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Quote of the Week
"It's really good news . . . If ozone-depleting substances had
continued to increase, we would have seen huge effects. We stopped
that.”
—Paul Newman, chief Earth scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
A report released this week by the UN shows that the Earth's ozone layer
has begun to repair itself, a clear demonstration that international
cooperation — despite today's challenges — remains essential to
addressing global problems. Read more at the BBC.
B.Y.O. and Save
We
will be using this space to highlight programs and promotions from
local businesses that help encourage and reward the BYO spirit. If you
see something while you're out, or are a business owner who is already
doing something great, let us know!
Bulk Olive Oil at The Larder
Butcher shop and market The Larder is now selling bulk olive oil. BYOB and save $3! Located at 342 State Rd., Vineyard Haven.
Conservation Calendar
State Beach Clean-Up
Photo: Friends of Sengekontacket
Saturday, Nov. 10, 10:00 am — noon, Beach Road Edg/OB.
Friends of Sengekontacket hosts a beach clean-up this weekend,
setting out from multiple locations along State Beach: Little Bridge,
Big Bridge & Bend in the Road. Bring your friends, bring your kids,
let's give some love to our beach this Fall season. The F.O.S. will
dispose of all trash collected, and even provide donuts and coffee at
the Little Bridge starting point! For more info, send a text message to
Chick at (774) 563-1805.
Making Reusable Beeswax Wrap
Saturday, Nov. 10, 3:00 — 5:00 pm, Vineyard Haven.
Yet
another way to cut down on disposable plastic: learning to make your
own reusable wraps out of beeswax at this crafting activity for adults
at the Vineyard Haven Library. Email Jennifer for more info.
Citizen Science & a Culture of Knowledge
Wednesday, Nov. 14, 5:00 — 6:00 pm, Chilmark.
Island
naturalist Matt Pelikan, a participant in or organizer of numerous
citizen science projects, will discuss the way this radical new kind of
science has altered how people understand the natural world around them,
and how you can contribute to citizen science projects yourself. A free
talk at the Chilmark Library.
Dinner & Presentation on USDA Farm Incentives
Friday, Nov. 16, 6:00 pm, West Tisbury.
A presentation for Island farmers on the USDA's Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP). The event will be at the Ag Hall with dinner
provided. For more info, see poster. Call (508) 687-9062 or email to RSVP.
Guided Walk at Polly Hill
Saturday, Nov. 17, 10:00 — 11:00 am, West Tisbury.
Join PHA staff for a look at plants in the
autumn landscape. Fall offers an opportunity to appreciate foliage
color, as well as the beauty found in plants’ form, habit, fruit, and
bark. Meet at the Visitor Center and dress for the weather. $5 (free for
members), no pre-registration required. For more info, call (508) 693-9426.
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Winter Walks Return with Exploration of Chickamaug / Chickemoo Area
Approaching the Vineyard Open Land
Foundation's cranberry pond near the Wakeman Center; photo taken January
2012 during our previous Winter Walk
The first VCS
Winter Walk of the 2018-2019 season will be this Sunday (Nov. 11), when
we set out from our home base off Lambert's Cove Road to explore the
network of trails through the fields, woods, cranberry ponds and bogs surrounding the Wakeman Conservation Center. The walk begins at 10 am and should last about 1.5 to 2 hours.
A Revolutionary History: The 240th Anniversary of Grey’s Raid
The
earliest known inhabitants of the area called this place Chickamaug or
Chickemoo, an Algonquin reference to the weir fish trapping that once
thrived at Onkokemmy Bay – today known as Lambert's Cove.
However, later inhabitants – European settlers and their descendants –
coined the name "Red Coat Hill Road" in response to an unwelcome
visit from the Old World. In September of 1778, British General Sir
Charles Grey anchored 47 warships containing 4,333 troops off Vineyard
Haven harbor. After bringing his troops ashore, and marching them along an old way running past the residence of local Selectman Shubael Weeks, General Grey seized this high ground west of Tashmoo.
All told, 315 head of cattle and 10,574 sheep were expropriated from
Martha's Vineyard in what would come to be known as Grey's Raid. This
year marks the 240th anniversary of that historical plundering.
Directions from down-Island: Take
a right onto Lambert's Cove Rd. (the "lower entrance"). In about 1 mile
there will be a series of three dirt roads on your left: Paula, David,
Helen. Take Helen Ave. Alternately, from up-Island: Proceeding
east on State Rd., just past up-Island Cronig's and Conroy's take a left
onto Lambert's Cove Rd. After 3.2 miles turn right onto Helen Ave.
Once
on Helen Ave., after about 500 ft, the road splits near a sign for VCS,
Sheriffs Meadow Foundation, and Garden Club. To the right is a small
parking area at the front of the Wakeman Center. Or, take a hard right
at the sign and go down the steep hill for more parking. The walk will
set out from the lower parking area below the building.
Stop & Shop Bags the Plastic
We were heartened by the recent decision by
Stop & Shop to discontinue use of the new extra-thick (4 mil)
plastic bags that had appeared in both Island locations this summer.
These new bags are marketed as reusable and eco-friendly, and indeed
there are some scenarios – perhaps in the future, or elsewhere – where this would be accurate. They are reusable, but in practice most customers still view them as disposable. They are
recyclable, but must be brought to specific collection facilities,
rather than placed in the regular single-stream bins. More generally,
the new bags create the same litter, costs to our recycling system, and
deadly threat to wildlife as the thin-film plastic bags they replaced.
Once we found out about the new bags,
VCS began a dialogue with local management, who have always supported
the plastic bag ban. They had been receiving negative feedback from
customers regarding the new bags and agreed with our position that,
while legal, the thicker bags were contrary to the spirit of the law.
Unfortunately, the decision was not in their hands; fortunately, though,
they were able to help open a channel of communications with higher
management off-Island, where ultimately reason prevailed. Based on our
most recent conversation, we can report that the 4 mil bags have been
permanently discontinued, and, for those customers who forget to BYOB,
Stop & Shop will return to using paper only. A hearty thank you is
due to all involved in getting it right!
Steamship Terminal Expansion Update
In October, VCS sought to call attention to the opposition brewing in
Falmouth regarding the proposed $60 million expansion of the Steamship
Authority’s Woods Hole terminal – and to raise our own concerns.
Criticism from the mainland has centered around the plan to build an
opulent new ticket office (the much-mocked “ski chalet”), which would be
energy inefficient, needlessly expensive, and squarely in the way of
cherished water views. All reasonable complaints.
On our Island, however, the more serious impact of the proposed terminal
expansion would be 1) specifically, the increase in car traffic that
will result from the opening of a third slip for loading and unloading
boats, and 2) more broadly, what this signals regarding the SSA’s
expectations for future traffic growth. All evidence, whether it is
spending so much on this terminal expansion, the ever-increasing size of
the boats themselves, or simply the $1.3 million the SSA spends
annually on advertising (for a service over which they hold a monopoly),
suggests that the current business model expects, and perhaps relies
upon, continued rapid growth.
What can you do?
To this point, despite the public pressure there are no apparent changes
to the SSA’s plans. But it is early still, and much too soon to give
up. Here a few options to help us spread the message:
- Please forward to friends the previous Almanac special edition focused on the issue; it contains a more thorough rationale for conservation-minded opposition to the proposal.
- In their news reporting, the Vineyard Gazette did a good job summarizing the VCS objections; that story was paired with a nice editorial echoing our position. A follow-up story on an initial meeting between the SSA and the MV Commission also touched on the issues of uncontrolled growth. All three Gazette pieces are worth reading and sharing. (Also, a thank-you is in order to the Gazette for helping to amplify this crucial issue!)
- A petition
circulated by the Southeast MA Regional Transportation (SMART)
Citizens’ Task Force has already garnered over 250 signatures. Its focus
is on the ticket office design, but there is an opportunity to add your
own comments regarding Vineyard traffic impacts if you wish.
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