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Quote of the Week
"Success in science depends on objective skepticism. Caution, if not
reticence, has its merits. However, in a case such as ice sheet
instability and sea level rise, there is a danger in excessive caution.
We may rue reticence, if it serves to lock in future disasters."
--James Hansen, retired NASA scientist, on "Scientific Reticence"
Conservation Calendar
Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury
Join your friends for fun and games, and lots of learning: local and
sustainable approaches to food production, protection of marine life,
renewable energy, resource conservation, development and more.
Stay late for a community potluck (from 6 to 10 pm). Also, on Friday
night (the 4th) from 6 to 9 there will be a special storytelling event
at the Grange Hall moderated by Susan Klein. Click the image above to
see the full poster.
Sustainable Community Fishing
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 5:30 pm, Edgartown.
Alan Lovewell speaks on managing our fish resources for sustainability. At the library of the M.V. Museum. For more info, call (508) 627-4441
Landscape Changes on M.V.
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 5:00 pm at the Chilmark Library.
Patrick Williams gives a talk on powerful storms, erosion and climate change effects on the Vineyard. For more info, call (508) 645-3360.
Vineyard Habitat Network Picnic and Plant Exchange
Attendees may find themselves collecting seed of Goat's Rue, Tephrosia virginiana.
Saturday, Sept. 28, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, West Tisbury.
The second annual VHN potluck picnic and native plant exchange is at the
Hoft Farm Field Station off Lambert's Cove Rd. Features a seed
collecting workshop. RSVP via email or at (508) 693-6287 ext.10.
West Tisbury Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 9:00 to noon at the Grange Hall, West Tisbury.
Fresh picked produce from local farms, flowers, delicious baked goods and prepared foods from Island kitchens and more.
In Season Recipe
Bruschetta: Simple and Fresh
This is a streamlined, super-easy approximation of the classic Italian dish. 90% as good, 30% the work.
Ingredients:
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A baguette or other long, skinny bread for slicing. If you haven't
already, try the Orange Peel Bakery -- find their bread at Cronig's, or visit them in Aquinnah.
-
1 to 2 pounds fresh tomatoes (depending on size of the bread)
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2 to 4 cloves garlic
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8 large basil leaves (or many small ones)
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1 tbsp olive oil + another 1/4 cup
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1 tsp balsamic vinegar
-
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
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Preheat oven to 450 F and set a rack in the top position.
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Slice the bread on a slight diagonal, about 1/2 inch thick.
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Dice the tomatoes, crush or dice the garlic, and snip the basil into
thin strips. Gently mix these with the vinegar and the tablespoon of
olive oil in a bowl.
-
Brush one side of the bread with extra olive oil. (Or, just pour the
oil on a plate and quickly touch the surface of the bread to it.)
-
Place the bread oil-side-down on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until just browned.
-
Flip them over (oil-side-up) onto a serving dish, top with the tomato mixture, and serve immediately before they get soggy!
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Monday, September 9, 2013
Local News
Sea Level Rise and VCS Climate Change Report Featured in Vineyard Gazette
Menemsha Village, at once an
iconic Vineyard scene and a crucial piece of public infrastructure, lies
in the path of our rising seas. (Photo by Brendan O'Neill; click to
enlarge)
In support of their ongoing coverage of coastal erosion and shoreline change on the Vineyard, a front-page story in this week’s Gazette
draws the focus a little more narrowly on the impacts of sea level rise
due to climate change. Borrowing extensively from the sea level rise
portion of our new report on climate change impacts on our island, as
well as quotes from author and VCS staffer Jeremy Houser, the story is a
nice introduction to the science behind sea level rise and what more we
can expect in coming decades.
The sea level rise information referenced in the Gazette story can be easily viewed online here. However, we recommended visiting the Climate Change page
of our website. There you can download the original high-res version
(which looks much better when printed), as well as other sections of the
larger report which will be posted over the next few weeks. Part 1 is
especially important as an introduction, as it defines some of the terms
and sources used throughout the rest of the report.
And of course, if you haven't seen it yet, make sure to check out the Gazette's very impressive special feature on coastal erosion.
Note: As was pointed out in the Gazette's
online comments, the map and graph in the story left a lot to the
imagination. The map of Vineyard Haven Harbor is taken from the series
of inundation maps created by Chris Seidel for the MVC; for more
information, see the story and link below. The line graph is taken from
the VCS report, where it has the following much more explanatory caption:
The effect of different levels of greenhouse gas emissions on sea
level rise becomes especially pronounced later this century. The curves
labeled A1FI and B1 (corresponding to the high and low emissions
scenarios used in this report) represent a summary of results from
studies conducted since the IPCC’s 2007 report (depicted in the AR4
bars).
VCS at the Agricultural Fair
Rising Seas: See for Yourself (Photo by Signe Benjamin; click to enlarge)
The VCS educational display submitted for the M.V. Agricultural
Society’s annual fair continued this year’s focus on rising seas and
climate change. With its three large, striking maps depicting which
areas of the down-Island harbor towns are projected to be underwater due
to our rising seas, the display made quite an impression, winning a
special award from Tisbury Waterways, Inc. Thanks to all who came out to
support the Ag Society, and we hope to see everyone at this fall’s
Living Local Harvest Fest!
To view or learn more about the maps used in this display, visit the VCS Climate Change page.
Historic Parsonage House, Dating to 1668, Hits the Market
The old Parsonage House in West Tisbury, thought to be the second-oldest on the Vineyard, is going up for auction
this month. VCS has always taken an interest in historic preservation
to go along with our core environmental mission, but the potential sale
of the Parsonage hits especially close to home. As VCS holds
conservation restrictions on two abutting properties, we are greatly
hopeful that the historic home will be saved, and that the new owners
will be cognizant of conservation values in their future use of this
centrally-located and highly visible property.
Other News
SkyTruth: Your Big, Green, Brother
An aerial
photograph taken in southern West Virginia in May shows one effect of
mountaintop-removal mining: a slurry pond at a mining site. (Photo by Debbie Hill, photo and caption from the Washington Post story below.)
Mixed feelings emerged while reading this piece
in the Washington Post on SkyTruth, an ambitious project to monitor
pollution – and the polluters. One thing was certain, though: it’s a
fascinating story, and this will most likely be tremendously important
to the future of environmental activism.
Maybe in a world where the eagle-eye of Google Earth is available to
everyone with an internet connection, and NSA analysts have the ability
(technologically, if not legally) to oversee all private communications,
we can, in the service of ferreting out environmental pillagers, ignore
SkyTruth’s more big-brotherly aspects. But, let's just keep the focus
more on documenting mountaintop-removal mining and disproving the false
reports from oil companies during spills, and not so much in the
tracking of individual fishing boats, ok?
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