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| This week in conservation JANUARY 14 - 20, 2008 |
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| Calendar | ||||||||
| Felix Neck Summer Camp Registration is open! | ||||||||
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| Starfish and the number five | ||||||||
 Tues, Jan 15, “Starfish and the number five,” Fred Hotchkiss, director of the Marine and Paleobiological Research Institute (MPRInstitute.org), will speak at the Howes House in West Tisbury from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. A sampling of starfish from the Institute’s collections will be available for examination. This MPRI lecture is funded in part by a grant from the Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council in collaboration with the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Contact Fred Hotchkiss, Director 508-693-3122 hotchkiss@MPRInstitute.org with questions |
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| The Environmental Partners Group | ||||||||
 Wed, Jan 16, The Environmental Partners Group, an independent consulting organization, will present the findings from their MV Solid Waste Management Study on building materials reuse at 4:00 PM at the Senior Center in Tisbury. The Refuse District, as well as the towns of Tisbury and OB commissioned the study. Land use both present and future will be part of their talk and should be particularly interesting to all town Fin Com members. Any other interested individuals are welcome to attend. |
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| Farmers in Training | ||||||||
 Fri, Jan 18, Farmers in Training, Farm Institute, Farmers in Training program for ages 10 and up offered after school at the FARM Institute. Call 508-627-7007, extension 106 for details. |
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| Menemsha Hills Brickyard Hike | ||||||||
 Sun, Jan 20, Menemsha Hills Brickyard Hike, The Trustees of Reservations Explore the Menemsha Hills Brickyard ruins, the last remnants of a once-prosperous Vineyard industry. Join the Trustees for this annual guided hike to the site and learn about its industrial past and plans for the future. Pre-registration required; space is limited. No dogs allowed. Walk is strenuous at times, and boots are recommended (must cross a stream). Call for time & directions. Free to members of The Trustees of Reservations; $15 for non-members. For reservations and meeting location call (508) 693-7662. |
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| Save The Date | ||||||||
| 9th Ponds in Peril Workshop | ||||||||
 January 24, 2008, 9:00 am to 12:00 pmCape Cod and Islands Realtors Conference Center 22 Mid-Tech Drive, W. Yarmouth Agenda to include topics such as: * Relationship of monitoring to pond ecosystems * Overview of regulations and laws that impact pond health Please RSVP to APCC by January 18, 2008 via email, phone or web site: info@apcc.org 508-362-4226, 877-955-4142 www.apcc.org - look for link on calendar |
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| Regulatory revisions to stormwater management in Mass | ||||||||
| Fri, Feb 22, REGULATORY REVISIONS TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN MASS, Margo Clerkin, our DEP Circuit Rider, will come to MVC offices for a noon workshop (bring a bag lunch) on She will provide an overview of regulatory changes to the storm water standards, implementation of LID techniques, and storm water management system design. Questions call Jo-Ann Taylor, Coastal Planner, Martha's Vineyard Commission508-693-3453 ext 19 | ||||||||
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| Opportunities | ||||||||
| Science Fair Judges Needed | ||||||||
| The 9th Annual MVRHS Science Fair is Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 Do you have a background in science? Do you think that you might enjoy talking with students about their science projects? Your time commitment would be: 8 - 11 am Do you know someone who you think would make a great Science Fair Judge? If so, email Natalie Munn at Natalie_Munn@mvyps.org Science Fair Coordinator Martha's Vineyard Regional High School |
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| Announcement | ||||||||
| Voter Registration Information for Massachusetts | ||||||||
Voter Registration Deadline (for Feb.5 Primary): Jan. 16 |
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| Sustainability Update | ||||||||
| Can Burt’s Bees Turn Clorox Green? |
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| Recycling Update | ||||||||
| E.P.A. Seeks New Life for Old Cellphones |
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| Climate Change Update | ||||||||
| In Greenland, Ice and Instability |
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| Energy Update | ||||||||
| Digital Tools Help Users Save Energy, Study Finds |
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 Giving people the means to closely monitor and adjust their electricity use lowers their monthly bills and could significantly reduce the need to build new power plants, according to a yearlong government study.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/ technology/10energy.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin |
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| Nature's Dryer Revisited |
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| Loads of Laundry Suspended in Fresh Air I don't know about where you live, but in our neighborhood the word "clothesline" is almost a dirty word. People who faithfully recycle bottles and newspapers, drive hybrid cars and wouldn't dream of brushing their teeth with the water running turn up their noses at the lowly clothesline. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ content/article/2006/08/16/AR2006081600394.html |
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 Email Subscription InformationThe Almanac is provided as a public service by the Vineyard Conservation Society with the intent of providing quick and easy access to the Island's government process and environmental community. You are recieving this free email service because you have subscribed to the Vineyard Conservation Almanac. More information about island conservation issues, meetings and events can be viewed at http://almanac.vcsmv.org. If you do not wish to continue receiving these emails please click here to unsubscribe. Thank you for subscribing to the Almanac! |
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The 48th Martha's Vineyard Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday, Jan. 5. The count was enjoyed on one of the better weather days in many years, a lovely day that started cold but with no wind. Some 75 people took to the field and another 25 or so feeder reports showed a great spirit and enthusiasm on the Island for birding, with lots of active participation. The midnight-to-midnight search for birds on the Island on that day actually starts whenever the "owlers" decide to venture out and ends shortly after dark. It is an attempt to count every bird of every species on the Island.
BOSTON — The state Senate unanimously passed an energy bill last night that was as newsworthy as much as for what it left out as for what it contained. The Senate dropped a controversial House provision that would open Buzzards Bay and other ocean sanctuaries to what critics say would be unlimited renewable energy development, including wind turbines.
Felix Neck’s Fern and Feather Day Camp brochures are now available! Children, from the ages of 4 – 13 are invited to register to explore the nature of Martha’s Vineyard on our 350-acre wildlife sanctuary. Our programs encourage campers to actively investigate and observe their surroundings, make their own discoveries, appreciate nature, and most of all have fun! Our camps incorporate outdoor games, activities, hikes, stories and crafts. If you would like a brochure, please download the 2008 camp brochure from our website 
IN the summer of 1984, Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper in Maine, picked up Roxanne Quimby, a 33-year-old single mother down on her luck, as she hitchhiked to the post office in Dexter, Me. More than a dozen years Ms. Quimby’s senior, the guy locals called “the bee-man” sold honey in pickle jars from the back of his pickup truck. To Ms. Quimby, he seemed to be living an idyllic life in the wilderness (including making his home inside a small turkey coop).
The way the Environmental Protection Agency sees it, one discarded cellphone is like one vote: on its own, it cannot do much harm or good, but the cumulative effect can pack a wallop.
The ancient frozen dome cloaking Greenland is so vast that pilots have crashed into what they thought was a cloud bank spanning the horizon. Flying over it, you can scarcely imagine that this ice could erode fast enough to dangerously raise sea levels any time soon. Along the flanks in spring and summer, however, the picture is very different.