Aquinnah: Lobsterville, Philbin, Tribal Beaches
Chilmark: Squibnocket, Menemsha, Lucy Vincent
Edgartown:
Fuller Street, Lighthouse Beach, South Beach (Left & Right Fork),
State Beach (Bend in the Road), Chappy beaches (meet at Dike Bridge)
Oak Bluffs: Eastville Point, State Beach (Little Bridge), Town Beach (SSA to Inkwell)
Tisbury: Lagoon
Pond Landing, Lake Street Landing, Tashmoo Opening, Owen Little Way,
Grove Ave Beach, Hines Point, Owen Park, VH harbor (SSA to RM Packer)
West Tisbury: Cedar Tree Neck, Lambert’s Cove
The VCS Island Adventure Begins this Weekend!
Time to get your feet dirty! (Photo by Signe Benjamin)
Are you tired of seeing your kids race off to the computer or their
phone when they’re done with homework? This spring and summer, VCS is
reaching out to Island youth with a new outdoor adventure. The VCS
Island Adventure is designed to be a catalyst to get kids outside – as a
family, with friends, or even alone. We hope that it creates an easy
guide to walk trails they have never been down before, visit unfamiliar
parts of the Island, look closely and quietly at the nature around them,
and hopefully get a little dirty in the process.
Though it could fill an entire summer with outdoor activities, the game
itself is very simple. Kids accumulate points by choosing activities and
answering questions found in our Island Adventure Book. In the process,
we hope they connect with new places to love and explore on the Island, reflect on something new or interesting about the outside world, and become inspired to help protect and nurture that world. (For more on our Connect-Reflect-Protect initiative, see the cover story of our last newsletter, and this community art project
from the Living Local Harvest Fest.) While learning and exploration are
their own reward, prizes will be awarded to all who accumulate 50
points and find our hidden Adventure Signs. Best of all, it’s completely
free!
The quest officially begins this Saturday, when books will be
distributed at the beach clean-up after-party at the Harbor View (see
story above). If you can’t make it to the party, please contact us at
the office (508-693-9588) or simply register through our website and
we’ll contact you!
Other News
Amazing, Powerful, and Often Horrifying: Photo Book Documents Humanity's Growing Impact
Cattle graze while the Amazon jungle burns. Photography by Daniel Beltra, published in Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot.
Despite its grim theme, a new photography book -- Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot -- is
attracting attention due to the sheer power of its images. The less
words that are said regarding it the better, so we will simply direct
you to this sampling of photos. And while it could probably be argued that the less time spent viewing the photos the better, the book can be viewed in its entirety online. |
