This week will find our Island emptier than usual, as people take advantage of spring break and go off in search of adventures. We send them off with wishes for safe and happy travels, creation of good memories, and maybe even a chance to take a real break and get some rest and relaxation.
This is also Earth Week, a time when people around the country take a moment to celebrate and learn about the joys and needs of our planet. Here in Aquinnah, we kicked off the week with the BeachBeFrienders cleanup at Philbin and Moshup beaches. Ruth Folchman reports that it was “a very sweet turnout” at Philbin, with six cars of neighbors participating. They gathered a big pile of trash, including 15 of those “dangerous to wildlife” helium balloons.
This was followed on Tuesday by a visit from Felix Neck Education Coordinator Sydney Pigott, who gave a youth program about the shorebirds here on the Vineyard to kids at the Aquinnah library.
On Thursday, April 23, at the Aquinnah Town Hall, the Aquinnah library has coordinated a presentation on climate resilience and emergency planning. The first part, at 3 pm, is a panel discussion guided by Sakiko Isomichi, climate resilience planner with the M.V. Commission, with emergency management officials who will share details about the Island’s emergency network and offer practical advice to help residents stay safe during weather events. The second part begins at 4 pm, when Rich Couse, program director at BiodiversityWorks, will give an engaging and practical presentation on how everyday landscapes can play a powerful role in building climate resilience. This exploration of how your planting choices can help improve ecosystem stability, support pollinators and birds, and help landscapes adapt to changing conditions is the one for you as you organize for spring planting.
Then on Saturday, April 25, the Aquinnah Cultural Center and the Aquinnah library team up to present a presentation by Brad Lopes (Aquinnah Wampanoag) and Mary Amanda McNeil (Mashpee Wampanoag), “Confronting Colonialism in Conservation.” In this presentation, Lopes and McNeil will explore how conservation and colonialism are intertwined. Centering on Martha’s Vineyard, they will highlight Wampanoag peoples’ ongoing efforts to uphold their responsibilities as caretakers of their homelands, as well as the steps the public can take toward reconciliation and solidarity. This one also takes place at the Aquinnah Town Hall, and begins at 6 pm.
On Sunday, April 26, you can wind up the week with the wise Roxanne Kapitan, who will be presenting a free class at Beetlebung Farm beginning at 1 pm. The class is on creating a food forest in your own backyard. Sign up for this on the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society website.
Happiest birthday to Sammy Kausch, whom we celebrate on April 28.