Sat, Oct 6, 2007
9 am-12 noon, Polly Hill Arboretum, State Rd., West Tisbury. Make your own obelisk with Janice Shields. $100; $90 for members. 508-693-9426.

Sat, Oct 6, 2007
12:30-3:30 pm, FARM Institute, Katama Farm, 14 Aero Ave., Edgartown. Afternoon work. Age 5 and up. Seven weeks. $155. 508-627-7007, ext. 106.

Sun, Oct 7, 2007
Elizabeth Germain will teach a cooking class at The Farm Institute (TFI) at Katama Farm in Edgartown from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The class will begin in The Friendship Garden, rain or shine, where participants will pick vegetables and herbs for lunch and some to preserve. The focus will be foods dramatically better for health and longevity and basic cooking techniques. You’ll learn how to clean, store and prepare powerhouse foods like kale, cabbage, parsley, leeks, pumpkin seeds and millet – a gluten-free whole grain. Melinda DeFeo, TFI farmer, educator and creator of The Friendship Garden, will join Elizabeth for this tasty, educational experience.

Sat, Oct 13, 2007
9 a.m.–12 p.m.
The Trustees of Reservations are celebrating 2007’s Conservation Works day with volunteer work days at Menemsha Hills Reservation in Chilmark and Mytoi Garden on Chappaquiddick. Help with maintaining these properties, and meet others doing the same. At Menemsha Hills, help undo the effects of erosion on trails, and cut back vegetation. At Mytoi, help rake, deadhead, and mulch to prepare the garden for winter. Every extra set of hands is greatly appreciated. Please let us know if you plan to attend; call (508) 693-7662 (leave a message if calling after hours).

Another Invasive Sea Squirt Arrives on Martha’s Vineyard, Channel 13, Tuesday Oct 2 , at 7PM and Wednesday Oct 3, at 7PM

Discussion Tues. Oct.23, 6:30 p.m. & Wed. Oct. 24, 10:30a.m at the Oak Bluffs Library

Please join this island-wide book group, reading and discussing books that examine our relationship with nature. The group is sponsored by all six island libraries, Felix Neck Sanctuary, Polly Hill Arboretum and The Vineyard Conservation Society.

The New England Fishery Management Council approved a measure last week that fishermen say will either help save the cod fishery or shut down one of the region's most productive fishing grounds forever.

Despite drastic cuts in the number of days boats can fish for cod — and greatly reduced landings — New England's cod stocks have not rebounded.

http://capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070924/NEWS/709240324/-1/NEWS01

A forum bringing together those for and against the controversial Cape Wind electricity project drew more than 120 people to the Katharine Cornell Theatre on Thursday night and generated far more light than heat.

The forum, organized under the auspices of the Vineyard Haven library lecture and workshop series, was intended to establish a factual basis for further discussion of the project rather than encourage debate, and by that measure can be counted a signal success.

http://www.mvgazette.com/news/
2007/09/25/cape_wind_forum.php

NOAA and the Smithsonian released a technical report today that finds ship captains can dramatically reduce the supply of invasive aquatic species delivered to U.S. ports, if they flush and refill ballast tanks with ocean water before arrival. The report describes the effectiveness of ballast water exchange procedures as a way to reduce aquatic invasive species discharged into U.S. waters, including the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay.

http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/
releases2007/sep07/noaa07-r520.html

OVER the past few years the questions have been asked ever more forcefully whether global climate changes occur in natural cycles or not, to what degree we humans contribute to them, what threats stem from them and what can be done to prevent them. Scientific studies demonstrate that any changes in temperature and energy cycles on a planetary scale could mean danger for all people on all continents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/
opinion/27havel.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=sloginf