It has been an unusual past 100 years for Noman’s Land, that half-forgotten rock off Chilmark and Aquinnah that has occasionally reasserted its presence to Vineyarders with wafting smoke clouds and distant bomb blasts. Shrouded in mystery and explosives, it has seen rumrunners, pirates, hurricanes, and even an accidental internecine gun battle between the Coast Guard and the Navy in 1967.
Visited by increasing numbers of migrating birds and marine mammals, both rare and common, Noman’s Land is increasing in value as a wildlife refuge.
Residents along the south shore of the Island will likely hear loud explosions next Friday due to an operation conducted by the U.S. Navy to clear and remove unexploded ordnance on Noman’s Land left over from training exercises during World War II.
The operation to collect and detonate munitions was initially scheduled for today, although a Navy spokesman said yesterday it was postponed until next Friday, Oct. 10, due to the threat of inclement weather.
Noman’s Land Plan
On Oct. 14, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold an informational meeting about the Noman’s Land Island National Wildlife Refuge comprehensive conservation plan. The meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Chilmark library. Members of the public will have the opportunity to meet the staff, learn about current refuge management, help identify issues and concerns and make recommendations about future refuge programs.
Residents along the south shore of the Island may hear loud explosions in the coming months due to an operation conducted by the U.S. Navy to clear and remove unexploded ordnance on Noman’s Land left over from training exercises during World War II.
David Barney, base realignment and closure coordinator for the U.S. Navy, said this week the objective is to identify and clear military ordnance that may have been exposed since the last clearing operation in 2003.
The smoke may have cleared from the controlled burn performed by the U.S. Navy last Wednesday on Noman’s Land, but questions remain this week as to whether more could have been done to alert the public and prevent the confusion that led to a barrage of calls to the Island communications center.
Officials at the Dukes County communications center last week received between 50 to 100 calls while the fire burned on Noman’s, the small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Chilmark.
