I’m a glass-is-half-empty type, so it surprised some people at the recent Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Conference when I gave an upbeat presentation about Island climate action. We have a whole lot of work to do to prepare for the impacts of climate change. It will be difficult, expensive, and will require sacrifice on our parts. About this there is no doubt.
Yet what I also see is dozens of local organizations working together on climate action, sharing ideas and resources, and making a positive difference. This is what I shared at the conference.
The Vineyard Climate Action Plan, “The Vineyard Way” (thevineyardway.org), includes more than 200 actions, and each one has a lead organization responsible for implementing it, from the Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) to the town fire chiefs.
Fifteen conservation groups met this spring for a summit to identify priority areas for preservation and restoration. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) even collaborated with Nantucket — yes, that other Island — to update the two Island’s vegetation maps.
The new Plant Local MV brochures and booklets that are popping up around the Island were a fantastic collaboration between BiodiversityWorks, Polly Hill Arboretum, and VCS.
A local landscape designer, the Island Grown Initiative, and the MVC are working with all the towns and the Wampanoag community to develop food forests in each town.
A new task force is advocating for better management of the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, including restoration of native biodiversity and improved wildfire mitigation.
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship funds education and sustainability projects by Island residents in the fields of climate change, conservation, agriculture, aging, mental health, and more. The fellows’ contributions are invaluable to both the natural world and our quality of life.
The M.V. Shellfish Group, MVC, and Great Pond Foundation are just a few of the many groups addressing water quality in our coastal ponds.
Oak Bluffs got a grant to look at protecting emergency access to the hospital, and Edgartown is focused on the long-term viability of South Beach and Atlantic Drive. Edgartown and Tisbury have new master plans that address waterfront resilience.
The Trustees of Reservations has a grant to pursue restoration of the Cape Poge and Pocha Pond salt marshes on Chappaquiddick. Salt marshes, I always say, have superpowers — they absorb floodwater, filter pollutants, support incredible biodiversity, and absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. And they do it all for free.
The MVC is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on an Island carrying-capacity study focused on our water — the ponds, groundwater, and coastal resilience.
The Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole has partnered with the MVC to quantify the amount of carbon dioxide the Island land, trees, and salt marshes absorb, and to learn how we can absorb even more.
The high school’s Protect Your Environment Club holds six Climate Cafés each year, bringing climate leaders, students, and the public together to discuss critical climate issues like sea level rise and public health.
Yes, we must address the big issues, like flooding at Five Corners and by the hospital, but there are so many valuable projects underway — and so much collaboration — that even a die-hard pessimist like me can’t help but smile.
I’ll close with a quote from anthropologist Jane Goodall: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Liz Durkee is sitting in for Doris Ward.
