Latest news
Island awarded half a million in funding for environmental projects
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
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…
Martha’s Vineyard Medical pilots tick-related stress management group
Updated Sept. 28, 6:50 pm. Martha’s Vineyard Medical’s Tick Center is piloting a Mindfulness and Stress Management Group program for its patients with alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease that starts in October.
Questions in the crosshairs
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…
Important Resources
Editor’s pick: Wind coverage
Chasing shadows offshore
Island’s benefits agreement with Vineyard Wind made public
Winds of history
Chilmark eyes wind agreement
Have an idea?
Contact the environment and energy reporter Hayley Duffy
Sustainability of the Island
How much more can the Island handle?
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
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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