Bluedot Living Martha's Vineyard Fall Winter 2025-2026
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“ Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. On it everyone you love .” –Carl Sagan
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So much about this issue, we realize, is fodder for follow-ups or other bigger stories. Maybe that’s because many of the people we featured this season are still in the midst of discovery themselves. From the scientists testing new ways to monitor pond health to the gardeners rethinking what’s worth growing, this issue is full of experiments, and the curiosity that fuels them. Along the way, we see that science isn’t confined to labs. Take, for example, a group of neighbors in Chilmark who just want their pond to be healthy and enjoyable. They formed a foundation, researched, raised funds, and bought a sonic buoy that might solve a nutrient problem plaguing Island ponds — with guidance from scientists. Or consider Anna Edey, who at 87 still pushes for doing things the right way: green, cost-effective, and bold enough to challenge regulations when needed. These stories, and many others in this issue, show that curiosity
and action often spark real change. You’ll also meet a biodiversity technician exploring what belongs in our landscapes, a WHOI oceanographer who
“listens” to sound wave data, and two young oyster farmers experimenting with offshore aquaculture. And Susan Branch, who once described herself as her “own science project” when it comes to cooking and exploring different dietary needs.
Real work happens in the space where science meets community, when research blends with local knowledge and care. On the Vineyard, that collaboration shows up everywhere, from ponds and gardens to kitchens and town meetings.
Reading about what Islanders are experimenting with might even inspire us to look at our own routines, gardens, and neighborhoods with fresh eyes. Curiosity is contagious, and the best experiments often start with a single question that leads to a million more.
Thank you as always for reading. We’ll see you in the spring!
– Britt Bowker
Garden Angels
BAGGAGE GIRLS
Maddie Henson of Top Shell Oyster.
12 Food is Medicine on MV Plus: A major greenhouse renovation at IGI.
20 What’s Worth It in the Vegetable Garden
By Laura D. Roosevelt
Over the years, some items have fallen off the planting list, and new favorites have been added.
25 An Oyster a Day Keeps Carbon Emissions at Bay
By Laney Henson
Meet the founders of Top Shell Oyster Farm.
30 All About the New Sonic Buoy Technology in Chilmark Pond
By Britt Bowker
Scientists are watching closely: if it works here, it could be “huge news” for tackling cyanobacteria blooms on-Island and beyond.
38 How a Blind Oceanographer at WHOI Studies TemperatureRegulating Currents
By Allison Braden
Amy Bower and the Accessible Oceans project turn data into sound.
42 What’s So Bad About Geoengineering?
By Leslie Garrett
From controlling weather to changing ocean alkalinity to placing mirrors in the sky, can — or should — humanity engineer its way out of our climate crisis?
48 Susan Branch Finds Beauty (and Sustainability) in Simple Pleasures (+ Recipes!)
By Leslie Garrett
The beloved Vineyard author built a cottage industry out of old homes, thrifted finds, hearty recipes, and a love of New England.
56 Plant This, Not That
By Robyn Graygor
Four invasive species and their Vineyard-native alternatives.
Departments
10 Dear Dot How Long Will My Battery-Powered Tools Last?
15 Q&A: Joseph Vanderhoop Lee Discusses New Book
By Victoria Riskin
Nothing More of This Land explores the Island’s Indigenous history.
60 Climate Champ: Anna Edey
By Britt Bowker
For decades, Anna has experimented with ways to live that minimize fossil fuel use, avoid nitrogen pollution, and reduce costs.
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YOUR GUIDE TO
Sustainable GIFTS
By Julia Cooper
Meaningful gifts don’t need to be extravagant or wrapped in glitter — they just need to come from the heart. Whether it’s a thoughtfully chosen book, a locally made treasure, or an experience that encourages adventure, the best presents invite us to connect with each other, our communities, and the planet we share. This season, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite ideas for gifting sustainably, locally, and with joy.
If you want to dress up your gifts while minimizing waste, check out Wrappily’s gift wrap (bit.ly/wrappily). With wrapping paper printed on 100% recycled newsprint and ribbons that are compostable and biodegradable, you can celebrate your favorite festive traditions while staying conscious of your
environmental impact. We also love Cute Root Holiday Cards (bit.ly/cute-root), zero-waste greeting cards that never need to hit the landfill or recycling bin. Each compostable card is plantable! After a quick soak and germination period, the cards can be planted and will eventually sprout a small garden of non-invasive wildflowers.
LOCAL GOODS On
the Vineyard, we are lucky to have a vibrant community of local businesses, farms, and artists. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorites, but there are countless options beyond what we’ve featured here. You can find plenty of products including candles, soaps, pottery, and preserves at Martha’s Vineyard Made (marthasvineyardmade.com). Also, be sure to visit the Vineyard Artisans Festivals and Featherstone’s Holiday Gift Show. From handmade knits and jewelry to teas and home decor, the Island’s artisans never disappoint with their skill and creativity.
Left, Cute Root holiday cards are plantable.
Above, Wrappily gift wrap is printed on recycled newsprint.
29th Annual Vineyard
Artisans Thanksgiving Festival
Agricultural Hall
(35 Panhandle Rd., West Tisbury)
November 28 and 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
18th Annual Vineyard
Artisans Holiday Festival
Dr. Daniel Fisher House (99 Main St., Edgartown)
December 20 and 21, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Featherstone’s 23rd Annual Holiday Gift Show
Featherstone Center for the Arts (30 Featherstone Ln., Oak Bluffs) November 12th – December 17th (closed on Thanksgiving), 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
A Disc Golf Kit from Lazy Frog
Gateway golf discs are made from 100% recycled plastic, and disc golf is a low-impact way to spend some time getting active outdoors — we’ve got a great disc golf course in the State Forest. You can find Gateway golf discs (and kids’ toys made from recycled plastic!) at Lazy Frog in Oak Bluffs.
A Snack-Filled Tote from Morning Glory
For the avid snacker, pick up a tote bag from Morning Glory Farm and load it up with delicious goodies. From beach plum jelly to fresh flowers, Morning Glory has everything you need for fabulous stocking stuffers and hostess gifts.
Visit Morning Glory Farm, 120 Meshacket Road, Edgartown; or shop online at MorningGloryFarm.com
Visit the shop, 42 Circuit Ave., Oak Bluffs; or shop online lazyfrogmv.com
Bring Life to Your Landscape
BOOKS
When I give someone a book, I love including a gift certificate to a local bookseller. More than the book itself, the gift is the joy of reading — and I want my friends to explore the stacks for themselves. Visit Bunch of Grapes (23 Main St., Vineyard Haven) or Edgartown Books (44 Main St., Edgartown) to support our Island’s indie booksellers.
Print Ain’t
Dead
Print Ain’t Dead is a forthcoming anthology from Mountain Gazette, the iconic outdoor magazine celebrating its 60th anniversary. Bluedot Living contributor Miles Howard is among the writers featured in this collection, alongside the likes of Edward Abbey and Hunter S. Thompson.
Reflecting on the anthology, Miles says, “At a time when we are constantly being told — by people with way too much money and power — that audiences do not want these kinds of stories anymore, I think it’s important to highlight anything which reminds us of the ground truth.” Print Ain’t Dead is a great gift for readers who want to keep these stories alive. Preorder from Mountain Gazette here: bit.ly/print-aint-dead.
Nothing More of this Land
by Joseph Lee
In Nothing More of This Land, journalist and member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe Joseph Lee takes the reader through a sweeping narrative of Indigenous life. From Martha’s Vineyard to Alaska, Lee explores how Native communities are reclaiming and resisting stereotypes, and confronting legacies of colonialism. Nothing More of This Land is a meaningful gift for readers interested in history, social justice, and the stories that connect us all. Order online at bit.ly/nothing-more-thrift-books.
Water Borne
by Dan Rubinstein
Journalist Dan Rubinstein embarks on a 1,200-mile stand-up paddleboard adventure to explore the power of “blue space,” the mental and physical benefits of being near water. Water Borne blends travel writing with science and shows the reader how rivers, lakes, and shorelines can inspire joy, wellness, and activism. This Bluedot favorite is a refreshing read for anyone who loves spending time by the water. Order online at bit.ly/water-borne-book-shop.
EXPERIENCES
The best gifts are often the hardest to pack into boxes, and the most sustainable gifts are the ones that won’t sit on a shelf gathering dust. These experiential gifts are some of our favorites.
Masterclass
Whenever sustainable gift-giving comes up, I’m quick to pitch a subscription to Masterclass — not just for diversity of content and educational value, but also because it’s one of the favorite gifts I’ve received in recent memory. Since starting my Masterclass journey several years ago, I’ve taken classes from David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood, RuPaul, Noam Chomsky, and Gordon Ramsay.
For those interested in sustainability, food systems, and the natural world, Masterclass has no shortage of eco-conscious content. Ron Finley’s course on guerrilla gardening teaches practical tips for growing your own food in an urban setting. Michael Pollan’s deep dive on intentional eating challenges you to recontextualize your relationship with food. Jessie Krebs teaches wilderness survival skills. Jane Goodall shares stories from her work in conservation. And the list goes on! There’s sure to be something among Masterclass’ hours of content to satisfy the lifelong learner. Explore more at bit.ly/masterclass-gifts.
Headspace
Finding time for rest and relaxation can be difficult — a subscription to the Headspace app can make that a little bit easier with guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, and tranquil soundscapes. Find out more at bit.ly/headspace-gifts.
Parks Pass
A Parks Pass offers access to over 2,000 National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands. If you know someone who loves traveling and spending time outdoors, a Parks Pass is the ultimate ticket to adventure. From seaside cliffs to desert canyons, this gift keeps on giving for the whole year. Find it at bit.ly/parks-pass.
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Dear Bob,
Dear Dot: How Long Will My Battery-Powered Tools Last?
Dear Dot,
I love my battery-driven leaf blower, string trimmer, and snow blower, but after what doesn't seem like that long (it's probably been five years of use), I've got a battery that will no longer hold a charge.
First question: How long should one of these batteries retain the ability to recharge? How much is that related to how it’s stored?
Second question (even though one was two): What is the responsible way to recycle or dispose of these batteries?
– Bob
The short answer:
Dot is delighted that you are embracing battery-powered tools around your home, not only reducing carbon pollution (gas-powered tools emit more pollutants than a pick-up truck, according to a study!) but also noise. Gas-powered leaf blowers produce enough noise to damage hearing. And they most definitely annoy your neighbors.
Consequently, almost all the towns on the Vineyard have voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers (Aquinnah has no plans to do so, at this point). While the bans won’t take effect until 2028, restrictions limiting the number of tools in use per property, and the number of hours that they can be in use, are imminent.
Dot remains firmly in the leavethe-leaves camp, and so it falls (lol) to Mr. Dot to mow and blow (and, when the time comes, de-snow).
Thus, lacking expertise, I turned to Kevin Carroll, who is such a home gear enthusiast that he created an
entire site dedicated to testing and reviewing what’s out there. Indeed, he pointed me to a comprehensive post about the best battery-powered lawn tools (bit.ly/battery-lawn-tools) that anyone considering purchasing (or replacing) should check out.
But Kevin also weighed in on your particular dilemma, Bob, noting that the five years you got out of your battery is actually pretty darn good — and at the longer end of what we might expect. The typical lifespan, he says, is three to five years of regular use — or 500 to 1,000 charge cycles. Obviously, the more you use your tools, the quicker the battery will degrade, necessitating responsible disposal (we’ll get to that). First, let’s consider how to ensure you get the maximum lifespan out of your batteries.
• CHARGING: ”There is an unwritten or implied practice for best maintaining lithium battery life called the 80/20 rule,” Kevin tells us. Don’t charge to 100% or fully use up the charge. “Instead,” he says, “they should ideally be charged to 80% and discharged to approximately 20%.” However, he admits, it can be hard to do this when some of the batteries lack a meter letting us know what level the charge is at. Better brands, he says, such as EGO, do include an indicator.
• STORAGE: Extreme heat or cold reduces lifespan, according to Kevin, who says that the best place to store your battery-powered tools is cool (40–70°F) and dry. Move your batteries indoors after each mowing season, he recommends, and into a dry, climate-controlled storage room.
You can expect up to five years from your battery-powered garden tools. Ensure that you get the most out of them by adhering to proper charging, storing, and use. And when they come to the end of their lives, dispose of them responsibly either by recycling them or taking them to somewhere that will ensure safe disposal.
• QUALITY: Kevin already alluded to the value you get from buying a higher-quality battery-powered tool, noting that higher-end brands (he cites EGO, Greenworks, or DeWalt) typically have longer-lasting cells and better protection circuits. (For more detail, check out his post on what, specifically, to look for, including info on how charge is measured and more.)
Alas, however, your battery‚ no matter the quality, will eventually reach the end of its life. What then? Kevin, the battery undertaker, has some ideas. What we shouldn’t do, he says, is throw lithium ion batteries in the trash or the recycling bin, as they are a fire hazard if punctured or damaged. What we should do is seek out local recycling programs — many municipalities offer household hazardous waste collection or drop-off locations. On the Vineyard, take yours to the Martha’s Vineyard Refuse District in Edgartown.
There are battery recycling programs (as Bluedot’s Guide to Getting Rid of (Almost) Anything notes: bit.ly/ GetRidMV), including Call2Recycle, which has drop-off locations at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Best Buy in both the U.S. and Canada. Some manufacturers offer take-back programs, Kevin reports, so check that out, too.
To prepare batteries for disposal, Kevin says best practice requires that
you discharge the battery as much as possible, tape the terminals (electrical contacts) with non-conductive tape (e.g., electrical tape) to prevent accidental short circuits, and place the batteries in a plastic or cardboard container, not metal.
But Bob, if I may, let me plead my case for laziness when it comes to dealing with leaves (snow, of course, must be removed, and feel free to whack at weeds, including invasive species that overtake our gardens. Dot recently wrestled with mugwort and emerged triumphant. For now.). By leaving your fall leaves where they … well, fall, you are creating habitat for many of the good insects that prop up our ecosystems, such as bees and butterflies, and even songbirds and small mammals can seek refuge there. As Dot has said, a tidy lawn is often an unhealthy one, previously noting that “By leaving leaves on the ground, you’re essentially putting out a buffet of nutrients — primarily carbon, nitrogen,
potassium, and phosphorus — that nourish your grass and plants, and feed the worms that enrich your soil.” Dot is not anti-mulch, so you have my blessing to mulch those leaves with your electric mower or blow them into your garden, where those mulched leaves will act as nature’s blanket for your plants and a cozy refuge for overwintering bugs. (Though Dot’s copyeditor Laura will not put out the welcome blanket for bugs in her vegetable garden, noting “they are often the pests I spend so much time trying to get rid of.” Fair enough, Laura. Excluding veggie gardens.)
– Lazily, Dot
Please send your questions to deardot@bluedotliving.com
Want to see more Dear Dots? Find lots here: bit.ly/Dear-Dot-Hub
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IGI’s CSA features food from its fields, greenhouse, and pastured hens.
PRESCRIBING PRODUCE, BUILDING RESILIENCE
How the Island is putting the state's Food is Medicine program into action, linking nutrition, healthcare, and climate resilience.
By Britt Bowker
n a late August morning, I sat with Island Grown Initiative’s (IGI) coexecutive director, Noli Taylor, at a picnic table in the farm’s community garden. She was catching me up on a development: after years of pilot programs, Food is Medicine — the idea that good nutrition is as essential to health as any prescription — is taking root on the Vineyard.
“It’s so intuitive,” she told me. “Of course if you improve nutrition access for everyone, then health outcomes are going to improve too.”
Last year, IGI won a $40,000 grant from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s Community Benefits Program, allowing them to launch a referral Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Healthcare providers at the hospital and at Island Health Care can now essentially “prescribe” fresh produce for patients facing food insecurity, diet-related disease, or both.
“We see the impact that healthy food access has on people’s lives, and also the healthcare industry has a lot of resources, and if some of those could be directed toward supporting nutrition access then that could help sustain
programs like ours,” Noli said. “Especially at a moment when federal funding for food access and nutritious food for communities is dwindling. Where can those resources come from? And it would make a lot of sense for the health industry to be one of those places of support for programs like these.”
Thanks to the grant, 24 people participated in IGI’s summer CSA program through referrals from healthcare practitioners.
This winter, 20 participants are expected to enroll. The summer CSA share, typically costing around $900 for the season, was free to those referred. IGI also partners with Slough Farm to run monthly cooking classes, hosted by chef Charlie Granquist who teaches participants how to prepare the foods that arrive in their CSA shares.
“We’re really thinking about how to orient our CSA more toward Food is Medicine, and also make sure that it’s accessible to people who are lower income,” Noli said. “That’s something we’ll be growing over the next few years.”
Separately, IGI’s Food Equity Director Merrick Carreiro is working with Prudence Athearn from Vineyard Nutrition to develop nutritionally tailored, or medically tailored, pantry boxes. Patients with specific dietary needs will be referred to the Island Food Pantry to access foods that support their health. The teams are also collaborating with UMass Amherst nutrition and public health student Maia Donnelly to design the boxes, which will roll out this fall and winter and resemble personalized shopping lists for people managing conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or those on dialysis.
“Thanks to Maia’s hard work and dedication, the shopping lists and all related materials are currently under review with a licensed dietician and will soon be available for all Pantry clients,” Merrick said.
The shopping lists will contain all the food items available through the Food Pantry and use a color-coded system: green means eat often (foods rich in fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals that support heart and blood vessel health while low in added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats); yellow means eat in moderation (may contain moderate amounts of sodium, added sugars, and/or saturated fats); and red means eat rarely (contains high amounts of sodium, added sugars, and/or saturated fats.)
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Island Health Care has been running a Food is Medicine initiative since 2022. Providers can prescribe qualifying patients to a produce prescription program, where they use a Fresh Connect debit card to buy fruits and vegetables at grocery stores. Both Stop & Shops are set up for this system, and 79 people were enrolled this year. The program sunsets at the end of 2025, sparking the deeper collaboration with IGI.
As part of an MV Vision Fellowship project, Island Health Care Director of Community Health Haley Dolan and IGI’s Merrick Carreiro are also developing a bidirectional healthcare program. The software-based tool would allow healthcare providers to connect patients to food access programs and track outcomes, creating a feedback loop that shows how healthy food impacts health. According to Haley, the top reasons for referrals include food insecurity, overweight or obesity, anxiety or depression, hypertension, or type 2 diabetes, often compounded by financial strain.
This work draws on nearly a decade of collaboration among more than 25 local organizations part of the Island Food Equity Network, which has been steadily strengthening links between healthcare, food access, and climate action. “We know our
INDIGO FARM
healthcare providers, we know our social service providers — it’s just about making the connections between them,” Noli said.
Massachusetts is a leader in the Food is Medicine space, with its coalition and state plan. Research shows that specific nutrition interventions can directly improve health outcomes while reducing healthcare costs. Noli explains the Food is Medicine Pyramid: at the base are broad food access programs like SNAP and WIC; next are population-level healthy food initiates; then produce prescription or voucher programs; followed by medically tailored food programs; and at the top, medically tailored meal programs.
On the Vineyard, these programs do more than improve health, they strengthen local food systems. Each CSA share prescribed to a patient supports Island farming, keeps food miles low, and reduces reliance on industrial agriculture, one of the largest contributors to climate change. And as climate change makes global food supply chains more fragile, connecting people to healthy food grown close to home builds resilience for the entire community.
These initiatives also align with the Island’s Climate Action Plan Food Security Goal #2: By 2040, MV aims to have a climate-resilient physical and social framework that ensures all residents have access to appropriate, ample, and nourishing food, with dignity.
More Updates from IGI: Major Greenhouse Renovation
A major renovation is underway at the IGI greenhouse! Starting this fall, the entire space will be overhauled, with work expected to be completed by spring.
The 30,000 square-foot greenhouse, built 41 years ago for hydroponic tomatoes, was designed for soilless systems that require sensitive temperature control, pumps circulating water, and significant energy use — all at odds with IGI’s shift toward regenerative agriculture and renewable energy.
“That huge space to grow hydroponic food just hasn’t resonated as we’ve tried to pivot to all renewable energy,” Noli said.
IGI has already converted the back 60 percent of the greenhouse to soil-based production with “basically no heat all year,” Noli says. “And it’s been really productive — really successful. So we would like the whole space to be in soil.”
But the aging infrastructure presents challenges. Ventilation has deteriorated, which can lead to fungal diseases and pest problems when using soil for plants. And the roof’s large glass panes aren’t safe anymore.
“So upgrading all of that to safety glass, improving the ventilation, putting in all new shade curtains, having automated venting systems so we don’t have to have our staff coming in Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings,” Noli says. “It’ll all be automated, a big labor savor. … And then the whole front bay will become a big wash and pack facility with upgraded pumping, draining, storage, and new coolers,” Noli says. “We’re really excited.”
Learn more about IGI and their many programs at igimv.org. Learn more about Island Health Care’s Produce Prescription program at
In his beautifully woven narrative, Nothing More of this Land: Community, Power and the Search for Indigenous Identity, Joseph Vanderhoop Lee, an Aquinnah Wampanoag writer, takes us on his personal journey to learn the truth of his family history, Martha’s Vineyard, the Aquinnah Wampanoag, and Indigenous peoples elsewhere. Joseph is now teaching at Columbia University in New York, and mentoring other budding writers from Indigenous communities around the country. His richly detailed book, written with pride and honesty, captures both the Island that residents know and the Island unseen. His intimate search for identity will be familiar and moving to anyone who has wondered who they are and where they came from.
I sat down with Joseph in my home just after the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival and then spoke with him again after I read his book. In reflecting back on our meeting that day on my deck, I reminded myself that the property on which my house sits and the fields I enjoy looking at every day were once the lands of his people. Check local bookstores or find the book on Amazon at: bit.ly/JosephLeeBook, and on Thriftbooks at bluedotliving.com/TBNothing-More-Regional.
Victoria Riskin: I loved your book. Was there a moment when you said to yourself: I’m going to write this book?
Joseph Lee: It was a growing feeling where I knew these stories were important and I wanted to do something with them. I wanted to learn more about the tribe and my family and the Indigenous experience. I didn’t know what form it would take, or that I could even write a book. And then eventually it was “Well, here I am and this is what I’m doing.”
VR: You unravel for yourself and the reader the misconceptions that you had as a child about
AN INDIGENOUS ISLANDER’S Search for Identity
By Victoria Riskin
In Joseph Vanderhoop Lee’s new book, he shares what his personal journey taught him about Indigenous people here on the Vineyard, and across the globe — their struggles, customs, and relationship to the natural world.
Joseph Lee in the Aquinnah store his grandmother ran each summer.
your family and your Indigenous heritage. Can you give an example of one of the misconceptions you unraveled?
JL: One was my family name, my middle name, Vanderhoop. It’s well known on the Island and in the tribe. We’re a large family. I always assumed some Vanderhoop came on the Mayflower, some white colonist, but it was actually long after the Mayflower … [the first] Vanderhoop was half Dutch, half Surinamese and came from what was a Dutch colony [in South America]. From the photos, he was a relatively dark skinned person. He ended up in New Bedford, where he met my greatgreat-great-grandmother toward the end of the 1800s … and they eventually came to Martha’s Vineyard.
VR: Your grandfather went to Japan after the War (WWII) and hadn’t planned to come back, but then did and brought his Japanese wife here. Tell me a little bit about her.
JL: Charlie Vanderhoop Jr. was born at the Gay Head lighthouse. His father was the lighthouse keeper. He eventually became a great sailor and amazing boat captain. He sailed around the world and was in the merchant marines. He met my grandmother, Hatsuko, in Japan, and they lived there for about five years. He decided he needed to come home after my mom was born. It was a really hard move for my grandmother, coming from this giant city in Japan to really, really small-town Martha’s Vineyard, which back then was even smaller.
My favorite feedback on the book was when my mom said I really captured her mom, my grandmother, who passed away when I was young. The more I learned about her, the more I admired who she was — her spirit and energy and resilience to be able to stay on a tiny island so far from her family. She was early in renting out the family home to summer residents, and she made extra income selling beach plum jam to buy things for the kids.
VR: It’s natural for us to search for our identity and when we find we have different family threads, and we aren’t always sure which to embrace.
JL: Yes. I wanted to write this book out of my own personal reckoning and what it means to be me, with my different family backgrounds and heritages and cultures and traditions. It’s easy to make stereotypical assumptions and think “I have to be this one thing,” say, Wampanoag. Those are the questions that drove me to want to learn more about the tribe and family history, but also about other Indigenous people across the country and around the world. We’re all trying to figure these things out. To ask about identity and community and belonging is universal — at least I hope so.
We're all trying to figure out our relationship with the land.
How do we protect it? How do we protect our community and our traditions while also evolving for the future?
VR: Where did you go around the country and the world and what did you find in other Indigenous communities?
JL: A few of the places I went are Oklahoma and Alaska, Southern Oregon, and Northern California. I talked to Indigenous people from other countries — Australia, Ecuador. We’re all trying to figure out our relationship with the land. How do we protect it? How do we protect our community and our traditions while also evolving for the future? A lot of the same conversations are happening in different places, but in totally different contexts — from the freezing icy landscape in Alaska to the smoky forests in Northern California, where fire is a big conversation.
VR: At some point in your journey you fully embraced your Indigenous identity. Is “Indigenous” the right word?
JL: I think people are sometimes confused about terminology, but I think the best thing is to be specific and talk about the Aquinnah Wampanoag people, not Native Americans. I think the term “Indigenous” came into being to find a way of talking for all these people with an identity built around collective effort, collective struggle, but also collective hope and shared energy and work. And so I think it’s a definition that rests in action, rather than in any kind of passive definition. And to me, that was a really important lesson.
VR: You write about the complexities of the different tribal communities, rules, constitutions, and deciding what constitutes membership in a tribe — how different that can be from one tribal community or nation to another, like the Freedmen for the Cherokee.
JL: Freedmen are descendants of people who were enslaved by five tribes which are now in Oklahoma: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw Muscogee Creek, and Seminole Nations. Before the Civil War they all owned slaves, and after the Civil
War there were treaties signed between the tribes and the U.S. government that said that the freed slaves would become citizens of these tribal nations. And now in the 20th and 21st century, the descendants of these groups, of these freed people, have faced varying degrees of exclusion from the tribes. Some of them, like the Cherokee Freedmen in recent years, have been accepted legally within the tribe as full citizens, but Seminole Freedmen in the past have faced exclusion from access to tribal services, like housing funds and health care.
VR: What are your thoughts about the name change from Gay Head to Aquinnah?
JL: The name changed in the ‘90s, and I was pretty young. I remember conversations about it, and Aquinnah, of course, was our original name; the English name was Gay Head. The first vote to change the name failed, because some tribal elders, like my grandfather, wanted it to remain Gay Head. They grew up proud to be from Gay Head proud to be a Gay Header. Aquinnah means something like “the land at the end of the island.”
VR: What does “Wampanoag” mean?
JL: “People of the first light.” The East Coast is where the sun comes up. I met somebody from an Indigenous community in New Zealand, and they had similar language in their name about the first light — kind of an amazing discovery.
VR: You also write that when people think about Indigenous people, the stereotype is that you’re always living in the past, or you can’t be a real Native person unless you’re living in some ancient traditional way.
JL: I think tradition and culture is an important part of who we are and important to preserve, but we also should acknowledge that those traditions have been evolving and shifting over the years, that we’ve always been adapting. I talked to people from different Native communities, and they’re always talking about the future, about the next seven generations, about their kids and their grandkids and making the world a better place for them, pursuing these big long-term goals and projects that they know they will not be alive to see; but they want to do it anyway and contribute towards the collective progress.
VR: Much of my life I’ve had a sense of personal guilt about what’s happened to the tribal Nations in America. I’m not sure what to do with that feeling.
JL: The first step is learning and acknowledging that history. We can’t talk about it until we know what happened. This is a journey I had to go on, having learned sanitized versions in
school of the first Thanksgiving and so on. You have to fight through to learn the real histories, which are not always so pretty and straightforward. And colonization is not something that ended. It’s something that has changed and evolved, but the system continues to impact people today. At the very least, make people aware you know what’s happening and how you can trace that lineage back from the Mayflower to today in so many Indigenous lands around the country.
That’s the work, and it will probably be uncomfortable for anyone who’s benefitted, myself included.
VR: And maybe one other thing. What are the teachings from the Wampanoag or any tribal community about nature itself?
JL: It’s part of a bigger conversation about conservation and environmental stewardship, to actually listen to and understand Indigenous ways and perspectives. Increasingly, Indigenous people and tribes are being invited to participate in those conversations [about land management], and tribes in a lot of cases have legally mandated rights and input. But a lot of times that just gets ignored. The tribe on the Island has been seen as an enemy of conservation or environmental things, but when you look at it, the tribe is working really hard to be stewards of the environment and use our traditions and new technology to manage, maintain, preserve, and protect the environment. It comes down to having these conversations and being open to new ideas or new ways of seeing that are maybe a little bit outside the Western scientific norm.
VR: Can you give an example of that?
JL: In the Wampanoag way of thinking, land and animals and water are viewed as relatives. That simple understanding can take you a long way. And when you think about it that way, it’s not something to extract from, or control, or even something just to protect, it’s something that you have a relationship with. Building a relationship with the environment, animal and fish life, and community, have to be seen as one and the same thing, rather than like these separate tracks. I think if we can do that, we’re on the right path.
Joseph Lee at the Gay Head Cliffs.
EXCERPT FROM Nothing More of this Land: Community, Power and the Search for Indigenous Identity
According to Wampanoag legend, Martha’s Vineyard wasn’t always an island. In search of a new homeland for his people, the giant Moshup wandered the Massachusetts coastline. As he began to tire, Moshup’s big toe dragged through the sand, leaving a deep trench. Cold seawater rushed in and eventually grew to become the Vineyard Sound. And so Moshup’s weary foot inadvertently carved off a new home for the Wampanoag people: the island we call Noepe. A still place among the currents.
Over the long years of his rule, Moshup shaped other features of Noepe.
To feed his people, the giant waded out into the cold ocean water to snatch whales from the depths. Back onshore, Moshup killed the whales by slamming them against the clay cliffs at the western tip of the island. Their blood stained the clay its distinctive red color. The Wampanoag people called this place Aquinnah — the land under the hill or land at the end.
Although their new life on Noepe was good, Moshup decided to build a bridge back to the mainland, so his people could trade with the mainlanders. While he tossed huge boulders into the sea, a giant crab snuck up and pinched his foot. Roaring in pain, the giant hurled the crab far out to sea, forming the small island we call Nomans. The bridge remained unfinished. To this day, the rocky area known as Devil’s Bridge is treacherous for boats.
After a long, peaceful life, Moshup foresaw the arrival of a new people who would change Wampanoag life forever. He offered to turn the
Wampanoag into whales and many accepted, preferring to live at sea rather than face the mysterious newcomers. Bidding farewell to those who remained, Moshup and his wife, Squant, walked into the southern dunes, never to be seen again. On foggy
nights, Wampanoags say that Moshup is smoking his great pipe, still watching over us.
Every summer, my tribe reenacts these stories, “The Legends of Moshup,” for a paying audience of summer tourists. Those are some of my earliest memories of the tribe — my moccasined feet squelching through the mud, the embarrassment of wearing a breechcloth, the familiar smell of citronella candles, and the echo of my cousin Adriana’s narration in the summer night. As the performance
moved toward its inevitable conclusion and the machine-made fog rolled in, I never wanted it to end, despite my mosquito bites and self-consciousness. Acting out the familiar scenes, I always imagined a different ending, a Noepe without the invaders Moshup foresaw. In those moments, after a summer spent immersed in tribal community and exploring the same lands the giant shaped, it felt possible. I thought of him like a hero from my favorite cartoons, and I imagined new adventures he might have had. To me, Moshup wasn’t an artifact from the past, but dynamic and alive. The real connection I felt to him, the land, and our ancestors made me believe that one day he might return. And when he did, the island would revert to the way it used to be. But once the performance was over, Moshup was gone again, the illusion was shattered, and we were all left to wonder if those he had turned into whales were better off. As I grew older, I spent less time imagining our tribal legends coming to life and more time dwelling on the sad finality of the story. I know now that Moshup is not coming back.
Today, we, the Aquinnah Wampanoag people, own only a small piece of the smallest town on the island home Moshup created for us, what is now Martha’s Vineyard — one of the most expensive and exclusive vacation destinations in the country. But even as the island became best known for celebrity sightings and presidential vacations, we survived and we resisted.
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Over the years, some items have fallen off my planting list, and new ones have been added.
By Laura D. Roosevelt
Photos by Randi Baird
friend recently asked me a question that got me thinking: Now that we’re nearing the end of the gardening season, have you ever given serious thought to what’s worth the effort, and what’s not? I never had, though certainly over the years some items have fallen off my planting list, and new ones have been added. To help focus my thinking on this question, I spoke to a few Vineyard gardening friends.
Diana Barrett, a seasonal upIslander, pointed out that what’s worth growing depends in part on how long you’re here. In other words, what’s your timeframe? If you leave the Island at the end of Labor Day weekend, or if you’re doing the “Vineyard Shuffle,” and you move back into your winter digs in early September, you shouldn’t plant winter squash, which doesn’t mature until mid-autumn. If you don’t arrive until July, it’s generally too late to plant lettuce, cilantro, and arugula, which bolt in hot temperatures. (Unless you get creative, like Diana, who grew them successfully all summer long beneath a tunnel covered in black gardening cloth. I’ve had pretty good luck planting them in a section of my garden that gets a lot of shade.)
Cindy Kane of Vineyard Haven noted that one’s particular garden conditions play a role. “I think I’m going to have to break up with tomatoes,” she said with resignation. “My garden just doesn’t get enough sun for them to grow well.” And, of course, size matters. Cindy’s fenced garden (fenced to keep out deer and rabbits) has limited space, so plants like melons and winter squashes — vines that spread voraciously — would take up more
precious terrain than they’re worth. And very few home gardeners have enough space to make growing corn worthwhile, much as we all love Island-grown corn.
I’d put soil quality in the category of “garden conditions.” I’ve tried growing two vegetables I love — fennel and Brussels sprouts — and had poor results, and I’m pretty sure my soil is to blame. (Note to self: do soil testing next year.) My Brussels sprouts plants grew very tall, but the sprouts themselves were teensy — not much larger than a
raspberry. Considering the hefty amount of space they occupy, I decided that Brussels sprouts, most definitely, were not worth the trouble. My attempts at fennel yielded similarly scrawny results. But since I’ve noticed at the farmers’ markets that even the professionals’ fennel is small, I’m wondering whether this is just not a vegetable that thrives in Island growing conditions — hence: not worth it in my book.
Pests are another factor that determines a gardener’s choices. I, for
Laura Roosevelt in her West Tisbury garden.
example, have given up on potatoes, because no matter what I tried, they always wound up full of worm tunnels. Cindy grows potatoes in containers to solve this problem (using fresh, pest-free soil), and I may try that next year. Or maybe I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing: buying potatoes (and corn) from the Island’s many wonderful farms.
Another gardening friend, Peter Kramer of Chilmark, stopped growing zucchini and summer squash, because year after year, they were killed off by squash borers, which are notoriously hard to eradicate. He’s had better success with a Korean summer squash hybrid whose more solid stem is resistant to borers. Peter had one of the characters in
his novel Death of the Great Man explain that this squash variety is actually of a different species (cucurbita moschata) from that to which zucchini and yellow summer squash belong (cucurbita pepo)
Among animal pests, squirrels have been my biggest bane. After several years of them scaling my deer fence and beating me to every single berry, I was just about ready to — as Cindy put it — break up with my strawberry patch. But then I had the idea of putting plastic netting over the top of my garden, and presto! Strawberries for the first time in forever. As a side benefit, the “roof” keeps out the birds who eat the raspberries and poke holes in the tomatoes.
Many herbs, including sage, oregano, and chives, are perennials, meaning that they come back year after year with no further effort required from the gardener, other than perhaps a little fertilizing. For this reason (among others), I find herbs, which are more nutrient-dense than most vegetables, most definitely worth growing.
Of course, the largest Island animal threat to a garden is the deer. Deer are so overpopulated and hungry on Martha’s Vineyard that they now eat things they supposedly don’t like. Peter Kramer gave up planting purportedly deer-proof garlic outside of his garden fence after the deer began gobbling it down. Cindy has solved this problem by scattering her garlic through flower beds full of other plants that the deer definitely don’t eat, like sage.
Convenience is a driving force in determining what many gardeners decide to plant. If, like Diana, you’re at least a 20-minute drive from the nearest major grocery store, you’re always going to want to grow the things that will spare you a last-minute trip to Cronig’s. How great is it, when you suddenly realize that the dish you’re making for dinner calls for a handful of chopped parsley, or a leek, or some carrots, to be able to just walk outside and pick what you need? And some plants, like garlic, which keeps well for many months in a cool, dry place, offer this convenience for a good part of the year.
It may seem obvious, but the most important factor in determining what’s worth growing in your garden is what you like to eat. “You need to garden the way you actually eat, not the way you think you want to eat,” Diana says. She notes that the idea of pickling cucumbers appealed to her, but then she discovered that she and her husband, Bob, don’t really eat pickles. (My husband and I do eat pickles, but I’m not sure how we’ll make it through all the jars I put up this year when my cucumber yield went through the roof.)
Diana and Bob love soup, though, and they’ve just used a bumper crop of carrots to make and freeze several batches of carrot-ginger bisque.
Cindy loves all kinds of nutritious greens, so kale is a must for her. Kale is prone to decimation by cabbage moth caterpillars, so spraying it with Captain Jack’s Dead Bug (an organic compound that’s completely safe if you’re not a caterpillar) is necessary as soon as you notice the first signs of leaf chewing,
Harvesting string beans, vertically.
which can happen several times a summer. But this effort is well worth it, since kale continues growing through the fall and well into the winter. Cindy also uses herbs liberally, sautéeing large
It may seem obvious, but the most important factor in determining what’s worth growing in your garden is what you like to eat.
handfuls to spread on pizzas, chicken, or cooked vegetables. Many herbs, including sage, oregano, and chives (three of Cindy’s favorites) are perennials, meaning that they come back year after year with no further effort required from the gardener, other than perhaps a little fertilizing. For this reason (among others), I find herbs, which are more nutrient-dense than most vegetables, most definitely worth growing. Also worth it to me is any fruit, vegetable, or herb that can be preserved for use during the winter. Garlic, onions, and winter squashes hold up nicely when
stored in my cool basement. Onions last for several months, garlic and winter squashes often almost until the next year’s crop is ready to be harvested. I dry my own oregano for winter use, and my freezer is generally well-stocked with basil pesto. When my raspberry patch gets a bit bigger, I envision freezing some of its yield. I’m also partial to legumes — sugar snap peas, shelling peas, lima beans, string beans, and edamame — that can be parboiled and frozen. As I write this, my string bean vines (I plant pole beans for easier picking) are putting
Cherry tomatoes on the vine.
out beans at an alarming rate. I’ve been freezing them, but also serving them for supper nearly nightly. One of my favorite ways to prepare them comes from seasonal Aquinnah resident Carol Gilligan, whose cooking I profiled in this magazine last year. I’ve included the recipe here.
Finally, I’ve discovered that embracing accidents in the garden can be worth it. Last year, a six-pack of seedlings labeled “zucchini” turned out to be patty pan squash, and my initial dismay soon turned into delight as I discovered that patty pans are delicious and less prone than zucchini to getting mushy when cooked. Every year, I spot accidental seedlings emerging from last year’s plants gone to seed — things like tatsoi, bok choi, arugula, peppers, and tomatoes. I carefully dig them up and move them to where I want them; I
consider them a nice freebie. Hybrid tomato seeds don’t seed true to type, but rather revert to some ancestral tomato in their lineage — most often a plant that yields generous clusters of small, red cherry tomatoes that are delicious and always still producing vigorously well after their larger cousins have died off. I’m grateful to have these volunteers every year.
Yes, gardening is a lot of work, and yes, there are always spectacular, generally unpredictable failures due to bugs, blights, animals, weather, and other factors. “Every year,” Diana says, “I have more and more respect and empathy for farmers, whose living depends on their gardens.” But the fact is: everything that comes right out of a vegetable garden tastes far superior to what you buy in a grocery store, so in that sense, it’s all worth it.
RANDI BAIRD
CAROL GILLIGAN’S STRING BEANS
Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish
Carol regularly offers a heaping plate of these beans to guests as part of her appetizer spread. She doesn’t use a written recipe, but I’ve created one here based on what she told me to do. Use a strong, flavorful olive oil, but use it sparingly. Everybody loves these beans!
INGREDIENTS
Four large handfuls of fresh string beans, stems removed 1/2 of a large, juicy lemon
A generous teaspoon of table salt
Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and throw in the beans. Cook for 1-2 minutes; they should be slightly cooked but still crisp and squeaky when you bite into them. Drain the
beans in a colander and run cold water over them to stop further cooking.
2. Squeeze the half a lemon into a bowl large enough to toss the beans in. Add the salt and stir vigorously until it has mostly dissolved into the juice. Add the beans to the bowl and toss well to coat them evenly with the salty lemon juice. Drizzle a little olive oil onto the beans (one or two teaspoons at most), and toss again to spread the oil around.
3. Serve the beans directly from the bowl, or mound them on a plate or platter.
The fencing helps keep out the deer.
An Oyster A Day Keeps Carbon Emissions at Bay
Two young farmers are proving that open-ocean oyster farming off Martha’s Vineyard isn’t just possible — it’s a sustainable future for aquaculture.
By Laney Henson Photos courtesy Baggage Girls
Maddie Henson and Liam Cosgrove, owners of Top Shell Oyster Farm.
It was just before 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning when I hopped aboard a 24-foot Eastern boat with two oyster farmers on Martha’s Vineyard. We headed out to Nantucket Sound, where they’ve sectioned off a tiny portion of ocean to do some very big work. For Maddie Henson, 26 (and my sister), and Liam Cosgrove, 29, coowners of Top Shell Oyster Farm, nature dictates everything. That morning, the race was against wind from Hurricane Erin — an unseasonably early August storm. That’s the reality of farming in open ocean waters. “If it’s too windy, we can’t harvest,” Liam explained. For them, the greatest threat is nature itself. Yet working in harmony with the environment is also the essence of regenerative aquaculture — a practice these young farmers want their generation to know about, and advocate for.
The ride to the farm took about 15 minutes. Maddie and Liam moved around the boat in sync, operating with the kind of teamwork that doesn’t require any words. “When we first
Oyster farming is considered regenerative because it actively restores the ecosystems it depends on. As filter feeders that thrive without requiring feed or fresh water, oysters improve water quality, buffer against pollution, and their cages create habitat for other marine species.
started in 2021, it felt like we were out here battling the wind and waves. I was nervous all the time,” Maddie admitted. But on this calm August morning, she looked confident maneuvering the boat while Liam prepared the winch to drop a 300-pound cage — holding 5,000 oysters — into the water.
The plan was to fit in one more harvest before the storm forced them off the water for several days. Today’s agenda included dropping two oyster cages and picking up another from where it had been resting 30feet down on the ocean floor.
At first glance, the farm is nearly invisible, blending seamlessly with the ocean. Yellow buoys outline its two-acre site, while small white buoys mark the oyster cages below. But those markers are fragile; boaters sometimes drive straight through and cut the lines. “We realistically lose a few cages every year, each holding thousands of oysters — mainly due to boat traffic,” Liam said.
Most oyster farms are in bays, salt ponds, or rivers, where waters are calmer and more accessible. When Maddie and Liam launched Top Shell, no leases were available in those safer areas. So
Sorting oysters after harvest.
they took a risk, and set out to farm over a mile offshore, in waters up to 30-feet deep. They were encouraged and mentored by another local Island oyster farm, Cottage City Oysters, who opened the first open ocean oyster farm in New England in 2014. Farming offshore required redesigning their gear. Working with Ketcham, a New Bedford-based commercial fishing gear supplier, they created low-profile cages — wider and shorter than the tall, narrow bottom cages typical on the Island. “If there’s a big storm swell, taller cages can tumble, suffocating oysters. Our design keeps them stable and reduces losses,” Maddie explained.
Deeper waters can protect oysters from the rising temperatures that affect shallower areas. For an Island with limited land availability,
turning to the open ocean creates an exciting new opportunity for sustainable food production.
On this particular Sunday, the harvest was modest — about 200 oysters to be delivered to an event in Chilmark later that evening. Some days, Maddie and Liam haul up as many as 2,000. Once harvested, oysters head to The Net Result, a seafood market, to be tagged and delivered. This year, Top Shell oysters have made their way to 19 Raw, a popular Edgartown oyster bar. It doesn’t get more “farm to table” than this: straight from local ocean waters to your plate.
As we cruised around offshore, Maddie admitted that she didn’t have a taste for oysters when they first started farming. But she’s come around now, in part because she recognizes the remarkable health benefits of oysters.
“Oysters are a complete protein source, containing all nine essential amino acids. Farming them gives us healthy protein without needing more land for traditional farming,” she explained. The southwest corner of the farm holds oysters presorted and ready for harvest. Liam pointed out that before leasing the site, the underwater area was carefully surveyed by the Division of Marine Fisheries to ensure that the farm's existence would not disrupt the ecosystem in any negative way. He joked that “ecosystem” might have been a bit of an overstatement: before they started the farm, there was only one clam found in the entire two-acre section. The introduction of oyster cages has transformed the area into a thriving underwater habitat in just a few years. Today, eels, crabs, lobsters, conch, fish, and scallops all
Some days, Maddie and Liam haul up as many as 2,000 oysters.
find shelter and food among the cages. The comparison struck me. These once-empty waters now produce a vital protein source, while elsewhere football field-sized swaths of rainforest are cleared hourly to raise cattle for beef. If there’s a more sustainable way to produce protein, why not embrace it?
On Martha’s Vineyard, oysters need two to three years to grow to market size. Their needs are simple: saltwater, algae, and phytoplankton — all naturally abundant.
Liam attached the winch to haul a cage from the depths. The boat tipped under the 300-pound load as the cage was raised, and I imagined this same process on stormy days, with waves crashing
Maddie dumped oysters onto the table. She prepped tags and ice while Liam sorted. “The main goal is to keep the table full of oysters so Liam can keep sorting. Once I’m organized, I sort with him,” Maddie said.
This efficiency has been honed over five years of working side by side. During the busiest season, they employ local students from the high school, who help sort while learning about regenerative aquaculture. Oyster farming is considered regenerative because it actively restores the ecosystems it depends on. As filter feeders that thrive without requiring feed or fresh water, oysters improve water quality,
Each oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, removing excess organic matter and pollutants. They also sequester carbon by converting it into calcium carbonate for their shells — a stable carbon sink that keeps carbon from returning to the atmosphere.
and spilling over the sides. Suddenly Maddie’s early nerves made sense. When the cage finally surfaced and settled on deck, the boat righted itself, and they repeated the process before heading back toward their floating raft to sort.
“ Time check?” Liam called.
“9:10,” Maddie replied.
From that moment, the countdown was on. They had two hours to sort oysters by size and quality, placing anything market-ready on ice. The time limit ensures for safe consumption of raw seafood. On the short ride back, Maddie pulled mesh bags from the cages so they’d be ready for sorting.
We arrived at the raft, a 10-by-20foot floating platform, holding a large sorting table and other farm gear such as mesh bags and extra buoys. Liam opened an umbrella for shade while
buffer against pollution, and their cages create habitat for other marine species.
So what makes an oyster harvestready? “We like a tear-drop shape, deep cup, thick shell. Three inches is the keeper size. Our oysters are considered medium,” Liam said, shucking one effortlessly, eating it in a single motion. He held up the remaining half shell to the sun, and it looked like a piece of artwork, a creamy white interior with a touch of purple.
Beyond being delicious, oysters are great for the environment. Each oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, removing excess organic matter and pollutants. They also sequester carbon by converting it into calcium carbonate for their shells — a stable carbon sink that keeps carbon from returning to the atmosphere. Additionally, oysters mitigate nitrogen by filtering excess
Three inches is the keeper size.
into their bodies and shells. Staring at the shell in Liam’s hand, I saw more than food. I saw a symbol of nature’s ability to heal, balance, and provide.
W hat’s next for Maddie and Liam? “Of course, we want everybody to eat oysters — and see them as a sustainable source of food. We’re creating a brand on Martha’s Vineyard to raise awareness and encourage people to eat more oysters,” Maddie said.
That vision includes sharing oyster experiences with both locals and visitors. “This summer we’ve been shucking at private events, teaching guests about regenerative aquaculture and oysters. We also hope to get a new boat to offer farm tours. That way we can bring people out here, show them firsthand what we do,” Liam added.
An oyster farm tour isn’t just about tasting seafood; it’s ecotourism with the power to inspire. Visitors leave with a deeper appreciation for the environment — and a small, delicious way to support it: by eating more oysters.
To keep up with Top Shell Oyster Farm and for the most up to date information on where their oysters are served on Martha’s Vineyard, you can follow Top Shell on Instagram. Next season, you can purchase their oysters from The Net Result. Of course, you can also dine out at 19 Raw and enjoy this farmto-table dining experience, knowing exactly where your food comes from.
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A Vital Solution for the Ponds and the People Who Love Them
The Chilmark Pond Foundation deploys new sonic buoy technology to help prevent toxic cyanobacteria blooms.
By Britt Bowker
SHENY LEON
Amy Salzman and Emily Reddington of the Chilmark Pond Foundation and Great Pond Foundation.
On a hot August afternoon, Chilmark Pond looks as inviting as ever: wind riffling across the surface, boats bobbing through the channel, birds stalking the shallows. But for the past several summers, a tricky problem has lain underneath. Toxic cyanobacteria blooms have turned the beloved pond into off-limits territory, keeping swimmers, anglers, and shellfishers away — and putting pets at particular risk.
Warmer waters, combined with excess nitrogen and phosphorus from septic systems and fertilizers, have fueled the algae blooms, creating conditions that are harmful to people, deadly for dogs, and detrimental to the pond’s fragile ecosystem. Chilmark Pond has seen toxic blooms every summer since 2022.
In true Vineyard fashion, however, the community has rallied to address the problem. The Chilmark Pond Foundation has been leading efforts to restore the pond’s health for the last seven years. This summer, they introduced a new tool: a solar-powered “sonic buoy,” formally known as the LG Sonic MPC-Buoy (monitor, predict,
control), which is designed to track conditions and disrupt cyanobacteria before it takes over. The buoy has already been deployed in more than 100 countries, including in New York and New Jersey, but this is the first time the technology has arrived in Massachusetts. Scientists are watching closely, because if it works here, it could be “huge news” for addressing excessive nutrient problems in Island ponds and beyond.
The buoy’s origin story is as local as it gets. The Chilmark Pond Foundation itself grew out of the Chilmark Pond Association, when a group of neighbors decided to take a more active role in restoring the pond’s ecological health. “It’s very much modeled after the Great Pond Foundation,” says Amy Salzman, president of the Chilmark Pond Association and ex officio board member of the Chilmark Pond Foundation, referring to the nonprofit that pioneers science-driven pond restoration on the Island.
One member of the Association, Don Ingber — a scientist who also happens to be Amy’s cousin through marriage — first came across the LG Sonic buoy while he was researching. “I asked him the other day, how’d you find this? He said he was
Googling around,” Amy recalls.
At about the same time, in an example of Vineyard serendipity, another lead surfaced. Charlie Shipway, who heads the Menemsha sailing program, happened to be out on a boat with the director of LG Sonic’s U.S. division, Greg Eiffert. They were chatting about pond health, and the subject of the sonic buoy came up. Shipway also looks after the electric boat of one of the Foundation’s board members, so word of the new technology quickly made its way back to the group.
From there, the Foundation began researching the technology, holding calls with the company, and gathering references. “We made sure it wasn’t going to harm anything else we cared about in the pond,” Amy says.
Then, the Foundation bought the buoy. The price tag: about $80,000 — all of it raised through community contributions.
“We decided to special order one — a stainless steel one because the pond is slightly salty,” Amy says. “The device we ordered from the Netherlands got stuck in JFK customs for about a month. So the company just went ahead and told us they were shipping us a standard aluminum one. So we have that.” Amy thinks the standard one will hold up fine, since that
The solar-powered sonic buoy in Middle Chilmark Pond.
SHENY LEON
part of the pond is only slightly brackish.
After securing approvals from the Conservation Commission to put the roughly six-by-seven foot buoy in, actually getting it into the water was the next challenge.
“I sent a note to my Pond Association group and said, ‘Hey, does anyone know someone who can help us get this thing in the water?’ And within 10 minutes, Steve Ewing, who owns a dock-building company in Edgartown, said he could
“Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic — they need light at the surface. They get nitrogen and phosphorus, their building blocks of life, at the bottom. What the buoy does is it makes them stop in the water column, so they can’t get both. And by getting them to stop, they can’t grow or bloom out of control.” – Emily Reddington, executive director of the Great Pond Foundation
help. He and his son Niko and Gary Mottau from the neighborhood came — no charge whatsoever — and got the thing in for us.”
Photos online show Ewing operating a crane as his son, Niko, guides the buoy to a boat at the shoreline, before bringing it out to the middle of the pond. Solar panels are visible on each side of the buoy, which is anchored in the Middle section of Chilmark Pond. It was deployed on July 23.
So, how does it work? When the buoy senses cyanobacteria moving upward through the water column to reach sunlight, it emits sound waves that stop them. “And it has the capacity to sort of change its tune. If the cyanobacteria starts ignoring it, it recalibrates itself,” Amy says.
“Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic — they need light at the surface,” says Emily Reddington, biologist and executive director of the Great Pond Foundation, which is managing the
Servicing the sonic buoy.
SHENY LEON
buoy’s science and data. “They get nitrogen and phosphorus, their building blocks of life, at the bottom. What the buoy does is it makes them stop in the water column, so they can’t get both. And by getting them to stop, they can’t grow or bloom out of control.”
Cyanobacteria, also known as bluegreen algae, are a normal part of a pond’s ecosystem, Emily notes. But when they grow out of control or bloom, they shift the ecological balance and dominate the ecosystem, creating fluorescent, paint-like
slicks, mats, or scums that trigger health advisories. That’s when toxicity becomes a real risk.
Cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins. When cyanobacteria bloom, the concentration of toxins in the water can become harmful or even deadly to other organisms. More cyanobacteria produce more toxins. Scientists are still exploring when and why cyanobacteria produce cyanotoxins, Emily says.
In Chilmark Pond, two main forms of cyanobacteria blooms are typically found:
mat-based and surface scums. The surface scum blooms resemble green paint, while mat-based blooms can either form on the bottom and rise to the surface as gas builds, or remain as benthic blooms — green clumps on the pond floor.
Cyanobacteria can be confused with other, benign organisms found in ponds. “Sometimes it’s clear it’s cyanobacteria — it’s not really going to be anything else when you have a fluorescent green pond,” Emily says. “But sometimes it could just be green algae in a state of
Surface Scums
Surface Mat
Benthic Bloom
Different types of cyanobacteria under a microscope.
“The question is, can the buoy actually reduce the intensity of blooms? Can it disrupt them? It’s too early to tell if that’s the case. We know that sometimes this technology works best the second year.” – Emily Reddington, executive director of the Great Pond Foundation
decay. That’s why we need to use tools like our fluoroprobe to distinguish it. What’s green algae versus what’s cyanobacteria? What’s the concentration? And then with microscopy, confirm it further.”
Anabena and Dolichospermum are genera of cyanobacteria found in Chilmark Pond. Under the microscope, she shows slides of Anabaena, which look like tiny coils, and Dolichospermum, which resemble strands of jewelry.
For people, harmful exposure usually happens through skin contact and can be worsened by open wounds, which can lead to mild symptoms such as skin irritation or more severe symptoms such as infections if blooms are intense. Ingestion of blooming water can cause organ damage. For humans, this is unlikely. But unfortunately, pets and livestock are often exposed through ingestion and results are severe to deadly.
“They’re actually attracted to cyanobacteria. If they’re lapping it or licking their fur, it can be fatal. Unfortunately, most times when dogs are exposed, they don’t survive,” Emily says.
The sonic buoy also serves as a monitoring station, collecting data every 30 minutes on dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, chlorophyll, and other indicators of pond health. That information will help scientists assess how well the technology performs through the Vineyard’s bloom season, which typically runs May through October but can stretch later in nutrient-rich ponds.
Chilmark Pond is not unique in battling cyanobacteria — the problem is widespread across the Vineyard, the Cape, and the Hamptons. But Chilmark Pond’s smaller size and shallower basins make it particularly vulnerable, and cyanobacteria blooms,
driven by heat and excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) have been commonplace in recent years. Chilmark Pond gets hot, and because of runoff from septic systems and lawn fertilizers, it has excess nitrogen.
Whether the buoy is making a difference is still unclear. “We make our conclusions based on data, so we have to remain skeptical until we have competent evidence,” Emily says. “But we are seeing hints of hope and success.” The timing and intensity of the blooms came at a slightly different time this year, and around the buoy seemed a little less intense, she says.
The real test will come later this fall, once the peaks and timing of the season’s blooms can be analyzed. Other factors such as cooler water temperatures and storms stirring the pond also play a role in bloom behavior. “So our job is to look with our real strong scientific skepticism and ask, if we see differences, are they because of the buoy or other factors in the environment? We really want it to work, but we need to look at the whole picture to evaluate its effectiveness,” Emily says.
The buoy will likely stay in the pond until early November and return in April. Charlie Shipway and another Islander, Andrew Kahl, are going to handle the buoy’s removal, installation, and maintenance, Amy says.
The first year may be just the beginning. “The question is, can the buoy actually reduce the intensity of blooms? Can it disrupt them? It’s too early to tell if that’s the case. We know that sometimes this technology works best the second year,” Emily says.
Still, scientists are watching the sonic buoy in Chilmark Pond closely. “There are a lot of pond groups eagerly looking on, not just on the Island, but elsewhere,” Emily says. “If this technology works, it’s something that is simple to deploy, relatively cost effective, and scalable for multiple ponds on the Island to tackle something very hard to tackle. It really could be a vital solution for the ponds and for the people who love them.”
SHENY LEON
The buoy collects data every 30 minutes.
Ben Chester and Owen Porterfield collect a groundwater sample from Chilmark Pond to measure nutrients.
Chilmark Pond’s small size and shallow basins make it prone to cyanobacteria blooms.
Sonic buoy installation on July 23.
ANTHONY FUSARO AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
ADDRESSING THE SOURCE: Strategies for Reducing Nutrients in Chilmark Pond
Neighbors remember a time when kids swam freely in the pond. “There were times when toxicity wasn’t present — when people could fish and eat out of the pond, and I think that’s what the community wants to go back to,” Emily Reddington says.
But while the buoy may help treat the symptom, the Foundation is also focused on what’s causing the problem. “You have to go to the source,” Emily says. “And that’s reducing the nitrogen and phosphorus that are coming into the pond … Hopefully this buoy will stop the toxicity while we do the longer-term work of identifying and stopping the nitrogen and phosphorus coming in.”
Dredging clears sand from pond cuts, helping water flow in and out more easily.
DREDGING
One key initiative is dredging. Amy Salzman and the Chilmark Pond Foundation spent the last five years securing approvals for a dredging permit — the first time Chilmark Pond has ever had one. The pond is cut several times a year to exchange nutrient-rich water with cleaner ocean water.
“The ocean is oligotrophic, which means low-nutrient water,” Emily explains. “It’s salty, clear, clean, low in nitrogen and phosphorus. If you have a good cut, you flush most of the pond’s high nitrogen and phosphorus, lowsalinity water during tidal cycles, and you exchange that volume.”
With every cut, the tides also bring in sand, which gradually builds up a delta north of the barrier beach. “Over time, we’ve seen the breaches at Chilmark Pond become shorter in duration and carry a lower volume of water flow,” Emily says. “At Edgartown Great Pond, after a decade of dredging and removing the sand delta, the flushes became longer duration and [had a] higher volume of flow. And the pond rebounded. The health of the ecosystem came back. Things like submerged vegetation or eelgrass — you have to have a very healthy environment for a long time for those kinds of species to return.”
Dredging, or removing sand, makes flushes more effective, but regulatory hurdles slow the permitting process. “There’s an endangered species — the northern tiger beetle, that wasn’t documented at these habitats in the
Cyanobacteria blooms usually occur in freshwater, so the Island's brackish ponds make them a focus of research.
past,” Emily explains, adding that any work now requires a management plan to protect the species. “Policy often evolves slower than what the ecosystem needs to survive. So this dredging keeps the pressure from building in the system, hopefully reducing cyanobacteria, keeping fish healthy, hopefully changing the ecosystem. But if you wait five years, there’s further degradation that happens. So it’s two things struggling: the policy and the process versus the needs of the ecosystem.”
Amy says the Chilmark Pond Foundation is hoping to dredge in November and December.
FERTILIZER REDUCTION
Nitrogen enters the pond through groundwater and runoff. Wastewater is the largest source, followed by fertilizer, Emily says. Some neighbors have pledged to reduce or stop fertilizing, which helps reduce nutrient input across the watershed. The Abels Hill community worked with the Vineyard Conservation Society to sign a pledge to not use fertilizer. “So that’s low-hanging fruit,” Emily says. “Just choose to be gentler on your space around you.”
ADDRESSING WASTEWATER
Wastewater is trickier. Chilmark does not have a centralized wastewater treatment facility, and most homes rely on septic systems, many of which are
Title 5 and not designed to remove nitrogen. “Some folks are converting to nitrogen-reducing septics … Some people have the type of tanks where it’s pumped out. But to really tackle the nitrogen, you have to replace everybody’s septic, which, in terms of cost and the capacity and infrastructure to do that on the Island, would be immense,” Emily says.
So the Foundation is exploring remediation technologies like permeable reactive barriers, “where you put a carbon source in the ground and you cultivate an environment where microbes transform harmful nitrogen into inert nitrogen gas,” Emily says. “And that’s capturing the nitrogen from many, many septics, and with one kind of technology, keeping nitrogen from getting into the pond.”
Another idea that the Foundation is looking into is taking nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich muck to rebuild wetlands — also known as thin layer replacement. “Because wetlands capture carbon, but they also capture nitrogen,” Emily says. “We’ve done some preliminary work showing that wetland plants can very specifically target wastewater nitrogen. So you add in the right native plants, and you’re not only capturing carbon and helping the planet, but you’re helping the pond through this natural filter. Yet again, nature is the best solution.”
Through research with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the Chilmark Pond Foundation and
Great Pond Foundation are also working to identify plants that are especially effective at pulling wastewater nitrogen out of the groundwater as it’s traveling to the pond. One example is phragmites (the native variety, not the invasive European interloper). “Hopefully we’ll have a list of plants by the end of this year that we can share with homeowners and Conservation Commission,” Amy says. “If you plant them at the edge of the pond — or anywhere on the watershed, frankly — they will help withdraw or attenuate nitrogen from the groundwater before it gets to the pond. The plants may even help pull nitrogen out of the pond.”
Another hope is that shellfish can eventually return to Chilmark Pond. Right now, fecal coliform levels are too high for the Division of Marine Fisheries to allow shellfish aquaculture, even as a remediation strategy. But in other Island ponds, shellfish restoration has been successful. Adult shellfish can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, removing nitrogen and phosphorus as they grow. “They use it as building blocks for their bodies,” Emily says. “So when those organisms are harvested from the pond, you’ve taken nitrogen and phosphorus out, and you’ve grown an organism. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Still, the pond isn’t there yet. “You have to build the layers of restoration before you can have more options available in your ecosystem,” Emily says.
COURTESY GREAT POND FOUNDATION
Amy Bower with a technician handling some of the deep drifters (in glass tubes) that they use for mapping ocean currents below the sea surface.
How a Blind Oceanographer at WHOI Studies Temperature-Regulating Currents
Amy Bower and the Accessible Oceans project turn data into sound.
By Allison Braden Photos courtesy Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Up on deck, black smoke was spewing from the stack of oceanographer
Amy Bower’s research vessel, but she didn’t know that. She was locked in her stateroom below. The plume of smoke came from an engine in overdrive; the vessel was lurching at top speed across the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, with grenade-launching pirates in pursuit. The crew, Bower, and her team of scientists had drilled for this, but now it was actually happening.
Before long, the pirates gave up the chase. The scientists, rattled, revised the mission. They continued to collect data while staying at least 50 miles from the coasts of Yemen and Somalia. That trip, in 2001, might have been Bower’s most dramatic, but for the longtime oceanographer, every research cruise is an adventure.
Bower studies large-scale ocean currents and smaller ocean features called eddies, often deploying drifting subsurface buoys to collect data. Her work lately has taken her to the North Atlantic, where the days stretch long in summers, but Bower’s research cruises have grown increasingly dark.
Forty-two years ago, at 23, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease. At the time, she was just a few years into her doctorate, and she was going blind. “It was devastating,” she says. “I didn’t know a single blind person, much less a blind scientist, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, can you do this?’”
Bower, now 66 and a senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has proved that you can. Her recent research has focused on thermohaline currents in the far North Atlantic, an important part of the great ocean conveyor belt, which helps regulate the ocean’s — and the Earth’s — temperature. In 2018, Bower set out from Iceland on a research cruise to collect data east of Greenland. As chief scientist, she coordinates with the captain and
oversees the data collection on board.
Soon after her diagnosis, an ophthalmologist suggested she abandon research and pursue science administration instead. “I decided to ignore that advice,” Bower says now, recalling the early prognosis.
Over the ensuing decades, she has been fortunate on two fronts. Her vision loss was gradual, which gave her time to strategize how to best do her job, and she found Gerald Friedman, an optometrist in Boston with an infectious can-do spirit. He introduced her to a video magnifying device that let her put printed material under a camera to magnify it in high contrast. As her vision loss progressed and magnified text was no longer enough, Bower learned to use screen readers, assistive software programs that render text and images in speech.
Data sonification offers another path toward understanding: The displays invite the public to look at the world a different way — by not looking at all.
This technology is vital. As a physical oceanographer, Bower primarily works on the computer. She doesn’t use, say, test tubes or microscopes, the way a chemist or biologist would. Screen readers don’t work well for graphic data plots, so she also depends on sighted assistants to describe complex charts and graphs.
Several years ago, Bower encountered a nascent technology that could upend the way visionimpaired people interact with statistics. Data sonification converts strings of
numbers to sound. If you measure the temperature of a harbor over time, Bower explains, you can map your values to frequencies — for example, high values become high frequencies — and listen to how the temperature fluctuates. She imitates how it might sound, a rising and falling reminiscent of whale song. A colleague calls it Bower’s “data karaoke.”
While it’s great for representing values over time, it’s less well suited to other complex spatial visualizations that Bower may work with, such as
topographical maps of the ocean floor. Sonification, as with screen readers, is not a catchall accessibility tool, but it holds enough value that Bower and a cross-disciplinary team of scientists are experimenting with how to harness the sound of data for public outreach. Bower is the principal investigator for Accessible Oceans, a National Science Foundation–funded pilot study that designs inclusive auditory displays to promote the understanding of ocean data in such places as museums and aquariums.
For one display, the team explored the daily vertical migration of zooplankton off the Oregon coast in nine audio tracks, and it takes about eight minutes to listen to the whole thing. (You can listen here: bit.ly/AuditoryDisplay.) “Let’s explore with our ears,” the narrator says.
The project aims to promote data literacy for everyone — not just for those with sensory limitations. For the general public, scientific findings can seem to come down from on high, and data sonification offers another path toward understanding: The displays invite the public to look at the world a different way — by not looking at all.
Jessica Roberts, a coinvestigator on the Accessible Oceans project, was afraid she’d have to rein in the project’s oceanographers when they developed long scripts for the audio displays. Roberts, a Georgia Tech–based learning scientist who researches how the design of interactive technologies can facilitate learning, was unsure that potential museumgoers would want to sit and listen to long displays. She was surprised when the team tested the display prototypes with blind and low-vision students and adults, and, “as it turned out, people do want to sit there for [about] 10 minutes and listen,” she says.
Bower also encourages young blind people to pursue science. She takes students from the Perkins School for the Blind on field trips to Vineyard Sound. They’re often thrilled that she
Cable drums on board a Bower research vessel.
BOWER LAB, WHOI
Bower doesn’t get lost in charts with millions of data points because she can’t see them.
“I tend to spend more time thinking and talking to people about the big picture,” she says. “What does it all mean?”
uses a screen reader, just like they do. Those with vision impairment, she tells them, can approach science differently. Bower doesn’t get lost in charts with millions of data points because she can’t see them. “I tend to spend more time thinking and talking to people about the big picture,” she says. “What does it all mean?”
These days, Bower isn’t slinging instruments on research cruises much anymore. Instead, when she’s not busy
with headings and weather forecasts, she uses her mobility cane to navigate the ship deck, up ladders and through passageways she knows by heart. In the open air, she revels in the aweinspiring privilege of experiencing the world thousands of miles from shore. She likes to listen to the hiss of the ship slipping through the waves.
This article was first published in the Sierra Club Magazine.
The Bower Lab uses tools to measure ocean conditions and the speed and direction of currents.
BOWER LAB, WHOI
More About
Amy Bower’s Research
Discovering and Decoding the Deep Ocean’s Role in Earth’s Climate System
A scientist with WHOI since the late 1980s, Dr. Amy Bower studies the structure and dynamics of the deep ocean’s most energetic features: boundary currents (flows along the edges of ocean basins), and deep mesoscale eddies (swirling water masses roughly 50 miles in diameter).
These currents and eddies play a crucial role in moving heat, salt, and other water properties (and the creatures within them) across long distances in the ocean. Because they often leave little trace at the sea surface, their paths are hard to track. Amy and her team rely on innovative techniques, most notably freely drifting buoys called RAFOS (Ranging and Fixing of Sound) floats. These sink beneath the surface, drift with the currents, and are tracked underwater using sound. Hundreds have been deployed in the North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Indian Ocean.
With these tools, Amy’s team has identified where some deep eddies form, followed their life cycles, mapped previously unknown pathways of the deepest currents in the North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and revealed connections between deep currents and the flows above. Learn more about her research at whoi.edu/scientist/abower
Amy is also the principal investigator for Accessible Oceans, a National Science Foundation–funded pilot study that designs inclusive auditory displays to promote the understanding of ocean data in such places as museums and aquariums. Learn more at accessibleoceans.whoi.edu Additionally, she founded OceanInsight, an outreach program making ocean science accessible to all learners. It brings real-world research, storytelling, and STEM career inspiration to students of all ages. Learn more at oceaninsight.whoi.edu
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT
Geoengineering?
From controlling weather to changing ocean alkalinity to placing mirrors in the sky to manage solar radiation, can — should? — humanity engineer its way out of our climate crisis?
By Leslie Garrett
In 1946, with the Second World War barely over, a couple of General Electric scientists were in the company lab in Schenectady, New York, solving a problem. Water droplets in the atmosphere posed a risk to aircraft, freezing when they hit the cold wings and causing buildup. But ice droplets, they knew, would ping off the surface. Irving Langmuir and Vincent Schaefer had discovered that by introducing
dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) into an environment with supercooled water (water colder than 32°F but not yet frozen), they could create ice. Another GE scientist, Bernard Vonnegut, compounded the discovery by using silver iodide, which was even more effective at generating ice formations. Though originally intended to keep aircraft safe from ice, the discovery later provided a principle that could be applied to enhance precipitation in
times of drought or in arid conditions. The trio had discovered how to control the weather. This principle became the basis for “cloud seeding,” a process in which particles are introduced into clouds. Water droplets adhere to these particles and freeze, forming larger snowflakes or ice pellets that eventually fall as rain or snow.
On October 13, 1947, this “cloud seeding” was tested when the U.S. government flew an Air Force B-17 into
Irving Langmuir also worked with Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the wireless telegraph system, at the General Electric Research Laboratory.
a hurricane off the coast of Florida, in an experiment dubbed Project Cirrus. There were three planes in total — one dropping dry ice into the storm at the top cloud level, the second documenting the effect, and the third, carrying Vincent Schaefer, monitoring changes and directing the other two.
The American Geophysical Union isn’t anti-geoengineering, but it asserts that our first approach to the climate crisis must focus on solutions that are “controllable within our terrestrial sphere,” as Professor Saleem Ali put it. In other words, we should be considering strategies such as managed retreat from coastal regions as seas rise, expanding renewable energy infrastructure, and building reservoirs to respond to increased flooding.
Project Cirrus crew in 1947, in a recently colorized photo.
Irving Langmuir
The next day, however, when scientists tried to revisit the site of their experiment, they couldn’t locate the storm’s eye. When they finally found it, the hurricane had gained in strength, shifted 135° due west, and was about to make landfall, hitting Georgia and South Carolina. The experiment had increased the hurricane’s intensity and altered its path, and when it hit land, it killed one person, caused $2 million in damage, generated public outrage, and introduced the world to geoengineering.
Geoengineering consists of “deliberate, large-scale attempts to alter the climate system in a way that halts, slows down, or reverses global warming,” according to the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists. These climate intervention technologies include cloud seeding but also carbon dioxide removal, solar radiation modification, ocean alkalinity enhancement, and other emerging technologies such as those aimed at preserving ice sheets and/or restoring sea ice and permafrost. Though the term “geoengineering” was first coined in the 1970s, the concept dates back much further.
“Humans have been interfering with nature in very consequential ways for more than a century,” Professor Salim Ali tells me from the University of Delaware, where he teaches geography and spatial sciences. “We have changed entire ecosystems.”
But recent proposals call for more intentional (and often extreme) interventions, as it becomes clearer that we won’t meet our carbon reduction
targets as per the Paris Agreement to keep warming below 1.5°C. Desperate times, the thinking goes, call for desperate measures.
Ali calls cloud seeding “a form of micro-level geoengineering” that, despite the negative consequences of Project Cirrus, remains relatively widespread around the world — including in the United States — as a way to address water shortages. Newer interventions include solar radiation mitigation (various methods that reflect sunlight away from the Earth) and oceanic geoengineering, including proposals to put certain metals in the ocean that would increase algal blooms to sequester more carbon.
These interventions are rarely easy and certainly not without risk. Indeed, there is enough cause for concern that Ali and others signed a letter put forth by the AGU recommending ethical guidelines that should be considered and implemented by anyone planning or undertaking a geoengineering project.
The main concern, Ali says, is what’s called the “moral hazard problem,” which posits that people are more likely to take unnecessary risks if the consequences are borne by others. Through a geoengineering lens, this means that we might undertake risky geoengineering solutions (while ignoring or undervaluing the solutions that currently exist) because we either underestimate, can’t reasonably predict, or don’t feel threatened by any undesired consequences — they’ll either impact others in the world or future generations. Professor Ali also speaks to concern that geoengineering could act as a sort of “get out of jail free” card; why
clean up emissions, the thinking might go, when geoengineering methods can rescue us? “There [could] be kind of a complacency around just going ahead and emitting because the fossil fuel companies will think, ‘Well, we have a solution, so we will just continue,’” he explains.
Additionally, the funding of geoengineering projects by private investment raises concern that results (and profit) will be prioritized over due diligence. Consequently, the guidelines include a call for transparency and proactive engagement of communities likely to be affected.
The AGU isn’t anti-geoengineering, but it asserts that our first approach to the climate crisis must focus on solutions that are “controllable within our terrestrial sphere,” as Professor Ali put it. In other words, we should be considering strategies such as managed retreat from coastal regions as seas rise, expanding renewable energy infrastructure, and building to mitigate increased flooding.
But that’s not to say we shouldn’t be ready to deploy new kinds of geoengineering projects if necessary.
To wit, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) proposed in 2021 that $200 million be deployed over five years to research three specific approaches to solar engineering to deflect sunlight. But underscoring the AGU’s assertion that existing technologies and methods must be prioritized, “the [NASEM] report makes clear that no research should occur unless a country has already made strong commitments to deep decarbonization,” reads a story in Science magazine (bit.ly/
The public remains split on their views around geoengineering, according to a Pew Research study, with about 41% saying they believe solar geoengineering could help mitigate climate change and 53% saying it won’t make a difference. The division seems to depend, at least in part, on how seriously people take the problem of climate change.
solar-engineering). “Reflecting sunlight is at best a bandage and does nothing to curb human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere — or the ocean acidification that comes with it.”
The public remains split on their views around geoengineering, according to a Pew Research study, with about 41% saying they believe solar geoengineering could help mitigate climate change and 53% saying it won’t make a difference. The division seems to depend, at least in part, on how seriously people take the problem of climate change. “With solar radiation management or geoengineering, if you think the risk of climate change [is] very high, then obviously you will see the value of solar geoengineering,” Ali says. However, “If you see the risk of climate change as being less, and it’s manageable, [and] we can adapt to it through other means, then you will not see the value of solar radiation management.”
The public, Ali says, generally doesn’t have a good understanding of risk. “People have to realize we take risks at every point in our lives, and we have constant trade-offs on every decision we make.” It can be hard, however, to assess risk when we don’t trust the information that’s available. “The problem we have … with any kind of large scale human enterprise with technology, is that you’ve got a lot of noise and misinformation that circulates,” Ali says. “And this is true of nuclear energy, deep sea mining, solar geoengineering, the whole gamut. And in an age of social media, it’s very easy to get viral misinformation, and to have reliable science has become an enormous challenge.” Indeed, a key reason for putting forth recommended guidelines was to encourage public trust around geoengineering — to assure people that those engaging in it would incorporate
ethical considerations into their planning. Of course, all climate interventions are not created equal. For instance, some scientists, including Ali, believe that carbon dioxide removal technologies should be prioritized over solar geoengineering that injects aerosols into the atmosphere. In 2021, Ali
penned an open letter calling for an international non-use agreement on solar geoengineering, writing that “The risks of solar geoengineering are poorly understood and can never be fully known. Impacts will vary across regions, and there are uncertainties about the effects on weather patterns, agriculture, and the provision of basic needs of food and water.” Nonetheless, he admits, solar radiation management is the method that’s currently gaining the most attention and investment, including from Bill Gates. Which is not to say, Ali points
out, that the scientists involved are solely motivated by funding. David Keith, one of the most visible proponents of solar geoengineering, certainly has “good intentions,” Ali says. And Daniele Visioni, who supports the AGU’s framework and is conducting research into solar geoengineering, wants large-scale experiments to be conducted only with proper governance.
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute are also experimenting with ocean alkalinity enhancement (see sidebar), which involves adding substances to the ocean to promote greater absorption of carbon. It’s a method, however, that’s drawn considerable opposition, Ali says — the ocean has many well-organized defenders — leading to reduced private investment.
The polar regions are drawing attention for various geoengineering experiments, because they are warming more quickly than elsewhere, with consequences projected to be severe and irreversible. But a group of scientists recently considered five of these geoengineering concepts, writing in Frontiers in Science that “According to our expert assessment … we find that the proposed concepts would be environmentally dangerous, … that the assessed approaches are not feasible, and that further research into these techniques would not be an effective use of limited time and resources.” They express concern that these ideas “distract from the priority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions [and] from the critical need to conduct fundamental research in the polar regions.”
While GE scientist Bernard Vonnegut spent much of his career learning how to control the weather, his brother, novelist Kurt Vonnegut, spent much of his writing about the dangers of hubristic men, including a character in
NAOMI TESLA, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A diagram showing how clouds seeded with dry ice or silver iodide create rain.
his novel Cat’s Cradle, who is modelled on the real-life Irving Langmuir. “I was a public relations man for the General Electric Company’s research laboratory,” the novelist Vonnegut told a reporter in 1980. “The job required my visiting the scientists often and talking to them and asking them what they were up to. … I got to know these people, and the older ones began to trouble me a lot; not the younger ones, but the older ones began to believe the truth must be served and that they need not fear whatever they
The LOC-NESS Project
By Lucas Thors
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are taking a measured, thoughtful approach to geoengineering. In response to demand from the world’s leading scientific bodies (like the National Academies of Science and the IPCC), WHOI is pursuing a project that would answer essential questions about marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). The LOCNESS Project (short for Locking Ocean Carbon in the Northeast Shelf and Slope; find out more at locness. whoi.edu/) is looking at methods of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), a potential type of mCDR that de-acidifies sea water while storing carbon away from the atmosphere. The project was initially situated off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, but when the installation of wind turbines got in the way, it was relocated to the waters off Maine. The Boston Globe describes it as a test to see if “adding an extremely alkaline mixture of sodium
turned up in the course of their research. And a man that my brother worked with there, a Nobel Prize winner named Irving Langmuir … was absolutely indifferent to the uses that might be made of the truths he dug out of the rock and handed out to whomever was around. But any truth he found was beautiful in its own right, and he didn't give a damn who got it next.”
As we grapple not only with the impacts of the carbon party we’ve been throwing since the Industrial Revolution,
but also with our resistance to curbing those emissions, the conversation around geoengineering is only going to grow louder and more urgent. Groups, including the AGU, with their call for ethical guidelines, want us to think hard about who benefits or profits from these projects, and who or what might be harmed.
We must, in Vonnegut’s words, give a damn.
(Lucas Thors contributed research to this story.)
A scientist, part of the Woods Hole research team, observes seawater sampling tubes as part of the institution's ocean-climate research last year.
hydroxide solution can coax the ocean into swallowing more carbon dioxide than it already does.”
According to Suzanne Pelisson, director of public relations at WHOI, dozens of leading scientists and organizations support the LOCNESS project. Pelisson emphasized in an email to Bluedot that the project is not a pathway to, or an endorsement for, OAE. Instead, WHOI is interested in a transparent, rigorous scientific evaluation of OAE. “We are not a company and are not participating in the voluntary carbon market. We need real solutions — not fake promises of carbon credits or large corporations charging ahead without evidence,” Pelisson said.
Pelisson said the project goals are as follows:
• Evaluate how regional ocean conditions and human activities would interact with OAE
• Conduct realistic laboratory experiments that assess the biological impacts and the engineered safety of OAE
• Design and conduct a small scale, highly monitored field trial of alkalinity enhancement
• Use an ocean model to expand upon the field trial data
• Engage with communities who care about the impact of OAE on our regional waters
Read WHOI’s full statement on mCDR here: bit.ly/WHOI-mcdr
Get more delicious, low-impact recipes by subscribing to Bluedot Living Kitchen digital magazine. Visit bluedotliving.com/kitchenmag50 to subscribe today! For a special price of $19.95 $9.95, you’ll receive one year of our new digital magazine, which serves up simple, planet-friendly recipes, inspiring stories, and smart tips to reduce food waste and shop sustainably. With Bluedot Living Kitchen digital magazine, you’ll get one-click access, enhanced audio features, links to purchase ingredients and green products, and a bonus recipe collection.
Susan Branch Finds Beauty (and Sustainability) in Simple Pleasures
The beloved Vineyard author built a cottage industry out of sharing her love of New England, old homes, thrifted finds, and hearty recipes.
By Leslie Garrett Photos Courtesy Susan Branch
t the very top of the “T” where Franklin meets Spring Street in Vineyard Haven, a house sits. It’s a typical white colonial, with glossy black shutters and door; its small front porch is mere feet from the street. The narrow facade belies the fact that the house stretches back, back, back into a yard that also features a pergola, a barn with a loft, and gardens beginning to fade into autumn.
At the very top of the “T” where Franklin meets Spring Street in Vineyard Haven, a house sits. It’s a typical white
colonial, with glossy black shutters and door; its small front porch is mere feet from the street. The narrow facade belies the fact that the house stretches back, back, back into a yard that also features a pergola, a barn with a loft, and gardens beginning to fade into autumn.
The house, which is for sale, is now empty of its people, but bears the pedigree of having been the home of bestselling author Susan Branch, meaning that this is no ordinary house, but a character in the story of Susan’s life. Within its walls, she built something of an empire, selling not just books,
calendars, vintage glassware, and tea towels, but also a dream, a real-life fairy tale that she lived on Martha’s Vineyard for roughly 35 years, until a year or so ago, when she and her husband found the West coast beckoning again as they move into the next season of their lives.
Susan arrived on the Island newly divorced. A California native, she’d long loved the idea of New England, and so she left behind the familiar comfort of her parents and seven younger siblings
It isn’t about making do without, it’s about making do with what we have.
for a different kind of comfort — one she’d found in a childhood steeped in magazines, movies, and Louisa May Alcott, one that featured snowy Christmases and old houses with long lawns, arbors, and picket fences. “When I finally got myself to New England, I felt like I was coming home,” she would write later on her blog.
Her first home on the Vineyard was a one-bedroom, one-bath, one-story house near Lambert’s Cove for which she paid $52,000. Despite her aesthetic familiarity with the East Coast, “New Englanders scared me,” she tells me from her new home back in California. “I didn’t know if I’d say the wrong thing. I knew that California was weird, you know, I had to learn a new culture, really.” Or, perhaps
Susan and Joe raking clams.
The house on Spring Street, ready for the holidays.
more accurately, she had to acclimatize to a culture that she had spent a childhood absorbing from a distance.
And then, serendipity appeared, in the form of a red-covered copy of Barlett’s Familiar Quotations that she found in her little home. What she discovered in that book, she says, was “all the truths and the secrets of the world… That’s what I was looking for when I moved to Martha’s Vineyard — how to make a wonderful
and illustrating them with watercolor sketches — a watermelon, perhaps, or a flower. Though it might have made more sense to type everything on her IBM Selectric, she decided to just put them down in her distinctive handwriting. Already imagining them being published, she determined that if the publisher decided they didn’t want her handwriting, they could use whatever font they wanted.
exotic ingredients, at least in those days. And so, her 30th Anniversary Edition of this first book (reissued in 2016) still features an Herb Roasted Chicken, her grandmother’s turkey stuffing, and blueberry pie, but Susan also added, among other recipes, an orange-lavender polenta cake, quinoa salad, and a coconut, ginger, and lime soup — things few of us were eating 30 years ago.
That first book struck a chord, and
More is more in Susan Branch’s world, though her version of more comes from salvaging and saving, including a collection of rubber bands and safety pins and twist ties that she keeps in old glass jars to ensure they don’t end up in “that swirling dervish of little pieces of plastic, those ocean garbage patches.”
light, and I didn’t know how to do it.”
Those quotes — from Mark Twain, from Louisa May Alcott, from Eleanor Roosevelt — told her, she says, that we must make our own happiness. And so she did.
Susan had always loved to cook and wanted to write down her recipes, in part so that her younger siblings would have them. She began writing, expanding the recipes with stories
In 1986, Heart of the Home: Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen (available on her site at bit.ly/SusanBranchBooks) was published. The book was an homage to homemaking, she explains. To our mothers, to her mother especially, and to her girlfriends. The recipes themselves were “very much home cooking,” she tells me, “very old fashioned.” Though she was a fan of Julia Child, she found that living on an island didn’t lend itself to umpteen
a devout audience formed. Long before Instagram and Substack, Susan followed up by writing a newsletter — she named it “Willard” after her grandfather — to her new fans. “I think the first Willard might have gone to around 2,000,” she says, “but by the end of the 12 years of doing it once a year, the last one went to about 25,000.” It was starting to “cost a pretty penny for printing, but mostly postage,” she explains. “We collated it
In 2022, I put this on my blog, “Joe and I are going to England, want to go? Call Cunard, tell them you’re with our group, and make reservations!” And we had about 100 people join us.
ourselves at the dining table, plus we always included a couple of gifts, a page of stickers and a bookmark, something like that.” So, in 2006, “the computer took over,” and Willard went digital. The email Willards were about four to six pages long and Susan included links to allow recipients to print out recipe cards or stationery pages. “I still hand-wrote them,” she says. “In it for love!”
She started her blog (susanbranch. com) in November of 2010, just in time to get her readers ready for Thanksgiving with her cranberry sauce recipe. Her newsletter crowd of “girlfriends,” which is what she’s dubbed her fans, now numbers 65,000.
But while the technology changed, Susan’s message did not: Your home can be where you create beauty and comfort, simply and sustainably. “I have a lot of creative juices in me, and there's plenty of places to put them around the home, with the garden and the colors,” she says. “I could cheer myself up by just putting a flower in an old jar, and it just perked up my day.”
She has little time for perfection. Her love of old things extends, almost by definition, to a love of the imperfect,
of the charmingly disheveled. If Susan’s ethos was a snapshot, it would be a table set with antique linens centered with a vintage vase tucked with wildflowers from the garden and plates full of hearty, home-cooked food. The floor might be crooked. The fireplace might have a crack in its marble. And the chairs —
bearing the weight of many guests — would undoubtedly creak.
“We don’t ever, hardly ever buy anything new,” Susan says. “We recycle by going to antique stores, yard sales, and there’s hardly anything new in our house …,” including, she says, a 1955 stove in the Vineyard kitchen.
Sue makes a video for her followers.
Susan and Joe.
She claims her dedication to sustainability is really about practicality. But it’s more than that. She’s rarely in a rush, which means that, instead of flying back and forth between the coasts, she routinely takes the train. When she and her husband Joe visited England to see Beatrix Potter’s home, they took a boat. “It’s just the way we like to live,” she says.
It’s a message that, perhaps surprisingly, continues to resonate in the face of our not-enough-hours-inthe-day lives and Instagram posts of curated, minimalist interiors. More is more in Susan Branch’s world, though her version of more comes from salvaging and saving, including a collection of rubber bands and safety pins and twist ties that she keeps in old glass jars to ensure they don’t end up in “that swirling dervish of little pieces of plastic, those ocean garbage patches.”
“We don’t ever, hardly ever buy anything new,” Susan says. “We recycle by going to antique stores, yard sales, and there’s hardly anything new in our house …,” including, she says, a 1955 stove in the Vineyard kitchen.
Susan Branch’s world, the one she has sold so effectively (and authentically) to her legions of “girlfriends,” isn’t complicated. It doesn’t require us to think about climate change so much as to embrace its principle solutions of reduce, reuse, and recycle simply because they make sense. It isn’t about making do without, it’s about making do with what we have. Because what we have, Susan Branch insists, is enough. A fistful of roadside flowers. Our grandmother’s (or someone’s grandmother’s) embroidered pillowcase. Raspberries turned to jam. It’s a good life, she says, and all of us girlfriends nod because she’s right. “And it took so little,” she insists. “It didn’t take wanting the world. It didn't take all of that. It took thrift stores. It wasn’t difficult … It was all just about the little things.”
Recipes and illustrations by Susan Branch
I discovered this by accident one Christmas with some leftover cranberry sauce — it’s so good, now I make it on purpose. Beyond easy; such a pretty gift; make extra for a friend. Amazing on hot, buttered biscuits.
Makes 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup good quality orange marmalade
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Combine the cranberry mixture with the orange marmalade and chill.
NOTES
2. Put the cranberries into a small ungreased baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the cranberries; don’t stir. Bake until berries begin to pop, about 30 to 35 minutes, stirring 3 times while baking. Remove from the oven and cool.
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Beat eggs and yolks together, just to blend. Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. Then, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk and cream together over medium heat until almost boiling, but do not boil. Remove from the heat and slowly add the hot milk and cream to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Then, add the vanilla.
• What to do with it: Spread it over sourdough toast with butter, try it on English muffins, cream scones for tea, or on fresh baked biscuits with a roasted chicken dinner. Yuuum!
• Make extra for a friend: Vintage coasters make the perfect jam jar toppers. Just secure it with a rubber band and cover it with a ribbon.
Light, delicate, and elegant — also, totally delicious. This is my favorite dessert. When inverted into a serving dish, the caramel surrounds the custard like an island.
Serves 8
3. To make the caramel, put the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar into a dry skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan, but don’t stir. Cook until the sugar has melted and turned a deep caramel color.
4. The caramel dries as it cools, so work quickly to divide it among 8 buttered ramekins, swirling each to coat the bottoms. Pour the custard into ramekins, filling to about ¾. Set the dishes into a
roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the pan to about 1-inch deep. Put the roasting pan into the oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife, inserted in the middle, comes out clean. Chill, covered in the refrigerator.
5. To serve, cut tightly around the edge of the ramekin, place a small bowl over it, and turn both upside down so the custard releases into the bowl.
I guess you could say this is the old-fashioned way to make stuffing — my great-grandmother also made it this way. It’s so moist, and you can change it any way you like with additions of your own, but we like it plain and simple. Makes great sandwiches with sliced turkey and cranberry sauce. Makes enough for a 20-pound bird
INGREDIENTS
2 loaves white bread
1 loaf whole wheat bread
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
2–3 onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 spice jar sage leaves
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Set the bread out to dry a couple of days before you make the stuffing.
2. Put more than 6 inches of the hottest water you can stand to touch into your clean sink. Dip each slice of dried bread into the water; wring it out well, and put it into a large bowl. The bread will be kind of chunky, doughy, chewy.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Turn the heat to low, and very slowly, sauté the onions and celery in the butter until soft — do not brown the butter. Meanwhile, over the sink,
rub the sage leaves between your fingers and remove any woody stems, then put the leaves in the bowl with the bread.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the bread and mix well with your hands (but don’t burn yourself!). Add salt — it needs a lot of salt, so they say — and then add pepper to taste. Now for the tasting, the tasting always goes on forever …is that right? More salt? More sage? More butter? So taste, and don’t worry — we’ve never measured a thing and it’s always delicious!
NOTE: My Grandma’s stuffing is a very old recipe. There never was any written recipe that I ever saw. There was only one size jar of sage back then, about 0.65 oz, one regular spice jar from the supermarket. And then it’s all about tasting it. When you cook stuffing inside a turkey, the turkey will absorb some of the salt and flavoring, so my Grandma said you should add slightly more than seems right to you.
Crisp on the edges with a cornmeal crunch in the tender middle. Perfect for a winter day.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsps sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsps canola oil, divided
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In another bowl, beat the egg well, then whisk in milk, then 1 tablespoon canola oil. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Gently fold in the blueberries.
3. Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon each of canola oil and butter. Drop
the batter by spoonfuls into the pan; use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into 4-inch rounds. When the cakes are crisp and brown, flip them and cook the other side. Keep them warm in a 250°F oven until you’re ready to serve them.
4. Serve the cakes in a puddle of hot maple syrup; butter is optional. You will be fortified and can now go out and play in the snow…
With a food processor, it takes about 5 minutes to make your own mayonnaise, and you won’t believe the difference. Use it as is. For a special chicken salad, add a little curry and chutney to taste. Makes 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 cup olive oil
1 cup vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS
. Put the egg and egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and salt into a food processor and blend for 1 minute.
2. Mix the olive oil and vegetable oil together; then, with the machine running, pour in the oil in a very slow, steady stream. That’s it! Feel free to add any herbs you like to make flavored mayonnaise.
EXTRA EGG WHITES OR YOLKS?
There’s no need to pitch an egg white or yolk when a recipe only calls for one of them. For either, add extras to egg dishes (like a frittata), swirl into a soup, or fry into leftover rice. If you just have one white, you can use it as a binder in homemade granola or use it to add a foamy, frothy head to a cocktail (like a vodka-based Morning Glory). If you have a few left over whites, consider making meringue Yolks can be used in homemade pasta or a creamy sauce as well as in desserts like lemon curd.
Plant This, Not That
Four Invasive Species and their Vineyard-Native Alternatives
Swap out invasive ornamentals for Island-native species that support local wildlife.
By Robyn Graygor
Robyn Graygor is the Biodiversity Technician for BiodiversityWorks’ Natural Neighbors program. To see the full version of this article, visit bit.ly/plant-this-not-that
Can you believe that beach rose (Rosa rugosa) is not native to Martha’s Vineyard? It’s actually not even native to the United States! This classic shrub rose sporting vibrant pink petals hails from coasts in eastern Asia. Despite its distant origins, beach rose has become a poster-plant for the Cape and Islands. Our native Virginia rose (Rosa virginiana), which hosts over 100 species of butterflies and moths, receives considerably less recognition even though it is an authentic Island treasure.
Many common plants have been brought to New England from elsewhere in the world. They grow voraciously without the natural predators from their native ranges to keep their populations in check. These species are often praised at nurseries for their pest resistance, fast growth, and dense cover, which presents an irresistible appeal to landscapers and property owners. In some cases, these plants can become
invasive species, growing so aggressively that they disrupt native ecosystems and cause environmental and/or economic harm. Landscapes begin to homogenize as native species, which preserve the beauty and uniqueness of the Island, are replaced with popular non-native ornamentals.
Residential landscapes across the United States are decorated with the same arrangements of invasive plants: Burning bush (Euonymous alatus) sits mulched in garden beds, clumps of silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis) frame driveways, and sculpted border privet hedges (Ligustrum obtusifolium) trail along property lines. Overly abundant and easy to grow, these problem species are so common that they are often believed to be native, including on the Island.
If you want to help maintain Martha’s Vineyard’s iconic native plant communities, consider planting Island-native species in place of their invasive knock-offs.
Common problem plants and their native alternatives:
Burning Bush
Burning bush (Euonymus alatus), also known as winged euonymus, is a deciduous shrub native to
eastern Asia. It was introduced to the United States in the 1860s as a landscaping plant and has since escaped into the wild. In
the fall, its small oval leaves turn a brilliant fiery shade of red, hence the name. The “corky wings” that grow as small ridges along the stems are helpful for identification.
Homeowners may be initially pleased when burning
bush pops up in their gardens as a volunteer statement shrub, but this aggressive grower can quickly become a burden. Highly adaptable, burning bush can form resilient thickets that crowd out native species in a variety of light and
A Vineyard lawn with native plantings.
moisture conditions. A single shrub, with flowers that are equipped with both male and female reproductive parts, can produce an abundance of viable reproducing plants. Spread is facilitated both by seed dispersal and vegetative reproduction upon breakage (i.e. cutting a stem). New infestations form when birds eat the bright red berries and carry the seeds to other locations.
This prolific grower produces leaves earlier in the season and drops them later in the season than many native
bushes, leading to a higher survival rate over the winter. Native plants are simply unable to compete. While birds eat the highly abundant berries, they are not as nutritionally valuable as fruits from native shrubs, which provide the fat and energy needed to fuel migration.
Native alternatives
Plenty of Island-native shrubs have crimson colored fall foliage as well as other striking seasonal features. Spring ushers in flower
clusters, followed by plump berries in the summer that are picked off by birds. Many birds and beneficial insects have come to rely on native shrubs as a food source and host plant. These shrubs have evolved to thrive in Island conditions making many of them resilient in the face of floods, fires, and leaf-feeding insects. Arrowwood viburnum (viburnum dentatum), for example, will display an array of beautiful fall colors that give burning bush a run for its money. The following
Island-native shrubs are fierce competitors with their fall color:
1 Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)
2 Ar rowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)
3 Highbush blueber ry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
4 Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
5 Northern wild raisin (Viburnum cassinoides)
6 Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Miscanthus
Grasses in the Miscanthus genus have become popular ornamental plantings across the eastern United States. Specifically, Miscanthus sinensis has risen the ranks in the nursery trade, leading to many properties and public landscapes being stamped with their signature dramatic appearance. Billowing grassy tendrils with a silver vein form satisfying plumes that complement
textures in traditional gardens. Cultivars like zebra grass have made their way into many landscape designers' hearts; striking foliage with sharp yellow bands wins over even the most grass-hating gardeners. This perennial bunchgrass can succeed in a variety of conditions. It is found in edge habitats, gardens, grasslands, coastal zones, and anthropogenic areas like roadsides and ditches. It can
thrive in full sun to part shade, and it spreads readily by both seed and rhizomes.
Large tufts can grow up to 10 feet tall, overshadowing and crowding out the Island's iconic native bunchgrasses. Widespread infestations threaten to monopolize meadows and leave habitats more susceptible to the stresses of climate change. Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis), for instance, is highly flammable and increases the risk of wildfires as its dense stands dry out.
Native alternatives
Martha’s Vineyard is home to several native bunchgrasses that decorate meadows, provide food for birds, and host native butterflies like the Crossline Skipper. A great source of protective cover and nesting material, these grasses will fill space elegantly while helping to maintain the globally rare ecosystems found on the Vineyard. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is the most similar to Chinese silvergrass, with its tall tufts and dramatic seed heads. But nutritious Switchgrass seeds will be eaten
Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) , for example,
by birds in the fall and winter, whereas Chinese silvergrass seedheads are often left unused. Consider planting the following grasses in place of invasive grasses in the Miscanthus genus:
1 Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
2 Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
3 Indian g rass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is the most similar to Chinese silvergrass, with its tall tufts and dramatic seed head s.
Bamboo
Bamboo is native to southeastern Asia and South America, although most cultivated bamboo comes from China. Like many invasive species, it was brought to the United States as a landscaping plant in the 1880s. Praised for its shockingly fast growth and erosion control, it is often planted to achieve dense year-round cover.
In its native range, bamboo is celebrated as a renewable energy source and a carbon sink; It exhibits clumping or running growth patterns that coexist with an ecosystem that has evolved alongside it. Outside of its native range,
bamboo forms monocultures that suffocate other plant life and dominate the landscape entirely. There are no natural predators to effectively keep the populations in check, allowing for uninterrupted growth in natural and anthropogenic settings. Bamboo offers virtually no benefit to native wildlife and threatens native plant communities.
An extensive network of underground rhizomes allows for rapid spread that can cross property lines and disrupt infrastructure. Once it’s established, successfully removing it is
a huge undertaking, which can decrease property value. Although bamboo is not officially recognized as an invasive species by the state of Massachusetts, it has received that designation in New York.
Native alternatives
There are a few different replacements for bamboo, depending on the desired outcome. If you are looking for a dense colony of coverage, consider planting a shrub or tree that forms groves. Several shrubs, including winged sumac (Rhus copallinum), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), silky dogwood (Swida amomum), and spicebush (Lindera benzoin), will grow in colonies. Beetlebung (Nyssa sylvatica)
can similarly grow in groves under the right conditions. Grasses may also better mimic the aesthetic appeal of bamboo; native bunchgrasses like big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) might scratch the itch, although they don’t grow as tall. Consider replacing bamboo with one of the following:
1 W inged sumac (Rhus copallinum)
2 Silky dogwood (Swida amomum)
3 Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)
4 Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
5 Beetlebung (Nyssa sylvatica)
• Big bluestem (See 2 above) (Andropogon gerardii)
1 & 2. JOHN RUTER, 3. NANCY LOEWENSTEIN, BUGWOOD.ORG
Chinese & Japanese Wisteria
Both Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) decorate trellises, gazebos, and gardens with clusters of light purple flowers. Some people even create dedicated wisteria gardens to show off the vine’s unique beauty. However, introducing wisteria to a property can become a lifelong commitment: this commercially available woody vine is a long-lived perennial, surviving for 50 years or more. Chinese wisteria was introduced to the United States
in 1860 as an ornamental planting, and Japanese wisteria was introduced in 1830. Both thrive in deep, loamy, welldrained soils but can successfully grow in a variety of conditions.
Wisteria easily escapes from yards and infests wild areas from the forest floor to the canopy. The trailing vines twine clockwise and can climb up tree trunks over 60 feet tall. The trunks of mature plants grow to be over 15 inches in diameter, eventually girdling and killing their hosts. New vines arise from the nodes of trailing stems that stretch great distances. Under the
Sourcing native plants can be difficult, so it is important to be informed before you open your wallet. Aim for Martha’s Vineyard wildtype plants, meaning plants whose seeds have been collected on-Island. Sometimes the native plant tags in nurseries can be misleading: many of these species tend to be North American natives rather than Martha’s Vineyard or even New England natives. Avoid cultivars of a native species, which can be identified by their theatrical nicknames in quotation marks, such as “Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis 'Crimson Wave')”.
The Polly Hill Arboretum has a selection of Martha’s Vineyard wildtype native plant species. They also have an online plant finder (plantfinder.pollyhillarboretum. org) that can help identify what species are native to the island. The Native Plant Trust has a similar database called Go Botany (gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org) that can be used to determine which species are Island-
right conditions, the plants also produce seeds, which explode from their pods and can be dispersed by water flow. As new plants sprout from seeds or vegetatively, they open broad compound leaves that shade surrounding areas like a carpet across the forest floor.
Managing a wisteria infestation can be a long, grueling process. Although wisteria is not officially recognized as an invasive species by the state of Massachusetts, it is in Connecticut.
Native alternatives
The Island harbors several native vines that are dainty additions to a trellis or other suitable surfaces. Grape vines (Vitis spp.) are fast-growing and full coverage options that will dangle bunches of fragrant, dark purple grapes in the fall; we’re on a vineyard, after all! Consider planting one of our Island-native vines as both an aesthetic addition to your property and a resource for local wildlife.
1 Summer Grape (Vitis aestivalis)
2 Fox Grape (Vitis labrusca)
3 V irginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
4 V irginia Virgin’s-bower (Clematis virginiana), not Island-native but native to Nantucket and the mainland
native and which are not. You can also order native seeds online from the Wild Seed Project website or the Garden for Wildlife website.
If you need assistance identifying the plant life that exists on your property, iNaturalist (inaturalist.org) can be a helpful tool. Upload images to iNaturalist and receive several computer generated recommendations on what the species might be. Then, wait for seasoned naturalists to review your post and either verify your identification or suggest otherwise. Each observation you post will be automatically uploaded to the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life (mval.biodiversityworksmv.org), which catalogs the species found on the Island.
Similarly, schedule a Natural Neighbors site visit to learn more about what plant and animal life can be found on your property and how you can better support it. This BiodiversityWorks program offers free personalized consultations to help all Islanders contribute to biodiversity.
CLIMATE CHAMP
ANNA EDEY
For decades, Anna’s been experimenting with ways to live that do not rely on fossil fuels, avoid nitrogen pollution, and reduce living costs.
Interview by Britt Bowker
Photos by Jeremy Driesen
Anna Edey greets me warmly as I step into her cottage in Vineyard Haven on a late August morning. Trellised greens twist up the porch, and pops of yellow, purple, and pink flowers hug the front garden. Gorgeous sunset-orange dahlias are in bloom and a peach tree is heavy with ripening fruit. Her home and landscape could be pulled right out of a storybook.
“Do you tend all this yourself?” I ask.
“Phillipe, my wonderful helper — my angel — helps me,” she tells me, her soft Swedish cadence making every word sound sweet. Collaboration has always been at the heart of Anna’s gardens and her larger experiments in sustainability.
Growing up in Sweden, Anna developed a deep respect for nature. When she first moved to the U.S., she was shocked by pollution and environmental degradation in New Jersey and New York. Those early experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to sustainable living, solar power, and selfsufficiency. Anna has lived on Martha’s Vineyard since 1958, and for decades she has been experimenting with ways to live that avoid pollution, reduce living costs, and do not rely on fossil fuels. I’m visiting to learn more about a problem that has long plagued the Island: nitrogen pollution.
Nitrogen from household wastewater (bit.ly/nitrogenproblem) — mostly from human urine — is one of the largest contributors to pollution and toxic algae blooms in Island ponds (see our story about remediation strategies in Chilmark Pond on page 30). Most Vineyard homes rely on Title 5 septic systems, which don’t filter nitrogen. That nitrogen travels through groundwater into the ponds, fueling algae growth and harming aquatic life. On Cape Cod, regulators in 2023 required that within the next seven years, all Title 5 systems must be updated to “innovative and alternative” (I/A) systems designed to reduce nitrogen. (Towns can also apply for a watershed permit, which provides them with the opportunity to
think critically about nitrogen pollution and come up with a plan to reduce it creatively using various technologies and practices over the next 20 years.) These new rules were introduced after the Conservation Law Foundation, a New England-based legal advocacy group, sued the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2021 for requiring these Title 5 systems that polluted the ponds to begin with. Martha’s Vineyard hasn’t yet implemented these rules across the Island, but the conversation is ongoing, and homeowners here may soon face the same update requirements.
In Tisbury, for example, as of early 2024, whenever a home is sold in the Tashmoo or Lagoon Pond watershed regions, its septic system must be replaced with an enhanced, nitrogenremoving one. The regulation doesn’t specify whether the buyer or the seller is responsible for the replacement — it’s typically a point of discussion or negotiation during the sale — but the upgrade must be completed within six months of the transaction. The same requirement applies if an existing system needs to be repaired or replaced.
Anna was ahead of the curve. Long before regulations required alternative systems, Anna designed her own
approach to managing household wastewater in a way that is both nonpolluting and cost effective. Using barrels filled with woodchips, compost, redworms, microbes, and plants, she created a natural filtration system that absorbs and transforms nitrogen before it reaches the pond, reducing nitrogen pollution by more than 90%. Called the Solviva Biocarbon filter system, (or the Solviva wood chip filter system), it can be retrofitted on any standard Title 5 system.
Anna points out that it was the DEP that required all homes in Massachusetts to have Title 5 systems in 1995, and says that “they were well aware” it would have environmental repercussions and pollute our ponds. To address that, the agency later launched a program encouraging the development of innovative nitrogenreducing alternatives. “Mine was one of the first to get a testing permit,” Anna says. At first, regulators were skeptical. She recalls their reaction: “Worms? Woodchips? Plants? What are you talking about?” But the environmental secretary at the time, Trudy Coxe, saw that Anna was on to something and insisted they issue her a permit for testing. However, she backed out of the DEP testing program when she realized it would require two years of testing at
Anna's Vineyard Haven cottage. She plans to add a chicken coop, solar panels, and greenhouse.
Anna sees her work as part of a bigger picture: a demonstration of what’s possible when residents take practical action on both environmental stewardship and community resilience. She hopes her experiments will encourage others to think creatively about wastewater, energy, and food security.
a remote, off-Island location, and would cost at least $100,000.
In her book, Green Light at the End of the Tunnel (see below for info on how to get one of these), Anna writes: “It is a fact that wastewater can be purified through natural filters that contain woodchips, compost, redworms, microorganisms and plants.” She lays out the methods and results of her natural wastewater filtration system, drawing on decades of hands-on experience and testing conducted at a certified lab, overseen by the “highly respected” Island engineer George Wey. “Compared with the standard septic systems that are built in accordance with state regulations,” she writes about the lab’s findings, “such natural filters can reduce nitrogen pollution by 80 to 99%. In addition, they do not require what standard septic systems often do: the removal of beloved gardens and trees. On the contrary, these natural systems enhance the landscaping and also reduce water
consumption and the need for fertilizers, because the final effluent provides both nourishment and irrigation for the plants. In addition, they cost 50 to 80% less than the conventional ways to manage wastewater. I know this is a fact because I have been doing it for 30 years and I have the certified lab tests to prove these extraordinary results.”
In a blog post on her website (bit. ly/SolvivaGreenfilter), she writes more about how her system works: Effluent from the septic tank is pumped into a brownfilter (a barrel full of aged woodchips), and from there drained into a greenfilter (a 16-inch-deep lined trench filled with a mix of woodchips, leaf mold, and soil) and planted with flowers and shrubs. “The more leaves they grow, the more nitrogen they absorb,” Anna says. The purified wastewater is then dispersed to nourish the surrounding trees and landscaping.
“The first surprise was how the plants immediately responded with fresh
growth, and then grew to be a splendid, healthy little flower garden,” Anna writes of the greenfilter. “But then came the biggest surprise: lab tests showed that this extremely simple system reduced nitrogen by 90.6% to 92.6%.”
Anna’s Biocarbon filter system was installed at Featherstone in 1997, and an “immense filter installation” followed at the Black Dog Tavern and Bakery in 1998 — though within a few months, that system became clogged with grease. The Solviva system at Featherstone lasted for several years until the center underwent a renovation. Anna says the grease could have been easily prevented with a simple pre-filter (essentially a dumpster filled with woodchips), but the DEP would not allow modifications without reentering the permit process, “and that would take months,” she says.
Today, Anna’s methods are used in some DEP-approved I/A systems, including local companies like KleanTu, which also uses woodchipbased filtration. Next door to Anna’s house, KleanTu recently installed a denitrification septic system for a new three-bedroom home. It cost $70,000 and required the removal of several trees. Anna’s system would cost less than $20,000, and does not require removing any trees or gardens. “It’s much simpler,” she adds, “and does not require multiple sensors and constantly recirculating pumps. Also, it does not require huge concrete tanks, which require heavy machinery to install, and therefore often requires removal of trees and gardens.”
Anna Edey at her former West Tisbury home, Solviva.
Anna sees her work as part of a bigger picture: a demonstration of what’s possible when residents take practical action on both environmental stewardship and community resilience. She hopes her experiments will encourage others to think creatively about wastewater, energy, and food security.
Islanders might be familiar with Anna’s previous home, in West Tisbury, which she called Solviva. On that 10-acre property, she grew vegetables, raised livestock, generated solar heat, developed her filtration system, and lived almost entirely off the grid. She also pioneered a self-sufficient organic solar greenhouse system, where in-house chickens kept it warm year-round, even through subzero blizzards. Anna was also the first to market ready-to-eat mixed salad greens, known as Solviva Salad.
Since 1978, her goal has been to live in a way that is solar-energy self-sufficient, food-secure, and nonpolluting — using methods that allow her to keep her electric appliances and tools, continue driving, and use a regular flush toilet, all while reducing her cost of living. She lived at Solviva from 1972 to 2018, when she decided to downsize.
“I couldn’t do that farm anymore, I was too old, I was too poor — so this is the cottage I found,” Anna says.
She talks about the plans she has to make it greener: a greenhouse to enclose the front porch, solar panels, batteries, and a predator-proof chicken coop — or “chicken haven,” as she calls it. She recently got approvals to build one in which she’ll raise about 12 chickens for eggs and meat. There will be a xylophone and a swing. “They like all kinds of things like that,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to the chicken coop.” She plans to compost the chicken poop to use as garden fertilizer.
Anna, who’s in her late 80s, already drives Nissan Leaf all-electric cars and will soon install enough solar panels and batteries to run everything, including heating, cooling, dehumidifying, charging the cars, and powering the rest of her electricity, allowing her to
disconnect from the grid entirely. Anna’s experiments aren’t just about sustainability, they’re also about preparedness. She thinks ahead to storms, power outages, and other emergencies that could disrupt water, food, or electricity. She wants to be ready for anything, and she wants her neighbors to be ready, too. Her solar panels, greenhouse, and chicken coop are part of a larger vision of self-reliance and community resilience, showing that households, working together, can maintain food, water, and energy even during disruptions.
“I’ve been planning to make this energy self-sufficient, nonpolluting, and food secure. That’s been my aim. Now I’m finally ready to do it,” she says.
Anna’s home still has a Title 5 septic system that she plans to replace, using an upgraded version of her woodchip filtration system. “That will require community participation,” she tells me. She says she’ll need to gather a “whole group of us to appeal to the Board of Health for a permit to install the Solviva system on my property, and show them that it would pose no threat to public health or the ponds, and it would be closely and officially supervised, inspected, and tested.”
When it comes to approving septic systems, local boards of health can only permit I/A systems that are tested and
approved by the DEP. Currently, there are only two: KleanTu’s NitROE and Lombardo Associates’ Nitrex systems. But Tisbury Health Agent Drew Belsky told me the Board of Health is exploring ways to approve other enhanced systems that can meet the town’s nitrogenreducing goals in practice — even if they’re not approved on paper — which is good news for Anna’s system.
Beyond the technical details, Anna emphasizes community involvement. She envisions workshops where Islanders can learn hands-on about constructing and maintaining these natural filtration systems. She imagines teams assembling chicken coops and greenhouses, learning practical skills while sharing meals and knowledge. Her goal is to spread information widely so people understand what is possible.
She believes it’s time for people to understand that individual action, combined with community support, can make a real difference.
And as for the ponds: “They can heal again,” she says. “Everything in nature can heal again.”
Anna’s book, ‘Green Light at the End of the Tunnel,’ is out of print and in demand. We were able to find copies on eBay (bit. ly/SolvivaEbay) and Amazon (bit.ly/ SolvivaAmazon), but be warned they won't come cheap.
Anna sketches her ideas on paper.
What You Can Do to Reduce Nitrogen at Home
Nitrogen from household wastewater is a major contributor to algae blooms and declining water quality in Island ponds. While upgrading Title 5 septic systems is one of the most impactful solutions, there are smaller-scale actions homeowners can take.
• Install a urine diversion or composting toilet: Urine diversion toilets separate urine from other waste, keeping most nitrogen out of the septic system and groundwater. Urine is nutrient-rich, and when collected and diluted, it can safely fertilize gardens. Even partial use (guest bathrooms, cabins) helps.
• Capture rainwater and greywater (lightly used domestic wastewater from sources like showers, bathtubs, washing machines, and bathroom sinks) for irrigation: Conserve well water and reuse nutrients in your yard instead of letting them flow into ponds. Use a bucket or container to collect water while showering, bathing, or washing dishes, then use it to water plants. Make sure soaps and detergents are plant-safe.
• Plant nitrogen-absorbing landscaping: Native grasses, trees, and shrubs along pond edges filter runoff naturally. Check out the Plant Local guide at bit.ly/PlantLocal.
• Support local initiatives: The Vineyard Conservation Society, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Great Pond Association, and Martha’s Vineyard Commission, Chilmark Pond Foundation, among other groups, are working hard to address nitrogen pollution in Island ponds.
Anna illustrates a Title 5 septic system versus her Solviva Biocarbon filter system. Red shows nitrogen; blue shows cleaned effluent, with 75-99% less nitrogen pollution.
ANNA EDEY
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