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Quote of the Week
“We cannot save everything, but we can have a memory of it.”
—Architect Liliane Wong, speaking about the inevitable loss of some historic buildings
Adaptation
to sea level rise presents additional challenges in historic
neighborhoods. Some very old houses wouldn't survive relocation, and
sometimes the modifications needed to save them would do away with what
makes them historic in the first place. A great read in yesterday's NY Times
details the diverse strategies being considered in one such
neighborhood, "The Point" in Newport RI. These include floating
"amphibious" foundations, basements that become temporary cisterns, and,
in the approach referenced above, casting in concrete the facade of
houses doomed to sea level rise, leaving behind "reminders of what had
been lost."
3-Minute Survey:
Food Waste
The MV Food Waste Initiative
has been developing strategies to reduce the staggering amount of food
that we throw in the trash, something that represents both a significant
portion of our waste stream and a lost opportunity to do something
better.
Please take a few minutes to complete this short 9-question survey.
It aims to learn about Islanders' opinions and behaviors related to
food waste at home. The information will help us establish the next
steps for an Island-wide plan to convert this waste into useful
resources for our Island.
Conservation Calendar
Climate Change & Rare Plants
Wednesday, July 17, 5:30 — 6:30 pm, West Tisbury.
Bill Brumback, recently retired Conservation Director for the Native
Plant Trust, will discuss how climate change during this century is
expected to affect the plants of New England and their habitats, with
special emphasis on rare plant species. At the Polly Hill Arboretum, $10
($5 for members), more info at website.
Hazardous Waste Collection Day
Saturday, July 20, 9:00 am — noon, Edgartown.
Hazardous
waste (motor oil, oil based paints, stains, thinners, and other
products) are collected three times a year at the Edgartown Transfer
Station free of charge for all Island residents. (Products containing
mercury, including watch and hearing aid batteries, thermometers,
barometers, fluorescent and neon bulbs, are collected during all regular
business hours.)
Ocean Science Talk: Eelgrass Ecosystems & Blue Carbon
Saturday, July 27, 10:00 am — noon, Edgartown.
As
part of their "Local Waters, Living Waters" speaker series, the Great
Pond Foundation hosts WHOI scientist Mary Carman, EPA scientist Phil
Colarusso, and retired shellfish constable Dave Grunden for the second
installment of this wonderful educational opportunity. A free event at
the Edgartown Library, see GPF website for more info.
Book Talk & Signing:
Braiding Sweetgrass
Friday, Aug. 9, 4:00 pm, Aquinnah.
Author Robin Wall Kimmerer will share lessons from her inspirational book Braiding Sweetgrass, described as “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise.” At the Aquinnah Cultural Center, 35 Aquinnah Circle; suggested donation of $5 (or more). For more info see event poster, call (508) 645-7900 or email.
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Environmental DNA: A New Era for the Science of Conservation
Cultural diversity is central to the history of Oak Bluffs' Inkwell Beach. What ecological diversity can be found in the waters offshore? (Photo by Ray Ewing)
Tomorrow afternoon, Jesse Ausubel, Director of the Program for the Human
Environment at Rockefeller University (as well as VCS Science Adviser),
will share insights and new data gathered from his groundbreaking work
using eDNA for aquatic and marine wildlife sampling. The free
presentation will be July 10th at 5:00 at the Chilmark Library.
Environmental DNA (eDNA), also known as loose, extracellular, or naked
DNA, results from the breakup of cells. It is continually cast off, yet
doesn't persist long before breaking down, so the recent presence of
many organisms can be reliably detected by analyzing these DNA
fragments. (To learn more, including a much more sensible approach to
finding the Loch Ness Monster, see this piece in Smithsonian Magazine.)
In 2017, Jesse presented at the VCS Annual Meeting on this exciting new
sampling method, sharing results from two of our local bodies of water,
Look’s Pond and Tisbury Great Pond. As his presentation made clear,
early returns from eDNA analysis are highly encouraging. Monitoring eDNA
can be used today to supplement – and possibly someday supplant –
traditional sampling methods, many of which are time-consuming,
expensive, and destructive to the very wildlife we seek to better
understand.
In advance of tomorrow’s presentation, Jesse shared with us his results from sampling at the Inkwell last summer.
From July 29 to September 22 we see changes in the fish species present
that are consistent with traditional sampling methods (and the
expectations of fishermen), as well as the occasional sightings of less
common fish (and even a Leatherback sea turtle). His earlier results
from Look’s Pond and Tisbury Great Pond
also yielded interesting results. The fish species detected were
completely different, presumably due to the large difference in salinity
between the ponds. The ponds had only one species in common: Homo sapiens, a fitting result given our tendency to leave our mark – and DNA – everywhere on Earth.
Technical notes: For the Inkwell graphic,
the columns of boxes from left to right are weekly surveys, with black
indicating presence (and white absence) of eDNA for a given species. The
table of data from Look’s Pond and TGP shows the number of “reads” for
each species. A DNA read is a distinct sequence of nucleobases – the
cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), and thymine (T) molecules that
encode information in DNA – that spans the sampling frame of interest.
The number of reads is understood to be an index of the approximate
abundance of the species. However, one read does not equal one animal –
each animal sheds a lot of eDNA, and the amount could depend on size,
age, and recent feeding history, among other factors.
Local Businesses, Please Help us Expand the Tap Map!
A performance at last month's World Oceans Day in Bangkok makes a powerful statement. (Photo by Romeo Gacad)
This summer marks the launch of the next leg of our "Take Back the Tap"
initiative, the ongoing series of projects and educational programs to
reduce the waste associated with bottled water. We are now reaching out
to local businesses, asking stores and restaurants to make it easier for
the public to fill up their water bottles for free. This could entail
anything from as simple as keeping a pitcher of water on the counter to
as grand as installing a water bottle refill station (and anything in
between). Please contact us (508-693-9588, or email) if you are interested in talking about what possibilities could work for your business. We would love to add you to the MV Tap Map – help Martha's Vineyard Take Back the Tap!
Help Wanted: Green the Fair for Cash and Prizes
2018
marked a hopeful new beginning for improved waste management at the
annual Ag Fair. Led by Island Grown Initiative, VCS, and Sail MV, the
collaborative effort to “Green the Fair” came in response to the
challenges and opportunities presented by the scale of waste at such an
event. The new system was successful, reducing waste by 31% as compared
to the previous year, while diverting 6,500 pounds of food waste to the
compost.
This year we can do even better – but only with your help! Fairgoers who
come to a waste station with no landfill trash at all will be entered
into a raffle for reusable goodies (water bottles, cutlery, etc), with
drawings held throughout the day and announced over the MVAS
loudspeaker. Also, a "zero-waste-in-your-home" booth will be set up
where anyone can glean educational tips and tricks. Most important to
the effort, though, are the workers of the "Green Team": the adult
volunteers and paid kids that help educate the public and keep
everything going where it needs to go. Read all the details here, and then please sign up for a shift!
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