Nature & Science
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 14 37 29 1.04*
Dec. 15 42 26 .00
Dec. 16 35 25 .71*
Dec. 17 50 24 .68
Dec. 18 30 21 .00
Dec. 19 33 21 .00
Dec. 20 46 30 .18
*Melted Precipitation
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 43º F.
We climbed off the plane wearing turtlenecks, fleece jackets and hats and were hit by blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. We were in Savannah, Ga., on our way to participate in St. Catherine’s Island’s 21st Christmas Bird Count.
“It’s time again to visit with old friends, make some new ones, and count those beautiful birds in the sky, on the waters and in the trees.” So reads the cover page of the invitation to this annual event.
Concerned the Vineyard will be locked out of participation in a restored federal fishery, a small group of Island commercial fishermen went to a meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council last month to make their plea for some part of the future pie.
Today only one Island fisherman, Gregory Mayhew of Chilmark, is permitted to pursue cod, haddock and yellowtail in federal waters.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 7 32 17 .00
Dec. 8 43 30 .28
Dec. 9 45 29 .00
Dec. 10 40 31 .47
Dec. 11 40 30 Trace
Dec. 12 50 31 .10
Dec. 13 50 31 Trace
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 43º F.
Tonight and throughout the weekend, you may see a shooting star speeding across the sky. The meteor may be a straggler, left over from the Geminid Meteor Shower that peaked last night.
By LYNNE IRONS
I was happy to read Abigail Higgins’s column in the Martha’s Vineyard Times last week. She wrote about the National Animal Identification System. I wrote about it in my September column from information I gleaned from the Hightower Lowdown.
Apparently, the plot has thickened. Several Islanders have received letters from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources informing them that they are already enrolled in the program unless they “opt out” by mail on Dec. 14.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.