Anchoring Moratorium Begins in Lake Tashmoo

The Tisbury select board voted unanimously Wednesday to impose an immediate moratorium on anchoring in Lake Tashmoo until the town has developed a policy to reduce the number of visiting boats.

Read More

Foundation, MVC Team Up for Eelgrass Mapping Project

The Edgartown Great Pond Foundation has worked with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to produce a first-of-its-kind map of eelgrass in Slough Cove.

Read More

Tisbury Designates No-Anchor Zone in Lake Tashmoo
Heather Hamacek

Tisbury selectman have designated Drew’s Cove in Lake Tashmoo a no-anchoring zone for an indefinite period of time to protect fragile eelgrass beds near the head of the saltwater estuary.

Read More

Quitsa Pond Is Laboratory for Eelgrass Restoration; Results Mixed
Alex Elvin

Nashaquitsa Pond has become a laboratory for eelgrass restoration, although poor water quality and other factors appear to be keeping the aquatic species from re-establishing.

Read More

Eelgrass Pilot Set to Begin at Quitsa Pond
Alex Elvin

With support from the Edey Foundation, the Chilmark shellfish department plans to restore vital eelgrass beds that vanished from Nashaquitsa Pond.

Read More

Where Has All the Quitsa Eelgrass Gone? Crabs and Geese May Be to Blame
Alex Elvin

An unexpected absence of eelgrass in Nashaquitsa Pond this summer may be the result of crab predation and goose foraging over the harsh winter. The Chilmark shellfish constable said he's never seen such a sudden decline in the aquatic plant that plays a vital role in the life cycle of shellfish.

Read More

Report on Tashmoo Pond Tracks Decline in Water Quality
Alex Elvin

More than 10 years after the state began studying Tashmoo Pond as part of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, a final report on the pond’s declining health is expected to be released this week.

Read More

Another Year, Another effort on Eelgrass: Sunken Treasures in Sengekontacket Pond
Mandy Locke

It's like gardening, William Wilcox and Paul Bagnall explain,
but with a twist. All the planting is done underwater.

Read More

Fields of Green
Suzan Bellincampi

Keep off the grass.

Good advice for the grass that is the only type of turf that I would ever advocate for. I am no lover of lawns; wildflowers and weeds are more valuable for the wild things in our neighborhood.

The grass of which I speak never needs trimming. In fact, the attempt to mowit would be something tosee. While it grows rapidly in the spring, it should never be cut atall. No matter, as no one has yet built an aquatic lawnmower.

Read More

Eelgrass Makes A Comeback In Katama Bay
Mark Alan Lovewell

The decline of eelgrass on the Vineyard and along the eastern seaboard has been known and documented for many years. Eelgrass is key to the health of a coastal pond ecosystem, and its disappearance has had a significant impact on sea life, fish and shellfish.

But in at least one area of Katama Bay, eelgrass appears to be coming back — thanks to the breach at Norton Point Beach, biologists believe. And the news could have ramifications for other ponds around the Island.

Read More

Pages