WELLFLEET — Nearly 40 years ago the plump, sand-colored shorebird known as the piping plover was on the verge of extinction in Massachusetts. Now, following decades of conservation, the birds […]
Environment
THREE SEASONS
The Beach Plum’s Fall Show
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 28 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
MARINE LIFE
Speeding Boats Are Still Threatening Right Whales
Enforcement lags in waters that were once ‘open cowboy plains’
PROVINCETOWN — When right whales visit the seas around Cape Cod in the winter and early spring, large boats in the whales’ favored areas are barred from going faster than […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Rare Birds in Truro
A blackbird and a lark sparrow illustrate the ‘Patagonia Picnic Table Effect’
Late fall is a good time to find rarities on Cape Cod. A few far-flung birds can be counted on to arrive from the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and […]
VELVETY SUCKERS
Pedal Right Past the Staghorn Sumac’s Velvety Antlers
ROADKILL
The Unseen Toll of Traffic on the Outer Cape’s Animals
Closures, crossing signs, culverts, and just slowing down can prevent squishings
EASTHAM — Eight downy ducklings tried to cross Route 6 near Nauset Road in Eastham on Aug. 1, led by a streaked brown hen. Sometime before 7:30 a.m., a car […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 14 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 7 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
THE RESTORATION
Superstructure Arrives for Temporary Bridge Over Herring River
The new 320-foot one-lane span should be drivable by January
WELLFLEET — The construction site where Chequessett Neck Road crosses the Herring River was bustling on Oct. 24 as pallets of enormous metal squares called truss panels arrived on trucks. […]
CLEAN ENERGY
They’re Getting Smart About Solar in Eastham
It’s more affordable, but fewer people are adopting it
EASTHAM — Massachusetts has a problem, and Eastham is here to help. The state’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan calls for net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, which the plan says […]
LOOKING AHEAD
Provincetown and Truro Plan to Expand Water Systems
The need is distant, but infrastructure takes years to prepare
Throughout the last year, Provincetown and Truro have been mapping out the infrastructure improvements that will keep the towns supplied with fresh water far into the future. In presentations last […]
MORNING FLIGHT
A Visitor From Old Cape Cod on Wellfleet’s Great Island
A sighting of a prairie specialty is a reminder of local landscapes past
Wellfleet’s Great Island on a mid-October morning was full of the usual suspects for this time of year — the beaches were dotted with black-bellied plovers, the bayberries were dripping […]
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. 31 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ENVIRONMENT
Climate, Not Wind Farms, Is Called Threat to Whales
Scientists say turbine noise pales in comparison to ship strikes, entanglement, and loss of feeding grounds
PROVINCETOWN — The first turbine of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, eight miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, was successfully installed on Oct. 18. Meanwhile, some who are working against […]
