The Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s unanimous vote to approve the hulking Tisbury Marine Terminal redevelopment project suggests the unwelcome conclusion that economic expediency is probably part of the human condition. Exploitation of this pristine natural resource clearly demonstrates that the profit motive takes precedence over critical environmental concerns.

The alchemists, masquerading as commissioners, are attempting to transmute the ocean into folding money. This is a sad day for those of us who love Vineyard Haven Harbor and its magnificent array of sea and bird life. The unnecessary dredging of 70,000 square feet of marine habitat is a chilling reminder of why we humans unwittingly facilitate our own extinction as a species. Joni Mitchell’s warning in the 1970s of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot has, unfortunately, come home to roost on our beloved Vineyard shores.

Steve Maxner

West Tisbury