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 […]
Environment
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 […]
WATER QUALITY
Sewer District Lots Exempted From Upgrades
Board of health considers triggers for fixing Wellfleet septic systems
WELLFLEET — The board of health got mixed reactions when it brought an amended version of its new septic system regulations to the select board on Dec. 10. The resulting […]
DEVELOPMENT
With Septic Plan Approved, Collins Cove Sale May Proceed
Lawyers say they’re close to deal on cottages that buyer will convert to condos
EASTHAM — Despite a bitter disagreement between the sellers and a prospective buyer, the Collins Cove Cottage Colony, a cluster of summer rentals on the shore of Town Cove owned […]
MORNING FLIGHT
When a Bird Ignores Its Zugunruhe
Looking for lingerers and finding the reasons some birds stay here for the winter
Zugunruhe is one of those perfect German words that have no equivalent in English, so we Anglophones just decided to steal it outright. The word translates as “migration-anxiety” and describes […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s early deadline on Monday, Dec. 23 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s […]