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Quote of the Week
" There are two kinds of truth; the
truth that lights the way and the truth that warms the heart. The first
of these is science, and the second is art."
--Raymond Chandler, Novelist
The Art of Conservation
A Choice - We Can Damage or Preserve
By Lucy Thompson
(Charter School, 9th Grade)
First Place, Drawing
See the other winning artworks and their creators' descriptions:
Photos of all of the entries can be found in this slideshow
(after following the link, click the "slideshow" button in the upper
left). Thanks to all who participated and helped make the first VCS high
school art contest a rousing success!
Conservation Calendar
Arboretum Volunteer Day
Thursday, June 5, 9:00 am to noon, West Tisbury.
Through October, the Polly Hill Arboretum hosts a volunteer day the
first Thursday of the month. Dress appropriately and bring gloves –
necessary tools will be provided. More info at website, but please call ahead if interested, (508) 693-9426.
World Oceans Day: Film Event
Sunday, June 8 at 7:30 pm, Vineyard Haven.
In honor of World Oceans Day, the MV Film Center screens two short films followed by the main feature Sharkwater, all beginning at 7:30. Tickets $12 ($9 for members, $7 for children), for more info see website or call (508) 696-9369.
Dragonflies and Damselflies
Thursday, June 12, 10:30 to 11:30 am, Edgartown.
Visit the ponds at Felix Neck and discover these amazing insects -- not
only their flights above the water's surface, but also their secret
lives at the bottom of the pond. $9 ($6 for members), at the Felix Neck
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Shorebird Saturday: June 14
Colony Tour: Join the Trustees of Reservations
for a tour of active nesting sites. Meet at 8:30 am at Norton Point
Beach in Katama. $10 ($5 for members, $3 for children), pre-registration
required. For more info see website or call (508) 693-7662.
Beach Tracking: Walk the beach with Felix Neck
staff to record field data, search for birds and nests, and identify
bird and mammal tracks in the sand. Meet at 9:00 am at the State Beach
access trail on the Oak Bluffs side of Big Bridge. Free, no registration
required. For more info see website or call (508) 627-4850.
Documentary Film on Genetically Modified Organisms
Tuesday, June 17 at 7:00 pm, Vineyard Haven.
"Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives" showing at the Vineyard
Haven Public Library. Presented by Slow Food M.V. For more info, see poster or call (508) 696-4211.
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Monday, June 2, 2014
Local News
(poster by Mya O'Neill, Youth Development Committee Chair; click to enlarge)
Stop Renewing Your Membership Today!
Instead, let us do it for you! Our membership and donation website now allows for automatic annual renewals. Sign up today and be secure in the knowledge that this time next year you can ignore this space in the Almanac!
Not a Member Yet?
Join today: New members receive their choice of two great local publications: Walking Trails of Martha's Vineyard by William Flender, or Edible Wild Plants of Martha's Vineyard
by Linsey Lee. Both make excellent companions for this summer’s outdoor
adventures, indispensible when you’re feeling just a tiny bit lost or
hungry.
Upgraded Katama Farm Trail Opens
See and be seen at the Katama Farm Trail (Photo by David Foster)
On Friday, the newly upgraded Katama Farm Trail
at the FARM Institute was officially unveiled. With support from the
Edey Foundation, TFI partnered with VCS to create educational signage
for an interpretive trail covering the Farm’s history from its glacial
origins to today’s efforts to renew Island agriculture. Inspiration for
the new signage came during a VCS Winter Walk at the Farm led by present
and former VCS executive directors Brendan O’Neill and Bob Woodruff.
One unique aspect of the trail is that it is one of the most accessible
on the Island. The area is very flat (as is all of Katama), and the
paths are either dirt roads or mowed grass on firm ground. Also, thanks
to the Vineyard Independence Partnership, an Island disability advocacy
group, a state-of-the-art all-terrain wheelchair can be checked out from
TFI’s farm stand. To reserve the chair in advance, call (508)
627-7007.
State News
Vineyard Awarded Two State Grants for Coastal Protection
The Atlantic ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa is often found half-buried in the mud among marsh grasses. (Photo by Sandy Richard/Flickr)
Great news came out of the Governor’s office
on Friday, as the announced winners of the first Green Infrastructure
for Coastal Resilience Pilot Grants included two Vineyard projects: the
restoration of Squibnocket Beach in Chilmark, and the Martha’s Vineyard
Shellfish Group’s efforts to stabilize and improve salt marshes at four
pilot sites through living shoreline techniques, including the use of
ribbed mussels, marsh grass, and coir logs. (A more thorough account of
the MVSG project can be found at the Vineyard Gazette.)
The state program (administered through the Office of Coastal Zone
Management) seeks to encourage, in their words, the use of “green
infrastructure” – non-structural approaches to dealing with the problems
of coastal erosion and sea level rise. In our preferred nomenclature of
coastal armoring, soft stabilization, and managed retreat, the
administration’s “green infrastructure” would seem to most closely map
onto soft stabilization – the sometimes necessary, frequently expensive,
and always impermanent middle ground between counterproductive armoring
and politically unpopular retreat. It can be a smart compromise,
especially if done using good science – and these grants should help to
that end.
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