Nature & Science
The starting premise of Dr. George Woodwell’s presentation at Grace Church on Monday was bland enough. For civilization to thrive, he said, it requires both a political system and an economic system that work.
But from there, it got very scary, very fast. For, he continued, those systems were on the verge of breaking down — in some places had already broken down — because the world’s environment, on which they ultimately depend, was fast breaking down.
A well-known Cambridge businessman and prominent seasonal resident of Edgartown is a key backer of a bill quietly making its way through the Massachusetts legislature that has the potential to affect dramatically the ownership rights on barrier beaches around Great Ponds, the Gazette has learned.
Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary, the Edgartown property that gives its name to the Island’s largest private landowner and conservation group, is slated for restoration.
Adam Moore, executive director of the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, said at the foundation’s annual dinner this week that more than $300,000 of the $500,000 needed to refurbish and maintain the 20-acre property for public use has already been raised, and the foundation is actively seeking the balance from friends and neighbors.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
July 15 70 57 Trace
July 16 80 60 .00
July 17 82 65 .00
July 18 85 67 .00
July 19 79 67 .01
July 20 85 64 .00
July 21 84 68 .01
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 76º F.
Early tomorrow morning, the last quarter moon appears near the bright planet Jupiter. You’ll see them rising in the east after midnight tonight. The two are together in the zodiacal constellation Aries. We usually associate Aries with the constellations of autumn. Autumn stars all start showing up in our evening sky for those up after midnight. The moon moves through those stars next week.
What am I looking at? It appears to be a punk-rock bird star. What I see first is a stiff gray crest, gray belly and a black bill. Then as the bird turns I see the remainder of the back feathers is gray as well. It is only when I spot a slight reddishness in the outer tail feathers that I realized the bird in question is an immature northern cardinal. What a difference from the all-red adult which has a red bill surrounded by black feathers.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.