 |
|||||||||||
| This week in conservation April 21-27, 2008 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Calendar | |||||||||||
| Vacation Adventure | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| The Achilles’ Jaw? | |||||||||||
| Tues, April 22, The Achilles’ Jaw?: Oceans Alive Series: the Biomechanical Impact of Ship Strikes on Northern Right Whales, a lecture by Regina Campbell-Malone, who will look at right whale collisions from a biomechanical perspective. She’ll explain how much force is needed to cause one of the most common injuries to the whales, jawbone fractures, and discuss if the discovery that a third of all blunt collision cases involve those fractures make the jawbone the “weakest link” of the species or its “Achilles’ jaw.” Talk begins at 7 p.m . in the auditorium of Redfield Lab in Woods Hole. Admission is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served. | |||||||||||
| The Waquoit Bay NERR is sponsoring the 2008 Cape Friendly Landscaping Course | |||||||||||
 Fri, April 25, The Waquoit Bay NERR is sponsoring the 2008 Cape Friendly Landscaping Course, 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM at the Reserve’s Headquarters. To register please call Laurie at 508-457-0495 x108 or email laurie.tompkins@state.ma.us |
|||||||||||
| Work for Wildlife at Mass Audubon’s Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary | |||||||||||
 Sat. April 26, Work for Wildlife at Mass Audubon’s Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, 9:00-12:00 Come Join the Fun on Mass Audubon’s Second Annual Statewide Volunteer Day. There are plenty of activities for all ages and abilities. And, if you bring a family member who needs to fulfill a community service requirement, we’re happy to provide you with a verification letter after the event. Bring your friends and family and a picnic lunch and stay to enjoy the sanctuary after the work is done. Snacks and beverages will be provided. After our work is done, stay to meet the animals in our Discovery Room and the sheep and goats that are maintaining our fields. For more details and to sign up, contact Felix Neck at 508 627-4850 or visit www.massaudubon.org/workforwildlife. |
|||||||||||
| Alpaca Farm Open House | |||||||||||
 Sat, April 26, Alpaca Farm Open House: 11 am-5 pm, Island Alpaca Company, 1 Head of the Pond Rd., Oak Bluffs. Visit and learn about alpaca. Refreshments; donations welcome. Also Sun. 508-693-5554. |
|||||||||||
| Garden Lecture | |||||||||||
 Sat, April 26, Garden Lecture 11 am, Vineyard Gardens, West Tisbury. Vegetable gardening. Weekly themes through July 19. 508-693-8511. |
|||||||||||
| Alpaca Farm Open House | |||||||||||
| Sat, April 26, Alpaca Farm Open House: 11 am-5 pm, Island Alpaca Company, 1 Head of the Pond Rd., Oak Bluffs. Visit and learn about alpaca. Refreshments; donations welcome. Also Sun. 508-693-5554. |
|||||||||||
| Children's Nature Walk | |||||||||||
| Sun, April 27, Children's Nature Walk 1-2:30 pm, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Edgartown. "Salamanders and Sundaes." $4; $2; under 3 free. 508-627-4850. |
|||||||||||
| Spinning | |||||||||||
| Sun, April 27, Spinning. Learn to spin fleece into yarn. No experience necessary. 11 am to 4 pm, A follow-up class will be scheduled at your convenience. Two-week wheel rental with rebate towards purchase. All supplies provided. $125. |
|||||||||||
| Save The Date | |||||||||||
| QUEST Martha’s Vineyard (QMV) | |||||||||||
| Wed & Thurs, May 28-29, 2008, A Two Day Village Quest Workshop, from 8:30 to 4:30 At the SAIL MV Building on upper Main Street, V.H VILLAGE QUEST WORKSHOP - A two day workshop with Steve Glazer and members of the Quest MV program that will give participants the skills to create community treasure hunts (QUESTS) while understanding the role of community history in place based education. Held in the town of Tisbury, the focus will be on specific historic buildings, oral history of town elders and photos and paper documents from the MVM archives. The $125 tuition* covers all materials and light refreshments(bring your own lunch). *There is a reduced fee available for parents and/or community members Educators: 10 pdps will be awarded to those who attend both days. To register call Lynne Whiting at 508-627-4441 x 120 Or Nancy Cole at x 118 Or lwhiting@mvmuseum.org ncole@mvmuseum.org |
|||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
| Announcement | |||||||||||
| HELP! |
|||||||||||
 Sorry about the confusion last week for signing up future subscribers to the Almanac. Here is the corrected version of the solicitation. Thanks for your help with this matter.We are launching a campaign to double the number of people receiving our weekly Conservation Almanac. The idea is to build more effective grassroots action by getting more people to be informed and participate. We would be delighted to have all current subscribers contact JUST ONE PERSON who they think might enjoy receiving our free publication and sign them up at almanac.vcsmv.org. Or call 508-693-9588 with their email address and we will make sure they are enrolled. OR IF YOU’D LIKE TO WIN A PRIZE! Get inspired to solicit SIX or more new email addresses (with their permission first!) and we will send you a copy of the new, updated 40th VCS anniversary edition of Walking Trails of Martha’s Vineyard, by Will Flender. Thank you! We look forward to hearing from you soon at http://almanac.vcsmv.org where you should click on SUBSCRIBE. |
|||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
| MVTV | |||||||||||
| The Corn Bag Man of MV |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Andrew Gottlieb’s Talk about Wastewater Issues on the Cape |
|||||||||||
| Wednesday April 23, at 8:30 PM and Thursday April 24 at 8:30 PM on Channel 13. Gottlieb is the Executive Director of the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and his talk is a very interesting account of the logistics involved in putting together a regional plan for wastewater concerns. The island has similar problems involving water quality, which is what motivated the MV Water Alliance to invite him to come over to share his expertise. | |||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
| Biofuel Update | |||||||||||
| Fuel Choices, Food Crises and Finger-Pointing |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| UN study urges farmers to cut fossil fuel use |
|||||||||||
| PARIS - As riots erupt over food shortages in the Caribbean and Africa and hunger approaches crisis stage in parts of Asia, an international report said farmers worldwide must reduce dependency on fossil fuels and better protect the environment. http://www.boston.com/news/world/ europe/articles/2008/04/16/un_study_urges_farmers_to_cut_fossil_fuel_use/ |
|||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
| Climate Change Update | |||||||||||
| REVISITING THE GLOBAL WARMING-HURRICANE LINK |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Bush vision on climate change under fire at Paris meeting |
|||||||||||
| PARIS (AFP) — US President George W. Bush's new blueprint for tackling global warming came under attack on Thursday from other carbon emitters, with some branding his scheme a step backwards in the battle against climate change. Leading the charge at a meeting in Paris was South Africa, which lashed the proposals Bush outlined on Wednesday as a retreat by the planet's No. 1 polluter and a slap to poor countries least to blame for today's warming crisis. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iRzQhDe73ZUJfnZYZCaCbjv_haNA |
|||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
| Health Update | |||||||||||
| Plastics chemical may pose risk to children |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
| Sustainability Update | |||||||||||
| Bay Scallop Harvest Increases on Island; Propagation Credited |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Sticker Shock in the Organic Aisles |
|||||||||||
| Shoppers have long been willing to pay a premium for organic food. But how much is too much? Rising prices for organic groceries are prompting some consumers to question their devotion to food produced without pesticides, chemical fertilizers or antibiotics. In some parts of the country, a loaf of organic bread can cost $4.50, a pound of pasta has hit $3, and organic milk is closing in on $7 a gallon. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/ business/18organic.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin |
|||||||||||
| Talks Michael Pollan: The omnivore's next dilemma |
|||||||||||
| http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/214 | |||||||||||
| back to top | |||||||||||
 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! |
|||||||||||
Have ideas for content for the Almanac? Please send them along to: |
|||||||||||
When it comes to global issues like climate change, Island non-profits have spent anywhere from the last four to 40 years working to raise public awareness, and encouraging Islanders to take the threats to the environment seriously. 
April 10 (Bloomberg) -- The World Bank's support for projects that reduce carbon-dioxide emissions in developing countries encourages polluting industries and fails to promote renewable energy, the Institute for Policy Studies said. 
Mon, April 21, Vacation Adventure 8:30 am-3 pm, locations vary. Martha's Vineyard Museum, Polly Hill Arboretum, FARM Institute, Featherstone Center for the Arts, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Yard provide daily programs through April 25. Also June 23-27. Grades 1-5. Space limited. $250 per week. Scholarships available. Pre-register: 508-693-1850.
The Corn Bag Man of MV, will be aired on MVTV on Channel 13, on Monday April 21, at 6 PM, and Tuesday April 22, at 8 PM. In just a few months Mark Martin, from Vineyard Haven, has gone from studying a clear corn based bag online, to supplying his new Bio Store with over 100 corn based and organic, biodegradable, compostable products. He also has an extensive line of ‘Fair Trade,’ items such as coffee, sugar, rice, baskets, and bags. His shop which sells both wholesale and retail items is on Beach Rd, in Tisbury, across from Packer Oil. They just opened this past Saturday in celebration of Earth Day. Tune in to see his interesting story. 
The idea of turning farms into fuel plants seemed, for a time, like one of the answers to high global oil prices and supply worries. That strategy seemed to reach a high point last year when Congress mandated a fivefold increase in the use of biofuels. 
A new study underscores the difficulty of estimating global warming's effect on weather.
Ingredient could alter development, research suggests.
Several years of effort to restore the dwindling Island bay scallop population finally paid off this year; scallop landings Islandwide increased 23 per cent over the previous year.