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 […]
Environment
LAVENDER & LACE
A Salt Lover’s Life
The intertidal zone around the circular 40-foot-deep Salt Pond in Eastham is divided into strata: the inner ring is composed of the tall saltmarsh cordgrass, which prefers the inundation of […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 27 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
WELLFLEET HARBOR
Hydraulic Fluid Spills; Oysters Deemed Safe
Wind, tides, and the movement of boats disperse a slick over 2 acres
WELLFLEET — Local and state agencies sprang into action when a sheen — later identified as spilled hydraulic fluid — was seen coating the surface of Wellfleet Harbor on the […]
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. […]
RADIOACTIVITY
Nuclear Plant Owner Appeals Denial of Permit Change
Holtec argues that Ocean Sanctuaries Act doesn’t apply in this case
PLYMOUTH — Looking for a way to gain approval for disposing of a million gallons of contaminated wastewater into Cape Cod Bay, Holtec International, the company decommissioning the Pilgrim nuclear […]
SWEET SPHERES
A Walk in the Buttonbushes
The straight stems and spherical inflorescences of Cephalanthus occidentalis are reminiscent of childhood craftwork, each cluster like a model molecule or solar system made from sticks and foam. The individual […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 20 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
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 […]
BATHING BEAUTIES
What’s Up, Water-Lily?
Chancing upon a nymph in her freshwater abode could be the inciting incident in a mythological tale, an encounter leading to glory or ruin. Fortunately, the Nymphaea odorata bathing near Blackwater Pond seems […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tue sday, August 13 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s […]
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 […]
BIVALVES
Interested in Aquaculture? Ask a Clambassador.
On the Provincetown oyster flats, keeping visitors from disrupting farmers
PROVINCETOWN — A squad of marine educators has been deployed on the oyster flats of Provincetown in an attempt to teach the curious while protecting the livelihoods of those who […]
SAILOR’S DELIGHT
Midsummer’s Sweet Scent
It has been written that upon approaching our shores shipmen of old would take great pleasure in the sweet perfume of Clethra alnifolia that traveled over the waves to welcome […]
