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 […]
About William von Herff
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 […]
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 […]
