EASTHAM — Somewhat surprisingly, given that Cape Cod is an enormous glacial sandpile, the first European settlers to build permanent homes on the Outer Cape were in search of dirt. […]
GULLY-WASHER
Downpours Cause Flooding, Beach Stair Collapse, and Shellfishing Closures
Eastham got 6.6 inches over the weekend; Provincetown got 3.2
After three sunny, dry weeks, parts of the Outer Cape got over half a foot of rain between Sept. 19 and 22. The National Weather Service reported that Eastham recorded […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Turn Your Ear Skyward for Bobolinks
The birds that helped reveal migration’s secrets are overhead now
Bink! The sound pinged overhead as I walked along High Toss Road in Wellfleet. It was a crisp early autumn morning, and the north winds overnight had dropped a smattering […]
ARCHAEOLOGY
A Dig Reveals the Ways of One of Eastham’s Early Settlers
John Doane was wealthy, pious, and industrious and may have feared witches
EASTHAM — John Doane, who emigrated from England to the Plymouth Colony sometime between 1628 and 1632, became the patriarch of one of the first seven families that settled in […]
THE WATERSHED
Wellfleet Moves to Replace Cesspools and Old Septic Systems
The plan responds to state requirement to bring harbor nitrogen levels down
WELLFLEET — The board of health unveiled new regulations on Aug. 27 aimed at reducing nitrogen levels in Wellfleet Harbor and its estuaries. These regulations mandate cesspool removal and will […]
RESULTS
Cold Water and Warm Smiles at Swim for Life
310 participants raise $300K for local health-care nonprofits
PROVINCETOWN — Hundreds of swimmers braved cold water on Saturday, Sept. 7 for the 37th annual Swim for Life fundraiser. The event, which consisted of 1.2-mile and half-mile swims in […]
ELECTROMAGNETIC
Studies Look at Turbine Cables and Lobsters
Experiments in Long Island Sound found few effects
WELLFLEET — Two years after its first public announcement in August 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) plans to hold public auctions for eight offshore wind energy leasing […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Eye to Eye With a Catbird
Seeing the soul of the natural world on a banding day at Wing Island
BREWSTER — I pulled into the parking lot of the Cape Cod Natural History Museum at 5:30 a.m. on a mid-August morning that was hot and humid even at that […]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Wildfire Smoke Blankets Outer Cape for Five Days
A red Sun and hazy sky will become more common as forest fires increase
PROVINCETOWN — Residents and visitors to the Outer Cape spent nearly five days last week under a hazy, gray-brown sky that dimmed the Sun and tinted it orange and red. […]
WORKING LIFE
Augustitis Is Provincetown’s Perennial Affliction
The last month of summer means joy and exhaustion, sometimes all at once
PROVINCETOWN — The middle of August is a uniquely busy time on the Outer Cape. Children are a week or two away from going back to school, so families are […]
VINEYARD WIND
One Month After Turbine Blade Breaks, Effect Is Still Being Measured
Data are scarce on the frequency of breaks and their consequences
Approximately 15 miles south of Nantucket on Saturday, July 13, one of the blades on a non-operational wind turbine that Vineyard Wind was testing broke at its base, scattering debris […]
MORNING FLIGHT
For Birds, Summer Is Over
Following flocks for the first signs of fall’s progression
The more time I spend in nature, the clearer it becomes that the four seasons are a myth. At the very least, they are too simplistic: how can we look […]
CLIMATE CHANGE
A Test of Ocean De-Acidification Begins Next Month
Alkaline compounds could increase the ocean’s capacity to store carbon
A group of scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is planning to release 6,600 gallons of sodium hydroxide into the waters south of Martha’s Vineyard in September to […]
TURTLE WATCH
Midway Into Their Season Here, More Sea Turtles Are Dying
Boat strikes and entanglements affect both leatherbacks and loggerheads
The leatherback turtles are here for their annual visit, feeding in Cape Cod Bay. The loggerheads are here too — though they’re more recent arrivals as climate change has made […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Birdbaths and Other Ways Birds Stay Cool in Hot Weather
As heat waves worsen, some species might not stick around here for summer
The beginning of August is just about the hottest point of the year on Cape Cod. This year has already proved to be a warm one: a mid-June heat dome […]
