TRURO — The Pamet is not just a tidal river but an entire estuarial system — albeit an altered one — that stretches the width of Truro. At its eastern […]
Environment
‘RISK-SIGNIFICANT’ EVENTS
Holtec Confirms Pilgrim Worker Was Contaminated
Reactor’s owner downplays incident while revising wastewater permit wording
PLYMOUTH — An incident that exposed a worker at the shuttered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to airborne radioactive contamination was confirmed on June 14 by Patrick O’Brien, spokesman for Holtec […]
MORNING FLIGHT
In Wellfleet, Watching a Bird That Relies on Us
Pushed out by starlings, purple martins need nests made by humans
At this time of year, a unique birdsong rings out over the parking lot at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s jumbled and metallic, almost bubbly, and unlike any […]
SEEDY AND SUNBAKED
Oh Lanceolata, Thou Showeth Up Everywhere
Yellow-blooming species of the Coreopsis genus are not native to New England, though several have come from elsewhere in the country to naturalize here. The most widespread visitor is Coreopsis lanceolata, a tough […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, June 18 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
NATIONAL SEASHORE
After a Spring Collapse, Longnook Beach Is Open Again
The beach is still best for the steely, not the faint of foot
TRURO — Longnook Beach reopened on May 16 after a two-month closure caused by extreme coastal erosion. The dune under the steep sandy pathway that leads from the parking lot […]
THE HIGH ROAD
Bound Brook Island Road Unbounded by Temporary Fix
DPW’s just-in-time job will do until the Herring River Project’s road-raising begins
WELLFLEET — For most of the winter and spring, repeated flooding has left Bound Brook Island periodically cut off from the rest of town. For months, the island’s 11 property […]
BENEFICIAL INSECTS
Life Among the Dragonflies and Damselflies
Watching as the odes emerge for their one short season in the sun
If you are in the right place and at the right time, you might find yourself among the dragonflies and damselflies as they emerge from their natal coastal ponds 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, June 11 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
THE SPROUTS
Pea Shoots and Pansies Washed Down With Kale
At a school salad party, students sample a medley of herbs and greens
TRURO — Students at Truro Central School, be they kindergartners or fifth-graders, know that the florets that sprout at the top of kale plants are to be picked. And eaten. […]
ALLERGIES
Peak Pine Pollen Is Upon Us
With a burst of sticky yellow dust, the forest’s sex life comes into view
WELLFLEET — The beginning of summer brings a few things denizens of the Outer Cape are wary of, bridge traffic and a bump in gas prices among them. But perhaps […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Hawkwatching on Bearberry Hill
A sunny day with southwest winds brings high-flying tourists to Truro
TRURO — In the world of birding, there are a few categories with their own histories and techniques. Seawatching, where a birder peers out at the sea with a scope […]
IRIS ESCAPADES
I’m So Over This Rainbow
The iris shares its name with the Greek goddess of the rainbow, ostensibly for the multitude of colors found across its hundreds of species worldwide. In this neck of 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, June 4 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
IN THE FLOODPLAIN
Provincetown Weighs In as DEP Proposes New Coastal Protection Rules
The rules are no problem for Old Reliable plan, but its expansion on coastal dune might be
PROVINCETOWN — The Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection has proposed revisions to its wetlands regulations aimed at providing better protection to coastal floodplains from the effects of climate change, sea […]
