The following letter was sent to Tisbury town officials.

People can speak for themselves but the land cannot talk. In 2020 I wrote a book, In Praise of Protected Lands And Special Places On Martha’s Vineyard, to speak for the land.

I am writing to say a big thank you to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) for approving the synthetic turf field project for the high school athletic field.

Every summer without fail, milkweed plants sprout from the sand and soil, buttressed against ocean winds by a white retaining wall at the corner of Sea View Avenue and Nantucket Avenue on Waban/Alley Park in Oak Bluffs.

As a summer resident on Martha’s Vineyard for over 60 years and a property owner on East Chop since 1972

The decision by the Olympics to ban Sha’Carri Richardson for a positive test for marijuana is a shameless injustice to a talented runner.