WELLFLEET — Town officials are finalizing plans to dedicate 28 acres of Blackfish Creek to oyster habitat enhancement as required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to receive a […]
MIGHTY NEIGHBORLY
Owners Agree to Downsize House on Boat Meadow Marsh
A compromise takes out ‘things that made it over the top’
EASTHAM — The owners of a property overlooking Boat Meadow marsh have agreed to compromise with their neighbors and downsize a plan to replace an existing cottage with a large […]
WALSH PROPERTY
Walsh Committee Stands by Its Housing Unit Vote
A water tower may also be constructed northeast of the Walsh property
TRURO — When Tighe & Bond consultant Gordon Leedy presented a draft conceptual plan for 224 housing units at the Walsh Property Community Planning Committee’s April 19 meeting, the plan […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Schoolies Arrive. So Does a New Upper Limit.
There are big blues off Montauk and mackerel in our harbor
The striped bass have arrived, and schoolie-size fish, which typically lead the charge north, are all the way up into the Race. That would indicate the keepers are probably not […]
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Blue Economy Comes to Bradford Street
A pitch contest asks what the ‘blue economy’ means at the grassroots
PROVINCETOWN — From art to aquaculture, the potential breadth of a local “blue economy” was on display at the business incubator EforAll’s pitch session held at the Commons on April […]
ON THE BEACH
Fishing as a Way of Life
Striper fishing offers a glimpse into what it means to be a Cape Codder
A year off from graduate school in 1972 gave me the chance to fulfill my dream of being on Cape Cod all year round. I finagled free winter digs in […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Them’s the Rules
Regulations can depend on whether you’re fishing in the Gulf of Maine or Southern New England
The word is migratory bass have begun to show up in the Canal and in estuary mouths along the Cape’s south shore. Some fish as large as 30 inches have […]
MIGHTY NEIGHBORLY
ZBA Asks New Owners and Abutters to Compromise on Big House
A vote to reduce house size and visual impact is reversed
EASTHAM — The zoning board of appeals spent more than two hours on April 6 considering an appeal filed by abutters opposed to the planning board’s recent approval of a […]
FREE AT LAST
$4.5M in Free Cash Arrives Just in Time for Town Meeting
But Standard & Poor’s will still downgrade Wellfleet’s bond rating
WELLFLEET — Town Administrator Richard Waldo received word on Friday that a key goal for the town had been achieved: the Mass. Dept. of Revenue had finally certified Wellfleet’s free […]
FISHERIES
Stricter Rules Sought for Horseshoe Crab Harvest
A precautionary approach in response to a burgeoning biomedical market
There is perhaps no thornier marine management issue for regulatory bodies on the Atlantic Coast than what to do about horseshoe crabs, which are harvested as bait for the whelk […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Recreational Boaters and the Unforgiving Sea
On the Outer Cape, when we’re on shore we’re already 25 miles out
This past week we all got a grim reminder of how unforgiving the sea can be, particularly with a small craft taken far offshore. A 17-foot boat was found upside-down […]
ON THE BEACH
In Praise of the Single Barbless Hook
When fewer fish are keepers, using the right lure matters more
The last time I used anything more than a single hook while fishing was a memorable mid-September day in 1978, when an enormous school of 15-pound bluefish cornered an even […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Circle Hooks Supported by Study on Why Catch-and-Release Fish Die
The stripers have reached Rhode Island, and the tautogs are here now
The northern fringe of the striped bass migration reached Rhode Island this past week, and if we continue to get this unseasonably warm weather the bass could be in our […]
MUNICIPAL PLANNING
VMCC Study Identifies New Housing Site in Parking Lot
Replacing parking spaces with housing looks easy, say Provincetown's consulting engineers
PROVINCETOWN — Engineers from the municipal contractor Weston & Sampson told the select board on March 27 that the town had three options for rebuilding the Veterans Memorial Community Center […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Right Whales Are in View From Shore at Herring Cove
Striped bass are migrating now, too, but it’s early to name an ETA
It looks like we’re finally getting the beautiful spring weather that towns inland have been enjoying for a week or two. We have been in an easterly fetch pattern, which […]
