There are a lot of ways to categorize birds. Waterbirds versus land birds, flying birds versus flightless ones, and whether birds are nocturnal or diurnal are all important distinctions. Another […]
Environment
PAPER BIRCH
All About That Bark
A stand of paper birch trees in Vermont in winter is an idyllic scene. Everywhere you look, you find ribbons of bark that practically beg to be used as canvases […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Feb. 27 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
VIOLATIONS
State Sues Holtec for Mishandling Asbestos at Pilgrim Reactor Site
Attorney general says demolition put workers and residents at risk
BOSTON — Mass. Attorney General Andrea Campbell has filed a civil complaint against Holtec Decommissioning International, owner of the shuttered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, for a long list […]
IN THE BUD
An Azalea of Our Own
A flower bud in winter is a good symbol of hope, reminding us that spring will come again if we simply can endure. The shingled buds of the swamp azalea, […]
SHIFTING SANDS
Cape Cod’s Beach Grass Is Farm Grown
Among the turnips and pigs, Tim Friary cultivates an erosion-stopping crop
As climate change causes more frequent, more intense, and slower-moving storms, people on Outer Cape Cod are having to adjust their ideas about how quickly its beaches are eroding. A […]
BREAKING NEWS
State Sues Holtec for Mishandling Asbestos at Pilgrim Reactor Site
Attorney general says demolition put workers and residents at risk
BOSTON — Mass. Attorney General Andrea Campbell has filed a civil complaint against Holtec Decommissioning International, owner of the shuttered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, for a long list […]
WASTEWATER
Truro Will Sue 8 Homeowners for Cesspool Inaction
About half the town’s cesspool owners have upgraded; 75 will get extensions
TRURO — Installing a cesspool has been illegal in Massachusetts since 1978. They are considered “failed” septic systems. But people on the Outer Cape have kept on living with them […]
SHIFTING SANDS
Cape Cod’s Beach Grass Is Farm Grown
Among the turnips and pigs, Tim Friary cultivates an erosion-stopping crop
As climate change causes more frequent, more intense, and slower-moving storms, people on Outer Cape Cod are having to adjust their ideas about how quickly its beaches are eroding. A […]
MORNING FLIGHT
New Winter Birds That Are Here to Stay
Climate change has altered the birds we see as ‘ours’
Charles Townsend was an acclaimed ornithologist who lived on the North Shore of Boston. Studying the birds around him, he quickly rose to prominence as an expert on the bird […]
MIGHTY PHRAGMITES
America, the Invaded
The view across a Cape marsh in winter can be downright lyrical, with beautiful, spacious skies and amber waves of Phragmites australis, the invasive common reed. Soaring up to 20 […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Feb. 13 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
WHALE WATCH
Entanglement Leads to Death of Young Right Whale
Scientists offer facts, but misinformation grows with help from climate deniers
This article was updated on Feb. 28, 2024. PROVINCETOWN — A North Atlantic right whale was found dead near Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard on Jan. 28. The death represents a […]
CIVICS
Provincetown Adopts a ‘Phased Approach’ to DPW Renovation
Instead of a $31-million building, the town will start with a $5-million garage
PROVINCETOWN — Almost two years ago, departing Dept. of Public Works Director Rich Waldo made a pitch to the select board for a new DPW facility slated to cost $31 […]
SHARK SMART
So Far, Experiments With Shark Barriers Don’t Sway Local Experts
Growing acceptance of sharks’ presence shapes understanding of ‘mitigation’
WELLFLEET — Great white sharks have become as synonymous with Cape Cod summers as lobster rolls and bridge traffic. But as their population has rebounded after decades of decline, so […]
