Reproductive Health Overlooked
To the editor:
I was pleased to see your front-page article on childbirth on Outer Cape Cod [“Childbirth on the Edge,” Sept. 6, 2019], a topic that along with women’s reproductive health care in general is all too often overlooked.
As a midwife who specializes in women’s health care, including prenatal care, I have seen first-hand both the anxiety that lack of local prenatal care can bring as well as the improvement in access to care that having a local midwife offers.
Providing prenatal care for the families of Outer Cape Health Services was one of the great joys of my professional career. Unfortunately, my decision to work part-time led to the elimination of this much needed program.
I hope that your attention to this subject will generate interest in revitalizing the provision of local women’s health and prenatal care.
—Meredith Goff, CNM, Wellfleet
For Stricter Shellfish Regulations
To the editor:
Re: “Selectmen Tighten Rules on Overwintered Shellfish Racks” [online, Sept. 26], I support more strict regulation of aquaculture overwintering practices, which I see as just one part of the changes we will all need to make as we face the impact of human pressure on the natural world.
It is understandable that perhaps all of us wish for and recall a simpler world with fewer laws and regulations. This understanding, however, does not change the reality that if we are to continue to enjoy and make a living from the natural world, we must make changes that can seem draconian and unnecessary. We seek a new and sustainable balance with the natural world not because it is optional or easy, but because it is fundamentally important and, yes, hard. We are all part of the problem and must all be part of the solution.
I recommend that a comprehensive sonar assessment, which can be done by the Center for Coastal Studies, be funded and conducted throughout all of Wellfleet’s waters, followed by allocation of funds to pay for necessary cleanup. If we do these two things, Wellfleet’s shellfishing industry, Wellfleet Harbor, and Wellfleet as a whole can develop a reputation for unparalleled sustainability that will only enhance the value of our shellfish and the reputation of our town.
Let’s see this as an opportunity to be groundbreaking in a way that will keep and attract jobs, protect our town, attract “ecotourists,” and truly become Sustainable Wellfleet.
—David Mead-Fox, Wellfleet
Nudes in the Window
To the editor:
Having just read Susannah Fulcher’s lovely article on the wonderful Elspeth Halvorsen [Sept. 6, page 10], I am stymied as to why there was no mention of the Sun Gallery, of which she and Tony Vevers were such an integral part.
This gallery, which I remember as being located across the street from the Grey Inn (now Spindler’s), became a veritable cause célèbre in the late 1950s for exhibiting nudes in the window. The Catholic Church went crazy, as I recall. Because I was just a little girl then, I don’t remember how it was eventually resolved, but I do remember how controversial it was and that Tony and Elspeth were involved.
—Mary-Jo Avellar, Provincetown
Memories of Vevers
To the editor:
Thank you for the fantastic story on Elspeth Halvorsen. She and Tony Vevers were good friends of my parents.
I remember when the police made the gallery that was showing Tony’s work put curtains on its windows so schoolchildren wouldn’t be exposed to nudity.
I know the “large painting” by Tony mentioned in the story that was sold, allowing Tony and Elspeth to purchase Rothko’s home. I believe that it is called “To the Sea” and it is one of the most beautiful paintings that I have ever seen.
It now hangs in a home that was built around that one piece of art. Elspeth and Tony were part of the old guard of artists, gifted and generous.
—Tony Zehnder, Truro
Parking and Drinking
To the editor:
A finding of Wellfleet’s Parking Task Force states: “Parking regulations need to be enforced, especially at sites other than beaches. Parking regulations are in the General Bylaws, Marina Regulations and the Zoning Bylaws.”
I find it odd that the parking task force wants parking regulations to be enforced but hasn’t suggested enforcement of the Wellfleet town bylaw and beach regulation that states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to consume alcoholic beverages on public highways or in public places including vehicles thereon, including all Town owned property, within the Town of Wellfleet.” (General bylaws, Article VII, Section 19.)
Having Wellfleet Beach Director Suzanne Thomas, who is also a member of the parking task force, start enforcing that bylaw instead of ignoring it year after year would solve the shortage of parking at Wellfleet beaches. Instantly.
Throngs of beachgoers getting hammered at Cahoon Hollow daily is a public safety issue. If a drunken brawl ever erupted there resulting in injury or death I believe the town would be liable for failure to enforce its own regulations.
Where are the Wellfleet Select Board and town administrator on this issue?
—Mike Rice, Wellfleet
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Letters to the Independent
The Provincetown Independent welcomes letters from readers on all subjects. They must be signed with the writer’s name, home address, and telephone number (for verification). Letters should be no more than 300 words and may be edited for clarity, accuracy, conciseness, and good taste. Longer pieces (up to 600 words) may be submitted for consideration as op-ed commentary. Send letters to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1034, Provincetown, MA 02657.