Some of you may be aware of a longstanding concern that The Salvation Army practices employment discrimination against gays and lesbians and that campaigns have been launched to boycott the holiday red kettles in response. Recently this debate has surfaced in Island social media networks and we are writing to share our understanding of the national and local dynamics at work around this issue.

On behalf of both the Tisbury and the Edgartown School eighth grade classes I would like to thank Vineyard Vines of Edgartown for hosting their Shop for a Cause events. On two separate days Vineyard Vines offered shoppers a discount, while giving a portion of their sales to each eighth grade class, respectively. Vineyard Vines offered food, fun and holiday cheer to shoppers while helping Island youth realize their dreams of a trip to Washington, D.C. in the spring.

There is no better feeling than “community” and nowhere is it more alive and real than at the Oak Bluffs tree lighting. This small event comes together because so many people make it happen.

Thanks to the years-long work of the Massachusetts Estuaries Study, a clear picture has begun to emerge of the biological profile of the Vineyard’s saltwater ponds and embayments. And the picture is far from pretty: left unchecked, nitrogen overload threatens to upset and eventually ruin the fragile ecosystems in many Island ponds.

Estuaries study reports are now complete for Sengekontacket Pond, Edgartown Great Pond, Farm Pond and Lagoon Pond; others remain ongoing.

I appreciate the response from Camron Adibi. Yes, let’s all keep thinking and talking about this issue, so vital to our economy and our health. Together we need to truly examine and compare all the many options that are available for solving this horrendous problem. And for those with their own on-site Title 5 septic systems, it is high time to apply whichever of the various nitrogen-reducing methods we each prefer among those that already exist.