Nature & Science
By LYNNE IRONS
I was saddened this past week by the death of my Uncle Dan Boyle. I mentioned him in my Memorial Day column as having been wounded on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima for which he received the Purple Heart. He was a quiet man — patient and amused by life. I recall his driving a motor boat on the East Branch Dam of the Kinzua River. He hauled us children around water skiing hours on end. Thanks, Dan!
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
August can be a tough month for catching striped bass. It isn’t that the fish have gone south or disappeared, but they are certainly into their warm water August state of mind.
Dike Walk
The Trustees of Reservations will lead a free morning hike at the cedars today, Friday, August 15, at 8:30 a.m. The walk begins at the Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick and will continue to East Beach bathing beach, then north to the Cedar Forest. The loop is approximately one mile. The walk is over the sand and is considered strenuous. For active adults only, please.
The Vineyard Conservation Society executive director Brendan O’Neill has been named the 2008 recipient of the Nicholas A. Robinson Environmental Award for his placed-based environmental work on Martha’s Vineyard. The award recognizes significant public service contributions in the environmental field by a graduate of the environmental legal studies program at Pace University School of Law in New York.
Mr. O’Neill shares this year’s honor with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also a Pace graduate.
The Birds and the Beach
Come birding at the beach Monday morning on a free guided hike on Norton Point Beach in Edgartown with The Trustees of Reservations. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. at the left fork in Katama, at the entrance to Norton Point Beach. It will be oversand to the breach and back, making a loop of approximately three miles total. Considered strenuous, this walk is for active adults only. For details, call 508-627-3599.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
August 8 76 61 .28
August 9 77 57 Trace
August 10 76 60 .00
August 11 80 64 .25
August 12 77 60 .17
August 13 75 59 .00
August 14 79 65 .00
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 78º F.
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.