WELLFLEET — When voters head to the polls on May 5 to fill two select board seats, they will find only two candidates on the ballot. Barbara Carboni, who has […]
About William von Herff
MORNING FLIGHT
A Bird Symphony Begins
They don’t sing for us, but birdsong makes people feel good
The sound echoes from the marshes behind my house every morning, starting in late February: konk-a-REEE. It’s an alarm clock of sorts — it signals the start of a new […]
ARTISTS
Edd Ravn’s Cabinet of Curiosities
A mud wall, privet berries, and centipede legs turn into art in a FAWC studio
About six weeks into Edd Ravn’s fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in the fall, he decided to smear his studio wall with mud. “I was thinking about the […]
LOCAL IMPACT
Feds Terminate Three National Seashore Staff
Archaeologist, ranger, and restoration ecologist were fired on Feb. 14
WELLFLEET — A nationwide mass firing of federal employees who were in their “probationary” first year on the job included three full-time staff at the Cape Cod National Seashore: archaeologist […]
MORNING FLIGHT
The Ravens Say It’s Spring
These intelligent birds start laying their eggs in late February
I was driving past Old North Cemetery in Truro a couple of weeks ago when I saw a bird flying upside down. It soon flipped back over, completing an awkward […]
CLIMATE SCIENCE
WHOI Resets Ocean De-Acidification Test for This Summer
Comments on EPA permit to conduct experiment in Wilkinson Basin are positive so far
WOODS HOLE — With the federal government following a blueprint to deter climate research at agencies like the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Bird Love Knows No Bounds
Sex and mating stories in the bird world appear to be as diverse as they are in the human one
Though winter’s grip has not loosened on the Outer Cape, the birds are already signaling the changing season. Chickadees, song sparrows, and house finches are beginning to sing more frequently, […]
H5N1
Avian Flu Is Spreading, Affecting Wild Birds Most
Waterfowl hit hardest, with poultry and pets at risk; more surveillance underway
WELLFLEET — If you feel like you’ve been noticing a lot of dead birds lately, you’re not alone. According to State Ornithologist Andrew Vitz, we are in the midst of […]
LONG TIMELINE
Future Is Unclear for Wind Leases off Cape Cod
Existing leases have not been canceled, and a five-year deadline leaves some time
WELLFLEET — On his inauguration day, President Donald Trump signed an executive order meant to start fulfilling his campaign promise to kill offshore wind development “on day one.” The executive […]
ENVIRONMENT
Wellfleet Adopts New Septic Regulations
Priorities: upgrades, cesspool removal in stages, and case-by-case decisions
WELLFLEET — The board of health approved a new set of septic system regulations at its Jan. 22 meeting. The rules are an essential part of the town’s Targeted Watershed […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Odd Ducks
Hybrids challenge our assumptions about ‘species’
What do you do when you see a bird that looks like no bird you’ve seen before — not even in photos or illustrations or anywhere? A few days after […]
WHALE WATCH
Government Withdraws Tighter Vessel Speed Rule
Opposition focused on ferry services, but critics say NOAA was slow to adapt
PROVINCETOWN — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) — the part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charged with stewardship of the nation’s ocean resources and their habitats — […]
BLOODSUCKERS
Ticks — and Their Diseases — Are a Winter Problem, Too
Adult deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease, are most active in colder months
WELLFLEET — Life on Cape Cod includes ticks — and increasingly, tick-borne diseases. According to the state Dept. of Public Health, 113 people on Cape Cod were diagnosed with illnesses […]
MORNING FLIGHT
How Birds Stay Warm
There’s fluffing up, cuddling, and countercurrent exchange; then, too, some birds seem to like the cold
Just about every conversation I’ve had over the last week has begun with some exchange of descriptors of this recent cold snap: it’s been chilly, windy, miserable. But while we […]
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Into the Vortex
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A polar vortex swooped down from the Arctic on Monday, fueled by climate change-driven instability in the jet stream, forcing Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors. But nobody in […]
