One of the quintessential Vineyard vistas is the expanse of ocean visible from the Gay Head Cliffs, classified by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark, with its lighthouse listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Another branch of the federal government, the U.S. Department of the Interior, classifies the waters off of Martha’s Vineyard as a six out of seven — “good to excellent” — on its wind resource map.

The Legend of Moshup is an ancient creation story from the Wampanoag oral tradition. It tells of the giant Moshup, the personification of the immense forces of nature, deciding to settle here after a long journey, and dragging his foot to separate Martha’s Vineyard from the mainland and plow up the Cliffs of Gay Head. Scraps from his dinner table are the fossilized bones and teeth of ancient life forms found there.

The Legend of Moshup is an ancient creation story from the Wampanoag oral tradition. It tells of the giant Moshup, the personification of the immense forces of nature, deciding to settle here after a long journey, and dragging his foot to separate Martha’s Vineyard from the mainland and plow up the Cliffs of Gay Head. Scraps from his dinner table are the fossilized bones and teeth of ancient life forms found there.

Adapted from remarks made at the 43rd annual meeting of the board and membership of the Vineyard Conservation Society on June 24:

Controversy, primarily around land use and land development issues, has been a defining trait of the Vineyard community in recent years. So it is remarkable and gratifying to see signs that the Vineyard is uniting around the common goal of conserving energy, improving efficiency and thinking about the future.