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Quote of the Week
“This is the new normal”
—Gavin A. Schmidt (Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies),
on findings that 2017 was the second (or third, depending on
methodology) warmest year on record.
At this point, 2017's high temperature is remarkable only in that it was not an El Niño
year, conditions which helped boost the previous two years to the top
of the historical record. In fact, 2017 experienced a mild La Niña
effect, usually associated with lower global temps. See story in NY Times.
Save the Date
Saturday, April 21
The Earth Day Beach Clean-Up
The 26th annual VCS Earth Day Beach Clean-up will be held on April 21, across 25 of our Island's beaches. Learn more about the history of this Vineyard tradition.
Conservation Calendar
Winter Animal Tracking
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 1:00 — 3:00 pm, Edgartown.
Join staff from the Trustees for a free presentation at the Edgartown
Library. Lean about the different imprints animals leave behind in
winter on farmland, beaches, and trails. For more info, call the library at (508) 627-4221.
Winter Tree Identification
Saturday, March 3, 9:00 am — noon, West Tisbury.
Fewer than three dozen types of trees are native to Martha’s Vineyard.
Can you identify all of them in winter? Join Horticulturist/Arborist Ian
Jochems at the Polly Hill Arboretum for an introductory class on winter
identification of the trees most frequently encountered on the island.
This class will involve an indoor lesson as well as an outdoor component
during which students will put their new skills to use, so please dress
for the weather. $45 ($30 for PHA members), registration is required,
call to (508) 693-9426.
Winter Walks: Woods Preserve & State Forest
Wet weather kept many folks at home for our most recent Winter Walk at
the Woods Preserve, but when the rain cleared the intrepid few were
treated to a truly sublime setting for photography. See more photos here.
Our next Winter Walk will be March 11 at 10:00 am at the State Forest. Plans
are currently underway for a collaboration with the folks behind the
new "Friends of" group (see story at upper right), so please so please
join us to learn more about this vital part of our conservation history.
Check back the week of the walk for details.
|
Local News
New Group Aims to Rally Community Support for State Forest
Join with "Friends of the Manuel Correllus State Forest" for their next public meeting. Photo by David Foster for Digital Commonwealth, view from a fire lane to the West Tisbury moraine.
A newly formed advocacy group, the Friends of the Manuel Correllus State
Forest (MCSF), holds its second meeting next week at 7:00 pm, Tuesday
the 27th at the Tisbury Senior Center. Similar “Friends of” groups have
formed in 90 communities around Massachusetts in support of local state
forests. These groups typically focus on advocacy for improved funding
from the state, which is a clear need at MCSF.
However, based on the initial meeting in late January, the mission of
the new Friends of MCSF appears to be broader. Forester Bob Woodruff led
the meeting, supported by MCSF superintendent Chris Bruno and
representatives of a wide range of stakeholders, including abutters,
conservation groups, recreational interests, and public safety
officials. Perhaps inspired by the words of Dr. Seuss’s
grumpy-but-lovable Lorax, Bob characterized the new organization as “. .
. the real voice of a forest that can’t speak for itself.”
Increased funding would create opportunities to address many deferred
needs at MCSF, including management of 40 to 50 rare species and their
supporting habitat. Much of the MCSF habitat requires regular
disturbance, with techniques such as prescribed fire to reduce fuel
accumulation, mowing, and other approaches to reducing fuel load. Such
management also has the added benefit of reducing the long-standing fire
risk at MCSF, a critical public safety goal.
Story continued at VCS website, 2nd column
The Art of Conservation Returns with a Deeper Look at Habitat
Photo by Beatriz da Costa, Special Distinction winner in the inaugural edition of The Art of Conservation. See more winners from 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
2018 marks the fifth year for the VCS high school art contest, The Art of Conservation. Following last year’s far-reaching theme of Discovery, we are now asking our Island’s young artists to focus on one of the most fundamental principles of conservation — Habitat.
We are very excited to see how the students respond. Every year,
their work provides an amazing opportunity to see the natural world
through a new lens. Submissions are due May 4, and an awards ceremony
and opening showing of the winning works will be held later in May. The
contest is open to all Vineyard high school students, not just those in
art classes, so please encourage any students you know to participate.
Students: Please see contest rules here, then register today!
Bring Your Own Bag Goes to School
No place quite embodies the "Reuse"
spirit like the library. Nina Hitchen, Lynn Van Auken, Dylan Hitchen,
and Signe Benjamin (L-R) show off the new Oak Bluffs School library
bags.
In a continuing effort to reduce plastic usage at the Oak Bluffs School, Nina Hitchen (Plastic Free on MV,
as well as a member of the school’s PTO) teamed up with VCS to help
school librarian Lynn Van Auken coordinate the purchase of reusable
cotton bags to replace the plastic ones previously given out by the
school. Emblazoned (pardon the pun) with the school’s dragon-like
“Blazers” logo, 250 of these handsome and durable bags will be
distributed to students from Kindergarten to 2nd grade.
It was truly a team effort, with Ms. Van Auken’s daughter creating the
design and VCS and the PTO happy to underwrite the costs of materials
and printing. Thank you to the OB School for inviting us to join in last
week’s community meeting for the big reveal! |
