Vineyard Conservation Society

New Forecasts Track Sea Level Rise

Thursday May 9, 2013

Sara Brown

From the Chappaquiddick Point to the cranberry bogs in Aquinnah, new forecasts show that no part of the Island will be immune from the impacts of sea level rise.

Vineyard Conservation Society's Rising Seas Awareness Project

The following maps show the sea level rise on Martha’s Vineyard that is predicted based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s high forecast for greenhouse gas emissions and numerous other analyses.
These forecasts are also used for the state’s Climate Change Adaptation Report (2011) and the Martha's Vineyard Commission’s planning work.

Kennedy Family Puts Large Tract of Aquinnah Land Up for Sale

Thursday May 2, 2013

Sara Brown

A large tract of rare and secluded oceanfront land owned by the Kennedy family in Aquinnah has been placed on the market for sale.

Two undeveloped lots totaling 93 acres from the 377-acre Red Gate Farm were listed for sale this week. One lot is about 53.5 acres, fronting the Atlantic Ocean, with an asking price of $25 million. The second lot is 39.5 acres with more than 1,000 feet of frontage on Squibnocket Pond, deeded beach access off Moshup Trail and an asking price of $20 million.

Earth Day 2013: Out of Trash, Treasured Effort Unfolds

Thursday April 18, 2013

Ivy Ashe

April 22, 1970, the very first Earth Day, dawned pure and clear on the Vineyard. “One might almost have thought all the brouhaha about Earth Day was nonsense, and unnecessary . . . but by 5:30 p.m . . . it was evident that the Vineyard was far from unlittered,” a Gazette story said at the time.

Bob Woodruff and a group of about 60 others, including many high school students, collected more than 3,000 pounds of litter that day, hauling Mr. Woodruff’s oxcart along the roads of the Island and picking up all debris and trash in its path.

Green on the Screen and in Architecture

Thursday March 7, 2013

On Saturday, March 9, the partnership of the Vineyard Conservation Society and the MV Film Society will host its next Green on Screen event, a series of films that explore and bring attention to environmental issues. This time; everything you ever wanted to know about biophilic design but were afraid to ask.

Conservation Groups to Screen Documentary On Aldo Leopold

Thursday January 10, 2013

Remy Tumin

Take a look at a Vineyard book shelf and you’re likely to find The History of Martha’s Vineyard by Charles Banks or Moraine to Marsh by Anne Hale. For conservationists, Aldo Leopold’s book A Sand County Almanac published in 1949 is equally iconic. “I think anybody can be inspired by what he wrote,” Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation director Adam Moore said this week. “It’s one of the key pieces of literature in our environmental history in this country.”

Protecting the Island Requires Planning

Thursday December 6, 2012

Brendan O'Neill

The following was submitted as testimony for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission public hearing on its development of regional impact checklist. The Vineyard Conservation Society is an advocacy organization. Our focus is on environmental, land use, and growth and development issues on this Island. We have over 1,000 seasonal and year-round members, and we have been doing this work for nearly 50 years.

What I am here to advocate for this evening is some version of tightened plan review for high-impact residential development.

VCS Leads Guided Walk on Sunday

Thursday November 8, 2012

The Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) will begin its program of guided winter walks this Sunday, Nov. 11, with an interpretative hike around the agricultural land and outwash plain at Katama Farm. The walk takes place from 1 to 3 p.m.

This year’s winter walks embrace the theme of historic land usage crossroads and feature properties where possible crises were averted with the help of VCS.

At Katama Farm, the community united to prevent development that could have resulted in hundreds of building lots.

After Sandy, Climate Change Has the Floor

Thursday November 1, 2012

Jeremy Houser

In following the news coverage of Hurricane Sandy, I was struck by a strange reversal in reporting from before and after the storm. In the days leading up to landfall, the effect of climate change on the likelihood, strength or impacts of the storm was largely ignored; in accounts of the damage post-Sandy, the subject of climate change has been routinely raised.

Where Art and Conservation Thrive

Monday August 13, 2012

Tara Keegan

Art and nature are more closely tied than ever at the Gay Head Gallery on State Road in Aquinnah. A current show features art across a variety of mediums with special goals — to relay the beauty of the natural world and contribute to conservation efforts. A dozen artists have work on exhibit for sale, and anywhere from 10 per cent to 100 per cent of the proceeds from sales will benefit the Vineyard Conservation Society and the Moshup Trail Project.

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