Visit our Website
Support Vineyard Conservation
Find us on Facebook
Quote of the Week
“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my
answer is always the same: if you look at the science about what is
happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the
data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth
and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a
pulse.”
--Martin Keogh, Hope Beneath our Feet: Restoring Our Place in the Natural World
Conservation Calendar
Clothes-to-Go
Friday, Dec 14, 2:00 to 4:00 pm, Vineyard Haven.
Free gently worn clothing at the Christ United Methodist Church (Stone
Church). Re-use beats recycling any day. (Also on Sat. the 15th, 9:00 -
11:00). For more info, call 508-693-4424.
Wee Farmers
Saturday, Dec 15 (also the 22nd), 9:30 to 11:00 am, The FARM Institute, Katama.
TFI
welcomes 2-5 year olds to the farm for a morning of discovery. Pet a
fiber goat, feed the chickens and help harvest fall veggies. Wee
Farmers must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. $15 per session.
For more info, or to pre-register, call 508-627-7007
Winter Farmers Market
Saturday, Dec 15, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury.
The winter market takes place every other weekend inside the Ag Hall. Check website for more information.
Solstice Celebration and Ceremonial Fire
Friday, Dec 21, Aquinnah.
All day free event at Sassafras Earth Education. Activities begin with
the lighting of the fire and sunrise greeting at 7 am, highlighted by a
potluck celebration from 4 to 6 pm. All are welcome, bring a dish and/or
firewood to share. Directions here; for full schedule and details, call 508-645-2008.
In Season Recipe
Family Traditions,
Fresh from the Vineyard
Fresh from the Vineyard, by Virginia Jones, features recipes
that take advantage of our bounty of local produce, meats, and seafood.
Proceeds from sales of the book (see VCS website
for locations) will benefit both VCS and the Island Grown Initiative,
two organizations that – in very different ways – have helped promote
and sustain local agriculture.
The recipes in Ginny's book are almost always simple, fresh, and above
all, tremendously adaptable methods of showcasing our Island's native
produce, meats, and seafood. This week's recipe will be an exception -
but with very good reason. Grandma Lydia's Christmas Carrot Pudding
is presented in detail, complete with traditional ingredients (seeded
raisins) and methods (you'll need a meat grinder and plenty of
patience). But some things can't be rushed!
A traditional dish with its origins in medieval England,
Christmas pudding is also sometimes called plum pudding despite the
lack of plums. The word "plum" referred to raisins in pre-Victorian
times.
|
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Local News
Fall Environmental Action Appeal
American Holly in West Tisbury (photo by Brendan O'Neill, click for wider angle)
The Vineyard Conservation Society is the
environmental conscience of Martha’s Vineyard. We rely exclusively on
member support to continue our advocacy, education and resource
protection work, including:
-
Legal defense of critical habitat under imminent threat at Moshup Trail
-
Permanent protection of other valuable open spaces through conservation restrictions and other cooperative agreements
-
Advocacy
and educational efforts on environmental issues of special significance
to our Island, including climate change, water quality protection,
growth and development, and preservation of Island character.
Now through the end of the year, new
members and any gift memberships will receive their choice of one of
four books and be entered into a raffle for a basket of books on local
environmental and sustainability issues. Learn more about this great
offer at our website!
Interpretive Winter Walks Keep Community Connected to Nature
The view from Eastville Beach (photo by Signe Benjamin)
Member support is also crucial to the maintenance of our community
programs, including the popular Winter Walks series. Last weekend, we
hosted an interpretive walk at Eastville Beach (located adjacent to the
drawbridge, on the Oak Bluffs side). A small gathering of hardy folk
braved the blustery conditions to take in the scenery and hear walk
leaders Dave Nash and Brendan O'Neill describe the history and hoped-for
future of this priceless bit of open space tucked between two bustling
towns. Visit our events page to see a slideshow of the walk and to learn the history of conservation efforts at Eastville.
Our next Winter Walk will be January 13th at the Katama Airpark. For
more information, check the Almanac and our website in coming weeks.
VCS and State Coastal Zone Management Team up for Coastsweep
contributed by Samantha Look
On October 13th and 14th, VCS helped coordinate a fall beach cleanup as part of Coastsweep,
an annual statewide coastal cleanup. Coastsweep is sponsored by the
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and is coordinated by
The Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston. This was the 25th
anniversary of their efforts. In 1987 they began with 391 volunteers
and removed almost 2 tons of trash from 40 miles of coast. Over the
years this has grown considerably; last year, close to 2,300 volunteers
removed 9 tons of trash from more than 118 miles of coastline. Beyond
just working to clean our state’s beaches, Coastsweep is part of the
International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy in
Washington, D.C. Each year, hundreds of thousands of volunteers gather
worldwide at beaches, streams and lakes to clean marine trash and debris
and record their findings on data cards. The Ocean Conservancy uses the
information collected on these cards to create a huge database to
better understand what behaviors and sources are leading to so much
trash in the world’s oceans. With this they are better able to educate
and develop policy to reduce the problem.
Something for all of us to remember when we spend a day at the beach is
that the top ten types of trash found during past Coastsweeps – with the
exception of rope, #5 – have been recreation and shore based, as
opposed to coming from boating or ocean-based activities. The top five
items found were:
-
Cigarettes/cigarette filters
-
Food wrappers and containers
-
Caps/lids
-
Plastic Bags
-
Rope
Story continued at VCS site, 2nd column.
Crafty Creations Turn Old Books Into Holiday Cheer
The staff at the Oak Bluffs Public Library have outdone themselves this
year! In what is becoming an annual tradition, creative folks have
decorated the library with homemade wreathes, trees and vases, all made
from recycled books. Check out the rest of the photos at the library's facebook page. For more information about the materials and design, please contact Sondra Murphy, Acting Director, 508-693-9433 ext. 141.
|
