Category: Environment

The original clam cake bag, courtesy of John Howell.

SBA Accepts Offer for Future Park at Rocky Point

9/20/2012 - On Sept. 17, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced it has accepted the State of Rhode Island's offer to purchase 80+ acres of the Rocky Point property in Warwick. Some 40 acres have already been preserved along the coastline. The remaining acreage will be the future home of a state… SEE MORE

Without the noise of engines, the sounds of the natural world and noise of oar through water is almost deafening.

A Perfect Sunset Unfolds on the Maine Coast

9/17/2012 - Every now and then, the stars align and a perfect sunset unfolds. This one, just off the headquarters of WoodenBoat near Center Harbor was so vast, we thought we could row inside it. Then it seemed to bleed into the water around us and with one last stir of an… SEE MORE

New Arrivals at Petit Manan Point

Environment

9/15/2012 - The north winds that we have been anticipating indeed arrived, and with them a moderate influx of migrating birds to our area. The American Goldfinch is a common backyard bird, and if you’ve kept feeders you’ve likely had some good views of these beautiful birds. This male is currently molting… SEE MORE

Sometimes there are invasive non-living things in tide pools.

Coastal Ponderings: Do Tide Pools Have To-Do Lists?

9/12/2012 - Living on a small farm, I am plagued with endless to-do lists. As I try to recall the demand of spring projects, somehow the fall seems even more crammed with immediate needs and wants. Of course the needs of putting up firewood, storm windows, garden harvesting, storing winter hay, and… SEE MORE

Itching to get out one more time before winter comes, a wooden beauty rests on the docks of Great Cranberry Island.

Basking in the Splendor of September on the Maine Coast

9/11/2012 - I am prone to hyperbole, but I have to admit, when the month of September arrives on the Maine coast, a certain poignant smell — a mixture of spruce fir, ocean, and wild flowers — pervades the landscape and seems to take my breath away. It is the smell of… SEE MORE

At Petit Manan Point, Seabirds Have Become Songbirds

Environment

8/31/2012 - Here at the Petit Manan Point National Wildlife Refuge bird banding station we are very excited to have just begun our third season of migratory landbird monitoring. Since 2010 the station has banded over 5,000 individual birds of seventy-five different species, most of which are making their annual fall journey… SEE MORE

Woods Hole Center Offers Glimpse Into Ocean Science

8/30/2012 - A trip to Woods Hole affords you a visit to the incredible discoveries of the world-famous research institution called the Woods Hole Oceanographic (WHOI). In the midst of the many scientific research buildings in Woods Hole sits the Ocean Science Exhibit Center and Gift Shop. The exhibit center informs visitors… SEE MORE

The western side of Swans Island is a great place to scamper around the rocks and explore.

Enjoying Sweet Breezes on Swans Island

8/30/2012 - When I first travelled to Swans Island a few years back, I had the great fortune of discovering a truly stunning sand beach on the western side of the island. The beach and its surrounding shores, sitting under the splendid September sun at the end of a long and winding… SEE MORE

This view of a bowhead whale (at center top, with the smooth rostrum) is the first sighting of such a whale so far south.

Rare Sighting of Bowhead Whale Off Cape Cod

Environment

8/29/2012 - Researchers at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies have observed a bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) off Cape Cod. This is the first time in recorded history that a bowhead has been seen so far south in the North Atlantic. The bowhead was spotted in the waters east of Orleans by… SEE MORE

Scammell Bridge, carrying Route 4, looking toward the Bellamy River.

Bellamy River – A Hidden Gem In the Great Bay Estuary

8/28/2012 - There are seven rivers that drain into the Great Bay estuary, carrying freshwater runoff – as well as pollutants – from fifty-two communities including ten in Maine. The Bellamy River, which flows into Little Bay, originates from Swains Lake in Barrington and flows east through the Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury… SEE MORE