Congratulations to Lucy Leopold and Collins Heavener who welcomed a baby boy, Remy Leopold Heavener, on April 20.
My daughter was born in December and each year, the twinkling of holiday lights reminds me of her arrival. For Remy, his birth is commemorated by the dappling of daffodils at mailboxes and in front yards. The day he was born, a historic day nationally, I picked a big bouquet of the little white and yellow blooms in the farmhouse field (the variety with the sweetest scent), and put them in a mason jar in his home for his arrival. Others had the same thought. By the next day, another large bundle of daffodils waited on the doorstep for the family’s return. What a lovely time of year to be born. Welcome, Remy.
In addition to a newborn baby in the house, Collins and Lucy recently received via the mail a new batch of ducklings and a pair of goslings. There is hardly anything sweeter than a recently hatched duckling, and the goslings are surprisingly friendly and comfortable with people. My daughter and I paid them a recent visit in the farmhouse, where they currently live in a heated box in the living room. We lifted them out and nestled them onto Juna’s lap, where they promptly curled up around each other, issued a few adorable peeps, and then dozed off.
Don’t panic yet, but there are a few rumors going around of a coyote sighting on Chappaquiddick. In January of last year, the Gazette reported sightings of a live Eastern coyote in Oak Bluffs, confirmed on video recordings. Gus Ben David, a wildlife biologist, assumed the Oak Bluffs coyote probably swam over from Naushon Island, which has a thriving coyote population and is just four miles away from Martha’s Vineyard.
Although the coyote will pose a risk to the Vineyards sheep farmers, chicken raisers and small pet owners, Mr. Ben David cautioned, “There are positive effects of a predator in a balanced ecosystem, because there is so much prey. We have to be careful about putting human values on whether they are good or bad. Everything has a niche in a complex ecosystem.”
If there is a Chappy coyote, I wonder how our new squirrel population will fare?
The Chappaquiddick Wampanoag Tribe recently launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for their nonprofit organization. The fundraiser will support their operational expenses, legal fees and ultimate goal of acquiring land on Chappaquiddick. The tribe hopes to one day have 10 acres of land on Chappy for conservation and educational goals. To learn more about the tribe, visit their website at chappaquiddickwampanoag.org or donate directly on their Go Fund Me page.
Today is my final Chappy Column. I have enjoyed the biweekly incentive to write about all-things-Chappy over the past three years, a role that felt particularly poignant as I come from a lineage of journalists. Both my parents worked for newspapers, including this one. As the farm season heats up, though, I am once again finding myself with limited energy for anything outside of agriculture and my family, and I feel that is time to hang my hat. Thank you for reading my words over the years, it has been an honor.
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