Latest news

Island awarded half a million in funding for environmental projects

Congressman Bill Keating speaks to the importance of SNEP programs ahead of midterms. 

Under a presidential administration that’s curbed billions in grant funding to environmental initiatives over the last two years, Islanders and state representatives and environmental professionals celebrated a federal program that…

Scallop season set for each Island town

Opening dates are set for the scallop season in Oak Bluffs after the town’s select board passed the recommendations of the town’s shellfish committee. According to Oak Bluffs Select Board meeting minutes from Sept. 22, the opening dates for recreational shellfishing is Oct. 17 in Sengekontacket Pond, with commercial shellfishing beginning on Oct. 26 for…

State Forest cutting plans stalls after no bids

The first phase of a plan to cut 52 acres of white pine plantations to restore native species in the State Forest stalled this month after the bid process proved unsuccessful, once again. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which owns and manages the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, received only one bid…

Chilmark Police help stranded dolphin

Two Chilmark Police officers pulled on waders near Abel’s Hill, a private neighborhood in Chilmark, Monday and went across the pond to reach the South Shore where a dolphin was beached. Bret Stearns, a full-time Chilmark Police officer and member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Greater Atlantic Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network…

Jordan’s Nursery begins MVC review

Public hearing on Jordan’s Nursery featured applicant testimony.

Jordan’s Nursery, which recently raised environmental concerns on the Island, was discussed by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 8.  Commissioners toured the property, which is owned and operated by three well-known developers and company owners, earlier that day. 

ticks, tick-borne conditions & hunting

Tick Free MV to cover deer carcass disposal at Refuse District

Tick Free MV (TFMV) announced Thursday that the nonprofit will underwrite the cost to legally dispose of deer carcasses at the Martha’s Vineyard Refuse Disposal and Resource Recovery District, a new initiative that solves a prolonged issue for Island hunters. A carcass must be in a heavy contractor bag, and…

Questions in the crosshairs

Deer hunters raise concerns about a public health crisis that hinges on their buy-in.

Alex Friedman at the forum. —Nicholas Vukota Updated Sept. 24, 6 pm. These are men capable of being perfectly still in a tree stand, in the cold and silent air. But they aren’t as at home in meetings, and certainly not ones that last for hours. Many of them abandoned…

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Sustainability of the Island

How much more can the Island handle?

Busy, chaotic Fourth of July raises questions of capacity.

A 1.5-mile drive on Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road took 40 minutes. It felt impossible to send a text or get a call through. Parking at State Beach was haphazard and unattainable. Want a quick cup of coffee? Forget it. These inconveniences and disruptions didn’t overshadow the patriotic spirit of the annual parades or obscure the bursts…

Increasingly fragile supply chain keeps Island afloat

Martha’s Vineyard Commission identifies high risks in transport of Island essentials.

The supply chain for Martha’s Vineyard is a casual system based on informal coordination and institutional knowledge, almost totally dependent on marine transportation.  That casual network is not a shock to those who live here, but the vulnerabilities are anything but casual. In fact, parts of the Island are considered “highly vulnerable,” according to a…

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More on Offshore wind

Manuel F. Correllus State Forest Cutting plan

A performance for the white pines

Island artist Willy Mason held a small concert to raise awareness of a state cutting plan.

More Environmental news

An Island inundated

Possible project to help pooling point of runoff at Five Corners that repeatedly causes closures.

Washout nor’easter

A few boats broke free, one sank, and more than 700 people lost power.

Bracing for a nor’easter

Super El Niño shields Atlantic from hurricanes but is expected to bring heavy rain and high winds. 

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