In Massachusetts, land used by a charitable organization qualifies for a tax exemption under state law. But a recent case in the town of Hawley, now going before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, could have wide implications.
The gift of 17 small parcels valued at $3.7 million represents an important conservation gain in the rare heathlands of Aquinnah, conservation leaders said.
The Vineyard Conservation Society had its first educational walking adventure on Nov. 10 at the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah. The VCS winter walk programs were first introduced over 20 years ago and have grown in popularity which was evident by the more then 100 participants on the Sunday outing.
Seas around the Vineyard are rising slightly faster than the global average and Island planners should prepare for significant sea level rise by the end of the century, a new climate change report has found.
The Vineyard Conservation Society report examines the effects of climate change on the Martha’s Vineyard and its surroundings.
The Vineyard Conservation Society, an organization charged with promoting environmental advocacy and education, will hold its annual meeting Wednesday at the Wakeman Conservation Center in Vineyard Haven. Members will elect a new set of officers and hear presentations on rising sea level and moth and insect habitats on the Island.
From the Chappaquiddick Point to the cranberry bogs in Aquinnah, new forecasts show that no part of the Island will be immune from the impacts of sea level rise.
The following maps show the sea level rise on Martha’s Vineyard that is predicted based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s high forecast for greenhouse gas emissions and numerous other analyses. These forecasts are also used for the state’s Climate Change Adaptation Report (2011) and the Martha's Vineyard Commission’s planning work.
A large tract of rare and secluded oceanfront land owned by the Kennedy family in Aquinnah has been placed on the market for sale.
Two undeveloped lots totaling 93 acres from the 377-acre Red Gate Farm were listed for sale this week. One lot is about 53.5 acres, fronting the Atlantic Ocean, with an asking price of $25 million. The second lot is 39.5 acres with more than 1,000 feet of frontage on Squibnocket Pond, deeded beach access off Moshup Trail and an asking price of $20 million.
April 22, 1970, the very first Earth Day, dawned pure and clear on the Vineyard. “One might almost have thought all the brouhaha about Earth Day was nonsense, and unnecessary . . . but by 5:30 p.m . . . it was evident that the Vineyard was far from unlittered,” a Gazette story said at the time.
Bob Woodruff and a group of about 60 others, including many high school students, collected more than 3,000 pounds of litter that day, hauling Mr. Woodruff’s oxcart along the roads of the Island and picking up all debris and trash in its path.
