Vineyard Conservation Almanac

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In This Issue:

Local News:
Vineyard Conservation Society Katama walk;
Oystercatchers, plovers reappearing

Feature:
E.P.A. Proposes Tracking Industry Emissions;
Lights Out Boston

Calendar:
Garden Club Meeting;
Energy Seminar;
Starfish Lecture

Job Opportunity:
Coastal Processes Specialist;
Education Internship

Announcement:
Benefit Tribal Rug Sale;
Tisbury Wharf Farmers Market;
Marine Art Contest

Waste Update:
Plastic or paper? Maybe neither;
The Inflection Is Near?

Climate Change Update:
Scientists to Issue Stark Warning Over Dramatic New Sea Level Figures

Wind Update:
Interior Secretary Salazar supports Cape Wind;
Cape Wind permit considered likely

Energy Update:
The Green Communities Act

Lights Out MV 2009 is joining Earth Hour’s big effort to get the planet to shut off its lights!

Earth at Night
Credit: C. Mayhew & R. Simmon (NASA/GSFC), NOAA/ NGDC, DMSP Digital Archive

Isn’t it time we start conserving energy? Take Action! On March 28th flip the switch, for one hour from 8:30-9:30 PM, 931 cities and town and 80 countries worldwide who will be doing the same will join you. Then don’t stop there, continue to conserve by following the energy tips below.

Turn off non-essential lights when not in use
Install motion sensors or timers on all outdoor or store front lighting
Get an energy audit and followed the energy saving recommendations (energy star appliances, insulation etc.)
Install compact fluorescent light bulbs in homes, offices and towns:
Use motion sensors at your municipal buildings; replace street lights with LED bulbs
Plug all electronics into power strips and turn them off when not in use

Do it now while we can still make a difference!

LOCAL NEWS

Vineyard Conservation Society Katama walk
By Susan Safford
Published: March 12, 2009
MV Times

It was a great, sunny, nearly 60-degree March day to go to the beach, and so thought scores of other people last Sunday when we converged at the left-fork parking lot in Katama to take part in the Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) walk along the barrier beach to view that far distant neighbor island of Chappaquiddick. The channel caused by the breach two years ago seems to be growing wider every day, yet on closer observation there are already signs that a spit is forming on the Katama side reaching out towards Chappaquiddick.

http://www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/
calendar/2009/03/12/vineyard-conservation-society-walk.php

Oystercatchers, plovers reappearing
March 07, 2009
Cape Cod Times

Spring on the Cape and Islands is a different experience than anywhere else in the country.

Surrounded by cold ocean waters that take far longer to warm than land, the region is the last to green in Massachusetts. For the same reason the fall is so benign here, surrounded by relatively warm waters, the cold sink that surrounds us in the spring months retards the timing of emergent vegetation.

The result is many areas with micro-climates that are quite remarkable to observe in action. In as short a distance as from the immediate shoreline where the vegetation is still dormant, to just a scant half-mile away in places sheltered from the wind and exposed to abundant sunshine like many downtowns, it is another world. For migrating land birds, these first spots to green up also have more insect activity than elsewhere: food for the hungry migrants.

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20090307/LIFE/903070340/-1/NEWS01

Feature

E.P.A. Proposes Tracking Industry Emissions
By KATE GALBRAITH
Published: March 10, 2009
NY Times

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule on Tuesday that would require a broad range of industries to tally and report their greenhouse gas emissions.

The proposal, which could establish an accounting basis for federal regulation of heat-trapping gases, would require about 13,000 factories, power plants and other facilities to report their emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other gases that climate scientists link to global warming.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/
washington/11epa.html

Lights Out Boston

On March 10, 2009, Mayor Thomas M. Menino stood alongside prominent commercial property owners and the President of the Mass Audubon from the Skywalk at the Prudential Tower to announce the continuation of the Lights Out Boston initiative for the spring. Under this voluntary program participating building owners and managers agree to turn off or dim all architectural and internal lighting between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. during the spring migratory bird season which ends May 31, 2009. Buildings committed to this program will save money, reduce the risks of climate change, and protect wildlife. Courtesy of City of Boston.gov website

Five Beginners’ Steps to a Greener Home
By JULIE SCELFO
Published: March 11, 2009
A RECENT Amazon.com search for “green home” pulled up more than 15,000 book titles. Who has time to read them all? So this week, The Green Home tracked down Eric Corey Freed, the author of “Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies,” and asked him to distill this growing cottage industry of green advice into five must-do steps.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/
garden/12greenhome.html?_r=1

Calendar

Garden Club Meeting

Tues March 17, Garden Club Meeting 1 pm, Wakeman Center, Lambert's Cove Rd., Tisbury. Pruning/caring for off-season gardens with Jeremiah Jones. $5 non-members. 508-693-5334.

Energy Seminar

Wed March 18, Energy Seminar 6:30-8:30 pm, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, Oak Bluffs. ACE MV presents Energy and the Island with Paul Pimentel. $35. Pre-register: acemv.org; 508-693-1033 ext. 240.

Starfish Lecture

Thurs, March 19, Starfish Lecture 6:30 pm, Oak Bluffs Library. "Song of Starfish" with Fred Hotchkiss. Fossils, starfish, books on display. Refreshments. 508-693-9433.

Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard Pot Luck

Thurs March 19, Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard Pot Luck, at MV Ag Hall at 6:30pm Come join us! Of course we will eat – sharing our locally inspired dishes with each other. On the agenda after the potluck will be our annual elections of leaders and reports from Terra Madre. As usual please bring a dish to share using at least one local ingredient if possible and a place setting for everyone in your group. BYOB as well. For more information call Elizabeth at 508-645-9466 We need volunteers to set up and break down. Please arrive at 6:00 if you can help with set up. Anyone interested in volunteering please contact Elizabeth at elizabeth.germain@gmail.com

Spring Celebration

Sat March 21, Spring Celebration 10 am-2 pm, Chilmark Community Center. Chilmark Preschool family day: crafts, games, baby animals, food, and more. $5 kids; free for adults and children under 2. 508-696-4900.

Alpaca Farm Open House/Workshop

Sat March 21 Alpaca Farm Open House/Workshop 12 noon-4 pm, Island Alpaca Company, Oak Bluffs. Walking tour; meet alpaca; refreshments; intermediate knitter's workshop ($45). Pre-register for class: 508-693-5554.

Job Opportunity

Coastal Processes Specialist

Position Announcement:
Coastal Processes Specialist
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the Woods Hole Sea Grant Program, seeks a Coastal Processes Specialist. The Coastal Processes Specialist will plan and implement an educational outreach program which will include teaching, applied research and providing technical assistance to a variety of public and private agencies and groups.

Successful candidates will have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Coastal Geology or related field and five-years professional experience, or a Master’s Degree in an appropriate discipline and three-years professional experience.

This is full time position with a salary of $27.10/ hour and includes Barnstable County benefits. For a complete job description, visit http://www.barnstablecounty.org/
documents/CPSJobDescription.pdf

Education Internship

The National Marine Life Center (NMLC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and release of stranded sea turtles, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, and to advance scientific knowledge and education in marine wildlife health and conservation.

Responsibilities: Education interns will assist with environmental education programs, including on-site programs, off-site programs, fairs, and festivals. Interns will assist in giving public presentations to guests of NMLC to educate them on marine animals, conservation, and NMLC. Interns will be in charge of maintaining a coastal critter tank, including maintaining water quality, collecting and identifying the coastal animals.

To Apply: The deadline for summer 2009 internships is March 31, 2009. Positions are unpaid. Please send a cover letter, resume, and a letter of recommendation to: Joanne Nicholson Executive Assistant & Outreach Coordinator National Marine Life Center, 120 Main Street, P.O. Box 269, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532 jnicholson@nmlc.org phone: (508) 743-9888 fax: (508) 759-5477 www.nmlc.org

Announcement

Benefit Tribal Rug Sale

Now extended through March 21 and perhaps beyond, Benefit Tribal Rug Big Final Sale 50% to 80% off, Open Daily Monday thru Saturday 3-6 pm, and 4 – 6 pm on Sunday, 18 State Rd., Vineyard Haven (formerly Belushi-Pisano Gallery). 10% of sales to benefit non-profit organizations. 508-693-3341.

Tisbury Wharf Farmers Market

Are you a local food producer? Consider showcasing your products at the down-island Farmer's Market on the harbor at Tisbury Wharf, Vineyard Haven. The market will run on Tuesdays from 9 am -1 pm from June 23 - September 29. For information and applications contact Noreen Baker 508.693.9300 or Roxanne Kapitan 508.687.9369.

Marine Art Contest

Amazing Ocean Creatures of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the Gulf of Maine

Attention:
Art and Graphic Arts Teachers
Marine Science and Biology Teachers
Elementary Classroom Teachers
After-School Leaders
Home School Instructors
Students

Deadline: April 1, 2009 2009

Massachusetts Marine Educators
Please research topics and make sure the animals are Sanctuary/Gulf of Maine species. For information about local species, visit http://stellwagen.noaa.gov and http://www.usm.maine.edu/gulfofmaine-census

Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME) is a grass roots organization

More information, contact Anne Smrcina, education coordinator, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (email -- anne.smrcina@noaa.gov or phone 781-545-8026 ext. 204).

Waste Update

Plastic or paper? Maybe neither
By David Abel
Globe Staff / March 12, 2009
Boston Globe

Grocers to promote alternatives, recycle

Environmental officials and the owners of hundreds of supermarkets throughout the state are expected to sign an agreement today to reduce by a third the plastic and paper bags the grocers distribute in Massachusetts.

The pact would mark the first statewide effort to control the billions of bags that end up as litter everywhere from tree branches to beach fronts.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/
articles/2009/03/12/plastic_or_paper_maybe_neither/

The Inflection Is Near?
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: March 7, 2009
NY Times

Sometimes the satirical newspaper The Onion is so right on, I can’t resist quoting from it. Consider this faux article from June 2005 about America’s addiction to Chinese exports:

FENGHUA, China — Chen Hsien, an employee of Fenghua Ningbo Plastic Works Ltd., a plastics factory that manufactures lightweight household items for Western markets, expressed his disbelief Monday over the “sheer amount of [garbage] Americans will buy. Often, when we’re assigned a new order for, say, ‘salad shooters,’ I will say to myself, ‘There’s no way that anyone will ever buy these.’ ... One month later, we will receive an order for the same product, but three times the quantity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/
opinion/08friedman.html?em

Climate Change Update

Scientists to Issue Stark Warning Over Dramatic New Sea Level Figures
Sunday 08 March 2009
by: Robin McKie
The Observer UK

Rising sea levels pose a far bigger eco threat than previously thought. This week's climate change conference in Copenhagen will sound an alarm over new floodings - enough to swamp Bangladesh, Florida, the Norfolk Broads and the Thames estuary.

Scientists will warn this week that rising sea levels, triggered by global warming, pose a far greater danger to the planet than previously estimated. There is now a major risk that many coastal areas around the world will be inundated by the end of the century because Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting faster than previously estimated.

http://www.truthout.org/030909EA

Wind Update

Interior Secretary Salazar supports Cape Wind
By DINA CAPPIELLO and H. JOSEF HEBERT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 10, 2009

WASHINGTON — Expressing clear support for Cape Wind's proposed turbines in Nantucket Sound, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said yesterday that the waters off the Atlantic coast hold some of the country's greatest wind energy potential. He promised to move aggressively to develop plans to exploit the resource.

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20090310/NEWS/903100322/-1/NEWS01

Cape Wind permit considered likely
By Patrick Cassidy
pcassidy@capecodonline.com
March 13, 2009

BOSTON — Following a tentative decision by a state board yesterday, Cape Wind Associates, LLC, is poised to receive a "super permit," knocking off nine state and local approvals it needs to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound.

If formally approved, the so-called composite certificate would overturn a Cape Cod Commission procedural denial of the project. It would be second time the state Energy Facilities Siting Board has asserted its authority over the regional planning and regulatory agency in the past two years.

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20090313/NEWS/903130307

Energy Update

The Green Communities Act

Governor Patrick signed this bill into law in July of 2008

The Conservation Law Foundation has created a summary of S.2768,
THE GREEN COMMUNITIES ACT,

The Excellent: Boosting Energy Efficiency in Massachusetts
Energy Efficiency: The Green Communities Act is expected to significantly expand investment in energy efficiency measures that will reduce electricity demand and deliver energy savings to residents and businesses.

http://www.clf.org/uploadedFiles/
CLF%20Green%20Communities%20Summary_6-24-08FINAL.pdf

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