Along the quiet back stretch of the Beech Forest trail, a sea of serrated hearts has been patiently photosynthesizing since the spring, steadfastly preparing for its late summer show. The […]
Environment
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. 17 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
THE WATERSHED
Wellfleet Moves to Replace Cesspools and Old Septic Systems
The plan responds to state requirement to bring harbor nitrogen levels down
WELLFLEET — The board of health unveiled new regulations on Aug. 27 aimed at reducing nitrogen levels in Wellfleet Harbor and its estuaries. These regulations mandate cesspool removal and will […]
STRICT SCRUTINY
Proposed Beach Stairs Get OK From Cape Cod Commission
Homeowners’ proposal went through unusual state review after a local denial
TRURO — The Cape Cod Commission voted 11-1 on Sept. 5 to grant a Development of Regional Impact exemption for a proposed 200-foot stairway from a house at 3 Corn […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Birding on the Underwater Edge of the Continent
An overnight trip to witness sea life that thrives way, way offshore
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 […]
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 […]
