PROVINCETOWN — As recently as 100 years ago, the shallow waters around Cape Cod were home to thriving eelgrass meadows. These lush, rippling green stretches of habitat were hotspots of […]
Environment
MORNING FLIGHT
Bird-Watching From a Different Cape
Huge numbers of birds fly by Cape May on their fall migrations
By late October, migration is winding down on Cape Cod. Many of our summer visitors are gone, our warblers are filing out to be replaced by sparrows, and our winter […]
DON’T PANIC
A Trail for Times Like This
If you’re feeling a swell of anxiety as we approach the first Tuesday in November, maybe some panicgrass can help. The serene walking trail from Province Lands Road to Hatches […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 22 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ECONOMY
Wellfleet Oysters Make New Names for Themselves
Local growers try out individual brands for their already famous bivalves
WELLFLEET — From his farm, which lies where Loagy Bay meets Blackfish Creek at the end of Old Wharf Road in South Wellfleet, Andrew Jacob sells a catalog of uniquely […]
AMPHIBIANS
Threatened Toads That Struggle Elsewhere Thrive in Provincetown
Scientists are studying how eastern spadefoots evade deadly fungal disease
PROVINCETOWN — The coordinates came with a warning: “The information I just shared … is protected and confidential.” The sender, Alexander Richards, a Ph.D. student at UMass Boston, had gotten […]
I SPY A SWEETGUM
A Tree for In-Town Leaf-Peepers
Driving deep into New England to leaf-peep, you won’t be likely to spy many sweetgums — the tree’s range comes to an end in Connecticut and western Mass. The predominantly […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 15 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Breakfast With the Birds
Seeds and suet fuel migrant flocks and year-rounders
A couple of weeks ago, I felt a chill in the air, and I knew it was time. I drove to Orleans, purchased a 40-pound sack of sunflower seeds, and […]
INFRASTRUCTURE
Provincetown and Truro Lay Groundwork for Water Expansion
Two select boards begin series of mediated sessions on shared approach
TRURO — After a year of work by town staff members, the select boards of Provincetown and Truro met jointly on Sept. 30 to learn more about the upcoming water […]
PUBLIC SAFETY
Sharkfishermen Alarm Surfers at Wellfleet Beach
White sharks were likely target of men armed with bluefish and a drone
WELLFLEET — Surfers at LeCount Hollow Beach called the Wellfleet police on the morning of Sept. 28 to report that three anglers were fishing for sharks there, one of them […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Breakfast With the Birds
Seeds and suet fuel migrant flocks and year-rounders
A couple of weeks ago, I felt a chill in the air, and I knew it was time. I drove to Orleans, purchased a 40-pound sack of sunflower seeds, and […]
MIDDAY AT THE OASIS
A Constellation of Cottonsedge
After trudging over the blinding, desert-like mountains of sand that compose the first half of Provincetown’s grueling dune shack trail, a hiker then stumbling across the floating, twinkling hairballs […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 8 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
THE BREACH
More Studies Planned for Breakwater Gap
Officials warn that opening might not stop invasive marsh crabs
PROVINCETOWN — An on-again, off-again effort to install a gap in the Long Point Dike, more commonly called the West End breakwater, took a small step forward last week at […]
