WELLFLEET — The conservation commission had been expecting to see plans on Jan. 15 for demolition of the large house now close to the edge of a quickly eroding bluff […]
Environment
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 — […]
COMMUNITY
Serving Food and Fresh Clothes Amid L.A.’s Fires
Cape residents who winter in Los Angeles find ways to support neighbors
PROVINCETOWN — Michela Murphy, who owns Sal’s Place in Provincetown with her mother, Siobhan Carew, landed in Los Angeles for the winter on Jan. 6 to help manage the Italian […]
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 […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Jan. 21 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
NATURAL SELECTION
Old Lace, Hold the Arsenic
The winter remains of Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota, add dark structure to the meadow at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, the once-delicate umbels dried and contracted into shapes that, […]
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 […]
WASTEWATER
Wellfleet Maps Its Expanded Sewer District
High-density and low-lying areas shape path to nitrogen reduction target
WELLFLEET — A map showing the town’s proposed sewer district, updated as of Dec. 11, 2024, has been posted on the board of health page of the town website. The […]
ENVIRONMENT
Eastham Backs Off Prohibiting Pressure-Treated Wood in Wetlands
Local conservation rules can’t conflict with existing state building code
EASTHAM — Current wetlands regulations in this town prohibit the use of pressure-treated wood in marine environments with only a handful of exemptions. But that puts Eastham’s rules at odds […]
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 […]
NATURAL SELECTION
Shadow Dancing With the Pines
If you see a young pine growing in the dim understory, it’s not likely to be one of our iconic pitch pines — Pinus rigida, a pioneer species, is intolerant […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Jan. 14 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
WAVE ACTION
Complexities of ‘Coastal Erosion Structures’ Come Into View on Mayo Beach
Commission weighs effects of bulkhead and added sand on neighbors and shellfish
WELLFLEET — Seawalls and bulkheads built to fend off coastal flooding are becoming a thing of the past here and in communities all along the Massachusetts coast. They are, with […]
NATURAL SELECTION
She’ll Be Green, Come Spring
What future does Cassandra see for herself in the winter reflection of a Wellfleet kettle pond? Probably one that involves rain or snow. Or ducks. The ericaceous shrub Chamaedaphne calyculata, […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Jan. 7 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
