HYANNIS PORT — We boarded the ship in the dark, 50 of us, schlepping backpacks and duffle bags and coolers of food. It was 5:30 in the morning, but most […]
Environment
TOO RELIABLE
Not Very Mindful, Not Very Demure
Clematis terniflora’s common name, sweet autumn clematis, does a lot of PR work for this badly behaved garden vine, which is repeatedly guilty of reseeding itself into neglected spaces and […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Sept. 10 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ELECTROMAGNETIC
Studies Look at Turbine Cables and Lobsters
Experiments in Long Island Sound found few effects
WELLFLEET — Two years after its first public announcement in August 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) plans to hold public auctions for eight offshore wind energy leasing […]
MARSHES
Scientists Measure an Ecological Transition at Duck Harbor
How the ‘overwashes’ preview the restoration of the salt marsh at the Herring River
WELLFLEET — Duck Harbor, enjoyed by visitors as a bayside beach, is returning to its 19th-century roots as a salt marsh, according to Tim Smith, a restoration ecologist at the […]
ON THE WING
One Last Taste
As popular as the Nauset Light is as an Eastham tourist destination, it might have less buzz than the shining sumac nearby — at least while it’s in bloom. The […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Sept. 3 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
PERMISSIONS
Truro and Disabilities Group Can’t Reach Compromise on Deck
Conservation commission says temporary platform could cause damage in a storm
TRURO — An organization established to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in activities that others enjoy is locked in a dispute with the Truro Conservation Commission over […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Eye to Eye With a Catbird
Seeing the soul of the natural world on a banding day at Wing Island
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 […]
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 […]
