The first American Oystercatchers have arrived back to Jetties Beach, mourning doves are building nests right outside the Conservation Foundation office windows, and the increase of early morning bird song surely means that spring is on its way, whether it feels like it to the humans or not! But as one who likes to scamper among the wetter…
Early spring is here: now’s the time to find male American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) putting on impressive aerial displays to attract a mate. There are a number of locations around the island where you can catch a glimpse of this rite of spring. A calm night — even better, a calm night flooded with moonlight —…
February 2nd is World Wetlands Day, celebrated internationally every year since 1997 to commemorate the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran. The Ramsar Convention represents a multi-national treaty which has facilitated work to survey, study, prioritize and conserve valuable wetland resources around the world and to promote the wise use of wetlands. World Wetlands…
The Nantucket Conservation Foundation recently received the news that we have been awarded a $20,357 grant to undertake a sandplain heathland management project on our Head of the Plains properties in the southwest portion of the island. This funding comes from the new Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) Habitat Management Grant Program, which…
Since arriving on Nantucket in January of 2008, I’ve found that the colder months offer some of the best opportunities to check out new places and get the lay of the land. With the summer tangle of scrub oak, grape and other greenery magically absent after leaf drop, you can see a lot more detail. You don’t have to…
Unexplained die off of salt marsh plants, particularly along creek edges and the low tide line, has become an increasing issue along the New England coast since the 1990s. Along marsh creek banks and harbor edges, salt marsh plants (particularly salt marsh cordgrass or Spartina alterniflora) began disappearing, leaving behind large swaths of exposed soil, filled…
Over the last several winter seasons, Cape Cod has been experiencing record numbers of sea turtle strandings on their beaches. Last year in particular was a doozey with nearly 1,250 turtles rescued from Cape beaches. The previous record was in 2012 with close to 400 turtles. A string of early season strandings have already occurred…
Recent rainy and windy weather may have finished off most of our autumn leaves, but there’s still plenty of color across the Nantucket landscape. The Science & Stewardship staff at NCF would like to wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving, and encourage you to enjoy the natural beauty of the island around you. It’s deer hunting…
The Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative is a group built of members of all of the various conservation, research, and ecology groups on Nantucket. For such a small island, there are a lot of different groups interested in and investing in protecting and promoting biodiversity! First thing: what is biodiversity? You might think it’s a commonly used…
by Natalie Pawlikowski, NCF Seasonal Botany Field Research Assistant Five months on Nantucket have come and past. Most of my days have been spent working with the island’s diverse shrub, grass, and forb species. Some highlights of the season included seeing the Turk’s Cap Lilly (Lilium superbum) bloom at Squam Farm, monitoring Broom Crowberry (Corema…