SMF Board of Directors met for a two-day “offsite” retreat on October 22 and 23, 2021, at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury. The retreat was held to listen, share ideas, and engage in discussion, all aimed at forming a new five-year strategic plan for Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. The retreat was well-attended, with 28 of [...]
When walking in the Vineyard woods in spring, summer, or fall, we mostly notice the leaves: the pale uncurling new ones, the thick canopy of green ones, the yellow and brown ones signaling wintertime. But in the winter, a whole new world engages our attention: the lime-colored haze of the lichens that coat every boulder [...]
Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora Multiflora Rose is on the Massachusetts prohibited plants list, which bans “the importation, sale, and trade of plants determined to be invasive in Massachusetts.” Multiflora Rose grows quickly and tends to crowd out other species. It has been deemed a significant threat to native species and natural communities. Louis Bromfield, [...]
Could this tree be a Quercus bicolor, a swamp white oak, growing here at Quansoo? I had been pondering this tree for over a decade. Some years ago, on walking past the tree, I noticed that the leaves were a bit odd. They were crenate, which means that the leaves had wavy edges. The stem, [...]
Resolved by the Sheriff's Meadow Foundation Board of Directors: First, to affirm unequivocally the Board's commitment that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to the future of Sheriff's Meadow Foundation; and Second, in order to promote the benefits of conservation to all Islanders (year-round and seasonal), and to recognize that our lands exist within a [...]
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission have been working diligently on the draft management plan for Squibnocket Pond Reservation in Aquinnah. The two organizations have completed a year-long ecological inventory of the property. This inventory includes a detailed study of the flora and fauna that live upon and find habitat at [...]
California-based Rue Mapp travelled to the Vineyard at the end of July to introduce Islanders to Outdoor Afro, which she founded and is CEO of. SMF board member Amy Weinberg hosted a tomato tasting at Beetlebung Farm in honor of Mapp, who spoke about her desire to connect “Black people to the outdoors.” “Sometimes you’re [...]
Over a dozen people gathered at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School on August 12, and set off through the Southern Woodlands to the Oak Bluffs Water District building to hear Jesse Ausubel, a scientist with Rockefeller University, explain how environmental DNA (eDNA) can simplify the process of determining which fish are in a particular body [...]
Our annual summer benefit was spread out over four consecutive nights at Ashakomaksett Farm, thanks to the generosity of Ellen and Ed Harley, as well as all our event sponsors, which include Sara Piazza, Big Sky Tent, Jardin Mahoney and Paul Mahoney, and Bad Martha’s Brewery. The Summer Benefit Committee and Development Associate Susan Hughes [...]
By Kate Feiffer Porcelain Berry, Amur peppervine If you go to the MassAudubon’s website page for Invasive Plants, you are greeted with this line in large bold print: “Invasive plants are one of the greatest threats to the nature of Massachusetts.” “Invasives,” as they are commonly referred to, were often brought to our [...]
