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| This week in conservation July 13-19, 2009 |
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| Calendar | ||||||||
| FELIX NECK TREK | ||||||||
 Mon – Fri, Daily, FELIX NECK TREK 2:30 - 3:30 pm Join a Felix Neck Naturalist on a guided walk. Discover the history of Felix Neck and get an introduction to the flora and fauna of Martha’s Vineyard as you stroll through forest, pond, field, marsh, and seashore habitats. |
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| DOWN BY THE SHORE | ||||||||
| Wed, July 15 10:00 –11:30 am Thurs, July 16 10:00 – 11:30 am, Meet amazing creatures of the sea including crabs, whelks and scallops! Take a short walk through the forest to a protected beach, where you will explore shallow waters with dip nets, and use a large seine net. Wear clothes and shoes that can get wet, and don’t forget your hat, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent Fee: $6M, $9NM per person For adults and children of all ages Children under 3 years free | ||||||||
| KAYAK QUEST | ||||||||
 Tues & Fri July— Early Sept. KAYAK QUEST 1:00 - 3:30 pm Mon, Wed, & Thurs 9:00 - 11:30 am,11:30 am - 1:30 pm, 1:30 - 4:00 pm Enjoy Sengekontacket Pond at your own pace on this self-guided tour. The Quest clues will help you uncover the story of the pond’s people, places and wildlife. Your Quest ends after you find the hidden Quest box. Kayaks, paddles, lifejackets and Quest materials are all included. Fee: $30M, $40NM per boat (all equipment included) FELIX NECK WILDLIFE SANCTUARY 508.627.4850. |
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| Recycled Clam Shells Help Seed a New Oyster Crop | ||||||||
 Tues, July 14, Recycled Clam Shells Help Seed a New Oyster Crop Diane Murphy, Woods Hole Sea Grant, 2:30 PM Oysters are not only an important fishery resource, they’re also an important part of the ecosystem, providing habitat and filtering the water column. In an effort to restore oyster populations around the region, researchers work closely with municipal shellfish officers within the shellfish aquaculture industry using a technique called remote-setting that utilizes recycled clam and oyster shells. Learn more about this restoration and marine life enhancement project. |
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| MARINE DISCOVERY TOUR | ||||||||
| Tues, July 14th MARINE DISCOVERY TOUR, Felix Neck Sanctuary 5:30-7:30 pm Thursday, July 16th 5:30-7:30 pm Cruise from Oak Bluffs Harbor with Captain John and a Felix Neck naturalist to explore the waters of Vineyard Sound aboard a Coast Guard licensed vessel. We may tow a plankton net, use a scallop drag, and check lobster and fish traps for the diversity of crabs, fish and shellfish that live in the water around the island. Participants will have a chance to look at the catch up-close and to try their hand at scup fishing if time permits. This cruise is a great way to experience the tranquility of the ocean at sunset while discovering underwater wildlife. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Fee: $30M, $40NM per person Children under 8 are $4 less Registration required. 508.627.4850. |
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| Teas and Tours at the Farm Institute | ||||||||
 Tues, July 14, Teas and Tours at the Farm Institute in Katama begins at 9:15 a.m. Enjoy tea, pastries and learn about the farm. Free, all welcome. |
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| Storyteller Rona Leventhal Tells Tales Overlooking Waquoit Bay | ||||||||
 Tues, July 14, Storyteller Rona Leventhal Tells Tales Overlooking Waquoit Bay The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's Evenings on the Bluff Series welcomes international storyteller and environmental educator Rona Leventhal on at 6:30 p.m. at the Reserve’s headquarters. The performance “Earth Celebrations” will focus on tales and songs about animals, personal responsibility, wise use of resources and taking care of the earth. |
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| Fashionably Late: Ideas for the late summer garden | ||||||||
 Wed, July 15, Fashionably Late: Ideas for the late summer garden, Polly Hill Arboretum, 7:30pm at the Far Barn Many home gardeners desire a long seasonal display but aren’t sure how to extend the season after the burst of summer color fades. Join Chanticleer horticulturist Dan Benarcik as he explores stylish options and additions to keep the garden alive with colorful flowers and foliage from late summer through fall. Chanticleer, a pleasure garden near Wayne, Pennsylvania, focuses on creative plant combinations, textures, and colors that provide an artistic horticultural show throughout the year. This lecture sponsored by Heather Gardens.$10/$5 for PHA members. |
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| Starfish and the Number Five | ||||||||
 Wed, July 15, Starfish and the Number Five,at the West Tisbury Public Library. 5:00PM. The talk is organized around a Song of Starfish written by the famous Japanese scientist and educator Dr Tatsuo Motokawa. Most starfish have exactly five rays. This fact adds to the mystery and interest of starfish and is partly discussed in this talk. There will be fossil starfish, non-fossil dried starfish, some books about starfish, and the latest news about starfish. |
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| Presentation: Oceanographer's Travels | ||||||||
 Wed, July 15, Presentation: Oceanographer's Travels 5:30-6:30 pm, Chilmark Library. Geo-rambles at Sea and Ashore in Pictures, Poems, and Yarns with Conrad Neumann. Free. 508-645-3360. |
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| Garden Chair and Table Workshop | ||||||||
| Thurs, July 16, Garden Chair and Table Workshop, Polly Hill Arboretum, 9am–noon Back by popular demand, Dan Benarcik, Chanticleer horticulturist and skilled woodworker, will lead a hands-on workshop to build an iconic piece of furniture: the Garden Chair. Adapted for the garden from a famous Gerrit Rietveld design, this timeless and comfortable chair is suitable for any garden setting. Benarcik has created his own adaptation from a version popularized in the garden at Wave Hill in the Bronx. Using red cedar and stainless steel hardware, participants will create their own durable, useful, and handsome outdoor chair. $215/$200 for PHA members. |
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| Tastes of Tashmoo | ||||||||
 Thurs, July 16, Tastes of Tashmoo starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Wortman home on Hine's Point in Vineyard Haven. Celebrate the placement of the waterworks on the National Register of Historic Places. Enjoy music, local food, waters, wine and beer, as well as a silent auction. Cost is $50; advance tickets only. For details and reserve tickets, call 508 696-9039 or e-mail JJL@gis.net. |
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| The Garden Table: Afternoon Workshop | ||||||||
| Thurs, July 16, The Garden Table: Afternoon Workshop, Polly Hill Arboretum 1–4pm To complement your chair, Benarcik has designed a companion table. In this afternoon session participants will create a cedar table measuring 24” x 24”. Materials and instruction will be provided for both workshops. Your enthusiasm and a cordless drill are all you need to supply. Pre-registration required; each session is limited to 10 participants. 508-693-9426.http://www.pollyhillarboretum.org $160/$145 for PHA members. |
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| Meals in the Meadow 2009 | ||||||||
| Sat, July 18, Meals in the Meadow 2009, 6-10 pm, The FARM Institute, Edgartown. Catered dinner by Buckley's Gourmet Catering; music by Cattle Drivers; auction. $200. 508-627-7007 ext. 105; farminstitute.org. |
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| Gardening Lecture Series | ||||||||
 Sat, July 18, Gardening Lecture Series 11 am-12 noon, Vineyard Gardens, West Tisbury. Fragrant gardens. Free gardening camp for children 6+. Weekly. 508-693-8511. |
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| Save The Date | ||||||||
| Ponds in Peril | ||||||||
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| Environmental Education Update | El Niño Variant Is Linked to Hurricanes in Atlantic |
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| Wind Update | Tribe Says Draft Ocean Map to Allow Turbines May Spoil Scenic Views |
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| Pickens calls off massive wind farm in Texas |
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| HOUSTON - Plans for the world’s largest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle have been scrapped, energy baron T. Boone Pickens said yesterday, and he’s looking for a home for 687 giant wind turbines. Pickens has already ordered the turbines, which can stand 400 feet tall - taller than most 30-story buildings. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/ 2009/07/08/pickens_calls_off_massive_wind_farm_in_texas/ |
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| Sustainable Update | Rethinking food production for a world of 8 billion |
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| Climate Change Update | NASA reveals dramatic thinning of Arctic sea ice |
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 Arctic sea ice thinned dramatically between the winters of 2004 and 2008, with thin seasonal ice replacing thick older ice as the dominant type of sea ice for the first time on record, report NASA researchers. Scientists from NASA and the University of Washington used observations from NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) to make the first Arctic Ocean basin-wide estimate of the thickness and volume of sea ice cover. The researchers found that overall Arctic sea ice thinned about 17.8 centimeters (7 inches) a year, for a total of 67 cm (2.2 feet) over the four winters from 2004 to 2008. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0707-arctic.html |
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| Recycle Update | H2-WHOA! Australian town bans bottled water sales |
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Ocean stakes its claim on Chilmark shoreline. 
L’AQUILA, Italy — The world’s biggest developing nations, led by China and India, refused Wednesday to commit to specific goals for slashing heat-trapping gases by 2050, undercutting the drive to build a global consensus by the end of this year to reverse the threat of climate change. 
Join us at the Ponds in Peril forum and learn what’s killing our ponds and how you can help. July 29th Sailing Camp Park, Oak Bluffs, 7:00 PM Call 508-693-9588 with questions or 
Scientists have known for some time that El Niño, the warm spell that turns up every four or five years in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, reduces hurricane activity in the Atlantic. But in a new study, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have linked a variant of that pattern — periodic warming in the central Pacific — to more frequent hurricanes in the Atlantic, particularly on the Gulf Coast and in the Caribbean. 
A proposal to allow the only commercial wind farms in state waters close to the western end of the Vineyard has been advanced without due consideration of the views of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), tribal historic preservation officer Bettina Washington said yesterday. 
In April 2005, the World Food Programme and the Chinese government jointly announced that food aid shipments to China would stop at the end of the year. For a country where a generation ago hundreds of millions of people were chronically hungry, this was a landmark achievement. Not only has China ended its dependence on food aid, but almost overnight it has become the world’s third largest food aid donor. 
SYDNEY (AP) -- Residents of a rural Australian town hoping to protect the earth and their wallets have voted to ban the sale of bottled water, the first community in the country - and possibly the world - to take such a drastic step in the growing backlash against the industry.