Vineyard Conservation Society's Conservation Almanac

SUSTAINABILITY:
In the News

Zero waste

What is “zero waste”?

Recycling has become a national habit and is practiced daily by more than 100 million Americans. Compared to the recycling rates of a decade ago, this is a great stride – but we can do better. While recycling has come a long way, it will not end the American dependency on landfills and incinerators, nor will it reverse the rapid depletion of the world’s natural resources. This is where the concept of “zero waste” has gained creed.

Instead of putting increasing pressure on the end user, “zero waste” requires product manufacturers and designers to take responsibility for their products’ life cycles. In a zero waste approach, disposed items and materials are not viewed as waste, but rather as valuable resources that can be reused in new products or processes. While the intention is to reduce the volume of disposed items as much as possible, what is discarded must be able to be used in an ongoing cycle of use and reuse.

For example, during a zero waste event such as the Vineyard’s Living Local Harvest Festival held each autumn, all food waste is either composted or used as pig feed. Compostable cups made from corn-based plastics are distributed for consuming water from the tap. Compostable plates, utensils and other items are integrated into the festival, and what can’t be composted must be recycled.

While the zero waste approach is a relatively new concept, it is gaining momentum, headlining everything from weddings, birthday parties and bar mitzvahs to book clubs, seminars and concerts.

GROW A VINEYARD LAWN

“When I moved to Vineyard Haven, I inherited a ‘junkie’ lawn that had been shot up twice a year with toxic chemicals. It also had been flooded twice a day in summer with gallons of precious drinking water from an over-the-top sprinkler system which mostly served to water the pavement, and unlucky pedestrians. There were no earthworms anywhere, and the soil had no texture. It took two years for organic methods to bring back the microbes and earthworms, and the lawn, during that time of “withdrawal,” was a sorry sight. But patience pays. By year three I had a diverse, low-maintenance Vineyard lawn where my kids and dogs can safely frolic. And last June, the lightning bugs came back.”

-Geraldine Brooks

Imagine mowing much less frequently, saving gallons of water, and not needing lawn care chemicals...

When Vineyarders look at a bright green, weed free, turf lawn, many of us don’t find it beautiful. That’s because the chemical fertilizers and pesticides necessary to prop up an artificial lushness are poisoning our island ponds and contaminating shellfish beds. Chemicals quickly leach through our sandy soils, into groundwater that replenishes our ponds. The nitrogen in fertilizers causes overgrowth of plant matter that chokes the delicate system. Pesticides poison pond species. They’re not good for kids, pets, or wildlife either.

The alternative is a Vineyard Lawn. Start by preserving as many of the shrubs and trees on your property as you can. The root systems of these plants bind the soil and prevent silty run off. Make the grass area as small as possible and plant a mix of seeds-- fescue, rye and clover are much hardier and more drought-resistant than fussy bluegrass. Without herbicides, up to 50 species of plants and lichens can flourish in your Vineyard lawn. Left alone to flower and seed naturally, they’ll provide habitat for butterflies, fireflies, bees and other wildlife and reward the eye with a variety of colors and textures. Have you ever looked objectively at a dandelion or a clover blossom? Their shapes and colors are lovely. Just ask the bees and butterflies. Resist lime: Vineyard soil is natually acidic and mosses thrive in it, adding rich cushions of emerald. Don’t overwater your grass; summer dormancy is normal and the golden-brown shades of August will refresh to green with September’s natural rainfall. Keep mowing to a minimum, never cutting lower than three inches, and let the clippings fall where they may--they’re a great natural fertilizer. In fall, spread a little organic compost and scatter a few native grass seeds (Blue Eyed Grass and Little Blue Stem are spectacular choices). In spring, your Vineyard lawn will reward you.

If you have enough land, there’s nothing so beautiful, easy to maintain and environmentally beneficial as a Vineyard Meadow. Seeded amid native grasses, flowering Vineyard natives such as Blue Flag Iris, the firey orange splash of Butterfly Weed, delicate white spikes of Sweet Pepperbush, graceful goldenrods and vivid red Cardinal Flower are just a few of the hardy beauties that can provide a succession of blooms from early spring through late fall.

Island Grown Initiative reports:
Ethnic Crop Sales

We've extended the Ethnic Crops sale and more plants will be arriving on June 5. The crops are also going into the school gardens.

Poultry Project has a new Coordinator
Pastured Poultry Project, networking island producers with one another and working with them to develop locally-based, humane slaughter and processing solutions, has a new Poultry Coordinator, Richard Andre. Richard is a farmer (Cleveland farm, wt), a dad, and is terrific. He is a great addition to this program and it is moving forward strongly with him at the helm. If you would like to meet/speak with him his contact information is richard@richardjandre.com 774-563-8640

Dinners supporting IGI are happening year-round.
Zephrus restaurant in the Mansion House will continue on with their winter program of using locally grown foods to make up delicious meals on Wednesday nights. They will continue to donate part of the proceeds to support IGI for their continued good work. Loc@al Zephrus

Discussion on Think Global and Act Local
Ali Berlow, Executive Director, of IGI, will be on a panel discussion about 'Think global, Act local' at the Chilmark library, on Thursday July 9. Time to announced If anyone would like to make a donation in support of IGI please go to: www.islandgrown.org

Cafeteria Food Never Looked So Green, Thanks to Eco Store
By JOAN AMES
Vineyard Gazette

April 27 through May 1 was Green Week at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. With a theme of Purple Goes Green, the event was planned and organized by the student council. “All 750 students knew about Green Week and participated in one way or another in the programs,” said student council president Maxwell Nunes.

Each day had its own agenda: composting and recycling, buying and eating local products, green careers, water, and saving energy. During the last class of the day on Friday, all the lights in the school were turned off. Flow, the acclaimed documentary on the world’s water crisis, was shown school-wide on classroom television monitors and on the big screen in the auditorium.

From Monday through Friday, the school cafeteria served food on biodegradable trays, plates, and bowls and the students ate their food with eco-friendly utensils made from corn or sugar cane.

Green Week was sponsored by Eco MV, a local business on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven. Owner Mark Martin is dedicated to finding and selling environmentally sound products, using a percentage of profits to benefit the community and creating jobs for Islanders.

In a new twist on living local, Mr. Martin buys his products in bulk and has them bottled and packaged in the store by high school students, giving part-time work to Vineyarders instead of paying off-Island corporations for the finished product. The store has just installed a “filling station” where customers can bring their bottles back for a refill, thus reducing the consumption of plastic bottles.

Mr. Martin envisions a time when schools, the hospital and other Island institutions will use only environmentally friendly containers and cleaning products. “It won’t come without any added cost,” he said, “but we’re trying to get it down as much as possible. The more of these products we order, the lower the price goes. If you factor in the cost of trucking our trash off-Island, and the potential income from locally produced compost, the costs of corn or plastic products are even closer.”

Mr. Nunes said it took about three months to organize the weeklong event at the high school. “By chance I ended up at Eco MV and they were really helpful and supportive,” he said. Eco MV donated the week’s supply of biodegradable items for the school cafeteria, along with 150 bottles of boxed water in biodegradable boxes. Student council members sold the water for $1 a box to raise money for the school’s composting efforts.

Assistant principal Carlin Hart said Green Week was initiated by the students, many of whom had been questioning some of the school’s policies. “The kids were asking us, why is the school selling water in plastic bottles? Why is the cafeteria putting food on Styrofoam trays?” he said, adding:

“The student government and kids really participated and clearly want to be involved in making the school more green. I was amazed to see the seniors picking through the trash — with gloves on — to be sure that no compostable materials got into the trash.”

Mr. Nunes and Mr. Hart thanked Mr. Martin for his sponsorship. They also praised cafeteria manager Rick Ackerly for being supportive. “It was really great to see everyone work together to make this event happen,” said Mr. Nunes.

First published in the Vineyard Gazette, on May 22, 2009. Preprinted with permission from the Vineyard Gazette. Copyright Vineyard Gazette, all rights reserved.

Lessons from the Earth Day Beach Clean-up
This was my first year on beach cleanup duty, and I have to confess that I didn’t expect much of a crowd at the opening. Much to my happy surprise, we had a nice turnout even though the road was fairly bad. About ten adults, some with children, showed up; many of them turned out to be old acquaintances. Most of the attendees were either existing members of VCS, or were there on a lark from off-island.

Tashmoo gets a fair amount of trash which washes up from other residences, other beaches, and the boats who anchor. We quickly filled our VCS-assigned feed bags, and moved on to garbage bags, and then on to more paper bags, which I fortunately had in my car. There was a lot of road debris but also large wire cables (probably from the dredging some years back) and other detritus which was nautical in origin. The most amusing find was the entire tailgate of a pickup truck. The jetty produced the expected bottles, monofilament, and ropes; the beach the predictable butts, cups, and glass; the road the usual automotive discards. Littering is as predictable as it is unfortunate. We did find one vintage can of Bud Light, which I extracted intact from the jetty rocks. None of the volunteers seemed interested in drinking a beer before noon, so it was poured into the sand in a ceremonial fashion.

The quantity of trash collected led to somewhat of a head-scratching moment, as I considered how to jam it in to my small Civic hatchback. As those who saw me could attest, it was entirely full in the rear and on all the seats, so it is a good thing that we didn’t find any more large items! (Note to self and future first-time beach leaders who are responsible for disposal: a tarp would have been a good idea. Maybe even two or three tarps. Putting wet trash in the passenger area is problematic.) Next year, I am going to bring a pickup for sure. -Erik Hammarlund, VCS Board Member

Click here to download a wallet card for mercury in fish.

From The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman
Chapter, "Polymers Are Forever."

Since 1997, Captain Charles Moore of Long Beach, California, has been studying the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. "For a week, Moore and his crew found themselves crossing a sea the size of a small continent, covered with floating refuse. It was not unlike an Arctic vessel pushing through chunks of brash ice, except what was bobbing around them was a fright of cups, bottle caps, tangles of fish netting and monofilament line, bits of polystyrene packaging, six-pack rings, spent balloons, filmy scraps of sandwich wrap, and limp plastic bags that defied counting"

During his first 1,000 mile crossing of the Gyre, Moore calculated half a poind for every 100 square meters of debris on the surface and arrived at 3 million tons of plastic. His estimate, it turned out, was corroborated by U.S. Navy calculations. And it only represented visible plastic: an indeterminate amount of larger fragments get fouled by enough algae and barnacles to sink."

"By 2005, Moore was referring to the gyrating Pacific dump as 10 million square miles--nearly the size of Africa. It wasn't the only one: the planet has six other major tropical oceanic gyres, all of them swirling with ugly debris. It was as if plastic exploded upon the world from a tiny seed after World War II and, like the Big Bang, was still expanding.. . . Plastic debris, Moore believed, was now the most common surface feature of the world's oceans."

Eat Locally Grown food every Wednesday Night!
By Marnie Stanton, Vineyard Conservation Almanac

Every Wednesday night during the long dreary months of winter a special treat is in store for islanders. Fortunately for us, Robert Lionette, the superb chef from Zephrus Restaurant, happens to be a dyed in the wool supporter of eating local. Through his collaboration with the Island Grown Initiative, he has been able to familiarize himself and his staff with the rich variety of produce that are grown on our local island farms, and in the winter it isn’t just root vegetables. He regularly features Island fresh hams, beef, turkey’s and lamb, as well as shellfish from Chappy. On a recent menu he served locally grown winter radishes and daisy capers. He also has another important resource, which isn’t island grown but close by, Shy Brothers cheeses, from Westport, MA. which he says are incredibly flavorful.

The Zephrus restaurant is located in the Mansion House on Main St., Vineyard Haven. The seating for this locally grown dinner meal is between 5-9 PM. The three-course meal costs $25.00 with a $5.00 donation from each meal going to support the work of the Island Grown Initiative. Serving island grown products in this way has been a successful fund raising tool, and Robert has now done 10 different events for island organizations.

Call 508-693-3416 with questions or to find out the Wednesday night’s menu. Enjoy!

Climate Change Adaptation on Martha’s Vineyard
“Having dug up ancient sunlight (fossil fuels) and burned it to create an atmospheric blanket trapping heat, we now need to reduce those emissions to avoid a dire future”.

By Brendan O’Neil, Executive Director, of the Vineyard Conservation Society

A recent conference on the subject of climate change impacts in Massachusetts offers some valuable though sobering information about the threats and opportunities we can expect in the years ahead.

Because of the persistence of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions that we have put into the atmosphere, near-term warming of the climate in Southeast Massachusetts and the off-shore Islands is unavoidable. We are locked into warming on the order of 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit over the next three decades. The high emissions path we are currently on will give Martha’s Vineyard a climate similar to that of the Carolinas in that time frame. Lowering our emissions will still give us a changed climate, but more along the lines of the Chesapeake Bay region.

Extreme heat days could go from the current 10 days per summer to at least 30 per season, and as many as 60 days, depending on our ability to rein in our fossil fuel emissions.

Winter precipitation will be more frequent and intense. There will be 10 to 15 fewer snow cover days per month. For the Vineyard, this means that snow cover will essentially cease.

All of this will bring an extraordinary change for the Island’s ecosystems.

Under both the high and low emission tracks, the changes to our natural habitats will actually be about the same, and these changes will be significant. Increased evaporation will reduce soil moisture, shrink wetlands, and reduce the numbers of tree species like maple, and fish species like native brook trout. Migratory bird species will be particularly hard hit. Drought will also bring increased fire risk and exacerbate water quality problems in our ponds, particularly shallow ponds like the Edgartown Great Pond.

Invasive and pest species will change their range as well, moving northward up to 500 miles (under the current high emissions scenario), posing challenges to our native assemblage of species.

On the shoreline, the warming of the ocean caused by emissions trapping heat in the atmosphere will cause the water to expand, and the resulting rise in base sea-level will cause coastal erosion and inundation of wetlands.

What to do? First, we must commit to reversing the high emissions track we are on. As one speaker said, “Having dug up ancient sunlight (fossil fuels) and burned it to create an atmospheric blanket trapping heat, we now need to reduce those emissions to avoid a dire future”. Why should we do that? Because we hold responsibility: New England is disproportionately responsible for generating the emissions, so we should resolve to target the problem and work creatively to solve it.

Starting immediately, climate change adaptation needs to be a priority land use planning issue driven by three certainties: (1) certain changes are unavoidable, (2) adaptation will be a necessity and will be our joint responsibility, and (3) there will be limits to what we can do to adapt to the coming changes.

“Climate Smart” thinking must therefore become part of every single decision made by our regional and local leadership. The work being done by Island towns and citizens to create a regional Island Plan under the leadership of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s is therefore timely and welcome.

Instead of armoring the coastline against erosion with concrete and stone, a range of “nature-based” solutions must be viewed as the first line of attack. Vulnerable lands need to be left undeveloped instead of constructing costly homes and infrastructure calling for protection in the future. Wetlands and buffer areas must be targeted for conservation, and hardy native species that anchor the soils need to be encouraged and safeguarded. Instead of planning for installation of larger culverts and infrastructure to handle more intense storms, natural filtration areas need to be set aside to handle expanded storm water flow.

Some plant and animal species will be winners, other will be losers. Cold-adapted habitats will be out-competed; species that tolerate disturbance will do well. Coastal habitats will need to be allowed to migrate upland as shorelines recede. Land must be left undeveloped to accommodate that change. Local plant populations must be made more resilient by concerted and aggressive efforts to control invasive species. Managing growth and development is again the key: the best resiliency is found in large, un-fragmented tracts of land.

As one speaker at the climate change conference concluded, “the actors may change but we need to protect the stage, that is, the function and processes occurring in natural areas.”

Island Grown Schools
By Noli Taylor, Island Grown Schools Coordinator

Last December, Island Grown Initiative launched a new farm-to-school program on the Vineyard, which we call Island Grown Schools. Island Grown Schools seeks to strengthen the connection between local family farms and the seven schools on the island by getting more locally-grown foods into school meals, snacks, and special events, by bringing classes onto working farms in curriculum-tied field trips, and by installing school gardens so students can have regular hands-on experiences with growing food themselves.

We have been amazed by how the community has worked together to accomplish as much as they have in the first year of the program. We have installed new school gardens at the West Tisbury School, Oak Bluffs School, and the Regional High School, and have worked with teachers at the Charter School to expand their school garden. Another new garden is in the works at Edgartown School, which we plan to install this spring.

We have worked with dozens of teachers at all the island schools to help them see ways to link their required curriculum to farm- and garden-based activities. Classes are now doing everything from composting food in their classrooms with the help of worm bins to studying soil and weather patterns in their own school gardens, to studying American agricultural history and comparative food traditions between the United States and Brazil. The Kindergarten class at the West Tisbury School just harvested 20 pounds of sweet potatoes from their school garden, which they prepared and shared with the first and second grade classes.

We have also worked with food service staff to bring more local food into our cafeterias. This not only brings more healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables to the students but also provides farmers with a year-round market that can help sustain them through the off-season. Morning Glory Farm is now working closely with Edgartown School and Bayes Norton Farm is working closely with Oak Bluffs School to provide their cafeterias with food they can use at a price they can afford. Oak Bluffs School also used produce out of their school garden daily in their cafeteria this fall. The Charter School and Tisbury School are also looking to source more island-grown produce for their school meals.

We also work with the Culinary Arts program at the Regional High School, and together have held two Local Food Dinners made with almost 100% island-grown ingredients. Both dinners were delicious four-course meals, which the students prepared with their instructor, Jack O’Malley, and with a local chef who prioritizes using local ingredients in their kitchens (Dan Sauer of the Outermost Inn helped with the first dinner, and Danielle Dominick of the Scottish Bake house helped with the second). These dinners not only raise funds for the Culinary Arts program, they also help instruct a new generation of chefs about the benefits and importance of buying local.

On Tuesday, December 2nd, Island Grown Initiative is celebrating the one year anniversary of our Island Grown Schools program. Please join us for our special anniversary community meeting from 7-8:30pm at the Island Co-Housing Common House in West Tisbury, off Chicama Vineyards/Stoney Hill Road, to learn more about our accomplishments and to help us continue developing plans and programs for the years ahead. Snacks will be provided, and all are welcome!

For more information or to get involved with Island Grown Schools, please contact Noli Taylor, Island Grown Schools Coordinator, at 508-645-9557 or noli@islandgrown.org.

We now have a Firewise Assessment Team here on the Vineyard!

By Marnie Stanton, Vineyard Conservation Society

With its scrub oak and pine, southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard is second only to California in its vulnerability to wildfires. The Vineyard’s accumulated fuel types are similar to well-known fire hazard areas like the hills of Oakland California, an area that has endured catastrophic wildfires. As the Vineyard’s climate changes, the anticipated hotter, dryer summer conditions will increase risk of wildfire.

Firewise Communities/USA is a federal-state partnership that enables communities in all parts of the United States to achieve a high level of protection against wildland/urban interface fire, as well as sustainable ecosystem balance. The program provides a resident whose home is located in an area susceptible to wildfires with the knowledge and skill necessary to protect person and property in the event of wildfire.

Martha’s Vineyard is very fortunate to have a member of the State Firewise Assessment Team working here on island. Seth Sullivan, Assistant District Fire Warden, works with Superintendent John Varkonda at the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, and is here primarily to inform and assist the island homeowner in fire protection readiness in case of the spread of a forest fire.

Being a relative newcomer to the island, he divides his time between visiting the various homeowners associations that request his Firewise assessment, and getting to know the local fire chiefs. He is pleased that all the fire chiefs have been very supportive of the program and have enthusiastically supported his readiness to help their departments.

He is currently working with Bill Skinner from the Nat’s Farm homeowners association, one of the priority neighborhoods that abut the State Forest. Seth displays a large map of Martha’s Vineyard hanging in his office with highlighted areas he is targeting with the goal of informing those residents about what they need to know to protect their homes. Any island neighborhood can form an association and call him to request an assessment.

The key issues he mentioned when giving an assessment are as follows:

Clear road name signage and visible house numbers are critical so that fire departments can locate you and the fire.
Fire trucks need to be able to turn around, and are always parked facing out so as to get out of harms way if necessary. Consider this if your driveway access is narrow or steep or overgrown with vegetation.
The proximity of vegetation around the house can be problematic if it is too near the structure, also roofs can be easily ignited if dead limbs overhang the house. A “Vineyard Lawn” can act as a useful fire break to separate the house from the forest.
It is essential to know the location on a property of all underground utility lines particularly propane tanks.

The Vineyard has been spared a serious wildfire for many years now, and action has been taken to widen and maintain the State Forest’s interior fire lanes to 80 feet. However, the threat remains. We all need to be prepared, and it would benefit the island neighborhoods to take advantage of Seth Sullivan’s services. He is eager to help and offer his expertise. Give him a call at 508-693-2540, or 508-326-7375 (c) or email him at seth.Sullivan@state.ma.us For much more information on this program visit the Firewise site online at www.firewise.org/usa

The Whippoorwill CSA / VCS composting initiative

Whippoorwill Farm and the Vineyard Conservation Society encourage island residents to compost.

Why Compost?

It promotes the cycle of life. On an organic farm it grows the food you eat at the same time it builds the soil. You can take poor soil turn compost into it and make very fertile rich organic soil.

It is not always easy or convenient to compost. With out a good system it can be a dirty business so many people simply throw their kitchen scraps in the garbage.

Leaves and yard wastes represent some 20-25 percent of all municipal solid wastes not to mention the alarming amount of food scraps that are shoveled off to our landfills every day. The Vineyard pays a lot to haul tons of valuable organics off Island and then buys compost at a premium to ship back.

The Project:

This first year the goal of the composting pilot is to start to develop a farm composting system that is as easy to use as possible. Since CSA members visit the farm once a week to pick up their produce it is hoped those members who cannot compost at home will bring back their organic kitchen scraps each week. VCS will provide compost pails and biodegradable liners for those interested in participating. VCS will provide educational information and technical assistance in building the initial compose piles. The farm has the location and a tractor with front-end loader to turn the piles. VCS will provide prizes and publicity for those making the contribution of the week.

The long-term goal is for the farm with the help of its members and friends to produce enough compost to supply the green house.

More on VCS initiatives:

The Composing initiative goes hand in hand with another initiative at VCS which is our organic lawns program where we are encouraging island home owners to go chemical free and steer clear of harmful herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers which is hazardous to the environment, our ponds, water not to mention their health. By using compost as a fertilizer people will achieve better and longer lasting results.

OP/Ed piece
Gazette
6/24/08

Adapted from remarks made at the 43th Annual Meeting of the board and membership of the Vineyard Conservation Society, 24 June 2008

Visitors to Martha’s Vineyard often observe that much of the Island appears to be wonderfully open and undeveloped. It is an accurate observation, but it is also an illusion of sorts. While a century of land conservation work has resulted in permanent protection of about one-third of the Island’s 60,000 acres, another one-third is undeveloped land with no conservation protection of any kind. Until a conservation entity buys it, or a landowner voluntarily cedes development rights, it is at risk of being developed.

There is general agreement that much of the Island’s remaining unprotected open land should be conserved if we wish to keep our water bodies, prime farm soils, scenic vistas, buffers around the great ponds, and core wildlife habitat areas intact.

The dilemma is that not all the land that needs to be protected can be saved in time. The rate at which land is being developed is far outpacing the rate at which it is being conserved. In a “build out” scenario under existing zoning, this could translate into several thousand new houses, a doubling of the year-round population, a spike in the summer population, and the necessity of providing the roads, sewers, municipal buildings, and other infrastructure required to support a larger community.

What can be done? At least three promising directions are available to us:

Firstly, all new development needs to be evaluated via a tougher and more thoughtful public approval process. Towns can take fuller advantage of the tools already at their disposal through the powers of the MVC by adopting new special overlay districts (DCPCs). This is a trend we are already seeing.

Secondly, town leaders and citizenry should get behind the MVC’s Island Plan process and aggressively support implementation of its recommendations.

Finally, the word needs to go out about the importance of voluntary action on the part of landowners to forego some or all of their development rights. They can do this by donating land or a restriction on land. A conservation restriction (CR) allows a landowner to voluntary restrict development of private land, and donating a CR to a town or conservation entity generates a federal income tax deduction.

But there has been a decline in CR donations in recent years as the price of Vineyard real estate has escalated. Landowners thinking about CRs often found themselves unable to “use up” the full tax deduction generated by their gift in the six-year time frame required under IRS rules.

Now, a provision in a recently-signed federal bill makes it much easier for a landowner to take full advantage of a CR deduction. Taxpayers may now deduct the value of the gift against up to 50% of their adjusted gross income (AGI) per year for up to 15 years. For qualifying farmers, the gift is deductible up to 100% of their AGI.

The words of VCS founder and pioneering conservationist Richard Pough of Chilmark are prescient. He wrote more than 40 years ago that, “If the natural beauty of Martha’s Vineyard is to be preserved, it will be the result of the combined action of the Vineyard landowners.”

More than five thousand acres of private land have been protected by landowners in recent decades. That’s almost a quarter of the inventory of conservation land on the Island. Now is the time to repeat that feat.

Brendan O’Neill
Vineyard Conservation Society

Vineyard Conservation Society Annual Meeting

The Vineyard Conservation Society's annual meeting last Tuesday evening was a casual but memorable affair, attended by more than 80 VCS members and friends. A delicious Indonesian meal with all of the fixings, prepared and served by Board members David Nash and Rob Kendall, began the evening.

Three new members were elected and warmly welcomed to the VCS Board of Directors. They include Vineyard Haven resident Geraldine Brooks, who was a foreign correspondent in numerous world hot spots for the Wall Street Journal before becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Eric Hammarlund is a well-regarded Island attorney who lives with his wife and three children in West Tisbury. Physician James Pritchard, another West Tisbury resident, is a retired neurologist, brain researcher, and educator at Yale Medical School. All three share our passion for protecting the environment and character of Martha's Vineyard, and we're grateful for their willingness to serve.

A heartfelt thank you was given to our incomparable outgoing Board President, Tess Bramhall, and Phil Henderson was welcomed as the new Board President. Phil has had a long career as a planning consultant and environmental advocate, and worked with the Nature Conservancy as Land Protection Specialist prior to joining the VCS Board. Executive Director Brendan O'Neill recapped a few of the year's highlights, including:

-A successful collaboration with the Whippoorwill Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) cooperative, who consummated an eleventh-hour deal that resulted in the establishment of a permanent home for the CSA at the 40-acre former Thimble Farm. VCS aided and supported the effort throughout, and it was gratifying to hear Andrew Woodruff characterize that support as critical to him through an exceptionally stressful period leading up to the "save."

-VCS is the first-ever Island recipient of a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust. The $18,000 grant, together with VCS matching funds, will support our most ambitious public education campaign yet on water quality and saving island ponds from nitrogen pollution.

- Recycling on the SSA vessels and at terminals.

Executive Director Brendan O'Neill presented an eye-opening talk entitled "Conservation on Martha's Vineyard Looking forward," that will be aired on MVTV. His talk traced the origins and evolving nature of conservation work on the Vineyard, and described new approaches that are needed to meet today's challenges. VCS is actively incorporating these approaches and is poised to enlarge our work on the vineyard to protect what we all value, the Island's unique character, open space, and environmental integrity.

Thank you to all of our members who made this year's conservation efforts a great success! If you are not yet a member or financial supporter of VCS, we welcome you to join us. Call Kaysea Cole at 508-693-9588.

What is Green?
By Mark Martin

This question has become more complex than I ever imagined. I always believed that if something was brown and printed with some frilly eco-logo, that it surely was friendly to the environment. Actually, it didn’t even have to be natural. Just green. The color that is.

Yes, I am a bit ashamed to admit that packaging a product in green colored packaging gave me some reassurance that whoever lived behind the image of whatever product it was, had my best interest at heart. Not just mine but that of the whole of humanity as well. Boy was I in for an education.

After deciding to open an eco-friendly store last winter I had to decide what “friendly” meant? I quickly realized that not all “green” products were very friendly at all. I had to decide what I wanted in a business and what my criteria would be. I began to question my own ethics and honesty and ponder where we were as a society and who was to blame. I always came back to me. Yes, in the end my future belonged to me and I was responsible for embracing it. This model of transparency and honest information became the basis for every thing we do at Biostore.

What this means is that before a product finds a home on our shelves we research the entire history of the product. We ask ourselves the following questions: Where it comes from? Who makes it,? What it is made out of? and we want to know the carbon footprint left behind. We examine all these factors before we decide if we will carry a product. Simply put, Eco MV/ Bio Store does the homework for customers and will only introduce products into the marketplace which are not harmful to the environment or humans.

Our driving goal is to be able to provide residents and guests of Martha's Vineyard alternative solutions to complex concerns such as deforestation, climate change, water waste, pressure on water ways, harmful products in overcrowded landfills, harsh harmful chemicals exposed to humans and environment. Global working conditions and offering Fair-Trade products is also one of our passions. We not only require that an item be eco-smart but also that it is produced in a fair and responsible way. We don’t sell it until we are sure that all of the information about it is accurate and available if you ask for it.

We are dedicated to offering customers products that help support sustainability on Martha's Vineyard. Not only is sustainability a very real concern for our Island, it is a concern for the entire planet. Eco MV / Bio Store is positioned to facilitate the process of turning the corner for the environment and business. Can a for profit really be a vehicle of real change for the planet? I believe so. In fact, I believe it is a necessary part of any real solution. In the end only a consumer that demands that business do better will sustain such movement towards change. An informed consumer wields much power in a dollar bill and can start to make real differences when asking questions and digging a little deeper. At the end of the day someone must take the risks involved with change.

The Bio Store strives to have customers for life; by meeting the needs of the present while at the same time not compromising future generations. The message is clear: keep the economy and well being strong. The Bio Store is committed maintaining a channel of communication with other local businesses in the community, which allows the Bio Store to be mindful and understanding towards the needs of the community which will allow the Store the opportunity to facilitate and spur economic and sustainable growth.

During the first 5 weeks the Store has been opened, there has already been an outpouring of Island support from local restaurants, Smoke N' Bones, Zephrus, and the Home Port just to name a few. These restaurants have decided to make an institutional and environmental shift by making use of biodegradable take out containers, plates, bowls, trash bags, and more.

Vineyard homeowners are finding the cleaning supplies to be just the ticket to clean the house, clean the environment, and not break the bank by doing so.

At the end of the day, if the Bio Store has offered products which have transformed the way customers shop and think about the products they buy, then we have done what we have set out to do; to make a positive visible change in the marketplace and the environment. The bottom line is, to be green means knowing what your impact is on the planet – shopping sophisticated and knowing that you can make a difference by being an enlightened shopper.

Mussel aquaculture project underway at Martha’s Vineyard
UNITED STATES
Friday, May 30, 2008, 03:40 (GMT + 9)

Locally raised shellfish could join the famously abundant array of seafood products available at Martha’s Vineyard, if an innovative aquaculture venture is successful.

The Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group (MVSG) is petitioning to create four mussel farming zones using a state-of-the-art open ocean system developed by researchers at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), reports The Martha's Vineyard Times.

The group expects to secure funding to set up two demonstration farms by next year. Fishermen from the island would work on the farms and provide key knowledge about local conditions.

If the pilot farms are successful, the farms will be entirely turned over to the local fishermen. So far, initial trials with raising mussels in Vineyard waters have gone well, with high survival and growth rates.

The MVSG is working with the towns of West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah to secure state and federal permits.

In June, there will be three public hearings to discuss the four proposed aquaculture zones. MVSG director Rick Karney is facilitating the hearings and the paperwork to make it simpler for local fishermen to navigate the complex bureaucracy of getting a permit.

The mussel-raising system from UNH was devised to avoid gear and turf conflicts yet provide optimum conditions for the blue mussel, a species found in waters from North Carolina to Canada.

From the ocean’s surface, the only visible sign of each farm will be three buoys. Under the water, a longline will be suspended between two buoys 600 feet apart.

At the Martha’s Vineyard farms, the longline would be 40 feet below the surface, anchored at either end by a two-tonne block of granite.

Mussels will be grown to market size on ropes attached to the longline, a process that takes 12 months.

Karney said he has spoken of the project in depth with local fishermen and businessmen, and the public hearings will be another venue for discussing issues or concerns.

"Hopefully, we've put them in places where we are not going to have any conflicts," he said.

The two pilot farms will be set up with the help of the UNH’s Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center and Open Ocean Aquaculture Program. The Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard is donating USD 5,000 to the MVSG project.

Go Green Locally

This month the Vineyard Gazette distributed its “Green Issue” of their Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, www.mvmagazine.com (508-627-4311). It features all sorts of articles and resources under the story entitled “How Eco-Friendly is the Island?” The material dove-tailed beautifully with the information on local green companies and individuals researched by Robert Potts, publisher of the West Tisbury Broadside.

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, consider linking to www.carbonfootprint.com and try the following:

The easy stuff:

Exchange your incandescent bulbs for Compact Florescent lights (CFL), they save energy and have a far longer life then incandescent light bulbs. Retire spent bulbs to the ‘Universal' shed at the Edgartown Refuse and Recycling Center on the West Tisbury/Edgartown Road across from the airport. (They contain mercury.) Check in at the weigh station and you will be directed to the shed. Questions call 508-627-4501.
Install ceiling fans instead of using air conditioners, they are more energy efficient and you get the benefit of Vineyard breezes through your open windows.

Suppliers: Shirley’s Hardware and Ace Hardware Vineyard Haven; Granite Ace Hardware, Edgartown.

Save on gas money by riding your bike to the post office, market, beach or work. MV Bike Rentals has a used bike sale in the fall and will give your bike (if purchased from them) a free tune-up annually. 508-693-6593.
Ride the Bus, Vineyard Transit Authority, www.vineyardtransit.com
Shut off your lights when you go from one room to another in your house.
Turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth, take shorter showers.
Buy and eat locally grown food. See the map of local farms made by the Island Grown Initiative, go to http://www.islandgrown.org/
Join the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at Whippoorwill Farm, located off the Vineyard Haven/Edgartown Road, in Oak Bluffs. http://whippoorwillfarmcsa.com/ or call 508-693-5995
Mythic Paint a low odor, nontoxic house paint. Go to Up- Island Paint and Tool Co. 505 State Road, West Tisbury.
E paint copper-free boat bottom paint. MV Shipyard, Beach Road, Vineyard Haven.
Biodegradable, compostable corn based clear bags and other products. Non-toxic cleaning products and “Fair Trade” items at the new Eco MV, Bio store. Beach Road, Vineyard Haven, 508-693-8985.
Buy energy saving “Energy Star” appliances. Crane RD TV and Appliance Co, 529 State Rd, Vineyard Haven 508-696-5891.

Heating and Cooling:

Carbon-neutral, recycled wood, pellet stoves, and solar lighting systems, Vineyard Alternative Heating on Beach Road, in Vineyard Haven.
Solar Hot Water Heaters, Chris Fried, 508-693-7741 and Bill Haynes 508- 693- 3641.
Nelson Mechanical Design, Geothermal heating and cooling Installations, Brian Nelson, 508-696 3120.
Cotuit Solar- (established 1988) PV, SDHW and Pool heating systems. 3rd year installing on M.V., www.cotuitsolar.com or www.imageevent.com/cotuitsolar/solarinstallations contact- Thomas Mayhew 774-563-0859.
Lowe Energy Design, Solar and Geothermal Installations, 508- 693-1298
Wind Turbines, Swift Rooftop Wind Turbine, see turbine at Five Corners Vineyard Haven, New England Wind Systems, Rhonda Cohen and Eric Stricoff, 508-627-8709.
Bergey Windpower Company, small, free standing land based wind turbines for business or residential use, South Mountain Co. contact John Abrams, 508-693-4850.
Installation of Wind Turbines, Gary Harcourt, 508-693-7414.
Residential and Business Energy Audits, Cape Light Compact, 1-800-797-6699.
Thomas Mayhew Certified Building Analyst and Energy Auditor. Home and garden consulting. Energy conservation and alternative energy consulting. Eco-sensitive property management and land conservation. contact- tmayhew@vineyard.net 774-563-0859.
Green Construction, South Mountain Co., following the industry standard which is set by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED) John Abrams 508-693-4850.

Information / Resources

Renewable Energy resource center, as well as part of the Island Energy and Waste Plan. Information on photo voltaic solar panels, and general alternative energy consultant, Kate Warner, Vineyard Energy Project, http://www.vineyardenergyproject.org/renewable/index.html
Island Blue Pages, multiple tips to protect the Vineyard waters. Rick Karney, MV Shellfish group mvshellfishgroup.org/island-blue-pages.php
Vineyard Conservation Almanac, a weekly online publication featuring energy tips, local, national, and international environmental news, and an extensive resource section. Free from the Vineyard Conservation Society. almanac.vcsmv.org or call 508-693-9588.
The Vineyard Voice, a monthly community based online publication Patrick Phillips, http://vineyardvoice.org/
The Farm Institute, a teaching farm that educates and engages children and adults in sustainable agriculture through the diverse operations of a working farm. http://www.farminstitute.org/

Thanks to Nicki Miller, from Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, and Robert Potts for their help in compiling this list.

The Why of the Fish
By Tom Osmers, Shellfish Constable of West Tisbury

Fishing is the business of solving the dilemmas of catching fish, requiring great skill of both the captains and their men.

Technology and industry have grown greatly since the seventies, and this combined with a poor understanding of the limits of the ocean systems have led to a depletion of fish stocks in New England. This situation is overlaid by several environmental constraints working against the recovery of the fisheries. These uncertainties are not, hopefully, greater than the problem of the lack of what we could call wise regulation of the fishery.

In March of 2003, under amendment B to the Fisheries Management Plan the qualifying years 1996 – 2001 were established. This meant that many Vineyard vessels no longer qualified for access rights to the federal fishery, since the fish were depleted from our traditional grounds by 1990 – 1991. Similar regulations were enacted that deprived our community of access rights to the sea scallops as well.

The Vineyard, once the ninth largest N.E. port by landings, now has only six permitted vessels, five of which are without landing’s history for over 10 years. The small hook and line fleet that for hundreds of years landed cod throughout the winter months, now waits for the return of the fish with patience that will likely not be rewarded by being allowed to fish in the future absent some provision for our community coming from the management council.

To address this injustice and with the support of the selectmen of all island towns a group of islanders have banded with the Tribe and it’s fishermen to present our situation to the N.E. Fisheries Management Council and request that our history and fishing heritage be accommodated.. More importantly we have worked to align ourselves with other groups also cut out of fishery participation in federal waters. This is an on going struggle that moves very slowly and is met by considerable resistance from the large ports and qualified vessels who now feel that they should own the public trust to the exclusion of the smaller outlying ports and communities. We are working with other groups especially the Penobscot East group based on Deer Island, Maine, and have obtained help to defray expenses from the Permanent Endowment Fund, through the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, which is our non-profit umbrella.

At the same time, the good works of the Shellfish group are expanding to maintain the very important inshore component of the fishing community which depends on the scallops, oysters, and clams produced by the group’s hatcheries. We are also working into offshore mussels growing and harvest as an alternative strategy to generate sustainable profit to help fill the void created by poor management of the ocean fisheries and their subsequent depletion. The Permanent Endowment Fund is helping develop this plan as are the Marine Resource Center of Woods Hole and the University of New Hampshire. This process is soon to reach the public hearing phase, and federal grant monies have been approved to help us get started.

The help of the community and private interested donors will be needed to position the island to be able to participate both in the creation of wise management plans and in the creation of a plan to protect us in the future against the industrial as opposed to the small community based artesian fishery.

People interested in these issues of the public trust and the future of the Vineyard fishing Community should not miss the continuing lecture series event at the Chilmark Public Library this Wednesday May 21, at 5:30 PM. Two special honored speakers, Dr. Paul Diodati, Director of the State of MA. Division of Marine Fisheries, and John Pappalardo, Chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council, will be present to speak to the Vineyard community.

Know your meal: the basics of Flat Point Poultry f.p.p.
Jeff Munroe and Doug Brush

Here at Flat Point Poultry we use the method of raising broiler chickens pioneered by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm. As you will see it is a sustainable, humane and responsible way of providing safe and healthy meat for our island’s families. This brief essay will try to summarize the method we use at FPP, encourage you to try our chicken and perhaps entice some of you to begin raising broilers on your own property.

The process begins, not surprisingly, by ordering some chickens!! There are several reputable hatcheries that will ship day-old chicks to the Vineyard, Murray McMurray and Moyer’s being among them. We grow Cornish Rock Cross chickens which grow to ‘roaster’ weight (5+ lb) in about nine weeks given adequate feed. While the Cornish Rock is the industry standard and the most common meat bird being grown here on the Vineyard there are other varieties that we may begin keeping. Be sure to ask us if you are interested in trying other varieties in the future.

Once the chicks arrive via mail (a marvel of modern postal engineering!) we begin the brooding period. The chicks need a draft-free, heated pen secure from would be chick eaters like rats and raccoons. During this time they are introduced to their staple foods: a non-medicated chicken ration, grass from our pasture and fresh vegetable matter.

The birds’ feed is a basic, un-medicated ration comprised primarily of corn, soy and oats. To preempt the question: no, we are not organic. We try to be, as Joel Salatin says, “beyond organic” bringing you the freshest possible product from just down the road; a chicken grown with complete disclosure and transparency of the methods used. Please, come and take a look if you like.

After two or three weeks in the brooder they will be ready to move into what will be their home for the final six or seven weeks of their lives: the all important moveable pen! The great innovation that Joel Salatin brought to the world of poultry raising is the floorless pen that the grower moves daily. This provides the birds with the benefits of sunshine and fresh greens all the while aerating and fertilizing the fields. We will be running three 12’ X 12’ pens containing 75 birds a piece. Keeping with standards of humane treatment, this provides 1.9 sq. feet of space per bird. In six weeks a single pen moved once daily uses 6048 square feet of turf.

The Island Grown Initiative’s Mobile Poultry Processing Unit means the birds can be processed here on farm saving fossil fuels and providing you with the opportunity to have us put the final product into your hands.

This spring and summer we will be charging $5 per pound with birds likely to average 5 lbs. Currently, we are requesting a five dollar deposit per bird. For now, all checks can be made out to Douglas Brush. Orders can be placed using the email address or phone number below. And be sure to check in on our blog occasionally…and tell a friend.

Great News (Finally!) CSA Remains at Thimble Farm

Dear CSA Members,
Rusty and I are pleased and relieved to report to you that a buyer who is very supportive of the CSA has just reached agreement with Lawrence Benson to purchase Thimble Farm. This individual will secure the Farm while we create a master plan that will preserve it for food production. He is dedicated to working with the CSA, and to improving the Thimble infrastructure in ways that will make a more efficient CSA possible in 2008 and the future. We have a lot of work to do to restore Thimble Farm to what it should be, but we can now begin that effort with enthusiasm and confidence.

Thank you for you continued support of our efforts. The purchase should close before the end of 2007 and we will be working from now on to plan for the 2008 CSA and beyond. When a master plan is in place we will need additional financial support from the community to realize all our goals.

Andrew Woodruff

A Fathers View of Thimble Farm

Thimble Farm was preserved from development in the 90's through the purchase of an agricultural preservation restriction, (APR) by the MV Land Bank. But it was not preserved from falling into the hands of a private individual for strictly private use, as for example a horse farm. Until yesterday! After months of difficult negotiations, and work on the part of many people, and at the very moment a prospective horse farm buyer was about to make an offer on the farm, another investor, keen on seeing the Whippoorwill Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program succeed, signed an agreement to purchase the farm. Once the CSA has been able to form a non profit corporation the benefactor will donate the farm to the group to be used for community food production in perpetuity! I don't think I need to tell you how much this means to me personally, or to Andrew and the marvellous people who have stood behind him for so many years, to find a real home farm for Whippoorwill. Andrew will continue to lease other acreage to fulfill his needs, but he at long last has a real working farm as a base of operations. And the visionaries of the CSA have the knowledge that 400 or more families will have a food source that is local, non petrochemical, and healthy. This is not a unique model, but one more in thousands that need to be created as we move toward a saner planet. Hurrah!

Bob Woodruff

Thimble Farm Update

Heartfelt thanks to all of you for your ongoing expressions of interest and concern about our threatened status at Thimble Farm. Since the much-publicized offer was withdrawn in late August, we have been working hard to find private sources of funding that would enable us to secure the farm and give us the necessary time to work out all the complex issues it presents. While we now have access to funding, we continue to encounter difficulty in agreeing on a price with the owner. Our goal remains to increase the restrictions on the farmland so that it will stay in food production, create some farm worker housing and generally improve the infrastructure for farming and the CSA. We are still hopeful about Thimble, we need a fallback as time is running out to plan for next year’s CSA. Consequently, we are preparing acreage in other locations so that we will have places to put our crops if no deal can be made at Thimble. We are also rekindling earlier discussions with owners of other properties. Nobody thought this would take so long or be so difficult but we have not given up hope that there will be a good long-term location for the CSA. You have made it clear that the Island wants and will support a CSA. Whatever happens, we are committed to a CSA in 2008. If we have to return to farming scattered parcels as a temporary solution, it will not be ideal, but is better than suspending the CSA until we find a proper long-term home.

Island Grown Initiative’s Mobile Poultry Processing Unit Trials, Run with Humane Success

By Ali Berlow
Executive Director, IGI
Photo by Randi Baird

The day had finally arrived. Jim McLaughlin of Corner Stone Farm Ventures in New York was coming to Martha’s Vineyard to deliver Island Grown Initiative’s mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU). It’d taken almost two years to get this point…

“What color is your truck?” I asked Jim. “I’ll meet you at the boat.”

“No truck. Look for the red PT Cruiser.” He said, in a deep voice that came from somewhere near the center of the earth.

“You’re kidding…right?” I asked, off-kilter.

“No, really” he repeated…”a red PT cruiser…didn’t you know that ‘PT’ stands for ‘Poultry Trailer?”

Well, damned if it didn’t. On July 11, 2007, Jim and his wife Peg, rolled off the Steamship ferry into the summer night air of Vineyard Haven - styling, with the MPPU in tow. “The dock workers all thought it makes cotton candy.” If only they knew….we all said.

The mission of Island Grown Initiative (IGI, a non-profit) is to help create a more sustainable agricultural reality on Martha’s Vineyard. IGI supports the island farmer and helps raise consumer awareness about why locally grown food is important. Local food includes the crops…the tomatoes, greens, asparagus, etc..but also meat from island animals. These animals are the freed-from-the-Meatrix.com farm animals that will meet their destiny in the most humane way possible - on the land on which they lived.

Since its inception in 2005, IGI asked the Vineyard farmers a lot questions, sorted answers, raised money and built community support for an on-island, size appropriate, humane slaughter solution, which would include both the backyard growers and the full-on farmers who want to raise local meat. Demand is high. Product is in short supply. And sadly, the infrastructure (ie accessible, small scale, humane, USDA certified brick + mortar processing plants) have all but gone extinct. However mobile slaughtering and processing units, can be appropriate solutions in certain circumstances, with community backing.

In order to find the best solution for our community IGI talked with SEMAP and the New England Small Farm Institute in Belchertown, MA. We attended workshops and met with Bruce Dunlop of Lopez Island in Washington re: his work with mobile slaughtering units. And then we went back and talked with the island farmers, again: How many animals would they raise if there were an on-island facility? Nobody could give really good answers because there is no precedent and these are unprecedented times. Locally grown food is more than a fad. It’s an imperative.

The lack of good, accessible USDA certified processing capabilities, inherently prohibits the small family farmer from raising animals. And if you don’t have the numbers of animals to economically justify a slaughter/process solution – then it’s pretty hard to build one. But with community support, accountability, a leap of faith and some money – the Catch 22 starts to fragment.

This research – the grunt work of sorting out what can and can’t be done, from all the unintentionally duplicitous legal-eze that strangulates the small family farmer, was often frustrating and confusing. Unraveling those scorched threads of bureaucracy, farmer rights, consumer and environmental protection only seemed to make answers more elusive. Loopholes turned into black holes and black holes turned to grey. There is much undefined, un-chartered territory in terms of mobile slaughter and processing. But this means that nothing is impossible IF done well. Because it’s not that safe, humane mobile on-farm processing that creates a good clean product for sale - can’t or shouldn’t, be done. It’s that no one knows how to say, ‘Yes. Do it.’

When IGI started a Pastured Poultry Pilot Program (PPPP) in the spring of ’07, it was to encourage both the backyard growers who wanted to fill their freezers, and jumpstart the island farmers. The deal was: if they grew the birds, IGI would make available the best possible processing solution.

Most of the growers in the PPPP use Joel Salatin’s methods – and raise their birds in movable, bottomless pens so the chickens can live a life of chicken-ness while still being protected from weather and predators.

Some of the PPPP growers are veteran chicken people. A few are totally new to raising animals, while others have raised egg-layers in the past but were ready to give broilers a try. The growers gather and email - sharing information about all-things poultry. Some have joined forces to build pens and buy feed collectively, in bulk, to bring costs down.

IGI’s funding for research, training and equipment came in the form of grants and donations from South Mountain Company, Cronig’s Market, and Dakota Organic Beef’s CEO and founder, Scott Lively, who lives on Martha’s Vineyard. While the PPPP group was raising birds, IGI trained the chicken processors (aka the Chicken Crew) at the FARM Institute – a working educational farm, in Edgartown. Wesley Wood, the FARM’s Lead Farm Hand, worked with the Chicken Crew, honing their processing skills and protocols, at the FARM’s poultry abattoir.

Since Jim McLaughlin landed on Martha’s Vineyard in his red PT Cruiser with IGI’s MPPU on July 11 – to date, three families each have approximately 175 pounds of their own chicken in their own freezers, to feed their own family. A small beginning and yet it changes everything.

The results are extremely gratifying, when the MPPU is operated with complete assiduousness. But managing it is a high-wire balancing act with china plates spinning on the tops of very long-very skinny poles: the animal, the farmer, the Chicken Crew, the eater, and all the local, state and federal agencies, who in end - truly don’t want any of those plates to come crashing down, either.

Ali Berlow
Exec. Director of Island Grown Initiative
ali@islandgrown.org
www.islandgrown.org

Jim McLaughlin
Cornerstone Farm Ventures
242 Dan Main Rd.
Norwich, NY 13815
Tel: 607.334.2833
e-mail: jrmclaughlin@juno.com

This version was reprinted with permission from Edible Cape Cod.

The Island Grown Initiative (IGI) Website is Launched!

IGI now has a website which is up and running and full of interesting news and upcoming events.
http://www.islandgrown.org/

The Island Grown Initiative is a non-profit grassroots organization working to support local food and farming on Martha’s Vineyard. IGI works to increase both the supply of locally-grown foods and the demand for these foods by providing infrastructure and support to our farmers and by providing information to consumers about the importance of buying local.

Check out our farm map!

Illustration courtesy of The Martha's Vineyard Commission

Buy the freshest produce directly from local farmers at their farms. Pick up a copy of IGI’s Local Farm Map, which shows the location of each of the 28 farms on the island and details what they grow.

Urgent!
We have until 8/27/07 to preserve Thimble Farm as the CSA’s home

Dear CSA members,

Many of you know that Andrew, members of the CSA Advisory Board and other volunteers have been working for years to find a stable, long-term home for the CSA. Andrew has a lease on parts of Thimble Farm that runs until the end of 2007. When he entered this 3-year lease at Thimble Farm, we knew the farm was for sale and have been working with the owner all that time to try to reach an agreement on price. The existing agricultural restriction on the fields, owned by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, protects the Farm from development but does not require that a buyer keep the land in food production, much less organic or sustainable food production. Recently the owner reduced his price and accepted an offer from a private individual investor. Under the terms of Andrew’s lease, he has a right of first refusal to match that accepted offer by 8/28/07.

We are part of an intense and concerted effort of several Island conservation organizations, other non-profits and private individuals working together to gather the funds necessary to exercise this right of first refusal and buy the farm. Because the need is so urgent and the numbers so large, we do not have time to mount a proper general fundraising effort. What is urgently needed is either significant donations or bridge financing so that we can acquire the farm and buy the time to create a thoughtful master plan for its continued ownership and use for food production.

The goal for Andrew and the CSA has not been to own all the land we farm outright. We have been seeking a structure where an Island conservation group would own the land and grant Andrew/CSA a lease that is long enough to justify the investments in the soil that organic farming requires. For the Farm to work efficiently, it ideally needs to concentrate growing and distribution in a primary location that is large enough, fenced and irrigated and that has facilities for washing, cooling and distributing the produce. Thimble Farm offers all of that. Thimble Farm also offers opportunities to create farm manager and seasonal worker housing which is critical, given the shortage of affordable housing on the Island. In visiting the farm on pickup days, no doubt you have noticed that the infrastructure needs work. All of that could be accomplished, but it has not been sensible for Andrew/the CSA to make capital improvements on property leased for a short term. Our goal is to turn Thimble Farm into an integrated farm (land, infrastructure, housing) that could eventually be passed on in an affordable way to a future farmer. This may be our last chance at Thimble Farm. Please help.

If you have the means to make a significant contribution to our effort immediately, or know someone who might be able and interested in doing so, please let us know. If we are successful in stabilizing the property so that we can work out the complex details, we will ask the CSA and Island community for help in meeting specific costs of infrastructure improvement or other challenges at a future time.

Please leave a message at the Farm (508 693 5995) and a member of the CSA Advisory Board will get back to you. Any inquiries will be kept confidential.

Thank you for your continued support of the Farm and the CSA!

Whippoorwill Farm CSA
Summer Newsletter

News from the Farm

As most of you know, we had a very cool spring with long dry periods interspersed with downpours. After receiving barely a drop of rainfall in June, we were happy to see the July 4th storm come along. Crops that were sitting in the fields received some water from irrigation but nothing replaces good, periodic rain. The lettuce and early peas loved the spring conditions but the summer crops just hung in there waiting for water and heat. Those plants are catching up now and your pickups will soon have more variety. Coming soon: summer squash, salad greens, carrots, beets, tomatoes, u-pick beans, bok choi, chard, flower patch. We hope you enjoyed the strawberries.

A Note on Farming on the Vineyard

The Vineyard is a challenging place to grow food if you are striving for quantity (400 shares) and variety (enough lettuce, already!). Every year presents a different mix of weather, pest, labor and equipment surprises so that some crops do well in one year and not as well in another. We typically have a late or fleeting “spring,” making it difficult to harvest quantities of early crops. Our beautiful late summer and long fall can generate a burst of food, just as the summer population is departing. Anyone who is here for late August and September pickups knows that the Vineyard’s summer and fall bounties overlap then, filling the farm stand with veggies and herbs. Knowing this, we have developed seasonal and full shares and apply them with considerable flexibility to help you get the most out of your relationship with the farm.

This year we had unprecedented difficulty attracting farm labor. We believe this was due, in part, to a confluence of factors including lack of housing and competition from landscapers who can pay higher salaries. This year, we may not have as much variety in July as some other years. If you are a 5-week shareholder and will be picking up your entire share before August, please let us know in the farm stand. If possible, we will supplement your pickup with additional amounts of whatever is available.

Shares Are Still Available

Thanks to all of you for renewing or starting your membership in the CSA. It is great to see you all again. Because the CSA always has some attrition from year to year and seasonal members often wait until they arrive to sign up, we still have a few shares available. To keep the CSA thriving and our farmer solvent, it is important that we meet our financial projections for the year. The farm switched its business model from a mix of wholesale, retail and CSA to an emphasis on the CSA. If the CSA is not fully subscribed, it is not possible to switch back in any given year to another model and the Farm’s income suffers. You can help the CSA meet its goals by recruiting new members and encouraging former members to sign up. We will be pro-rating full shares from now on. Full and seasonal members will get good value as the season progresses. There are signup forms in the farm stand and information is available at whipfarm@comcast.net or 508 693 5995.

Is the CSA Produce “Organic?”

We have received questions about how “organic” the Farm is. Whippoorwill Farm is not certified organic and therefore cannot put the organic label on its produce. To become and remain certified takes a lot of paperwork every year. When and if we have a long term lease on land for the CSA where we can make a significant investment in organic and sustainable soil amendments and practices, we might consider getting the organic certification. Even without the certification, however, your produce is grown using only the practices and products that would be allowed in an organic operation: no herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers or other treatments to the soil or crops that are not organic or natural.

The only exception is that we have elected to return to pea seed that is treated against fungus because untreated seed has had severe germination problems under Island growing conditions. We tolerate bugs and weeds and some of the produce may not be picture perfect but it is healthy, nutritious and safe for you and your family. It was a pleasure watching children eating strawberries right in the patch and knowing the fruit had not been sprayed or fed anything that would harm them or you.

Feel Free to Swap

Need extra lettuce this week? Don’t eat potatoes? If you don’t want something in your weekly share, please feel free to trade with other members during your pickup. If you do not take your entire share each week, be assured the food will not go to waste.

Volunteers Welcome

If you would like to help out in the farm stand on pickup days or become involved in the CSA in other ways, please be in touch with Dawn Greeley, advisory board member and volunteer coordinator (dawngreeley@gmail.com; 508 645 9045).

Safety and Courtesy

Even when members carpool for pickups and do all they can to avoid multiple vehicle trips for the same share, we know the parking lot can become congested at times. Please exercise caution in the parking area and keep an eye out for children. Please do not bring your dogs into the farm stand or fields. Please drive slowly on either access road to the farm and share the road with other vehicles, bicycles, horses and pedestrians. Once you have elected your pickup day, please try to stick to it. We pick enough food for the members signed up for Tuesday and Friday pickups and can run out of food or pick too much if people do not show up on their normal day.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, feedback and concerns. You are the C in Community Supported Agriculture. Thank you for caring about local farming and taking such an interest in where your food comes from.

Whippoorwill Farm
Community Supported Agriculture on
Martha’s Vineyard

Grow a Vineyard Friendly Lawn
Illustration: Marnie Stanton

One of the culprits of nutrient pollution to local waters is chemical fertilizers applied to lawns. Here are some simple lawn care practices you can use at home:

Test Your Soil

The pH of your soil should be between 6.5-7.0.
If your pH is too low, you need to add lime, which acts as a gate keeper of soil nutrients.
If you fertilize a lawn with a low pH, the nitrogen in the fertilizer won’t be absorbed by the grass resulting in an unhealthy lawn and nitrogen leaching.

Dress Your Soil

Grass grows best with 6” of topsoil.
If you soil is not at least six inches deep, add ¼ to ½ inch of loam each spring. This is called topdressing.

Reduce Fertilizer Use

First, pace off the length and the width of your lawn. Assume that each pace equals three feet. Multiplying the length by the width will tell you how many square feel of lawn you have.
Only use as much fertilizer as you need for the size of your lawn.
After applying the fertilizer, sweep your walks and driveways to prevent the fertilizer from running off after watering or rain.
Fertilize once in the spring when the ground is soft using slow release or organic fertilizer. Fertilize again in early fall.

Mowing Tips

Keep you lawn mower set at its highest cutting height.
Never cut more than 1/3 of the shoot growth at one mowing or you will damage your lawn by removing too much of the grass blade.
Leave the clippings on the lawn. That’s right, no raking! Clippings left on your lawn add a natural slow acting source of nitrogen to your lawn.
Plant and grow native shrubs.
You can reduce the amount of lawn area by creating a naturalized planting of low maintenance native shrubs and plants.

Planting Grasses

Select the proper grass type for new or reseeded lawns.
Blends containing mostly fine fescues or tall fescues mixed with some perennial ryegrass are best for the Buzzards Bay watershed.

Pull Weeds

If you find weeds, pull them out by hand. If weeds are a severe problem, spot treat them with an organic spray.

Watering

Proper watering is essential.
Your lawn requires only one inch of water per week. One early morning watering is best. This weekly watering will help your lawn grow deeper roots.
How do you measure an inch of water? It’s really quite simple. Set open tuna cans (preferable straight sided) in various places in your lawn. A full can equals an inch of water.
Leave a can out for the season to monitor rainfall. Of course remember to obey any water restriction that may be in effect.

If you have a lawn service, tell them to:

Test your soil. This test will indicate the amount of fertilizer needed. The soil test will also indicate the need for lime, which acts as the gatekeeper of soil nutrients.
Use slow release or organic fertilizers with at least 30% Water Insoluble Nitrogen (WIN). • Fertilize in the spring and fall only.
Organically spot treat weeds.

Adapted from Preserve Falmouth’s Bay and Ponds by the Coalition for Buzzards Bay.

FARM and FIELD
By IAN FEIN
Vineyard Gazette

Through local efforts and a state-sponsored program, a coalition of environmental groups began in the 1970s to preserve some of the Island's most iconic rural farms. The Vineyard Conservation Society helped acquire development rights to more than a dozen such places, allowing the owners of Nip 'n' Tuck Farm, Allen Sheep Farm and the Whiting Farm, among others, to hold onto large tracts of land that had been in their family for generations.

The preservation efforts were hailed as a great success, and, according to the University of Massachusetts, agricultural land on the Island increased steadily from roughly 2,500 acres in 1971 to almost 3,000 acres in 1999.

But at the same time, despite a growing interest in local food production, actual farming on the Vineyard has not kept pace. The Martha's Vineyard Commission estimates that working farms cover some 1,800 acres - or only 60 per cent of the so-called agricultural land. Total cropland in Dukes County dropped from 2,200 acres to 1,400 acres between 1987 and 1997, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, before falling again to 800 acres in 2002.

Looking back, conservation officials acknowledge the original agricultural restrictions were written in a way that allowed some private landowners to benefit from an initial pay-out and ongoing tax breaks, while putting out a proverbial token horse instead of actually working the land as a farm.

"Nobody anticipated that some of those properties can now be snatched up and taken out of food production for hobby horse farms," said Brendan O'Neill, executive director of the Vineyard Conservation Society, which is now looking to tighten up some of the original language. "The standard agricultural restriction achieved the goal of preventing development on the land. But more recently there's been a real effort to try to ensure that agricultural lands are not only protected but are dedicated to food production that keeps the farmers on the land."

With such a long and storied agricultural past, the Vineyard today is not farming to its potential. More people are looking to eat locally grown food, but supply on the Island is not meeting demand. The FARM Institute in Edgartown pre-sells most of its chicken for the entire summer, while Mermaid Farm and Dairy in Chilmark has a waiting list for its raw milk.

Hoping to help meet that demand, Ali Berlow, founding director of Island Grown Initiative, met with Vineyard farmers this winter and asked what steps were needed to boost local food production.

"One of the issues loud and clear was access to land," she said. The Island Grown Initiative is now looking to facilitate dialogue among conservation organizations, farmers, and private landowners to find places where more acreage can be creatively cultivated or grazed as pasture.

"I think a lot of it is education and awareness," Mrs. Berlow said. "It's not like these property owners are the bad guys - it's just a matter of connecting the dots. They might not know that there is a desire out there to grow more food, or that they can still get tax breaks while also raising chickens that can feed 100 families."

Funded by a Vineyard sustainability fellowship, Noli Taylor of Aquinnah is working with the Island Grown Initiative and the Martha's Vineyard Commission this summer to survey owners and find out what kind of land use is taking place on agriculturally preserved properties. She also plans to overlay maps of protected farmland and prime agricultural soils to see where future preservation efforts should be focused.

"It's really about pulling all this information together into one place," Mrs. Taylor said. "We're still very, very far from being food self-sufficient, but I know we can do a better job. There's so much land to be farmed here, and there are consumers willing to pay extra to support local farmers."

One loophole in the standard agricultural restrictions is that they did not set a cap on sale prices. So even though the reduced development rights might bring the price out of the upper stratosphere, the preserved agricultural land can still go on the market for millions of dollars - well out of reach for any Vineyard farmer.

With this in mind, Morning Glory Farm owner James Athearn worked with the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank last year to draft a new conservation restriction for a family farm in West Tisbury. That restriction requires that the 21-acre Uncle Leonard's Farm can only be resold at fair market agricultural value, a provision that ensures the farm will be affordable to future generations of farmers.

Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the land bank has taken steps to ensure that agricultural lands are actively farmed. The public conservation organization holds agricultural use easements on some privately-owned land, which gives the land bank the right to lease the land to another party if the underlying owner has failed to actively farm the property for two years.

Executive director James Lengyel said the land bank has never had to enforce the use easement, and hopes it never will. But the extra language serves as a strong incentive for the landowner to continue farming the land.

"The land bank doesn't want to just conserve agricultural land, it wants to see it be actively cultivated or used," Mr. Lengyel said. "From the very beginning, the land bank has wanted to see as much farmland banked as possible so that future generations will have the freedom to make these decisions."

Looking ahead, framers of the comprehensive Island Plan see increased food production as key to protecting the environment, preserving Island character and strengthening a sound local economy.

"Agriculture has shaped the landscape and has been integral to the Vineyard culture and economy for generations," authors of an Island Plan discussion paper wrote last month. "The challenge is how to conserve agricultural land and make it available at reasonable cost to allow people to make a living as farmers. Without significant change in availability of these lands, agriculture . . . could disappear from the landscape."

The Island Grown Initiative Rallies the Farmers!

The Island Grown Initiative (IGI) hosted a delicious potluck meal and follow up discussion to Joel Salatin’s local farm talk, at the Island Co-Housing common house in West.Tisbury last week. The IGI group of coordinators included Ali Berlow, Melinda Rabbit DeFeo, Randi Baird and Steve Bernier, who all spoke eloquently to the gathering of around 50 farmers. The farm community was represented by a wide variety of people of all ages, curious about what the IGI was all about.

Ali Berlow led off the discussion by updating the group on efforts to get a slaughter facility established here on the Vineyard. She announced that Doug Brush had been hired to look into the local, state and federal regulatory requirements. She feels confidant that, aided by seed money donated by South Mountain Company, a local slaughter facility has a good chance of becoming a reality, allowing farmers to avoid laborious and expensive trips off-Island with their product.

She also reassured the farmers that, with the help of works like Michael Pollen’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, (now on the top ten booklist in 2006), there is an increased public consciousness about the importance of local, family-friendly farms. Threats to the food supply ranging from E-coli and Mad Cow Disease to pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics have changed public sensibilities and drawn attention to the value of local farmers. Ali described how IGI created this “salon” form of community discussion in order to identify farmers’ priorities and educate the public about healthy food grown right here “in our own back yard.”

Melinda Rabbit DeFeo, followed up as facilitator listing priority areas and categories of need, including: Communications, Opportunities, Education and Challenges, Poultry Farm Slaughter, and Meat Production. She described what services were already in place on the Island, and solicited creative ideas and input from those gathered.

In the category of Communications, Adam Bresnick of Island Food Products and Jim Athearn of Morning Glory Farm spoke about the challenges of distributing Island-grown products. They cited the importance of timing: knowing what producers are ready for bringing product to market and how to get through a distributor to an end user, typically a retail market like Cronig’s or a local restaurant.

Jim mentioned a pilot program called Island Grown Network puts farmers in touch with buyers using email. Morning Glory Farm is one of two farms now participating in this program. In addition to selling retail, MGF is also experimenting with marketing food to be distributed wholesale. The process works like this: an order is faxed to the farmer, then the produce is boxed and picked up by the distributor who pays by check, then the distributor delivers the produce to the wholesale market. For the farmer, this approach has the benefit of time-saving and convenience, but requires personal commitment. Local chefs like the approach because, with 48 hours notice, they can have access to a wide variety of fresh produce to work with.
In the Opportunity category, a suggestion was made to utilizing the Senior Citizen group in assisting local farmers in emergency crop picking. It is common plight of many farmers who suddenly need a lot of temporary help. The island tourist could also be solicited under the category of a “therapeutic labor force” or “agri-tourism.”An email network would be a potentially valuable tool for such communication. Currently, the Vineyard Conservation Almanac is a venue for listing stories, grant writing workshops, job opportunities and other communication for the island farmers, and all were encouraged to use the Almanac resource at Almanac.vcsmv.org.

Under the Education and Challenges category, there was agreement that strategies derived from big agri-business, like the National Animal Identification System, (NAIS) run counter to the direction we want to go on Martha’s Vineyard. It was suggested that a letter writing campaign in active opposition to NAIS be initiated, where IGI would speak with one voice on behalf of the Vineyard farm community.

Debby Otto from Nantucket is bringing the Wine Festival to the Vineyard in October, where local farmers will be given an opportunity to showcase their products. Another place to promote products and educate the public would be the Harvest Festival also in October. It was suggested that a calendar of local farm events could also be started. In the meantime, all were urged to check the Conservation Almanac for farm listings. The Agricultural Society maintains a schedule of winter and spring educational workshops, including: Seeds (February), Poultry Information (March), Composting (April).

The Brazilian community was cited as a resource as well; a very skilled farm labor force who have high skill levels in the area of slaughtering procedures. It was suggested that bilingual notices be sent home with the Brazilian students to begin to tap this resource. Farm tours were also suggested as a way to “cultivate” tourist business on the island.

The topic of Poultry Farm slaughter had both the Farm Institute and the Allen Farm offering their chicken slaughtering equipment for rent to other farmers to use. Rebecca Gilbert at Native Earth Teaching Farm has moveable chicken coops and hens for rent. Not only do the pair of hens cut and fertilize your lawn, but they provide you with one egg a day as well!

Progress on the topic of Meat Production has been stalled because of the absence of an Island slaughter house. State and local regulations in this area are extensive. Local funding and support will be critical if progress is to be made, and it will be important to engage local butchers in the effort. Finding a suitable location for such a facility is just one of the challenges to overcome.

Farmland conservation through the use of ag and conservation restrictions (CRs) was discussed as a way to help lower property taxes and remove the threat of having the land sold for development. A new law passed last summer allows qualifying farmers who make a gift of their development rights (through the contribution of such a restriction) to take a tax deduction for their gift up to 100% of their gross income per year for up to 15 years, provided the land remains available for agriculture, and the gift is made in 2007. For more information call VCS 508-693-9588.

Steve Bernier closed the evening with his heartfelt and earnest thoughts that this Island has the ability to sustain itself with locally grown foods. By energizing ourselves through these kinds of gatherings, and building a supportive farm community, we can meet that goal.

The Sustainable Book Club
Posted 1/15/07

The Sustainable Book Club is a new island-wide book discussion group that will read and discuss selections each month that examine our relationship with the natural world. The discussion meeting locations will alternate between Felix Neck and one of the island libraries. The Vineyard Conservation Society at the Wakeman Center will also host a discussion.

This collaboration will benefit all involved. Felix Neck will be reaching out to the community through the libraries, the libraries will be connecting with new patrons through an island-wide initiative. The Vineyard Conservation Almanac web site will be promoted at the libraries and Felix Neck. And we just might raise the level of dialog on the island about important environmental issues.

Five of the island libraries are participating. We plan to have 11 discussion meetings a year, skipping December, because people tend to be over programmed that month.

VCS can help by spreading the word about the group through their Conservation Almanac email list and providing space for a cyber-discussion on the Almanac web site.

We plan to select the 11 books and determine a schedule of which library will host the discussion which month sometime in the next couple weeks and hold the first discussion meeting in March. I will write brief "synopsis" of each book. All five libraries will publicize the year's schedule as well as the link to the VCS "book blog" website. I'm coordinating it along with Suzan Bellincampi and Vasha Brunelle (a member of the Felix Neck Advisory Committee).

I'll keep you posted as we move forward. And please let me know if you have any suggestions for the book list. We are looking for fiction and non-fiction that has been out for at least 6 months (so it will be available in paperback). A mix of relatively new titles and some classic oldies would be good.

Suzan Bellincampi and I have picked a date and a title for the first meeting of the Martha's Vineyard Sustainable Book Club. We will be reading The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. The discussion will be held at Felix Neck at 5:30 p.m. on March 27.

Cordially,

Ebba Hierta, Library Director
Chilmark Free Public Library
P.O. Box 180
Chilmark MA 02535
508-645-3360 (phone)
508-645-3737 (fax)
chillib@vineyard.net

Offshore Aquaculture for the Vineyard Waters
By Marnie Stanton, Vineyard Conservation Almanac
Posted 12/25/06

A salty crowd gathered at the Chilmark Library to hear ocean aquaculture specialist Dr. Richard Langan speak on “Opportunities for Ocean Mussel Farming in New England”. Concern for the future of the Martha’s Vineyard fishing industry motivated Chilmark Shellfish Constable Stanley Larsen, Chilmark Selectman Warren Doty, and Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group Director Rick Karney to persuade Dr. Langan to come to the Vineyard.

Richard Langan, once a commercial fisherman and seafood business owner, is now the director of the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Institute of New England Mariculture and Fisheries (CINEMar). Since its inception in 2000, CINEMar has provided regional leadership on issues of resource use, management and preservation in New England waters. The institute pays close attention to mariculture, the science and management of fisheries, as well as ocean policy.

Dr. Langan’s decision to change careers from commercial fisherman to ocean mussel farmer came about one day when he found himself surrounded by too many other fellow fishermen all vying for a limited catch. The seriousness of the matter was apparent, motivating him then and there to switch professions. Since then, he has succeeded in creating a mussel farm off the Isles of Shoals that generates five million pounds of succulent large blue mussels a year, with each pound selling for between $ .58 and $1.50, generating annual wholesale revenue of 4.8 million dollars.

His “longline” mussel farm is situated in deep water six miles off of the Portsmouth, N.H. shore near the Isles of Shoals. The longline technique originated in New Zealand and is currently in use on Prince Edward Island, and off of various Maine islands. The mussels are grown on 600-foot horizontal longlines submerged at a depth of 40 feet. The ends of each loneline are attached to a vertical line floated with surface buoys and anchored to the ocean floor with heavy granite blocks. Each longline supports 1,600 feet of growing ropes suspended in a series of continuous looped lines hanging vertically from the main line. These growing ropes are divided into sections with diagonal lines at the end of each section tied down to the granite block that anchors them. Because of the depth of the longline, there is no interference with marine traffic.

Between 1,000 and 7,700 wild mussel seed is collected from piers or rafts and attached in various stages of growth to ropes. They are eventually put in biodegradable long cotton sleeves that are later attached to the longlines. After four to six months, the nursery stock is moved out onto the longlines and left to flourish and grow in the nutrient rich food columns of the continuously moving ocean currents. There are two “sets” of mussels grown in a year, one in the fall and one in the spring. When they reach 55 millimeters, after eight or nine months on the longlines, they are ready for harvest. A forty foot dory equipped with a hydraulic starwheel and stationary winch and a crane is used to lift the longline, which weighs seven pounds per foot. The boat moves from one end of the rope to the other and back and forth, during which time the densely packed grow lines of mussels are harvested. There are between 175 and 225 mussels growing on each foot of rope. Once on board, the mussels are run through a brush declumper that breaks up the clumps and strips and sorts them. Later a debearding machine is used to remove the beards. It is a thirteen month cycle from seed to market.

The mussels were originally sold wholesale to local Portsmouth restaurants for $1.25 per pound, but are now currently selling at $1.50 per pound. The total operating costs is $.67 per pound giving the business a profit of $.92 per pound, or a total profit of $625,000.

Dr. Langan was very encouraging when his talk focused on the Martha’s Vineyard waters as a possible site for aquaculture. After he mentioned the many things to be considered such as water depth, bottom type, temperature, wave activity, climate, and food availability, he assured the audience that CINEMar would be available to help with technical assistance. The engaged group raised several questions of concern particularly about the huge flocks of hungry sea birds that winter over in the Vineyard waters and love to dive for their food: “Would they eat all the mussels?” Dr. Lagan fielded each question with a creative solution and the satisfied group left feeling enthusiastic about the possibilities for having a potentially lucrative offshore business.

Recently, Warren Doty reported that there was considerable interest from the Chilmark community in this type of aquaculture. Since then, he has researched the Massachusetts State requirements for setting up such a business. The state mandates that longline aquaculture be done in state, not federal waters, and needs to be a minimum of three miles out to sea from the nearest state shore. With that in mind, if there were to be a Vineyard longline business it would be off of Nomans Land Island in a minimum of 60’ of water. Because it is a permanent installation in the ocean, it involves an extensive permitting process from the Army Corp of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. During Dr. Langan’s talk, he suggested starting small. The start up costs for a small longline business would involve as few as 10 lines with a cost of $4,000 per line. The Town of Chilmark would support such an undertaking but the funding for this kind of for-profit business would have to come from a private investor. The Chilmark Shellfish Restoration committee is currently meeting to consider these many aspects of a longline business.

Dr. Lagan’s talk was filmed and is currently airing on MVTV channel 13. Check with the station for the dates and times. A DVD of the video is available at the Chilmark Library. For further information visit them online: HTTP://OOA.UNH.EDU

Special thanks to the Chilmark Library for sponsoring this talk.

Vineyard Golf Club
The Island’s Only Organically Maintained Club
Posted 12/11/06

Twenty five Martha’s Vineyard Water Alliance members gathered with Jeff Carlson, the superintendent of the Vineyard Golf Club, as he led a tour of the Edgartown golf course. Excess nitrogen in the ground water from fertilizers used on golf courses is pointed to as a culprit in creating havoc for receiving water bodies, so it was timely for the group to learn about the practices of the only organically run golf course on Martha’s Vineyard.

“Education is the answer, we work at changing peoples sensibilities about the best conditions,” Jeff Carlson said as he kicked over a thin layer of grass from a dirt patch on the fairway. He explained the importance of informing the club membership about the ongoing organic practices and how, because of their knowledge, they have a sense of pride about the club and a tolerance for the occasional imperfections.

“We have a big problem with grubs, as well as skunks, raccoons, and crows, which tear up the turf to reach the grubs to eat. Rather then use pesticides, we use nematodes (microscopic cylindrical parasitic worms also called roundworms) to control the grubs when we can get them. Unfortunately, there is little demand for nematodes in the marketplace, and we have had a hard time finding suppliers. So we aerate the field and over seed the disturbed areas. It’s an ongoing battle,” he said.

That is just one of many battles that Jeff and his crew encounter as they maintain the four year old, 18 hole golf course that winds around 238 acres of land. The sandy, low nutrient soils support a community of low bush blueberry, bayberry, scrub oak and pitch pines. Jeff pointed out that in order to grass the 7,000 yard course with turf capable of adapting to this environment, they plant A-1 bentgrass at the greens, L-93/Southshore bentgrass at the tees, colonial bentgrass/fescue on the fairways, fescues/bluegrass for the roughs and 30 acres of a variety of fescues and native sandplain grassland species. The land is altered as little as possible. “If you can see the base of the trees along the fairway and greens, it’s proof that the course is following the natural contours of the land,” he said, pointing to the gentle slope of the land as viewed from the fairway.

He told the group that aeration is important to maintain healthy turf growth. The greens are aerated twice a year, and the tees aerated four times a year. Reseeding is an ongoing process in damaged areas. Weed control is done by a unique machine called a WAIPUNA, which basically gives the weeds a carpet shampoo and a scalding with 205 degree hot water. This treatment penetrates the weeds, exploding their cell structure and kills them within minutes. “It is like an organic Roundup,” Jeff pointed out, referring to the commercial herbicide. Their machine comes from New Zealand and will be used on a trail basis next year at the Vineyard Golf Club.

The golf course has a irrigation pumping limit of 150,000 gallons per day, so developing a wise water management plan for storage, distribution and conservation is critical. The course is designed to have only 70 acres of managed turf, which includes the fairways, greens, tees, clubhouse and staff housing areas. They have built a 12 million gallon lined irrigation storage pond, which feeds 1,200 individually controlled valve-in-head sprinklers. Jeff explained that the pond has a variable speed wet well pumping system with leak detection, low pressure shut down and alternating pump starts.

An elaborate system has been installed to control runoff using woodchips on the maintenance and cart paths, and “French drains” using underground perforated pipe to allow water to seep into the ground. There are more than 100 catch basins scattered around the fairways, and porous pea stone and catch basins are used in the parking lot area. The entrance road is also paved with crushed stone to reduce water velocity. A one million gallon retention pond installed near the first tee captures roof run off from the clubhouse. Both ponds are lined with 30 mil PVC, and are rimmed with coconut fiber roll to prevent bank erosion and provide a planting bed for wetland plants and grasses. A system of monitoring wells was installed on the down-gradient eastern boundary of the property to measure the amount of nitrate exiting the site. Wells are set at levels matching those of the abutting property owners’ wells, and tests are performed quarterly. A system of 36 lysimeters is also installed at three feet below grade at every green outlet to detect nitrate leaching levels.

Other sustainable practices used at the facility include stockpiling grass clippings and mixing it with sand to use to fill divots on the tees and fairways. Six of the nine utility vehicles used on the course are electric powered. The clubhouse grounds are landscaped with native plantings identical to those used on the golf course. Caddies are mandatory and carts are only permitted for those with disabilities. The snack bar packages all food in sandwich wraps and not containers, and all glass and cans are separated and recycled.

Lastly, the Vineyard Golf Course management has made it a point to inform their membership through newsletters and their website about the unique wildlife/habitat that surrounds the area. During the development of the course and its subsequent operation great care was taken to protect and preserve 25 acre of rare frostbottom habitat, a 300 square foot vernal pool and a system of ancient walking paths that cross the site.

The MV Water Alliance appreciated the opportunity to see first hand the work that goes into maintaining a golf club through organic means, and we thank Jeff Carlson for his informative tour.

Letter to the Editor:
Posted 12/11/06

“Think Globally, Act Locally,” a phrase originated in 1972 by Rene Dubos as an advisor to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, refers to the argument that global environmental problems are best addressed by acting within the ecological, economic, and cultural contexts of our local surroundings. This simple truth has served as my guiding philosophy over the past 30 years at the MV Shellfish Group.

After a long summer of “acting locally” and not leaving the Island while conducting the daily chores involved in producing millions of seed shellfish in our solar hatchery, I was delighted during the past month to have had the opportunity to “think globally” at two international conferences. In late October I traveled (on my own nickel!) to Torino, Italy to attend the second Slow Food Terra Madre meeting. As an invited “aquaculture delegate,” I joined 7,000 other small-scale food producers, academics and cooks from 150 different countries for a week of workshops and networking aimed at preserving the biodiversity of local food products threatened by the global homogenization of the food supply. In mid November, I attended the International Conference on Shellfish Restoration in Charleston, South Carolina. About 200 participants from 10 countries attended this 3-day conference that featured over 100 presentations addressing the declining state of the world’s shellfish populations and estuaries. I gave a presentation about The Island Blue Pages that was very well received!

Although both conferences provided me with much mental fodder for future digestion, I would like to share with you the take home lessons, as I perceived them. Terra Madre stressed the central role of local food production to the preservation of local communities and culture. The cultural diversity of the planet is integrally linked to the biodiversity of local food traditions. From the Shellfish Restoration Conference, I learned that shellfish populations and their estuarine habitats are facing declines worldwide. These declines are partly the result of changing cultural values within coastal communities.

Respect and concern for our marine environment is a powerful Vineyard value central to the preservation of our unique Island culture and sense of place. It is a value with origins in a time when Islanders were far more dependent on local seafood for survival. There is a growing disconnect between coastal communities and marine ecosystems partly due to the loss of our traditional dependence on the local marine environment as a source of food. Just like traditional cultures worldwide, ours is dependent on the preservation of our food traditions, including our shellfisheries.

I believe these global perspectives support the value of the local activities of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group. Our efforts to ensure that local shellfish remain an important food tradition on Martha’s Vineyard are key to the survival of our unique Island culture. I trust you agree and will support the cause. How can you help?

Eat more local shellfish
Dig your own and “bond” with the local marine environment
Support our efforts with your tax deductible donation to the MV Shellfish Group

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Richard C. Karney
Shellfish Biologist & Director

Mass. Public Charities File #15067
Tax Exemption #E 042-612-898

Legacies for the Future
Posted 12/4/06

This story profiles four individuals who have shown their support for the Vineyard Conservation Society in a uniquely significant way, by bequeathing assets to VCS through their wills. They’re all great role models for the rest of us, as we consider our own legacies for the future.

We begin with a tribute to Nellie Mendenhall, whom many readers will remember for her passion and sheer hard work on behalf of the Vineyard environment. A 30-year veteran of the VCS board, she initiated the Island’s first recycling program back in the early 1970s, and remained active with the organization and the larger community until her sudden death four years ago at the age of 90.

Not content with serving the cause during her lifetime, Nellie left a substantial sum to VCS in her will, to assure that the work she believed in would continue in her absence. A grateful VCS board decided to use her bequest as the nucleus of a fund in her honor, to promote resource protection efforts such as improved recycling, waste reduction, and large-scale composting as circumstances allow.

It’s an uphill climb: as the story in our Fall 2005 Newsletter shows, the Vineyard’s current waste management practices leave a lot to be desired, and opportunities for improvement are limited by a wide range of constraints. But thanks to the Nellie Mendenhall Fund, VCS now has resources in reserve as we consider how to take effective action in this area. Not everyone would want to have their memory associated with recycling and compost, but we’re convinced that Nellie would approve.

“I first came the Vineyard in the summer of 1945 with my bride-to-be, who often visited cousins in Edgartown,” says Frank Stewart, of Providence and Lambert’s Cove. “I was expecting to be sent to the Pacific at any moment, but in the meantime I was captivated by the beauty of the Island, along with my future wife. We came back for our honeymoon in 1946, and a few years later we were lucky enough to be able to rent, and eventually buy, a little house on Uncle Seth’s Pond where we summered every year until Caroline died in 1991.

“Now our son is living there, and I’m glad to see that he’s stewarding the land as Caroline would have wished. It’s a joy for me to come visit, and to see how much of the Island’s beauty and character have been preserved, thanks largely to VCS efforts.

“But the battle for the Island’s soul is getting fiercer all the time, which is why VCS is in my will. Community-supported conservation efforts are certainly important, but we also need an effective environmental advocacy organization that’s willing and able to challenge inappropriate development, through the legal system when necessary, on behalf of the Island’s ecological integrity. It’s a role that is uniquely filled by VCS, and I hope my bequest will help build funds that can be drawn on when VCS needs to move quickly in defense of this fragile and beautiful place.”

Ruth Redding’s best-known role as a funder of Island causes was in association with the Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard, whose Award for Creative Living she established in memory of her beloved friend Ruth J. (Jackie) Bogan in 1983. Jackie’s death was a grievous loss for Ruth, but she kept their shared vision alive through ongoing philanthropy, which embraced a wide range of concerns. A loyal contributor to VCS, Ruth believed strongly in the inter-relatedness of environmental and community health, and embraced the VCS mission accordingly.

After her death in 2002, we were honored to receive a generous bequest from her estate. Since the gift was unrestricted, the board decided to set it aside for incorporation into a future VCS fund currently being established for our own endowment needs. Legacies like Ruth’s will be essential in allowing VCS to stand on firm financial ground as we continue to advocate for a broad-based conservation ethic that honors both human and environmental concerns.

Beneath her somewhat stern exterior, a passionate civic-mindedness animates Virginia Jones as she talks about why she’s supported the Vineyard Conservation Society since its early days. In addition to serving on the board for many years, Ginny put her values into practice by working intensively with VCS and The Nature Conservancy to protect her family’s property in Chilmark, as described in the VCS Newsletter of Winter 2005. What’s more, her generosity of spirit will help power VCS beyond her lifetime.

“It’s not about the amount, it’s the principle of the thing,” says Ginny. “I don’t have a lot to leave to VCS or anyone else, but I believe in supporting institutions that work for the good of the community. I’m making a bequest to VCS because it’s a broad-spectrum organization, committed to protecting all aspects of our Island environment and way of life.”

As the conservation restrictions on her property were being finalized, Ginny wrote in an open letter to the VCS community: “Think about what you can give back to the Vineyard, and do the right thing.” It’s a clear injunction, in keeping with her personality, and it behooves us all to take it to heart.

How to remember VCS in your will:

There are several options for leaving assets to VCS. Bequests are direct gifts, generally of money or securities (either as a dollar amount or as a percentage of the whole), or of other property such as real estate. A residuary bequest gives all or some fraction of an estate to VCS after other distributions have been made. In the case of an unrestricted bequest, the assets can be used as the board sees fit, in accordance with the organization’s needs and priorities. With a specific bequest, the gift is designated for a project or area of the VCS mission chosen by the donor.

A charitable remainder trust is an investment fund created through a will to provide income for a family member or friend. After a specified number of years, or when the beneficiary dies, the remainder of the fund comes as a gift to VCS. A similar vehicle, the testamentary lead trust, provides payments to VCS first for a certain number of years, and allows assets to be passed to heirs with significant tax advantages to the estate.

Pellet Stoves are now available on Island!

Winter just got greener! A new alternative heating source has finally arrived. Vineyard Alternative Heating has just opened its doors in Vineyard Haven, providing wood pellet stoves, fireplace inserts, furnaces and boilers of all styles and sizes. Four different high quality manufacturers are represented, a large supply of pellets are available, and a cozy showroom invites all in for cocoa or questions.

Wood pellet stoves produce heat through the burning of compressed recycled sawdust in the form of wood pellets. The pellets come from left over sawdust from sawmills found all over New England and Canada. This local renewable resource is a “carbon neutral” product: Carbon dioxide was removed from the atmosphere during the life of the trees which are the source of the pellets, so burning the pellets does not add any new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Wood pellets are also the cleanest burning solid fuel available, producing almost no emissions.

These freestanding stoves, fireplace inserts, furnaces and boilers all use a slowly turning mechanism called an auger to feed pellets into the fire in response to the temperature and heat setting the user has chosen. This allows for a highly efficient and regulated burn. Pellet stoves come in a wide array of styles and sizes and can heat an entire home with the wonderful warmth of wood heat. While the high costs of fossil fuel are bringing many islanders into their showroom for financial savings, Sharon Strimling Florio and Warren Doty are especially enthused about the environmental and fuel independence benefits. As far as they are concerned it is a “win/win/win technology,” protecting islanders’ pocketbooks at the same time that it is keeping fuel local and eliminating unnecessary CO2 emissions. “It is thrilling to see environmentally friendly alternatives become so technically advanced and accessible, making it easy for the consumer to make environmentally responsible choices” says Sharon. Over 400,000 pellet stoves are currently in operation in homes in North America and those numbers are rapidly on the rise.

For much more information, please plan a visit to this innovative store to Sharon or Warren. They are located in the Synergy Building, at 151 Beach Road, Vineyard Haven, on the right side of the MV Shipyard parking lot. Showroom hours are Monday through Saturday from 10-6. Or give them a ring at 508-696-6960.

Chris Fried wrote this letter to Mr. Walsh, CEO of the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, and it has the endorsement of the Vineyard Conservation Society, the Vineyard Energy Project, MV Peace Council, and the Tisbury Waterways Inc.

Oct. 23, 2006

Tim Walsh, CEO
Martha‚s Vineyard Hospital
Oak Bluffs, MA 02568

Dear Mr. Walsh,

We are writing to thank you for the excellent services provided by the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, and to ask that you make your new building a model of "green" design. We Vineyarders have embraced high standards for preserving our air, water, vegetation, wildlife, scenic beauty, and precious natural resources (including oil). Therefore, we very much wish to see the new hospital conform to these high standards.

As you probably know, in the year 2000 the U.S. Green Building Council initiated the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED). Its purpose is to promote sensible site selection and development, water and energy conservation, careful waste stream management, healthy indoor air quality, and innovations in sustainable design and construction. And, to help measure the extent that a new building is green, they have devised a rating system with four levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. (See https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=1317 for more details.)

In the spring of 2005 voters at town meetings were presented with a Renewable Energy Resolution. It addressed goals for new and existing buildings, including increased energy efficiency, energy conservation, and on-site harnessing of "clean", renewable energy sources. Voters in all six Vineyard towns overwhelmingly approved this Resolution. (See http://www.vineyardenergyproject.org.)

In December of 2005 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) adopted position statements promoting sustainable design, resource conservation, and a 50% reduction of the energy used during construction and operation of buildings. (See http://www.aia.org/sustainability.)

In January of 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to a set of guiding principles for designing, constructing, and operating federal facilities so that they too would achieve high energy performance, as well as low water consumption, healthy indoor air, and other important qualities. (See http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=leaders.bus_challenge.)

And, in May of 2006 the Martha‚s Vineyard Commission adopted an energy policy with goals that include improving energy efficiency, conservation, resource management, and the harnessing of renewable energy sources.

Given this unanimity of support for going "green", we were surprised to hear your architect announce (at the Aug. 24, 2006 public hearing) that the proposed new Hospital building would achieve just the base level of LEED certification ˆ that it would receive only 26-32 quality points out of the maximum achievable of 69.

In our opinion, this low level of LEED certification runs counter to the stated wishes of the EPA, the AIA, the MVC, and Island voters.

Ours is a community that understands the links between energy consumption, pollution, health impacts, resource depletion, and conflicts over oil. Therefore, we, the co-signers of this letter, request that your architect refine the design of the new hospital so that it receives the 52-69 quality points needed to make it a platinum-rated building.

We do recognize that such refinements will require revisions to drawings and specifications, and might raise the wing‚s cost by a percentage point or two. But since Vineyarders seek cost-effective, sensible, and sustainable solutions, we believe that our request is a wise one.

And, we are encouraged to hear that others have reached the same conclusion. For example, the new YMCA facility (here on MV) will be a platinum-rated building. The Center for Health & Healing at Oregon Health & Science University is another. This new health center is calculated to use 61% less energy than a non-green hospital, 44% less water, and 100% less potable water for sewage conveyance. As the enclosed article states, these improvements were achieved on a conventional budget. (For more information, see www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/CleanDesign.htm?ID=5146 and www.interfaceengineering.com.

In closing, we wish to thank you for the Hospital‚s excellence, to express our desire to work with you to preserve the Vineyard‚s wonderful environment, and to witness the completion of a platinum-rated facility that will be an inspirational model for all new buildings, both large and small, on Martha‚s Vineyard.

Sincerely,

Chris Fried, M.E. (letter author)
Vineyard Energy Project
Vineyard Conservation Society
MV Peace Council
Tisbury Waterways

Good Things Come In Little Packages!
The Story of Breezy Pines Farm

By Marnie Stanton, Vineyard Conservation Almanac

Recently I visited Travis and Heather Thurber at their pocket-sized organic Breezy Pines Farm, located off Tiahs Cove Road in West Tisbury. The 1.8 acres of beautifully cultivated rows of vegetables along with the farmhouse and outbuildings have been in the Thurber family for many years. Travis grew up here, and as a small child helped his parents tend the land, taking over the duty of raising the vegetables at age twelve. Like so many islanders who juggle vocations, his interest in the farming lead him into a landscaping and yard care business where he advocates for organic practices. In fact, when he gives his clients a choice between organic versus conventional landscaping practices, most prefer to use organic means where ever possible. Because of its small size, Travis considers Breezy Pines Farm more of a side business or hobby. Still, the land produces a diverse assortment of vegetables and fresh eggs that compete favorably with much larger farms.

Seven years ago, Travis' wife Heather moved to the island. She was raised in Kansas where her family's agriculture business raised cattle, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and hay. “In Kansas, commercial agriculture is big business where all the men are farmers and all the women teachers,” she pointed out. The Vineyard transition was hard at first – she missed the landscape she loved and was having a hard time getting used to the smallness of the island. True to her roots, she became interested in teaching and now serves as an aid in the high school library. She has also spent time volunteering at the FARM Institute teaching the kids farm skills. She is very enthusiastic about the work being done there. Travis and Heather have two boy who help their parents with farm chores and are learning how to raise organic vegetables and chickens with the same care that both their parents have shown.

Heather has done a considerable amount of reading on organic methods, and both she and Travis are committed to raising the healthiest foods possible. “We grow what we like to eat, and because we have a wide variety of food and more than we need we can sell to others,” said Travis. He also pointed out his mobile chicken coop with laying hens that can be pulled around the farm to fertilize the land, while the hens lay organic eggs created from a healthy diet of organically raised vegetables. They also practice companion planting and crop rotation in order to keep the land replenished with nutrients.

One of their biggest challenges is keeping the pest population at bay. They have had success using pepper and garlic sprays as well as bug traps. They also mentioned the use of crushed coral as a means of deterring hungry worms from their crops. Evidently, the worms find the coral difficult to digest. Another timesaver that was particularly inventive was the use of large black pots full of small holes that are sunk in the ground up to their rims. Then the pots are filled with seasoned chicken manure that is watered on a regular basis. Around the outside perimeter of the pot in the nearby soil they plant cucumbers and other climbing vegetables next to wire cages so they can climb rather than take up space sprawling on the ground. With each watering of the sunken pots, the fertilizer leaches into the ground and feeds the surrounding plants. By using this technique, they only have to fertilize once a summer and it cuts down considerably on their work. This year they planted one sunflower seed in each pot and were growing gigantic plants that they hoped would win a prize at the Ag fair for being the tallest sunflowers on the island.

In the past, Travis and Heather have collaborated with four other families to share the risk and bounty of the harvest along the lines of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. Heather loves to bake and is anxious to complete the process to get a license to sell baked goods at their farm stand as well as provide breads and rhubarb pies to their clients. They are delighted with the interest that their farm has generated from being associated with the Island Grown Initiative, and welcome all who would like to come by for a visit. Drop by and check out those sunflowers!

Early Harvest Farm Day

The Vineyard Conservation Society invites Islanders and visitors alike to come celebrate community-supported agriculture at Early Harvest Farm Day, to be held at Thimble Farm, near Chicama Vineyard, on Saturday, July 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is being organized by VCS in conjunction with Whippoorwill Farm, the Island's only community-supported agriculture program (CSA), currently operating at the Thimble Farm property.

Participants will be able to pick and taste peas and strawberries (availability permitting). A special kids' activity will focus on “good bugs/bad bugs” collecting and identification, led by environmental educator and Felix Neck director Suzan Bellincampi. There will also be an area where kids can plant their own seedlings, which they can come visit throughout the season if their families are part of Whippoorwill Farm's CSA program. Sign-up for full and seasonal shares will be available at the Early Harvest Farm Day event.

For those who want to learn more about how CSA works, at 11 am Whippoorwill Farm proprietor Andrew Woodruff will explain the program and lead a guided walk around the property. He'll also talk about the challenges he faces as a tenant, with no guaranteed long-term lease on the land.

Indeed, the future of Whippoorwill Farm is at serious risk, because the Thimble farm property is currently for sale. VCS is in active conversation with other community groups to develop models for preserving Island farms for economically viable food production and on-site farm-worker housing. A noon briefing by VCS executive director Brendan O'Neill will focus on this initiative and on the importance of sustainable agriculture for the future of Martha's Vineyard.

So there will be lots to learn, as refreshments and fun for all. The event is free, and furthermore, everyone who comes will be automatically entered in a free raffle for a 5-week share of CSA farm bounty. The farm can be reached off of the Edgartown/Vineyard Haven Rd. or the State Rd in Tisbury.

All are welcome at this free and spirited community event on Saturday, July 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Island Grown Initiative Kick Off Party!

June 10, 2006
Cronig's Grocery Store,Vineyard Haven, MA
Martha's Vineyard

Maynard Silva, local musician and grandson of West Tisbury farmer Antone Tavis Silva, takes a break from playing the blues - to survey the landscape. By the satisfied smile on his face you'd think he was looking out over fields of summer corn at sunset…But instead he was scooping out the scene on a rainy Saturday afternoon inside the downisland Cronig's, where Island Grown Initiative (IGI) was kicking off the '06 growing season with island farmers, local oystermen and live music. ‘Only HERE' he said. Indeed.

While Milo, his son, performed Tuvan throat singing in the main entryway, 11-year old Oscar Thompson discussed the finer points of local egg production with the Executive Director of the FARM Institute, Matthew Goldfarb.

For IGI's launch party – local farms from across the island came out to exhibit their early season bounties and talk about how they raise the food we eat…there were kale rolls from Breezy Pine Farm, mutton and chevre from Christiantown Farm, baby greens from N. Tabor Farm, and balsamic roasted turnips and ripe strawberries from Morning Glory Farm. The Whippoorwill CSA signed up new members. 400 local oysters were shucked by Julie Vanderhoop, Jack Blake and Rick Karney all in the spirit of promoting island grown food and raising awareness among consumers to ‘Buy Local.'

“The word ‘farmer' becomes a catchphrase” Ali Berlow, an IGI founder said. “People forget who The Farmer is. And they're so busy working the land + the sea, that they often become disenfranchised from each other. For the growers, this event created a bridge that helped to open up dialogues even amongst themselves.”

Copies of IGI's farm map were made available, t-shirts and totes sporting the ISLAND GROWN logo were selling to help support IGI's efforts. Large, beautifully photographed posters of local farmers now hang on permanent display throughout the store.

Building stronger community with a commitment the Vineyard's open space is also a major component of IGI.

“This is an island where we should come together” remarked founding IGI-er, Randi Baird, “the small, family farmers are the ones who are going to take care of the land. What we have on Martha's Vineyard IS so special... but a lot of times, we move so fast, we don't know how to find local food and where to get it. IGI is about making it easy to figure out what was grown here by OUR farmers, who are an essential part of this community...”

Ali Berlow, one of the founders of IGI, continues…“it's about honoring the sacred trust between the local farmer and the local consumers…by creating awareness about where you can get island food and who's growing it… locally grown + harvested food is nutritionally better for you – because it's picked at ripeness and not shipped a thousand miles from who-knows-where… it TASTES better. A local farm fresh egg – crack one open and see for yourself! It's just not the same thing as an industrially raised, shipped product.”

“We want people to understand that they have a choice….and know where their food comes from.” Randi said and added with a smile, “If I want to go see chickens that lay the eggs I'm feeding to my family – I know where to find Oscar Thompson – because I know which playground he hangs out at…”

Island farms represented at the IGI kick-off:

Bayes Norton Farm
Breezy Pines Farm
Chicama Farm
Christiantown Farm
FARM Institute
Morning Glory Farm
North Tabor Farm
Sweet Neck Farm
Thompson Farm
Whippoorwill Farm + CSA

to contact the Island Grown Initiative: mvislandgrown@yahoo.com

IGI
PO Box 4849
Vineyard Haven, MA
02568

Earth Day Beach Clean-Up

By William Stewart, VCS Board Member

Ever since the first Earth Day was organized in 1970, people around the world have come together on a day in mid-spring, to demonstrate their passion and concern about the environment. And for the last fourteen years, there's been an Earth Day event right here on Martha's Vineyard. It's the annual Earth Day Beach Clean-Up, and it's happening again this spring, organized as always by the Vineyard Conservation Society.

The original Earth Day was April 22, and in years past the Beach Clean-Up has happened on the Saturday closest to that date. But a lot of Island kids are away then because of school vacation, and as every Islander knows, the weather in April can be mighty cold and wet.

So this year, in a break with tradition, the annual VCS Earth Day Beach Clean-up will take place on Saturday, May 13th. The new date has been chosen to encourage greater youth participation, and in hopes of warmer weather than we've often had for the earlier date.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to noon, and environmentally-minded folks will be able to pitch in at any one of the sponsored beaches, which will be listed in the newspapers and on posters around the Island. As in years past, VCS has enlisted a large number of community organizations, each of which will take responsibility for a specific beach, so Islanders will be able to join with a group of their choosing, or just go to a favorite beach and see who's there.

In addition to the new date, VCS will be welcoming several new sponsoring organizations, and wants to encourage a big community turn-out, for what will hopefully be a warm bright day. So please join with friends old and new on May 13th for a spirited morning of fun, friendship, and environmental service, and help VCS and other participating community organizations clean up the Vineyard's beaches. For more information check the VCS Almanac at www.vcsmv.org, watch for posters and listings in the local papers, or call the VCS office at 508-693-9588.

The Farm Institute, under new management, promises lots of fun and hard work!

By Marnie Stanton
Vineyard Conservation Almanac

“The vastness of the prairie with its undulating grasses is very reminiscent of ocean waves – but not quite the same thing,” said Matthew Goldfarb, the new Farm and Education Director of The Farm Institute. “What I was missing was the real thing, the ocean and that is what brought me back to the east coast and ultimately to Martha's Vineyard.” In June of 2005, Matthew was hired on as the farm manager for The Farm Institute and later in 2005 became the new Farm and Education Director.

Matthew is a man of vision who is currently overseeing the renovation of the farm, from the creation of a new building to house teaching activities and staff offices, to a large makeover of the working barns from cow stanchions to larger open pens for the variety of livestock grazing in the big open pastures.

Looking over the sweep of pastureland, he gratefully acknowledges the vision of another man from a different time. Bob Woodruff, then director of the Vineyard Conservation Society in the late 70's, along with town leaders and state-level partners, saw the tremendous opportunity and benefit in permanently protecting the Katama farm property, and worked tirelessly to secure the land so that farming could continue into the future. Even now, when Matthew reviews plans for managing the various pastures, he's keenly aware of what could have been. Old assessors maps showing dozens of tiny building lots laid out in the 19th century attest to a land-use outcome that was more likely than not, had the town and conservationists not succeeded nearly 30 years ago.

“The farm is the school,” he notes. “We use the farm as a tool to teach social skills, the value of hard work and a conservation and agrarian ethic. This leads to emotional and academic growth as well as helping children build self-esteem while learning to become team players.”

The Farm Institute is set up as a non-profit organization with a board of directors, and is working hard to sustain their ambitious agenda. Initially, The Institute looked to the farm operation as a primary revenue generator, supporting the many needs of the teaching program. Now, after a careful evaluation of their mission, they are looking at the farming component more as a tool for teaching broader concepts of sustainability and self-sufficiency.

The Institute is committed to being an economically sustainable business, and supports their day-to-day operations with the help of grants and donations. One goal is to work towards making the operation self-sufficient through the sale of farm products, education programs and special events. They are committed to raising their crops and livestock in the healthiest way possible without the use of pesticides and chemicals, though formal qualification as a certified organic operation has yet occurred. The Institute's cattle and sheep are pasture-fed and they practice field rotation. The vegetables are grown without chemicals, and companion planting techniques are employed as a natural way to support healthy yields. A good variety of egg layers are also part of The Institute's flock of chickens. “Heritage breeds” of animals are also raised, including a small herd of Belted Galloways (black cattle with a white vertical stripe) a flock of Navaho Cherro sheep. This spring, watch for arrival of several Old Spot pigs.

Generating good will with neighbors, the Island educational community and other partners like the YMCA is also a priority for Matthew and The Institute as he looks to the future. The Farm Institute is particularly fortunate to have Melinda Rabbitt De Feo serving as their new Education Program Manager. She is working hard daily preparing the various curricula for the spring and fall programs as well as all the many activities associated with the Institute's summer camp program.

“Farm chores are the most popular part of The Farm Institutes program,” she says. Children of all ages can participate in the many daily activities necessary to run the farm. By participating in the daily chores, the children learn, for example, about the lifecycle of sheep from birth to death, and how wool is gathered and used to make a sweater. Kids help in the vegetable planting and learn how farm foods make it to their tables. In the summer, they harvest the various crops and sell the farm products right at the farm stand. Through these many activities and hard work, the children learn about the complex web of life and the value of healthy farm foods.

Melinda is also committed to supporting the teachers classroom curriculum by introducing “eco-literacy”. She is a great supporter of the Slow Food Movement and is interested in getting local foods into the various schools on island. “It is time to rethink the school lunch, with a “wellness policy” of good health and nutrition,” she says.

The skills that the children are learning today at The Farm Institute will create informed consumers, and environmental advocates tomorrow. In this day and age when so many kids have no idea where milk and eggs comes from, it is wonderful to know that the Farm Institute is succeeding in its educational mission and declaring that its OK to get your hands dirty!

Go to the Farm Institute web site for much more information.www.farminstitute.org

“Farm Quest”, the first VCS Winter Walk for 2005

Last Sunday, over fifty people gathered at the Allen Sheep Farm in Chilmark to participate in the first Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) “Winter Walk” of the year. The weather was spectacular as the group left the farm entrance and walked across South Road to the expansive pasture overlooking Lucy Vincent Beach and the ocean beyond. There a “Farm Quest,” a new form of outdoor, place-based environmental education was about to start. The quest consisted of six clues in rhyming couplets directing walkers to different locations around this unique organic farm, and teaching them about the land, its history, biology, and setting.

The group's first stop was a unique aquatic habitat called a vernal pool, supporting a population of rare plants called marsh mallows. At each location a word was posted on a sign that spoke to the subject matter being discussed in the clue. Everyone recorded the word and moved on to the next location. At the end of the quest, a highlighted letter from each clue word was unscrambled to form the winning word, which enabled the treasure hunter to win a prize. In the case of Sunday's Farm Quest, the winning word was: “PROTECT!”

Mitchell Posin and Clarissa Allen, co-owners of the Allen Sheep Farm, graciously opened their farm to this fun activity. At each clue location, Mitchell expanded on each clue theme, teaching the group about the many aspects of the natural and land-use history of this flagship Vineyard organic farm. The group toured a barn full of organic fertilizers, “magic seeds” and natural soil additives like green sand, all ably described by Mitchell. On the path up to the highest vantage point on the property, hikers passed groups of sheep, chickens, and cattle, which grow to maturity on carefully rotated fields of grass.

The walkers paused to look out on the sweeping vista from the highest pasture while they learned about the geologic history of a fantastic array of huge “erratic” boulders deposited by the glacier ten thousand years ago. On the land protection front, Mitch described the collaborative efforts of the town, state, Land Bank and Vineyard Conservation Society which resulted in permanent conservation of the scenic south pasture vista, so familiar to motorists and cyclists. By doing so, this thirteenth generation farming family was able to realize their vision of conserving land and operating a world-class organic farm.

Strolling back down the hill, the group made their way to the farm's quaint little retail shop where sweaters and other woolen end products are sold, and where the final clue was to be discovered. Amongst other fascinating facts, the group learned that it takes one entire sheep's fleece to make a single sweater!

VCS and all the people who participated in this walk want to thank Mitchell and Clarissa for hosting this perfect afternoon activity. We also want to thank the committee members who worked so creatively on designing the “Farm Quest”-- Melinda DeFeo, Rebecca Gilbert, Gail Tipton and Terry Appenzellar.

Remember, the best way to support your local farmer is to buy local!

Forty Years of Success!

By Marnie Stanton
Vineyard Conservation Society

VCS boasts a long record of achievement in promoting conservation on Martha's Vineyard, a record that illustrates the value of our multi-disciplinary mission. Signature victories and continuing campaigns of which we are particularly proud include:

Moshup Trail

VCS initiated efforts to protect this globally rare and highly visible coastal heathland habitat in Aquinnah fully 25 years ago in 1980. We acquired the first of several key conservation restrictions in the area in 1996. Since then, through advocacy, fundraising, fiscal agency, acquisition, and litigation, we have led the continuing fight to preserve this fragile and important area.

Southern Woodlands

This critical 250-acre woodland bordering Lagoon Pond in Oak Bluffs was first targeted for private golf course development in 2000, with massive housing threatened if the golf course proposal was denied. VCS initiated, led, largely funded, and served as the “public advocate” for this intense and ultimately successful campaign, which required community outreach, publicity, expert testimony, and litigation.

Rural Roads

Nothing evokes the character of our Island more than its beautiful country roads. VCS has made protection of rural roads a priority since our founding in 1965, when we successfully lobbied for “limited access” designation for West Basin Road in Aquinnah. Since then, we have acquired and facilitated numerous conservation restrictions along Indian Hill Road, Lambert's Cove Road, Scotchman's Lane, Tea Lane and many other rural roads. We have researched ancient ways and advocated for their protection, and won state “scenic road” designation for Lambert's Cove Road. We also secured federal Rural Road Protection funding, leading to the creation of a state Rural Road Task Force.

Family Farms

We formally launched our campaign to save Vineyard farms in 1975. We conducted the first survey of the Island's agricultural resources, initiated an annual “Farm Day,” and facilitated a new Agricultural Hall. But most importantly, through restrictions, funding, facilitation and advocacy, we have preserved a long list of critical and beautiful farms across the Island, including:

• Katama and Morning Glory Farms
in Edgartown;

• Nip 'n' Tuck and Whiting Farms
in West Tisbury;

• Brookside, Rainbow, and Allen Sheep Farms, and most recently, Carding Mill and Native Earth Teaching Farms (Jones and Gilbert properties), all in Chilmark.

Healthy Communities

VCS has always been committed to a broad definition of conservation. We believe that to be truly healthy, our community must protect its water supplies, use energy efficiently, and maximize recycling. VCS's newsletters and other educational events and programs regularly stress these goals.

Back in 1970, VCS initiated the Island's first recycling project at the West Tisbury landfill, and we continue to pursue an Island composting facility. We have promoted energy conservation and alternatives since sponsoring the formation of an Energy Resource Group in 1976, and recently teamed up with Island fuel provider Ralph Packer to bring renewable biodiesel fuel to Martha's Vineyard.
Water Protection

Our Island is small, and water quality is crucial. We have a single aquifer, which is our primary supply of drinking water, and which feeds our many ponds. While large, our aquifer is fragile and threatened on many fronts. VCS targets its land protection efforts to restrain development in key locations and seeks effective regulation of contaminants. In 2004 we led the efforts to create the Martha's Vineyard Water Alliance, a new forum for strategic planning with respect to Island water issues, and for coordination by member parties of their water protection projects.

Other Victories

VCS has fought to protect key areas in every town on our Island, on our own and in collaboration with our partners, frequently opposing multiple threats or pursuing new opportunities in the same area over many years. A partial list:

in Edgartown:

• Wetlands near the Lighthouse
• Grass-strip airfield at Katama Airpark

in Oak Bluffs:

• Eastville Beach
• Sailing Camp Park

in Tisbury:

• Nobnocket above Lake Tashmoo
• West Chop Woods Sanctuary

in West Tisbury:

• Polly Hill Arboretum
• Frances Newhall Woods Preserve

in Chilmark:

• Waskosims Rock Reservation
• Fulling Mill Brook Preserve
• Menemsha Beach

in Aquinnah:

• Cranberry Lands at Menemsha Neck
• Gay Head Cliffs

Taking Cues from Nature's Design

By TOM DRESSER
Reprinted courtesy of MV Gazette

Native plants are the keynote of the landscaping at Up-Island Cronig's in West Tisbury. There is woodland with viburnum, beach plum, winterberry and high bush blueberry, as well as aroria and shadbush. An intermittent wetland can be found by the parking lot drain, where beetlebung, shadbush, iris and joepye weed flourish. Native pine, sheep fescue, inkberry, switchgrass and little blue stem grow on the edge of State Road.

In short, the property is a testament to the Vineyard's rare sandplain grassland habitat.
Sitting on a stoop with the architect of this landscape, Carlos Montoya, one senses his appreciation for native plants. He plucks a strand of little blue stem and rubs it between his fingers. "Very adaptable," he says. "It's a warm season grass, indigenous. It isn't brown like the lawns around here."

Mr. Montoya operated a landscape business and Pitch Pine Nursery in West Tisbury for 13 years. He sold it this summer because the nursery and landscaping distracted him from his true calling. "My specialty has always been native plants, but there's just nobody else doing it, so there's not even that much awareness of what can be done with native plants," he says.
He smiles ruefully, adding: "It's a stretch to get anyone to go native."

Mr. Montoya's goal is to preserve and protect the globally unique environment on the Vineyard - in particular the sandplain grasslands, which are characterized by open, grassy plains with scattered patches of low shrubs and ground cover plants. "I'm focusing on the main actors among grasses, sandplain wild flowers and woody ground cover such as bearberry and low-bush blueberry," he says

Grassland habitats support high concentrations of rare and endangered plants and animals. It has been estimated that over 90 per cent of the worldwide acreage of sandplain grassland habitat occurs on Nantucket, Tuckernuck and the Vineyard.

Mr. Montoya's knowledge on the subject is encyclopedic.
"Little blue stem is kind of the core grass of the sandplain grassland," he says, adding the historical note that the seed originated in the prairie states. "Somewhere along the line, with weather running from west to east over the years, different conditions, higher humidity, sand, salt and wind from the ocean, created an end result that is different.

"Environment has a very pronounced effect on plants in the short run, and even more so in the long run," he adds. "Darwinian adaptations [take place] over centuries, with plants that started from seed in the Middle West over the years converting themselves." Butterfly weed and New England blazing star also have prairie state ancestry, and are distinctly different from their Midwest cousins.

Even within the Vineyard landscape, certain plants are indigenous to specific sites. Stiff aster is unique to Aquinnah Circle, New England blazing star is exclusive to Chappaquiddick and there is a sole moor or heath on Moshup Trail.

Mr. Montoya recently read a report that confirmed his views about the origin of the habitat on the Island. He said it explained "how the sandplain grassland got established, considering that it was originally forested. Those sandplain grasslands began and were able to sustain themselves in land that had been worked agriculturally by white men. The agriculture area became fallow and became the nursery site for the seed babies, probably in the 1800s. It happened progressively."

As the sandplain grassland evolved into a forest through natural succession, the habitat for the heath hen was eliminated and the little guinea hen became extinct, he said. The Vineyard is now about 80 per cent forested.

Mr. Montoya strives to replicate the sandplain grassland by encouraging propagation of native plants."I have confidence soils and plants will regenerate and the sandplain grassland will take off. Seeds are opportunistic and take advantage of the situation," he says. He waves at the plants he raised from native seed; they are taller and fuller than many plants that grow in the wild. "I give them TLC and regular irrigation, native soil."

He also is actively working to spread the message among others in the industry.
"I work with landscape architects to make them aware of the beauty and unique quality of native plants, and environmental consultants to consider the impact of allowing unlimited forests or unsettling the land," he says.

Of landscape architects in particular, he adds, "If they're excited by the subject and believe it's beautiful and the right thing to do and will make their client happy, then they're going to spec it in.
"The truth is that only people with enough discretionary income to do something dramatic can talk about converting two to three acres of wooded land into sandplain grassland. Little blue stem would be the perfect meadow because it'd be at its tops in the hottest weather, just when you're there." Mr. Montoya also thinks government should be involved in the perpetuation of the Island's unique habitats.

"I think the towns need to take more leadership in the role of protecting the Vineyard. They need to make the native plants available," he says. "In Aquinnah the goal is to preserve the native and wild character of the town and to make sure that the globally unique areas are not disturbed."
He already has made his mark up-Island. "I called up the Chilmark library and said I'd like to donate a demonstration native garden. Now they have a very long expanse of native plantings in front of the library. That's what I need, so people can see native plants through the season." He plans to do the same at the Aquinnah library.

As for his landscape design at Up-Island Cronig's, he says it is already doing its part to raise awareness and generate interest: "I can't tell you how many times people say, 'What's that plant I see at Up-Island Cronig's?'"

The Island Grown Initiative

By Ali Berlow

It all started one night in May 2005 when a group of assorted island residents gathered at a private residence to break bread and explore Island Map what sustainability really means to them on this island of Martha's Vineyard. From out of passionate meal and discussion that involved the multi-facets of our food web - the Island Grown Initiative was born.

In just three months - this group of enthusiastic volunteers presented their first creation at the VCS's 40th anniversary celebration at the Allen Farm. Beautifully photographed posters promoting three local farmers provided the backdrop for their first professionally designed brochure that included the most up-to-date map of island farmers and farm stands that had been printed in about 10 years. This print piece also lists 10 reasons why it's important to buy local, concluding with the resounding ‘Because we can!'.

In the off-season ahead – Island Grown Initiative will be busy fine-tuning their strategic plan that includes securing sustainable funding to ensure its ongoing success and educational mission.

In the Spring of '06 – an ‘Island Grown' logo/sticker will be available to all local farmers and a photo-driven poster display celebrating our growers will be unveiled at Cronig's down-island grocery store – a proud sponsor of this independent island-wide initiative.

For further information contact:
mvislandgrown@yahoo.com

Click here to download a pdf of the Island Grown Initiative map of local farms.

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