WELLFLEET — Monday was a perfect spring evening: warm sunshine lingered, and there was a nice breeze blowing off the bay. While the rest of the Cape was enjoying it, […]
About William von Herff
RIGHT WHALES
In the Bay, One New Calf and One Dire Entanglement
Center for Coastal Studies reports numbers are up, but only slightly
PROVINCETOWN — Late April marks the peak of the North Atlantic right whale season in Cape Cod Bay. Since January, more than 180 of these endangered animals have made an […]
MORNING FLIGHT
A Place for Rare Birds
Seeing one rare winter visitor led to seeing another at a Provincetown feeder
This is the story of seeing the rarest bird I’ve ever seen on Cape Cod. It was a few days before Christmas when I got an email from Provincetown resident […]
HISTORY
Noogaahz Wixon Wants You to Know Who the Nauset Are
A collection of artifacts is becoming a museum and community space in Brewster
BREWSTER — Researching the history of the Nauset people for his 2024 history-memoir, After Aspinet, made Noogaahz Wixon feel like he was walking through a ghost town. Learning about colonial […]
ENVIRONMENT
A Tale of Two Recycling Systems
Wellfleet’s multi-stream approach wins on price and efficiency, while other towns opt for ease
WELLFLEET — If there’s one thing Cape Codders can be proud of, it’s being good recyclers. That’s according to Kari Parcell, whose job is to be picky. Parcell is the […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Nesting Instincts
In the birds’ realms, construction gets underway
Every day, before I head into work, I go to see what’s swimming around MacMillan Pier. In the winter, this mostly involves looking at ducks, checking on that one thick-billed […]
GREAT WHITE
State Bans All Large-Shark Fishing on Outer Cape
To get around rules, fishermen claimed to be pursuing other species than great whites
WELLFLEET — A group of fishermen using baited hooks delivered by drones to fish for sharks at LeCount Hollow Beach last September got into an altercation with surfers that led […]
DOWN BY THE SEASHORE
Feds Reinstate Fired Seashore Employees — for Now
Parks told to remain open and prepare to reduce staff by 30 percent
WELLFLEET — A court order has reinstated three full-time Cape Cod National Seashore employees who were terminated by the Park Service on Feb. 14. Their return to work, however, may […]
ENVIRONMENT
Adding Sand Could Help Salt Marshes Recover
Loose sand lessened crab burrowing and facilitated regrowth within a year
PROVINCETOWN — Across the Outer Cape, an ever-growing explosion in the Sesarma crab population is causing salt marshes to rapidly retreat — but a new study suggests that adding sand […]
ENVIRONMENT
The State of the Birds on Cape Cod
Shorebirds and saltmarsh sparrows are among those at a tipping point
WELLFLEET — A new report on research by leading bird conservation scientists, published by Cornell University, confirms that North American bird populations are continuing a steep decline. The North American […]
MORNING FLIGHT
The American Woodcock’s Got the Moves
A peent and a sky dance announce the arrival of one goofy bird
It was a still March evening, and I was watching the sunset along the Pilgrim Spring bike path in Truro. For what seemed like a long while, the marsh there […]
ENVIRONMENT
As Right Whales Shift, Cape Cod Remains Safe Haven for Now
With warming, whales follow food to new waters, and a key source declines
[PROVINCETOWN — North Atlantic right whales, critically endangered with a population of only around 370, move widely around our ocean. They have traditionally ranged from below Cape Canaveral, Fla., where […]
ENVIRONMENT
After 6-Year Delay, Seashore Carries Out Prescribed Burn at Fort Hill
Housing costs hindered hiring of a Park fire officer; now DOGE is doing the same
EASTHAM — On any other sunny spring day, Fort Hill would be dotted with hikers, dog-walkers, and nature lovers. But on March 12, the historic grassland that overlooks Nauset Marsh […]
TOWN ELECTIONS
Josh Yeston Wants to Be Wellfleet’s Champion
The select board candidate says he’d use AI to improve town government
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 […]
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 […]
