Sound Magazine 1

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This is our Sound - Enjoy!

Under the Sea ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES JUST A THOUGHT Calls of the Wild Mapping the RMS Titanic THE GAM Growing from the Earth DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH WALKING TRAILS Time Well Spent for Africa Good Energy ISLANDER RECIPES MAPS

USEFUL RESOURCES

ageless partners Contemporary art for homes of distinction.

the works of Judith A. Brust Oil based Monoprints , paintings, watercolors, and sculptures

508 228-9929 galleryblue.com

by appointment

On e xhib it at

The Gallery at 4 India 508-228-8509 4 India St., Nantucket, MA 02554

L’Attitude Gallery 617-927-4400 211 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116

Two Resorts, Two Islands…

One Perfect Vacation

Whether you choose the Winnetu Oceanside Resort at South Beach, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard’s award-winning family beach resort or The Nantucket Hotel & Resort… the new, grand, historic hotel located in the heart of downtown Nantucket, you will have vacation memories that will linger forever.

Ask us about our “Two-Island Vacation Adventure.” Visit Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on your vacation. Stay at both Resorts. We’ll handle all the transportation - via Hy-Line - accommodations, and transfers for you. You only have to decide where to begin your journey.

Winnetu Oceanside Resort At South Beach, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard

31 Dunes Road, Edgartown, MA 02539 www.winnetu.com

77 Easton Street, Nantucket, MA 02554 www.thenantuckethotel.com

For reservations, call toll-free (866) 335-1133

2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM Please mention this Sound Magazine ad to receive an arrivalearly giftsummer upon check-in.

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Affiliate

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment.

Sound Writers

ERIN HAGGERTY is a freelance writer originally from Boston living on Martha’s Vineyard. In September she will start work on her master’s degree in journalism at New York University. Erin is a 2008 graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She writes (and reads) about people, places and food. When she isn’t doing that she meanders about the island with her French Mastiff, Judah and daydreams about her upcoming wedding to the chef of her dreams.

JILL A. MOORADIAN is currently writing a book drawing from 25 years of private practice. Her passion and gift which she calls Synergenic healing is oriented towards awakening consciousness and personal growth. The message of her writing discusses the fundamental structures that support conscious evolution of an individual at the soul level of their being. Jill is a highly sensitive intuitive with extensive training both domestically and internationally in Energy Mastery. Her skills in the healing arts are applied to address the individual needs of her clients at the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Jill continues to travel globally for her own personal growth and enjoys living on Nantucket year-round.

LONNY LIPPSETT is the first person in two generations of his family who was not a doctor or dentist. As an undergraduate, he took all the requisite pre-medical science courses, but completed his degree in an even more arduous major: Not-Becoming-a-Doctor. After earning a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University, he worked at several daily newspapers. But whenever stories with any science angle popped up, editors scanned the newsroom for a reporter who realized that some genes were stored in chromosomes, not closets, and they tapped Lippsett.

Thus did he become a science journalist. He is now managing editor of Oceanus magazine at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he also teaches a class in science communications for Ph.D students.

PETER B. BRACE is a freelance writer living on Nantucket specializing in environmental and natural world writing who published his second book, “Nantucket: A Natural History” in June 2012.

His first book, Walking Nantucket: A Walker’s Guide to Exploring Nantucket Foot” published in 2004. Peter also did environmental reporting for the Nantucket Beacon and later the Nantucket Independent.

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early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

E. VERNON LAUX is a Birder, butterfly enthusiast, photographer, radio commentator, columnist and author. Vern has birded extensively all over North America and has birded on all 7 continents seeing some of the most spectacular wildlife and scenery on the planet. He has written thousands of newspaper columns about birds and the natural world (appearing in the New York Times, the Cape Cod Times, the Martha’s Vineyard Times, Vineyard Gazette, and Nantucket’s Inquirer and Mirror, published magazine articles in a variety magazines including Birder’s World and Birding) and is author of the book “Bird NewsVagrants And Visitors On A Peculiar Island”. He is the Resident Naturalist and Land Manager for the Linda Loring Nature Foundation on Nantucket.

NATALIE CIMINERO is a spacial designer, writer, event planner, private chef and founder of Nantucket Liaison. She was an over-achiever in her youth and pursued her academic career that led her to Harvard University. Her diverse interests drove her to explore a variety of interests and she simply refuses to “draw within the lines”. Natalie yearned for more than traditional universal studies and rounded off her education by becoming certified in holistic health and belongs to the American Society of Alternative Therapists. Social awareness, humanitarianism, and advocacy for animals - all topics that Natalie engages in and use her talents to effect positive change. She lived in Boston and Hyannis, MA for many years and now lives on Nantucket full time with her wife, 2 dogs and one very bad black cat.

SIOBHAIN KLAWETTER washed ashore on Nantucket when she was seven, after having spent her formative years in a European city.

Although she felt as though she had moved to another planet, she quickly lost her funny accent and started to feel a part of the island, developing friendships and connections that would remain with her throughout her life. She has traveled the world on a constant exploration of the human experience, with the most of the last decade spent raising awareness on the issue of hunger in America. She currently lives on Nantucket with her husband and daughter.

STEPHANIE MURPHY is manager of Public Information for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Previously she worked as a publicist for the PBS public affairs series Frontline at WGBH in Boston, and then had her own public relations company for several years, working primarily with non-profit organizations and public broadcasting outlets. Stephanie enjoys traveling and has written some freelance travel stories for the Boston Herald.

Contents

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16 Under the Sea

27 Calls of the Wild

32

Mapping the

RMS Titanic

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43 Growing from the Earth 48 Time Well Spent for Africa 58 Good Energy

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MAPS & DIRECTORY 4 JUST A THOUGHT 15 DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH 14 & 47 ISLANDER RECIPES 45 WALKING TRAILS 25

43

THE GAM 41 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY 61 USEFUL RESOURCES 64

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Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge

Inter Island Ferry Martha’s Vineyard - Nantucket DEPART OAK BLUFFS

ARRIVE NANTUCKET

DEPART NANTUCKET

ARRIVE OAK BLUFFS

JUNE 8 - JUNE 28

1:25 pm

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3:10 pm

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For complete schedules, visit hylinecruises.com

ADVERTISER INDEX

Hyannis Port

Page numbers match the locator numbers circled in white on the detailed town maps on pages 6, 8, & 10.

COLOR CODE Mid-Cape Nantucket Martha’s Vineyard

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29c Nantucket Liaison Event Planning & Design 13d Nantucket Moorings 23c Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum 57b Peter Beaton - HYDREX Philanthropic 9b Plymouth & Brockton 14b Stephen Swift 45b The FARM Institute

41b The Marla Foundation

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© 2013, Mind’s Eye Communicaitons, Inc. www.digitialfootprint02554.com. Maps designed by Frederick Swartz

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OUR MAPS ARE ONLINE and smart phone user friendly. Check them out at www.sound-magazine.com

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BAY ST HYANNIS TRANSPORTATION CENTER 2 blocks from Hy-Line Landing Plymouth & Brockton Bus offers frequent depatures to and from Logan Airport & South Station in Boston.

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Cape Flyer Train offers weekend travel from Boston to Hyannis.

OLD

Hy-Line owns and operates on-site parking lots along Ocean Street, all within walking distance of the terminal (no shuttle hassles).

When driving down Ocean Street, pull into our dock (on left) where you can unload baggage/ passengers and then you will be directed to a nearby lot.

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The Hy-Line Cruises shuttle will pick you up – No Charge – at the Hyannis train station and bring you directly to the HyLine Landing.

Please note that there are also privately owned lots along Ocean Street, however we cannot confirm their rates or policies.

HY-LINE LANDING & PARKING

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More than just a ferry ride.

Voted the best boat line since 2004.

a q Family owned & operated since 1962 a q Did we mention KIDS RIDE FREE on traditional boats? a q Onsite parking, no shuttle hassles a q Island Networking: tours & special offers a q Insider’s Travel e-Guides a q On board food service with full bar, including local spirits a q Cafe & raw bar at Hy-Line Landing a q Same day online reservations a q Inter-Island Trips between Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard a q Travel Alert System that sets the standard

Bob Levine Captain, Great Point

hylinecruises.com | 800 492-8082

NaNtucket & Martha’s ViNeyard

Best Service. Great Value. Better Choice.

Hy-Line Landing 230 Ocean Street, Hyannis, MA HY_sound-1-13.indd 1

5/3/13 3:41 PM

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OAK BLUFFS VINEYARD HAVEN High-Speed Ferry to Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard DEPART HYANNIS

9:25 am 3:20 pm 9:25 am 11:50 am 5:25 pm * 7:45 pm

ARRIVE DEPART OAK BLUFFS OAK BLUFFS

MAY 4 - MAY 24 10:20 am 10:35 am 4:15 pm 4:25 pm MAY 25 - JUNE 28 10:20 am 10:35 am 12:45 pm 4:15 pm 6:20 pm 6:35 pm 8:40 pm *8:50 pm

ARRIVE HYANNIS

11:30 am 5:20 pm 11:30 am 5:10 pm 7:30 pm 9:45 pm

* 6/8 - 6/28 only

JUNE 29 - SEPTEMBER 1 8:15 am 9:10 am 9:20 am 10:15 am 10:30 am 11:25 am 11:40 am 12:35 pm 12:50 pm 1:45 pm 4:45 pm 5:40 pm 5:50 pm 6:45 pm 7:00 pm 7:55 pm 8:05 pm 9:00 pm 9:10 pm 10:05 pm 8

For complete schedules, visit hylinecruises.com

early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

OUR MAPS ARE ONLINE and smart phone user friendly. Check them out at www.sound-magazine.com

The easy way to travel

Boston/Logan - Hyannis Hyannis terminal just 2 blocks from Hy-Line Docks

125 YEARS

OAK BLUFFS, MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Our walk-in rate starts at $99.

OF SERVICE

HourLy DEParturEs & FrEquEnt CommutEr sErviCEs LowEst FarEs wHEELCHair FriEnDLy!

Hyannis transportation Center (508) 746-0378 www.P-B.com

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

We’re at the end of the Hy-Line dock.

FREE bottle of water to all our Facebook followers (friend us now and come see us).

Check out our ongoing Travel Specials to Martha’s Vineyard available online

www.hylinecruises.com

508-693-2966

www.vineyardinns.com early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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Old fashioned New England hospitality with a touch of modern conveniences!

NANTUCKET

ThE NaNTuckET BaSkET can be your own private cottage located at Brant Point. it’s a short stroll to Brant Point lighthouse, lola’s, children’s Beach or Jetties Beach.

This cottage has a private backyard, full kitchen, washer and dryer, a/c, wifi and private land line, 3 bedroom, 2 bath. ideal for families, pet friendly with approval.

Package deals and gift certificates available online or call us!

ThE PEriwiNklE iNN, circa 1846 is a charming bed and breakfast located in the heart of historic downtown, just two doors down from the Nha whaling museum, and a short walking distance from the ferries and the newly renovated Dreamland movie theater. all rooms are unique with king and queen size canopy beds, antiques, some have harbor views.

ThE ScallOP iNN is a delightful pensione style inn right next door. it too has old fashioned charm offering king, queen and single rooms with shared baths. Perfect for wedding parties.

Both share lovely gardens and offer continental breakfast buffet, a/c, wifi and TV.

theperiwinkle.com

800-837-2921 or 508-228-9267 9 North water St., Nantucket, Ma early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

11

This premier issue of Sound Magazine is the product of a collaborative effort by a group of my respected associates from Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Mid-Cape.

Over the last three years, I have had the pleasure of working with Hy-Line Cruises as their brand and marketing consultant.

While some might think that my tasks are all about promoting ships, they’re really about developing teamwork in marketing, targeting the travel sector to the Cape & Islands, and nurturing community relationships. In working with Hy-Line Cruises, I met some very remarkable people from all over Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. Arlene O’Reilly, Publisher

While I still believe that Nantucket is one of the best places on the planet to live, I became more aware that, collectively, this sound region that surrounds us is astounding. Keeping in mind that each shoreline independently has its own special vibe, we share so much in common: history, nature, creativity, and the proclivity toward a sustainable way of living. Most importantly, we have courageous and innovative sorts living among us. This publication is an exploration of presenting ourselves as a region surrounding the Nantucket Sound and the Vineyard Sound, by a synergetic publishing group that is invested in the wellbeing of our shorelines and people (and creatures) who dwell here.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR Arlene M. O’Reilly

COPY EDITORS Betsy Rich Natalie Ciminero Siobhain Klawetter Tracy Leddy

WRITERS Erin Haggerty E. Vernon Laux Jill A. Mooradian Lonny Lippsett Natalie A. Ciminero Peter B. Brace Siobhain Klawetter Stephanie Murphy

PHOTOGRAPHY Alexandra La Paglia Cary Hazlegrove Caitlin Marcoux E. Vernon Laux Robert Sturman Pammi Simone RMS Titanic, Inc.,

a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc.

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeffrey Allen Lisa Frey

GRAPHIC DESIGN Arlene O’Reilly Frederick Swartz Mary Emery

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION I am honored to have Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as our affiliate, and Hy-Line Cruises as our distribution partner. Last, but certainly not least, our publishing group is a great team of local professionals, representing each generation: Alexandra La Paglia, Betsy Rich, John Tiernan, Lisa Frey, Nancy Woodside, Siobhain Klawetter, and Tihomir Ivanov. And, a very special thank you to Laura Burnett for her tireless efforts and belief in this endeavor.

Arlene O’Reilly Lisa Frey

Alexandra La Paglia Tihomir Ivanov

ADVERTISING SALES ads@sound-magazine.com 508.325.7163

NANTUCKET Laura Burnett

MARTHA’S VINEYARD The stories in our premier issue are loaded with exploration, scientific research, innovation, courage, and conscientious thinking. Other articles focus on the simple joys of the natural world around us, or provide helpful suggestions on how to take better care of ourselves. Lastly, we value the various published sources that specialize in lifestyle and events for each community, and have listed some of our favorites on the last page.

John Tiernan

MID-CAPE Nancy Jane Woodside

DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS Hy-Line Cruises, Inc.

DESIGN & LAYOUT Mind’s Eye Communications, Inc.

We can find so much right here in our own backyard - the Cape & Islands Sound region. On behalf of The Sound Publishing Group, I encourage you to read on. Regardless of whether you are a traveler or a resident, we believe you will keep this publication as a resource and source of inspiration.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Enjoy, and please let us know what you think!

LETTERS

Subscription rate is $28 annually and available at sound-magazine.com/subscribe. A digital interactive Sound Magazine will be also be available, rate is subject to change.

Your feedback is important to us and we want to hear from you.

Arlene O’Reilly, Publisher & Editor

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early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

© Copyright 2013 Sound Magazine. Sound Magazine is locally owned and published by Mind’s Eye Communications, Inc. It is published three times a year. Reproduction of any part of this publication is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Publishers disclaims all responsibility for omission, errors and unsolicited materials.

2 Windy Way, #114, Nantucket, MA 02554.

508.325.7163 www.sound-magazine.com

Nantucket Island Tours

Sales H Service H Rentals

Step off the ferry onto Straight Wharf and allow us to show you Nantucket from historic downtown across the island to the eastern shore of ’Sconset!

Exclusive DOR MOR dealer on island - more than twice the holding power!

8am-5pm H 508 228-4472 H nantucketmoorings.com NMoorings_sound1/6-13.indd 1

4/16/13 4:52 PM

Do you hear The Sound...

nantucketbustours.com

508 228-0334 Departs Straight Wharf, Nantucket

19 Old South Rd. Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-9770

Welcome aboard the Memorial Day Weekend Through Labor Day Weekend (May 24th–September 1st) Boston to Cape Cod train service

• Leave your car behind and travel on the CapeFLYER to Cape Cod • Weekend Train Service Friday-Sunday between Boston and Hyannis • Service includes “Day-Tripper to Cape Cod” schedules on Saturdays and Sundays with the last trip Sunday night back to Boston • Connections to Ferries, Taxis, Car Rentals, Buses and the Airport • Convenient access to Hotels, Restaurants, Beaches and Attractions

Getting to Cape Cod has never been easier.

Sponsored by Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority

For information and schedules, visit CapeFLYER.com early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

13

Drink Your Greens!

Local Art and Crafts 508 228 0255 23 Federal St.

Feel like you can’t eat as much salad as you think you should? Chef Neil Hudson of Bartlett’s Farm on Nantucket shows us how to enjoy the benefit of additional leafy greens in our diet in a most painless way— freshly prepared juice! Bartlett’s grows and sells baby greens year round, such as spinach, kale, chard and mesclun, all of which are tasty additions to fruit and vegetable juice combinations.

Chef Neil drinks at least three glasses a week, and encourages customers at the farm to give it a try. He reminds us to drink it right after preparation, to ensure the highest concentration of nutrients. If you have a decent blender, baby greens can easily be incorporated into fruit smoothies for a nutritional boost. Cheers!

Quick and Tasty Green Juice Makes 1 glass - about 10oz Run the following through a juicer and enjoy!

1/4 lb organic baby greens (spinach, kale, chard or mesclun) 1 organic green apple 1/2 inch knob of organic ginger 1/2 organic English cucumber

stephenswiftfurnituremaker.com 14

early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

{

JUST A THOUGHT

}

Courage to Dream

By Jill Mooradian

H

ave you ever asked yourself what dreams are made of ? It wasn’t until I dreamed a big enough dream that I came to understand what makes a dream come true.

Ordinarily, the word “dreamer” is used in a derogatory or less than complimentary way, suggesting that one isn’t being realistic. Realistic enough for what? In my experience, it meant I wasn’t being realistic enough, in the opinions of others, to succeed at achieving my goal.

These opinions allowed others to excuse themselves from supporting my dream, and their own dreams, too, in the hope of intercepting what they perceived as certain failure.

I wonder how often some of our great inventors and visionaries were called dreamers and dismissed by their community as unrealistic.

Where would we be today had they not dreamed of flying, of cars, of lighting a room with electricity, or of curing a disease? My point is that dreams are defined as dreams because they do not conform to reality as we know it—yet.

Here’s a thought. Imagine for a moment that we were born to dream, that we are here to dream as big as we have the strength to hold. Dreams are whispers from the heart at first, and, if not heard, they become our tears, our feelings of lack of fulfillment, and frustration.

I encourage you to begin to listen to the heart-whispers and take one small, doable action towards responding.

Honoring ourselves by acknowledging our dreams is potentially a big contribution to peace in the world and good feelings between all of us.

It takes courage to honor the agreements we make with ourselves and with others. Do your best to believe in your dreams. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

Consider the dream you have in your heart and believe it is there because it is meant to become manifest through you.

I have come to the conclusion from my own experience that living as a dreamer is not unrealistic at all; it is essential.

Upon reflection, the happiest times (but almost never the easiest) have been the times I was deeply involved in a course of action toward either fulfilling my own dreams, or supporting the dreams of others.

Dreaming isn’t for the weak Image © SueC, 2013. Used under license from Shutterstock.com of heart, if you intend to bring your dream into being. It takes clarity, courage, Dreams are made from our impulse to create and grow. commitment, integrity, and faith to make a dream Big dreams or small, the pursuit of fulfilling them is come true. Until you have some success, you could a worthwhile investment of our time and energy. We easily tell yourself you are crazy and believe all the can never fail if we consider the pursuit to be as evidence to support the impossibility of your chosen worthy as the goal. In the process, we are likely to goal. You could abort the dream and deny your heart’s gain more clarity, deepen our commitment, strengthen desire very easily. Staying the course, regardless of the our agreements with ourselves and others, and, most of fact that others don’t believe, takes perseverance. all, enjoy increased faith in our ability to be creators.

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ROBOTIC GLIDERS HELP FIND ENDANGERED WHALES THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION Image © melissaf84, 2013. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

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Robotics

By Stephanie Murphy

SCIENTISTS USE MARINE ROBOTS TO DETECT ENDANGERED WHALES

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wo robots equipped with instruments designed to “listen” for the calls of baleen whales detected nine endangered North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of Maine last fall. The robots reported the detections to shore-based researchers within hours of hearing the whales (i.e., in real time), demonstrating a new and powerful tool for managing interactions between whales and human activities.

The team of researchers, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists Mark Baumgartner and Dave Fratantoni, reported their sightings to NOAA, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA Fisheries Service, in turn, put in place on Dec. 5 a “dynamic management area,” asking mariners to voluntarily slow their vessel speed to avoid striking the animals.

early summer | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM early summer 2013 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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The project employed ocean-going robots called gliders equipped with a digital acoustic monitoring (DMON) instrument and specialized software allowing the vehicle to detect and classify calls from four species of baleen whales – sei, fin, humpback, and right whales.

The gliders’s real-time communication capabilities alerted scientists to the presence of whales in the research area, in the first successful use of technology to report detections of several species of baleen whales from autonomous vehicles.

The oceanographic research project was underway from Nov. 12 through Dec. 5, operating in an area called the Outer Fall, about sixty miles south of Bar Harbor, Me., and 90 miles northeast of Portsmouth, NH. Right whales are thought to use this area every year between November and January as a mating ground.

Two gliders were deployed by Ben Hodges and Nick Woods, also of WHOI, on Nov. 12 from the University of New Hampshire’s 50-ft research vessel, the Gulf Challenger. The vehicles surveyed the area for two weeks, sending data to the researchers every two hours via satellite, prior to the scientific team’s arrival Nov. 28 on the University of Rhode Island’s research vessel Endeavor. The gliders continued to survey for another week before being recovered by the Endeavor on Dec. 4. “We put two gliders out in the central Gulf of Maine to find whales for us,” says Baumgartner, who specializes in baleen whale and zooplankton ecology.

“They reported hearing whales within hours of hitting the water. They did their job perfectly.”

Using the gliders’s reconnaissance data and continued real-time updates, the science team was able to locate whales in just a few hours of searching. “We found our first right whale on the first day that we were surveying in decent weather conditions because the gliders were up there doing the leg work for us, to tell us where the animals were in real time,” says Baumgartner.

The innovative whale detection system provides conservation managers with a cost-effective alternative

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to ship- or plane-based means of identifying the presence of whales, and gives whale ecologists new tools for understanding large animals that spend most of their lives out of human eyesight below the sea surface.

Whale researchers want to learn what draws whales to this part of the ocean during the late fall and winter.

However, high winds and rough seas typical of that time of year make studying the animals very difficult.

“This presents a huge knowledge gap,” says Baumgartner.

The labor-intensive work of surveying for whales, overseen by NOAA, is usually done by human observers on ships or airplanes, and is limited by the conditions at sea.

“We’ve been doing visual based surveys for a long time – either from a plane or a boat. They have a lot of value, but they are limited, especially at certain times of the year,” says Sofie Van Parijs, leader of the Passive Acoustic Research Group at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). “These gliders provide a great complement to this system. Knowing where right whales are helps you manage interactions between an endangered species and the human activities that impact those species.”

The success of the project is a result of years of productive collaboration among engineers, biologists and physical oceanographers at WHOI, scientists at the NEFSC Protected Species Branch in Woods Hole, and federal funders like the Office of Naval Research and NOAA’s Applied Science and Technology Working Group Program via the Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR). The gliders are operated by Fratantoni, a physical oceanographer; the DMON acoustic monitoring instrument was developed by WHOI engineers Mark Johnson and Tom Hurst; and Baumgartner, who has nearly a decade of experience identifying whale calls, wrote software for

Image © AndyPu, 2013. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

WHOI biologist Mark Baumgartner specializes in baleen whale and zooplankton ecology. Baumgartner developed the specialized software that enabled the gliders to “listen” for four species of baleen whales. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

The gliders are operated by Dave Fratantoni, a scientist in the WHOI Physical Oceanography Department. In use by oceanographers for about a decade, gliders move up, down, and laterally in a sawtooth pattern through the water by changing their buoyancy and using their wings to provide lift.

They are battery powered and exceptionally quiet -- a critical feature when collecting acoustic data.

(Photo by Nick Woods, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

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NANTUCKET

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

the DMON to enable it to recognize unique calls of sei, fin, humpback, and right whales, and to keep a tally of when and where it heard each call. By integrating the DMON into Fratantoni’s gliders, the team had the ability to search large areas of the ocean and to receive data in real time.

“No one of us could’ve done this project alone. But by teaming up, we created a really nice group of people with expertise that was tailor made for this problem,” says Baumgartner. “Now, we can know that there’s an animal in a particular part of the ocean within hours of a call being made, as opposed to months later,” when the instruments have finally been retrieved and the data has been reviewed.

Gliders – approx. six-foot-long, torpedo-shaped autonomous vehicles with short wings – have been in use by oceanographers for about a decade. They move up, down, and laterally in a sawtooth pattern through the water by changing their buoyancy and using their wings to provide lift. Battery powered and exceptionally quiet in the water, the gliders are equipped with an underwater microphone on the underside of the vehicle near its wings, and an iridium satellite antenna on the tail section. The vehicle surfaces every few hours to get a GPS position and transmit data to shore-side computers.

The DMON – a circuit board and battery about the size of an iPhone – sits inside the glider recording audio and generating spectrograms, a form of the audio that facilitates complex sound analysis. From the spectrogram, Baumgartner’s software generates a “pitch track,” a visual representation of a whale call, and estimates which species of whale made the call based on characteristics of the pitch track. Tallies of each species’ detected calls and even a small subset of detected pitch tracks can be transmitted to shore by the vehicle. “Each pitch track takes less than 100 bytes, whereas transmitting just one of those calls as an audio clip would take about 8000 bytes of data,” says Baumgartner. This makes the system efficient and economical. And, adds Baumgartner, it’s also really

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Whaling Museum 13 Broad Street

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While the gliders continue to run their surveys, the team aboard Endeavor works in rough seas to deploy a video plankton recorder, an instrument that helps them assess the availability of food for baleen whales. Scientists believe right whales may travel to the central Gulf of Maine during November - January to mate, but very little oceanographic or zooplankton data exists for this area, because weather conditions can be very challenging in during the late fall and winter. “We wanted to get the gliders up to this area that’s very rarely surveyed by ships,” says Baumgartner, in an attempt to fill in some of the gaps in what is known about these whales and their ecosystem. (Photo by Nadine Lysiak, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

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Chief scientist Mark Baumgartner secures a glider (with its wings removed) after it was recovered Dec. 4 from its three-week mission. The gliders are equipped with an underwater microphone and an iridium satellite antenna. The vehicle surfaces every few hours to get a GPS position and transmit data to shore-side computers. (Photo by Nadine Lysiak, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

flexible. It is easy to update the software to include a larger repertoire of whale calls into the software’s “call library.”

In addition to demonstrating the utility of the robots for the management and conservation of baleen whales, the project also has ongoing scientific objectives. One goal of the shipboard research team, in addition to spotting the whales, was to take measurements and collect biological samples of the tiny crustaceans or zooplankton upon which the whales feed, in an effort to characterize the oceanic conditions and to understand how those conditions impact the whale’s food and ultimately attracts whales to the study area. “Untangling how that happens is a big deal,” says Fratantoni.

“We wanted to figure out what right whales were feeding on in this area,” says Baumgartner. “We took profiles of the temperature and the salinity of the water and sampled zooplankton throughout the water column to understand what might make this area attractive to right whales.” Analysis of these data is in progress now.

Additional team members included representatives from the New England Aquarium who maintain a catalog of right whales and are experts in identifying individual right whales from patches of thickened skin on their heads, called callosities. Through their efforts, the team recognized four of the individual whales sighted during their week on the research ship -- two males born in 2006, one male born in 2004, and one female born in 2008.

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Walking Trails Photo: Cary Hazlegrove

A

{

NANTUCKET - UMass Field Station

t a rare junction of numerous island ecosystems out at the UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station, there are abundant symptoms of spring fever emerging and intensifying with each passing day. At this sanctuary—for students, islanders, Nantucket visitors, and wildlife alike, are the habitats of freshwater pond, tidal salt marsh, uplands, coastal beach, cedar forest, and saltwater harbor.

Somewhere in amongst steadily-greening low and high marsh cord grass, great, little, and snow egrets, along with great blue herons, are snagging Atlantic silversides and other minnows in the shallow saltmarsh water.

Gulls; herring, great, black-backed, and laughing, glide overhead in search of fish, shelled or otherwise, sharing the thermals of this gradually-warming island with Northern harriers and red-tailed hawks hunting for rodents. Wafting around on the air here is the everpungent aroma of the rich, muddy, Swiss cheese-like foundation of the marsh infused with the briny smell of the ocean and Sound warming up.

By Peter Brace

}

Atop a telephone pole retrofitted with wooden crossbars on a bluff overlooking the harbor, a pair of ospreys is rebuilding last year’s nor’easter-ravaged nest while taking turns diving for their scaly sustenance just off the beach. Already awake from their muddy winter slumbers, snapping and painted turtles are out and about, searching for sandy spots in which to lay their eggs. They sometimes can be seen crossing the winding access road leading down to the field station campus from Polpis Road.

In the knee-deep harbor water, female horseshoe crabs, with their boyfriends riding piggyback as they fertilize their ladies’ eggs, glide along the sandy bottom forested with eelgrass which is now sending up new shoots and fronds. Juvenile striped bass dart here and there.

If you arrive at the right time of day, somewhere on your wanderings you might bump into Dr. Sarah Oktay, the managing director of the field station, reputed to be the busiest person on Nantucket. She’s gearing

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WALKING TRAILS

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ENRICHING ISLAND LIFE YEAR-ROUND Nantucket’s public library housed in a historic 1847 building Photo: Alexandra La Paglia

up for a full summer of visiting student groups from the mainland and the university’s summer session for budding biologists.

This winter, the field station broadened its natural world laboratory mission to play a crucial role in UMass Boston’s very new environmental science program.

During this inaugural spring session, UMass Boston began its 16-credit LivingLab Nantucket Semester in which students majoring in environmental disciplines, as well as those pursuing independent study projects, took various biology, ecology, and general sciences classes, January through April.

There are trails meandering around this 110-acre jewel of island conservation land that is owned by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. If you’re ambitious enough, you can certainly get some exercise, but that’s not why you’ve come. You’re here to find evidence of spring on this seasonally-tardy island, and maybe learn a thing or two from the people you meet there.

The UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station, found at 180 Polpis Road, is open to the public seven days a week, year round. Leashed dogs are welcome.

Our next issue will cover walking trails on Martha’s Vineyard or the South Cape. If you have a favorite that you would like to share, please let us know. sound-magazine.com.

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Sounds of the Wild

by E. Vernon Laux

OSPREY

Photo: E. Vernon Laux

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Late May and June Bird Life around “The Sounds” of CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS OF MARTHA’S VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET

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CALLS OF THE WILD

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“drink-your-tea” songs of the towhees and incessant singing and “meow” calls of the catbirds can be deafening at 5 A.M.

AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS Photo: E. Vernon Laux

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he months of May and June on Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are very different from what the rest of the country experiences. Surrounded by relatively cold ocean water at this season that delays emergent vegetation and its attendant insect life, areas near the shore can be as much as six weeks behind mainland areas. In other words, while it still looks like winter on the beach, it is summer a few miles inland. The cool waters cause microclimates.

It is easy to see this on the Vineyard and Nantucket. Take a ride from lush, emergent downtown Vineyard Haven to any south shore beach on the Vineyard, or from green downtown Nantucket to its south shore: it is like traveling from summer to winter.

This cool ocean water is what makes

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the region such a fantastic summer destination for people to escape the sweltering heat of the cities and the middle of the country.

The water acts as a “cold sink” in spring and summer when the water is colder than the air. Conversely, during the fall it acts as a “heat sink”: the warmer water keeping the temperatures much more moderate and mild than those inland. It also makes the wildlife, particularly the nesting bird life, unique.

The islands are covered with the highest density of nesting Eastern Towhees and Gray Catbirds, anywhere in the world. A dawn patrol for bird song on either Nantucket or the Vineyard in June will reveal an amazing number of both these species, often in habitats they would not be found in on the mainland. The

Osprey, a cosmopolitan species and seasonal visitor, are hard to miss on the islands. These large, black and white “fish hawks” are the islands’ harbinger of spring. They arrive back to nesting platforms at the end of March from South American wintering areas just as the river Alewives return to spawn in freshwater ponds. These anadromous fish return from saltwater to fresh to lay their eggs. Unlike Salmonidae they don’t die after spawning and return to the sea.

On the beaches, the region is fortunate to have a couple of nesting shorebirds, namely the Piping Plover and the American Oystercatcher. Piping Plovers arrive in late March and depart by Labor Day, while American Oystercatchers are here during the months from March through October.

Oystercatchers are incredibly marked, large shorebirds that have been increasing in numbers throughout the region, recolonizing ancestral breeding areas. Piping Plovers are tiny, threatened shorebirds that breed right on the outer beaches favored by humans. This sets up conflict

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EASTERN TOWHEE, MALE

Photos: E. Vernon Laux

PIPING PLOVER

GRAY CATBIRD

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The islands are covered with the highest density of nesting Eastern Towhees and Gray Catbirds, anywhere in the world. that does not make Piping Plovers popular with fishermen. The young take shelter in 4-wheel drive tracks on the beach. If the beach remains open when there are flightless chicks, they will get run over. So, beach closures for several weeks take place to protect the endangered shorebirds.

American Oystercatchers are a favorite of all who are familiar with them on the beaches, sandbars and mudflats they inhabit. Not only do they resemble some sort of “beach toucan,” with their vibrant orange beak and colorful black, white and brown markings, but they make loud and pleasing calls. There is little not to like about American Oystercatchers.

Oystercatchers are gregarious and seem to enjoy each other’s company.

Groups can be seen during the spring and fall gathered at high tide. When they fly they all call and fly with stiff wings, leaving the impression that they are moving their party elsewhere.

Anthropomorphically speaking, they always look like they are having fun.

Oystercatchers have been steadily increasing in numbers for several decades. A big reason for this is that they are great parents and fierce in defense of their young. Most shorebirds are precocial, which means the young hatch and are up and

running about within a few minutes.

The adults try to protect them and occasionally brood them in bad weather, but never feed them.

that found just a few miles inland.

More food, shelter, water, and safety for a migrating bird are to be found by staying off the immediate coastline.

Oystercatchers, on the other hand, do feed their young and use their beak, the world’s most colorful shucking knife, as a weapon to chase away gulls, crows, and even mammalian predators that want to eat their young.

This parental protection is working.

But, as the spring migration proceeds, time waiting for no bird, the urge to return to the breeding areas becomes so strong that the birds often get up and fly on nights when they should not. This happens most often near the end of May and at the beginning of June when the birds’ endocrine systems are running wide open and the urge to find a mate and perpetuate the species is all-powerful. That is why the birding from the middle to the end of May is most exciting along the coastline, as birds may throw caution to the wind, if you will.

Nesting Great Black-backed Gulls, the largest gull species in the world, and Herring Gulls nest on many remote peninsulas and small islands in the Sounds, including Chappaquiddick Island, No Man’s Land (SW of the Vineyard), some of the Elizabeth Islands, Muskeget and Tuckernuck Islands west of Nantucket.

Birding in spring is very different from birding in the fall on the Cape and Islands both in the way the birds look and act and in where they are found. At this season the birds are either heading further north or engaged in defending a territory, singing loud and often. Migrant land birds have learned over countless generations to stay away from the coastline during the spring migration.

Due to the cooling influence of cold ocean waters, emergent vegetation and insect abundance is weeks behind

So, at that time, remember to glance up and keep your eyes toward the sky!

Calling all birders!

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REMARKABLE STORY

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IMAGERY AND DATA: Courtesy obtained by RMS Titanic, Inc. (RMST) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on their 2010 expedition to Titanic located 350 miles (531 km) southeast of Newfoundland, Canada.

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Written by Lonny Lippsett

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ill Lange was aboard Knorr in 1985 when the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel brought back the first grainy black-and-white images of Titanic resting on the seafloor some 12,600 feet deep. Ever since, Lange has pushed the boundaries of imaging technology, engineering one-of-a-kind camera systems and operating them in the deepest and most extreme parts of the world’s oceans.

Lange, who directs the Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory at WHOI, has returned to the Titanic site several times. He played a major role in a 2010 expedition that yielded new, richly detailed views of the ship and the wreck site that were published in 2012, the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking. We talked with Lange about this Titanic quest.

Courtesy of AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

A photomosaic of the aft end of Titanic shows that the ship's keel is deeply embedded in thick, clay-like sediment.

The port propeller is also visible. Images for the photomosaic were collected on a 2010 expedition, funded by RMS Titanic, Inc., that included William Lange (right), director of the Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory at WHOI, Dave Conlin (center), chief of the National Parks Service's Submerged Resources Center, and James Delgado (left), director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

© 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Produced by AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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The original Navy-funded expeditions in 1985 and 1986 used Titanic as a target to test pioneering deep-sea technologies.

Were camera systems among those?

Bob Ballard and a few of us had dreams of bringing color video back from the deep, but camera systems to do that didn’t exist at the time. Designing a deep-sea camera system is a lot more than just taking a camera off the shelf and putting it in a pressureresistant tube. There’s a lot of engineering that goes into making these cameras work efficiently at depths of more than 13,000 feet; withstand pressures of 10,000 pounds per square inch and temperatures from 100°F on deck to near freezing on the seafloor; operate on really low power; and produce high-optical-resolution images in very low light. There really isn’t a big market for camera systems like that, so it’s not economical for a commercial vendor to build one.

As it turned out, Titanic has been a great driver for advancing our imaging, lighting, and other technologies in the deep sea.

The constant desire of people to know more about Titanic has provided funding and resources to go back to Titanic over the years. It helped drive our desire to keep bringing technology to the next level and improving the imaging capabilities for the scientists and the public.

What happened when you returned to Titanic in 1986?

In a very short time, we went from this groundbreaking realtime video system on Argo to putting humans down there on the submersible Alvin and developing color video cameras for Alvin to bring back the first high-quality color images from Titanic.

A small remotely operated vehicle, Jason Jr. was also developed to penetrate into areas that were too dangerous for Alvin.

In 1985 and 1986, part of my job was also working with [WHOI scientist] Elazar Uchupi to examine and describe each still image, each frame of video, and plot it on a map. During the 1986 expedition, Elazar and I plotted targets and objectives for Alvin to conduct close-up inspection imaging. Later in 1986, we published the first real archaeological site plan of the wreck. This

map of the wreck stood for over 20 years as the best depiction of the site.

But as successful as the ’85 and ’86 Woods Hole expeditions were, we had gaps in the survey data. Deep in my heart, I knew we’d made some assumptions, and so I began looking at ways to try to fill in data.

What was the state-of-the-art technology in 1985?

The Argo towed-camera-sled system developed by Bob Ballard in 1985 was a paradigm shift. In the past, scientists had towed underwater metal sleds with 35millimeter cameras above the seafloor with no electrical connection to the surface.

You’d bring the camera back up to the surface, remove the film, and wonder what you had documented. If you were fortunate enough, you had a way of developing the film out at sea and then knowing a day or so later what you had surveyed.

You didn’t see in real time what those cameras were seeing and thus lost valuable decision and ship time.

Ballard brought the idea of delivering live video images from the depths to a surface vessel, so scientists could make decisions immediately about where to move their vehicle next, as opposed to days later. Argo was still limited in that it had one blackand-white video channel that was grainy, but it was unique at the time because of that live ability.

WHOI researchers Bob Ballard, Elazar Uchupi, and William Lange created this first map of the Titanic wreck site based on images collected during two WHOI expeditions in 1985 and 1986. It was published in 1988 and was the most complete map until the new one was completed after the 2010 expedition.

Ballard, Uchupi, and Lange, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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WHOI researchers operated two autonomous REMUS 6000 vehicles to systematically “fly” over the entire Titanic wreck site and debris field, using sonar to create this comprehensive map. The ship’s bow is to the left, about 2,000 feet away from the stern (to the right). The stern was turned around during descent so that its rear points to the bow section.

© RMS Titanic, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Developed by REMUS Operations Group (WHOI) and Waitt Institute

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For decades, that meant partnering with documentary and tourist groups, trying to get our camera systems installed on vehicles that were going out there and hoping we would get a dive here and there to fill in data gaps and create an even more complete map of the site.

Why has it taken so long to create a comprehensive map of the wreck site?

People haven’t gone out with the desire to map. They’ve gone out with the desire to create documentaries. The two goals are quite different.

In the latter, filming is done to make beautiful images that can be used in a documentary. What isn't done is navigation— recording the position of those images. It’s not important to a documentary group to expend the effort and expense of deploying acoustical beacons in the ocean to keep track of where the submarines are when they’re filming. But it is important to anyone who’s trying to do a forensic analysis of the ship. Knowing precisely where every image is taken is paramount to a good optical survey.

In 2005, on an expedition sponsored by the History Channel,

we collected imagery using Mir submersibles from the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in Moscow. For decades, filmmaking on Titanic has been done at the bow, the most recognizable part of the ship. We were able to persuade the History Channel to leave the bow and start looking at the stern and the heavy debris field in areas that we hadn’t completely surveyed in ’85 and ’86. And that’s when some new findings started coming into the public’s view—keel sections that hadn’t been seen in detail before, and many other large objects that the public hadn’t really seen in high-resolution video.

Navigation was critical, because in order to get back to those locations on the next day to film them, you needed to know where they were. And that data allowed us to plot the exact locations of the images we collected on a map, so that we started seeing the relationships of objects in the east to the main hull sections—for example, of the boilers to the stern, and the stern to the bow, and things like that. I wondered if there really was a pattern to these objects.

What sort of a pattern?

At first, Bob Ballard and others proposed that as Titanic sank, the denser objects would fall more quickly, and the less dense

Hundreds of high-resolution still images shot in 2010 were stitched together to create each of these photomosaics looking down on the bow and stern sections of the sunken Titanic. On the seafloor, the stern is located about 2,000 feet away from the bow and turned in the opposite direction. The stern sank more slowly than the bow and sustained more damage. The bow is relatively intact.

© 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Produced by AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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objects would fall more slowly and get separated over time by currents. So you would get this comet-trail kind of pattern of debris on the seafloor. When we started looking at the Titanic data even from ’85 and ’86 and 2005, we realized that there were multiple debris fields, and things that just didn’t fit that previous simplistic model.

These questions only increased my desire to do a complete survey. We still didn’t have a complete map of the site. Maps published in magazines like National Geographic were still artists’ interpretations of what the site looked like. These maps weren’t real. To me, this was a big jigsaw puzzle where we had maybe 25 percent of the pieces missing and didn’t know what the picture looked like. That’s really what’s driven me to keep going back to Titanic.

How did the remarkable 2010 expedition take place?

In 2009, RMS Titanic Inc., the company that has the salvage rights to the wreck site, approached me about going back to the site again. I said the only way I would go back would be if we could completely survey the site once and for all in an archaeological manner, with the participation of NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] and the

National Park Service, which have been involved in protecting and preserving the wreck site. I was surprised that RMS Titanic agreed to that.

A scientific team was set up. Dave Gallo from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Jim Delgado from NOAA, and Dave Conlin from the National Park Service, and I worked together on developing the scientific protocols to conduct the survey. That included sonar mapping, which should have been done decades earlier, but sonar mapping isn’t very exciting for a television documentary. But the way we did it, with REMUS vehicles, was exciting because it gave us this big picture.

How did REMUS, aka Remote Environmental Monitoring Units, help map the site?

REMUS is an autonomous underwater vehicle [AUV].

AUVs don’t have any cable connection to the surface. They were launched and followed preprogrammed tracks, what we call “mowing the lawn,” surveying the seafloor nearly 24/7.

They carried sonar devices, because you map the deep seafloor more efficiently with acoustics, as opposed to optics. In parallel, we modified a commercial remotely operated vehicle [ROV], basically redesigning its power system, telemetry,

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lighting, cameras, and flotation system and turning it from a salvage ROV to probably one of the world’s best underwater vehicles to collect high-resolution optical imagery.

We used these two different types of operational platforms simultaneously to survey the site. That was fundamentally important, because we could map 15 to 20 square miles of seafloor with REMUS and do close-up and wide-area optical imagery with the ROV—all at the same time with just one ship.

One of my most unique experiences from that cruise was hearing someone in the ROV control van say that we had descended 3,000 meters into the water, and we had to wait there because we had traffic ahead! This was something I really didn’t ever expect to hear in my career. The REMUS vehicles were operating too close to where we were headed with the ROV, and we decided to hold and let them go by. Operating three undersea vehicles from one vessel in a relatively small area does have its challenges.

How did the 2010 expedition go?

We had to do an enormous amount of work in a very short time.

The expedition was funded later than expected, giving us less lead time than we would have liked, and many things needed to

be completed in transit. We were heading out late in hurricane season to a site that in some years seems to be in hurricane alley, so we were concerned about just how many operation days we would actually have.

In fact, we had three hurricanes, which provided a bit of a challenge. But we still managed to get over 95 percent of the survey work we wanted done. The sonar coverage from the REMUS AUVs was amazing. The optical coverage of the major hull sections is also amazing, given that we were also working with currents at strengths that we hadn’t seen there before and visibility that was the worst I’ve ever seen in 25 years of working at Titanic. And we used solely high-definition 3-D imaging.

What are the advantages of 3-D? One of our goals as an imaging lab is trying to make scientists feel like they’re right there where the camera is. The resolution of the image—how detailed it is—is only one part of the equation of how our brains process images. There’s also color information, and then there’s depth information. Working with scientists, we knew that what they really liked about diving in Alvin, versus using a remotely operated vehicle like Jason, was the ability to see depth. That’s what 3-D provides.

© 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Produced by AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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What was it like for you to finally look at Titanic in 3-D? It’s hard to communicate the difference between looking at a flat, 2-D image and a 3-D image. The 3-D automatically gives your brain all the clues of how objects are interrelated with each other, whether it’s in a depression or crater, or what part of a given object is sticking out more than another part. It also helps pilots fly and operate vehicles around objects. The 3-D also allows us to interpret the imagery better in turbid water than 2-D would.

Our brains contain an amazing image processor—we simply need to understand how to get our brains the data they need.

What really brought home to me that the technology was working was, after one long shift staring at 3-D screens for more than 35 hours, I turned to Evan Kovacs, my colleague in the imaging lab, and we realized that we had no eye fatigue.

Our eyes weren’t even watering. The technology had become transparent. We’d totally forgotten about the technology intervening between image and viewer.

Archaeologists on the 2010 expedition said they were able to see the wreck much better than they were able to see it through the porthole of a submersible. The 3-D also tends to bring out features that you didn’t see before. We saw rusticles on the bow and the angles at which they were growing. They literally stood out in 3-D. The surfaces of the wreck were also much more deformed than one would have expected looking at 2-D imagery.

And one last point: Along with superior optical imagery, 3-D gives us the ability to virtually rebuild an object that we can then measure in a laboratory. Our motion 3-D cameras are taking some 60 or more images per second. Each stereo pair, consisting of a right-eye and left-eye view, contains an enormous amount of spatial information. This spatial data in the very near future will allow us to recreate objects virtually as point clouds and obtain accurate measurements without the need to disturb or recover an object. We’re collecting data that archaeologists can use not only to look at a given object, but also to get a measurement of it. Measurements are very important

WHOI researchers operated two WHOI-built REMUS 6000 underwater vehicles from the Waitt Institute to map the Titanic wreck site in 2010.

in science, and measurements of 2-D optical imagery have been difficult in the past in the deep sea.

So you finally got your map.

Yes, we merged and geo-rectified the acoustic sonar mosaics and the optical mosaics to create the first real comprehensive map of the Titanic site. It gives the general public the “bird’seye” view of one of the world’s most important maritime heritage sites. We’ve created some 225 optical mosaics, and the work continues.

We provided the archaeological community with a huge amount of processed data that should have a major impact on policies and procedures for managing and operating at the site.

I can’t imagine trying to manage something like this site when you didn’t even know how big it was, what was there, what the local ecology and geology were. We’ve spent an enormous amount of time putting the raw data from the expedition into a form that the marine archaeologists and policymakers can easily access and use.

But it’s a snapshot in time. It represents the condition of Titanic as it was in 2010. At Woods Hole, we have data going back to the original expeditions, and that is a gold mine for scientists.

Why is it a gold mine?

We can learn things from the Titanic site about what happens in the deep sea. There are very few places on the bottom of the ocean that we have a 25-year history of what’s happened there. Until we found Titanic, many people thought things on the deep seafloor were preserved forever. Titanic has taught us that that’s not the always the case, and that some objects get preserved, but others do not. We recognized that colonizing organisms are destroying part of the metallic structures like the hull. But we don’t know if those processes have reached equilibrium, or if they are ongoing, or if the process is linear, or if, say, 400 years from now, structural failure will occur and the hull will collapse. We know more about modeling the metal corrosion than the biological processes at this time.

Brennan Phillips, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

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© 2012 RMS Titanic, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Produced by AIVL, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

These whistles are the only identifiable remains of the No. 2 funnel. There were four sets of whistles on Titanic but only those on the No. 1 and No. 2 funnels were operational. The whistles on the No. 3 and No. 4 funnels were for aesthetic purposes only.

The National Park Service has been really at the cutting edge of developing techniques to analyze and monitor corrosion rates on shipwrecks. One of the shipwrecks that they’ve been honing their skills on is the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. We’ve tried to apply those techniques at Titanic, so we can compare what’s happening at Arizona and Titanic.

In Titanic, the bow and stern sections are still relatively intact, and there are lots of artifacts inside. One could make a case that if the bow section were to collapse, one might need to recover the historical artifacts inside.

What is the condition of Titanic?

One hears quite often that the ship’s decaying rapidly, and it’s going to be gone in a year, or it’s going to collapse in six months.

Part of me feels that some of the decay and deterioration we’re seeing now comes from seeing the wreck more clearly each time we go out with better cameras and lighting. If you look at it in a low-resolution image, it doesn’t look so bad. But look at it in a very high-resolution image, and, ‘Oh my god, there’s corrosion going on all over the place!’

That said, there are places where roofs and hulls are opening up, and corrosion is an active process. One of the things we’re working on in this lab is looking at all the images from this 25-year period. We’d like to merge the ’85–’86 datasets with the 2010 dataset, plus the other supplemental data that we’ve collected from documentary groups and from NOAA, to get a time series of what’s happened at the site. It will give archaeologists, metallurgists, and benthic ecologists better understanding of conditions and long-term changes that occur to shipwrecks from corrosion, microbial activity, and pressure in the deep sea. And that will help scientists and policymakers protect and manage the site.

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Will your new data settle the debate about how Titanic broke apart as it sank?

Looking at the 2010 data, Dave Conlin from the National Park Service did a statistical analysis of some 60 features on the seafloor and plotted out a pattern that we hadn’t observed before. Embedded in that pattern may even be a timeline of what broke off the ship when.

We’re developing analysis techniques for debris patterns on the seafloor to sort of reverse the process, to reconstruct what happened to the ship at the surface. That can tell us where the ship’s initial point of failure was and how it failed.

We know what happened to Titanic. It hit an iceberg. But there are some 14 large ships that are lost each year, most of them roughly 1,000 feet long, and we don’t have a clue what happened to them. Being able to develop these marine forensics techniques will help close the book on a lot of these accidents, as well as airplane accidents at sea.

There are also thousands of hazardous-waste shipwreck sites off the U.S. East Coast alone, and we need to understand what’s happening to these. Are the hulls decaying? Is there a chance of their hazardous cargo being introduced into the environment?

There are also some 500 tankers still carrying oil that were sunk in the North Atlantic during the world wars. Should we be concerned about future environmental disasters in our oceans?

If we can really understand what is happening at this one small spot on our globe, the Titanic site, we can apply that knowledge and techniques to other areas and studies.

FIRESIDE CHATS AMONG THE SOUND SHORELINES What are some environmental changes you have noticed in your area?

MV: We have wild grapes growing again that have not been seen in a few decades.

ACK: We have a huge population increase in seals on north and south shores.

SC: Climate change is the most obvious, it has been a hard winter.

What cultural group have you noticed more of in summer work force over this recent decade?

My heartbeat is on the right side!

Hmm, what’s wrong with this picture?

MV: Brazillian ACK: Domincan & Jamaican SC: Asian What Cultural / Social Changes have you noticed recently?

MV: We’ve always had diversity in our community - historically.

ACK: Increase in Eastern Europeans, they own homes & are business owners. As well as the non-profit sector networking more to promote the island.

SC: There seems to be more networking among organizations making efforts to help those that need it.

What industry have you noticed picking up momentum since 2009?

MV: Real Estate & Technology ACK: Building Trade & Technology

What side is yours on?

It’s estimated that 1 in 10,000 people have an anomaly called Situs.

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Don’t Call it Dirt!

by Siobhain Klawetter

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GROWING FROM THE EARTH: Healthy soil is the foundation for your summer’s garden bounty.

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Photo: Arlene O’Reilly

Real gardeners don’t take kindly to the word “dirt” when referring to that stuff you grow plants in. “Dirt” is a four-letter word to these people. Understand why, and you’ll be well on your way to growing a green thumb or two this year. early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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GROWING FROM THE EARTH

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Put it in a pot.

You may find that the convenience of container gardening is best suited to your lifestyle or living situation. Keep it simple with earthenware pots, or find creative ways to repurpose unused items. Paul Split, a horticultural consultant based on the Cape and Martha’s Vineyard, suggests using a 16” hanging moss basket, which will allow aeration of the soil. “When air can get to the plant roots, so can the water, which carries the food.”

Line your frame with long-fiber sphagnum moss, which is free of the insects, pathogens, fungus, and mold that can damage your plants. Paul recommends adding a water reservoir to your planter, in the form of a 8” aluminum cake pan placed above the drainage holes. The planting mix goes on in two layers, with a middle layer of polymer moisture crystals to keep the mix moist but not soggy.

Image © Jiri Hera, 2013. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

W

hether growing plants for food, visual pleasure, or both, taking time to understand your soil is well worth the effort. As anyone who has put spade to ground in these parts knows, we are dealing with sand here. Local farms import tons of topsoil every year, and enhance it with a variety of organic matter, such as composted manure and seaweed mulch. If you are new to gardening, don’t worry. You won’t need a degree in horticulture to grown your own haricot vert. We spoke with several local experts to give you a variety of options to choose from.

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Paul’s recommended planting mix is a blend of 80% peat moss and 20% perlite. Unlike regular potting mix or soil, this blend won’t become compacted, and can be used for all types of container gardening. Apply a layer of “hard plant food” (organic compost) on top before planting, and then regularly apply “liquid plant food” (compost tea) throughout the growing season. Your seedlings will thrive and start producing before you know it. The wire baskets, sphagnum moss, peat moss, perlite, and moisture crystals can be found at most garden supply stores.

Island Recipes

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH SAUTEED SPRING PEAS, RAMPS AND ASPARAGUS WITH AN ARUGULA, PECAN AND LEMON PESTO Submitted by Chris Morris, Nantucket It’s a simple, yet elegant spring/early summer recipe and certainly has some substitution possibilities to make it easier or continue it throughout the season. Serves 4

GNOCCHI 3-4 Russet Potatoes, peeled 2 cups flour, plus some for dusting table top 3 eggs Salt and pepper Chop potatoes and place in a pot of boiling and salted water and boil until potatoes are soft. Drain water and using a potato ricer, mash potatoes in a deep mixing bowl. Dust tabletop with flour. Add flour and pinch of salt and pepper into potatoes and using hands fold in until mixed. Whisk eggs and add gradually to potatoes, folding dough lightly and as little as possible. Turn dough ball out on table and roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut lines about and inch thick and roll dough into tubes. Cut gnocchi about an inch long and store in freezer on a sheet tray with parchment paper until ready to use. For dimples, use back of fork and roll dough off prongs in the palm of your hand and place on tray. When ready to serve add to boiling salted water and cook until floating, about five minutes. Remove from water and add to sauce or pan to saute.

ARUGULA, PECAN AND LEMON PESTO 2 cups baby arugula 1/2 cup toasted pecans 1 lemon, juiced and skinned 2 pinches salt and pepper 2 cloves garlic (roasted preferably) Extra virgin olive oil to blend Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and add oil to blend.

SAUTEED VEGETABLES 1 cup English Peas, peeled (fresh preferably) 1 cup Fava Beans, peeled and blanched (fresh preferably) 1 bunch Asparagus, sliced on a bias 1 bunch Ramps, chopped 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil 2 pinches salt and pepper Heat olive oil on medium high meat and add vegetables. Season vegetables with pinch of salt and pepper. Saute vegetables, mixing occasionally for about five minutes. Add butter and cooked gnocchi and saute turning gnocchi to brown both sides. Season with other pinch of salt and pepper.

TO SERVE Plate with equal portions of vegetables and gnocchi. Dollop pesto in middle of gnocchi and shave asiago or (parmesanreggiano cheese if preferred).

If you have a favorite family recipe that would like to share, please let us know. Visit sound-magazine.com

GUIDED TOURS & CHORE TOURS EAT LOCAL! Grass-Fed & Pastured Katama Raised Meat for sale SUMMER PROGRAMS begin June 25 Come for a visit!

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GROWING FROM THE EARTH

Photo: Siobhain Klawetter

Build your soil up don’t dig down.

All our experts agreed on one point: digging out is unnecessary. Raised beds offer the quickest solution to our sandy soil problem. Caren Oberg Gomes, owner of Linnea Gardens on Nantucket, caters to clients with dreams of eating their own organic produce. She suggests the “Lasagna Approach” to developing healthy soil. First, choose the area where you would like your new veggie patch.

Mark it out with stakes and twine or a frame of untreated wood (you don’t want chemicals leaching into the soil and your food!). Cover your plot with wet cardboard to kill the grass and help prevent weeds, then layer as follows: 1) shredded newspaper mixed with grass clippings, 2) organic compost—preferably homemade, 3) optional: composted manure, from cows or horses that have been fed organic feed or been pasture raised. If you like, repeat these steps one time, then cover with a layer of organic 46

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garden soil. You are now ready to plant! Reema Sherry, Caren’s longtime employee and “garden artist” claims this method is excellent for growing fat and flavorful tomatoes.

calcium to the soil) between beds, as it is important not to step on the soil where plants are growing.

Farm that land.

If using bagged mulch or compost, regionally-produced “Coast of Maine” is the go-to standard used by many organic gardeners in the area.

Just like reading the labels on your food, if it takes a scientist to understand what’s in it, it’s probably not so good for growing food for the table. Make sure your product is labeled OMRI certified, ensuring it has undergone rigorous review to comply with USDA organic standards.

If you are ready to take on more than containers and raised beds can offer, it’s wise to have the soil tested in the area where you plan to garden. Dylan Wallace of Nantucket Natives suggests using UMass Extension’s soil testing services (http://soiltest.umass.edu) before investing in new plots, and then contacting that agency every other year to maintain the correct balance of nutrients in established gardens.

Dylan also reminds us to choose the location carefully. “Always be aware of the site’s sun, wind, and salt spray exposures. Often, wind whips around houses and fences, and you want to be sure that your plants are protected.”

Once your soil has been tested and you’re ready to dig in, keep in mind that “rain, wind, and compaction are always working against us to pull the organic matter down through the sand and away from our plants’ roots.” Dylan’s solution is to focus on healthy topsoil: keep the surface covered with actively-growing plants or an organic mulch year-round, and, when preparing the soil, remember that aeration, pH, and nutrient balance are key. For new beds, some mild double-digging is appropriate to add in finished compost and optionally, greensand, for nutrients.

Coir (coconut husk fibers) will lighten the soil and discourage compaction around the roots. One part compost, one part coir, and one part garden soil is the standard ratio when building your vegetable bed. If you’ve had your soil tested, you may be advised to add some other natural products at this time. After incorporation, make sure to top-dress well with mulch, and to create walking paths with crushed shell (oyster is the best for adding

Read your labels.

“Compost tea” is touted as one of the best ways to enhance growth and flavor in your vegetable garden. Most garden supply stores will either sell it to you or point you toward a provider.

The best tea is made from organic worm castings. If you’d like to make your own, there are many references available on the web.

Healthy soil makes for healthy plants, which is the ultimate goal of any gardener. Ensuring we are creating an environment to support the microorganisms and fungi surrounding our plant roots requires a balance of nutrients and aeration.

In addition, vermipods (encapsulated earthworm eggs) can be added, if you are using bagged compost. Most homemade compost or composted manure will be chock-full of these ultra-important garden helpers.

Earthworms not only aerate the soil, allowing water and nutrients to get to the plant roots, but they excrete minerals needed by the plants themselves. You’ll know it’s not “just dirt” when it’s full of worms–your soil food web is thriving!

Come grow with us!

For a deeper look at gardening in the Sound Region, please join us online. We invite you to share your own tips and experience!

DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH

Lemon Aid

by Erin Haggerty

If there were a potion that would jump-start and flush the digestive system, aid in weight loss, promote healthy skin, fight fatigue, and boost the immune system, wouldn’t you try it?

What if that drink didn’t involve anything more than water and lemon? Just a few drops of fresh, raw lemon juice in a cup of (hot or room temperature) purified water packs a seriously healthy punch. Lemons have natural antibacterial and antiviral properties as well as high levels of vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, and antioxidants.

A cup of warm water with freshly-squeezed lemon juice prompts the liver to produce more bile, a digestive fluid that helps emulsify fat during the digestive process. And if your belly is upset to begin with, lemon water can help with nausea, heartburn, and bloating.

The naturally detoxifying properties found in lemon juice rid the body of toxins, aiding the skin to stay clear and blemish free. Vitamin C, which is also known as ascorbic acid, plays a key role in the body’s ability to produce collagen, a protein that aids in cell and blood vessel growth, giving skin firmness and strength.

But perhaps the most compelling reason to drink lemon-infused water is its natural ability to alkalinize the body. There are many factors, including stress and medication intake, that can affect the body’s pH levels. Certain illnesses thrive in acidic environments, it is essential for the body to maintain a slightly alkaline state. Though it is acidic to taste, lemons are actually highly alkaline and can ward off the harmful effects of over-consumption of acidic foods like meat and dairy.

Just don’t go overboard, as too much lemon can effect your teeth.

All things in moderation is best!

Cheers!

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Time Well Spent

How 1 watch + 1 Nantucket woman = clean drinking water for 25 people

FOR LIFE?

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for

AFRICA

by Natalie Ciminero

Photography by Pammi Simone

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“IT’S TIME THAT EVERY CHILD ON THE PLANET HAS ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER!” — Darcy Creech, a business woman from Nantucket.

This is her remarkable story of vision and dedication to social awareness.

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Image © Sergey Uryadnikov, 2013. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

I

n highly developed nations, we tend to take access to safe water for granted. That wasn’t, however, always the case. A little over 100 years ago, New York City, now a thriving and vital epicenter, was a hub of infectious disease. Child mortality rates were as high then as they are now in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to a 2007 poll by the British Medical Journal, clean water and advancements in sanitation comprised the most important medical advancements since 1840. It was across-the-board reforms in accessible water and sanitation that have enabled humanity’s progress and prosperity.

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Women harvesting unsafe water in Olkolili Tanzania from the only water source available, which they share with animals

Both animals and humans share the same water source, increasing the presence of risk of e-coli bacteria other water borne illnesses.

The health and economic impacts of today’s water crises are catastrophic worldwide: the World Health Organization calls unsafe drinking water the leading cause of disease. According to the United Nations, an estimated 783 million people lack access to clean drinking water; 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases – 99% of these deaths occur in the developing world, and nearly half claim children under the age of five. It is further estimated that a child dies every 15-20 seconds as a result of poor sanitation— more than those dying from malaria, AIDS, and measles combined (That’s the equivalent of one jumbo jet crashing every four hours).

Not only an economic worldwide issue, lack of clean water heavily impacts the lives of women and the education of children. Women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households. It has been reported that over 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related diseases.

Furthermore, studies show that poor health directly reduces cognitive potential and indirectly undermines the education process through absenteeism, attention deficits, and early drop-out. This is time that could be spent working at an income generating job, caring for family members, or attending school. In an already-depressed Sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 40 billion hours of labor are spent carrying water over long, and often treacherous distances. Adding further to the difficulties, the collected water is all too often dirty, polluted, and unsafe to drink. The situation is so dire that the United Nations declared 2013 the “International Year of Water Cooperation” in an endeavor to unite worldwide efforts.

“We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate…either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realizing our potential, or we embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless.” — Christopher Reeve 50

early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

The former source for drinking water in Olkolili Tanzania. Often women and children walk 3 kilometers each way to harvest water each day.

The current water source in Kiio Kenya. The villagers built a dam to collect rainwater, however it is very contaminated with bacteria.

STAGGERING, ISN’T IT? STAY WITH US NOW AND DON’T GIVE UP AND THINK “THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT.” BECAUSE YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

While the facts may be overwhelming, shocking, and more complex than most of us can conceive of, the good news is that specialists now know how to bring people clean water and sanitation anywhere on the planet. How, then, can ordinary folks make a difference, and begin to help celebrate the fifth birthdays of nearly 1.5 million children? How can one person spread hope and good will beyond social, economic, and geographic boundaries? There are, among us, advocates for the greater good making amazing strides for the benefit of the human family, often with courage and laudable acts of heroism. One such champion lives right here on Nantucket.

I first met Darcy Raymond Creech last year when interviewing her for an article published in Arts Nantucket - “Art of Design”. Darcy was one of a number of local designers spotlighted for innovation and design talents. During that interview, I quickly realized that there was a depth to her commitment towards change and social responsibility. I welcomed this assignment to write a more detailed article covering her campaign to fund access to safe water in Africa.

This time as we talked, a remarkable story of inspiration, humanity, love, and transformation unfolded before me.

Darcy created Peter Beaton, Inc., a hat design company, as a means of supporting herself and her two young sons, Peter and Cole. As they grew, so did the business, into a thriving, highend apparel boutique. On paper, and outwardly to her community, she was living the dream – the perfect, successful life. “I was at a crossroads” she shares. Recognizing that her glamorous life was only an empty shell, Darcy had an epiphany.

Leaning on her faith, she redefined her life and what it meant to “live the dream”.

Through her work with a local adolescent youth group, she was invited to a special event where the featured speaker happened to be a Harvardeducated young man now working with the United Nations. Years before, he had been a child sponsored through Compassion International, one of the world’s largest child development organizations, that strives to release children from poverty by holistically addressing their individual, physical, economic, educational, and spiritual needs. Deeply moved by his story of triumph against all odds, Darcy immediately took the reins and applied to sponsor two children living in Africa. When later given the opportunity to further her involvement by traveling to Africa, she accepted the offer whole-heartedly and without question. “I have always loved traveling, but was

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in search of a more meaningful travel experience, so visiting the villages of the children I sponsored was a natural and easy decision,” she says.

Her first trip to Tanzania was eye-opening and disturbing as well as an amazing experience to share with her older son, Peter. On day one, she met Joyce, a seven-year-old impoverished child, whose parents had died and currently was living with her grandparents. Darcy remembers feeling “completely heartbroken” over the deplorable living conditions she encountered. With no local water source, Joyce, along with other children and women from her village, walked over three miles each day to a nearby swamp for water. Sanitation did not exist; clean water did not exist.

Don’t, however, dismiss small beginnings. One meeting with one little girl changed everything for Darcy, and consequently, changed the lives of nearly 5,500 people from two different villages.

Joyce was that one little girl; they were drawn towards each other, and with the extension of her tiny hand, Darcy says, “I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she (Joyce) chose me to be her sponsor.”

Darcy Creech with Joyce, the child she would soon come to sponsor. When Darcy was informed that neither Joyce nor any other people in the village had access to clean drinking water, she was inspired to found Hydrex Philanthropic. A year later Joyce’s family exclaimed, “You said you were going to bring us clean drinking water, and you completed it!!”

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Darcy says she felt called to action because of the concern she had for the children she sponsored and for their extremely unhealthy living conditions. “It was simply unacceptable” she remembers, still visibly shaken. “When you are ‘called’, you have to take action,” she continued, “…and I was getting the message loud and clear.”

Back in the United States, Darcy made it her mission to research the water crisis in SubSaharan Africa: the statistics, viable options, resources for help, and then to consider how on earth she might be able to make it all work.

Then, since the water wasn’t going to simply fall from the sky, Darcy Creech decided to raise the funding necessary to build a deep borehole water well in Okolili, Tanzania – an area said to be too arid to support such a lofty goal.

Driven by her heart, her mind created effective fundraising strategies. Darcy raised the $46,000 needed to build that first well, and she did it in only three months!

So how did she do it? Darcy believes that many people want to be a part of something truly extraordinary, and to feel good about themselves through that participation. Instead of just asking people for money, she wanted to engage and educate supporters and donors. She founded Hydrex Philanthropic, which seeks to provide sponsorship opportunities for every budget, whether it is $20 or $20 billion. She designed the high-quality, Swiss-made Hydrex watch as the vehicle for corporations to sponsor social change and this ambitious, yet completely attainable, fundraising goal. Peter Beaton, Inc. went through a transition which mirrored that of its owner, and became the first corporate sponsor of the Hydrex movement.

The Hydrex watch perfectly represents Darcy’s intentions. “Hydra represents water, while Rolex represents status, abundance, and the opposite of poverty,” she explains. She identified the potential for a different kind of status – a bold message of awareness and responsibility. The design reflects the intention: orange is an action color and attracts attention. The military-like wristband represents “fighting for something worthy.”

Water intervention can happen on multiple levels and in many countries. There are several ways to help: sponsor access to clean drinking water for one person, for a lifetime, for $20; provide a family with a water filtration system for $75; sponsor an entire deep borehole water well for a community of 250-300 sponsored children plus their families for approximately $50,000; or sponsor a county or country. Recently, for example, 76 villages in Uganda, comprised of approximately 90,000 people, were sponsored for a total of $430,000.

The clean drinking water solutions include providing water filtration systems, installing rainwater-harvesting systems, installing underground tanks for water, and drilling new borehole wells. The villagers are given the necessary instruction and support to maintain the well. Darcy assures that “100% of proceeds go early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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towards the water well projects. Peter Beaton, Inc. pays for the cost of fabricating each watch and makes absolutely no profit.” Her message is simple, yet profound: “if you are going to spend a sizeable amount of money on a luxury watch as a status symbol, then think about spending money on something that will really make a difference and promote social responsibility.”

Clean water is an easy and affordable solution to a major world problem. According to Darcy, “this venture invites people to participate by purchasing a watch or bracelet. Their investment purchase has a huge ripple effect that saves lives.”

So why not help? It just makes so much sense.

“Today more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal Responsibility, not only nation to nation, … but human to human.”

— H.H. the Dalai Lama

This past March, Darcy returned to Africa with her younger son Cole to visit the two locations dear to her heart—the homes of two of the children she sponsors: Joyce’s village in Tanzania, where the first water well has been successfully completed; and Kiio, Mwingi County, Kenya, the village where Patrick, another child she sponsors, lives. “I was welcomed with open arms, and with ceremonies of song and dance,” she remembered. With a smile as large as her heart, and with tears in her eyes, she recalled the first time she heard “nimefurahi sana kukuona wewe,” (Swahili for “I am so happy to see you.”)

“I was truly moved by the sense of gratitude I experienced. They have given me such a gift, there is a mutual reciprocity of genuine appreciation.”

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Conditions pre-well were those of despair, hopelessness, and early death. Now, with access to clean water, the transformation of Joyce’s village is nothing short of miraculous. Darcy described, with a pure joy that was infectious, how revitalized the village is now. Euphoria, passion, hope, and grace now reside where anguish, suffering, and gloom once blanketed the land. The villagers, now armed with a new sense of pride and vitality, have taken the proverbial bull by the horns. They have built schools, improved sanitation with functioning toilets, and grown crops that have generated much needed income for the community.

Patrick’s village is the location where a second well will be built. (“I didn’t know I wouldn’t be done after the first well,” Darcy admitted. “I have more perspective and a clearer vision now of what is needed to help.”)

Darcy has already successfully raised the just over $60,000 necessary to continue her mission to help solve the water crisis in Africa. In both cases, the entire village is involved. Both adults and children are engaged in a process of “paying it forward” by helping (in their own way) the efforts to help yet another village in need. There is a curiosity and sense of self and purpose.

Their pride and hope empowers them and enables them to envision a future of prosperity, far beyond the destitute past. “Love is a verb,”

Cole Raymond Millington being received by the children of the village of Kiio, Kenya where Hydrex is planting its 2nd water well.

Peter Beaton Creech getting to know the children during their lunch break at Compassion International Student Center.

High energy and eager anticipation for Darcy to meet the students at Compassion International Student Center TZ 238 and for them to meet her, and sons Peter & Cole!

“Nimefurahi sana kukuona wewe.”

Swahili for “I am so happy to see you.”

Darcy’s sponsored child Patrick (blue polo shirt) and his extended family giving thanks for the new water well.

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Mungu Akubariki Darcy!

Darcy says with conviction, “it’s not just a state of being, and there are no words I can use to explain the feelings and range of emotions I had there. It was life changing.”

When I asked her if there have been obstacles, she responded simply, “That’s just life. It’s too overwhelming at the top of the staircase. I just stay in the present and try not to let my own selfdoubt cloud my passion for this project.” If you ask her yourself, she will tell you, hands down, that the highlight of all of this has been the connection with the people and the knowledge that she is making a difference in their lives. “My life has completely changed and it’s all been worth it,” she declares, “and aside from parenting my children and setting an example for them of how we should use our education, resources, and

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talents to promote positive change, being able to develop water wells in Sub-Saharan Africa is the most gratifying use of my time that I can imagine.”

Our hats are off to you, Darcy!

This is ONE of many remarkable stories spotlighting local residents of the Sound region who demonstrate leadership with vision, courage and compassion.Tell us what you think about this remarkable story, or if you go in to buy a watch, tell Darcy we sent you!

If you want to recommend someone from our region that should be Sound Magazine spotlight, please tell us about it.

Visit sound-magazine.com

Sounds May Ad v9_Layout 1 4/15/13 12:11 PM Page 1

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HYDREX PHILANTHROPIC TIME WELL SPENT

early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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Stepping Through the Door

By Siobhain Klawetter

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NOT JUST FOR THE LADIES: how men find balance with Yoga

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very coffeehouse bulletin board is plastered with competing yoga flyers— workshops led by remarkably fit and flexible female forms, usually pictured arced in a graceful backbend or balancing on one foot atop a mountain. Yet, despite the collective evidence surrounding us, yoga is popular with the guys as well. Perhaps they just don’t talk about it as much as the ladies. It is estimated that 80% of Americans who practice yoga asanas, or poses, are women. So where’s the other 20% hiding? I can already hear some people snickering, “at the back of the class!” But talk to any guy who practices yoga, and you’ll find a very serious side comes out. Yoga can be lifechanging, and it all starts with the first class... if they’ll walk through that door.

It might be getting easier to get them into class with the advent of... wait for it... Broga.

Yes, the combination of “Bro” and “Yoga” gives us Broga. Co-founder Adam O’Neill explained that “the word ‘Broga’ is useful because it signals that we men don’t take ourselves too seriously and that the class we’re talking about is specifically designed for us. It opens the conversation, levels the playing field, and makes the concept accessible and appealing.” The Broga classes, held at various yoga studios on Martha’s Vineyard, in the Boston area, and at other locations in the U.S. and Canada, are made up of about 90% men - and most had their first introduction to yoga through the Broga program.

Some of them venture off into other yoga styles, but according to O’Neill, almost all keep coming back. “Broga is their class, their space, their vibe, their domain.”

The “vibe” has been an recurring theme as I spoke with people about their experiences in the yoga world. A thirty-something carpenter told me, “If I have to walk into a class and roll out my mat amongst row after row of painted toenails on hot pink yoga mats, I’m just never going to relax and get into it.”

Photos: Robert Sturman Studio

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} allows them to come fully into the present moment.

It de-escalates the nervous system instead of keeping the veterans trapped in their prior trauma, which often plays on a loop or is easily triggered by everyday sounds and situations.Through their website, you can find local teachers in the U.S.A., Canada, U.K. and Japan, www.warriorsatease.com.

On the island of Nantucket, in a barn built with his own hands, Ted Burnham and his students greet the dawn through wide open doors each morning.

Guys who swing hammers alongside executive guys.

Guys starting their voyage into manhood next to retired guys. A lifelong athlete, football player, and geotechnical engineer, Ted has the right “vibe” to take men who feel broken and build them back up again.

“Guys are so competitive - they come in and see a guy who is 64 and they are 25 and they want to do exactly what he’s doing... so I don’t do anything! I just start telling them, ‘do this, do that, do this...’ and then all of the sudden they are doing something amazing. And I’ve done nothing!”

General contractor Burr Tupper, owner of Verde: Nantucket Green Build, enjoys some down time in “Sirsasana Two Variation.”

Photo: Caitlin Marcoux.

On Cape Cod, military veterans are being served by yoga teachers who have completed a training program called “Warriors At Ease.”

The website boasts a truly impressive catalogue of research on the benefits of yoga and meditation on the symptoms of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Although participants in this program can be male or female, it is designed to put the veteran in an environment where he or she feels comfortable and will be able to reap not only the stretch and strengthen benefits of the yoga asanas (poses) but also the benefits of the mindfulness meditation they are taught, dubbed “iRest”—short for integrative restoration—which is based on a yogic meditation called yoga nidra. The combination of action and stillness 60

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Ted’s humble attitude is a reflection of his lifelong dedication to yoga. At the age of 19, while working as a pile driver welding steel, a friendly clothing store owner taught him a series of 12 yoga poses.

He practiced them daily, on his own, for the next 20 years. Then he got serious and found his teacher, Dharma Mittra. His experience and practice is in what is referred to as “classical yoga”. It is rigorous and requires patience and perseverance. His personal practice and many years spent “on the mat” as both student and teacher have cultivated the peace and strength he radiates. These qualities are available to anyone, Ted insists, if they can just walk through those doors. He tells them to “pay what you can. If you’re going through a tough time, that is when yoga is needed the most. Don’t worry about the money, put food on your table! Just come to yoga!”

His wife, Joann, teaches yoga as well. “When my students are confident in their bodies, I send them on to Joann,” Ted says. Her classes are now about 30% men, and are held in the Loft at Bartlett Farm on Nantucket. Together they host the annual Nantucket Yoga Festival, and teach specialized yoga programs for golfers and other athletes at the worldrenowned Sankaty Head Golf Club and at The Westmoor Club.

Seals & beach water quality {

Study Looks at Gray Seal Impact on Beach Water Quality

THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION & THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC SEAL RESEARCH CONSORTIUM

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A growing population of gray seals has been cited as the reason for beach closures due to poor water quality on the outer Cape. But is there evidence to support these water quality statements?

The Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium grew out of a series of workshops that included scientists, resource managers, and recreational fishermen to address issues and concerns related to increasing seal populations along the New England coast.Recent increases in local seal abundance have led to concerns about fisheries and other interactions between human and seal populations. The urgency of documenting, understanding, and mitigating these interactions has become more apparent, as has the need to improve our understanding of the ecological role of seals in the northeast United States.

This encompasses issues such as: how they live, where they go, what they eat, their health and illnesses, and interactions with the world—including humans—around them.

The consortium includes scientists (NGOs, universities, state and federal government), fishing community (commercial and recreational), and others who share an interest.

Photo: Arlene O’Reilly early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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cientists from the newly created Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium (NASRC) are using data collected by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to investigate whether seals may impact beach water quality along Outer Cape Cod.

A growing population of gray seals has been cited as the reason for beach closures due to poor water quality on the outer Cape. But is there evidence to support these water quality statements?

“We took some basic steps to assess whether there is cause for concern,” said Rebecca J. Gast, an associate scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and member of the NASRC. “As far as I know, no one has looked at the data to ask these questions before.”

The precise number of gray seals in the area is not known; however, over the last 30 years, in areas where there were once a few hundred, there are now several thousand.

There are three sites or “haul-outs” on the lower Cape where large numbers of gray seals leave the water to avoid predators, regulate their body temperature, and socialize. Sites in the area that host several hundred seals at low tide include High Head on the outer Cape in the National Seashore/Truro area; Jeremy Point on the Cape Cod Bay side of Wellfleet; and North Island in Chatham.

To conduct their analysis, the researchers examined water quality data from 89 sites at public beaches in six surrounding towns including Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, and Chatham. The water samples, which were collected and analyzed by the MDPH between 2003 and 2012, measure levels of the Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) enterococci, a group of bacterial species which are typically found in human and animal intestines and feces. Although most enterococci do not typically cause illness in humans, it is used to indicate the possible presence of other disease-causing organisms associated with fecal contamination.

In marine waters, the accepted level of enterococci for a single water sample is 104 colony forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 ml) of bathing water or below. Any sample with a count greater than 104 cfu/100 ml is called an “exceedance,” and signs are posted at the beach to warn the public against recreational use of the water.

“Our first task was to examine the total number of exceedance events each year for the lower Cape region,”

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says Gast, “so we could determine whether there was a trend towards increased closures which would suggest a decline in water quality.”

“Bathing beach water quality is highly variable from year to year, and our analysis of 10 years of data shows there was no change in the trend of water quality exceedances for the region,” continues Gast. “That being said, there are differences in water quality trends when you look at the individual towns.”

Armed with this overview of the state of water quality in the six towns, the researchers went on to examine whether the beaches closest to large seal haul-outs had more closures due to FIB than other beaches.

“We divided the beaches in the lower Cape region into those within 5 miles of seal haul-outs, and those more than 5 miles from seal haul-outs. This distance was chosen to represent what we thought would be a reasonable distance for the dispersion and inactivation of FIB on a daily tidal schedule,” Gast explains.

The analysis found the beaches near the haul-outs actually showed a decreasing trend in yearly FIB exceedance events over the last decade, while the beaches away from seal haul-outs showed an increasing trend in beach postings due to FIB. “The evidence indicates that at this time, the water quality at beaches near large seal haul-outs is not worse than at beaches without large numbers of seals nearby,” concludes Gast. “In fact, 4 of the 5 beaches in Chatham Harbor that are close to the seal haul-outs have never had an FIB exceedance event.”

Members of the NASRC will continue to assess and monitor the effects of seal populations on the ecology and economy of the region. Research that would be useful includes continued monitoring of water quality at/near haul-out beaches, models of predominant water current directions and speeds in the area to better assess bacterial dispersion and transport, and development of quantitative fecal source tracking methods for seals. The researchers are looking for funds to do this work.

The Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium, an alliance of scientists, fishers, and resource managers, was recently created to help with concerns about increasing seal populations along the New England coast and their interaction with local fisheries. For more information please visit www.nasrc.whoi.edu. ;

Researchers divided the beaches in the lower Cape region into those within 5 miles of seal haul-outs, and those more than 5 miles from seal haul-outs. This distance was thought to be a reasonable distance for the dispersion and inactivation of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) on a daily tidal schedule. Analysis found that the beaches near the haul-outs actually showed a decreasing trend in yearly FIB exceedance events over the last decade, while the beaches away from seal haul-outs showed an increasing trend. (Courtesy Rebecca Gast, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Researchers examined ten years of water quality data collected by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, focusing on 89 sites at public beaches in six towns surrounding the large, seal haul-out areas on Cape Cod. Bathing beach water quality is highly variable from year to year, but overall, the study found no change in the trend of water quality exceedances for Lower Cape Cod region. (Courtesy Rebecca Gast, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

“The evidence indicates that at this time, the water quality at beaches near large seal haul-outs is not worse than at beaches without large numbers of seals nearby...”

early summer early 2013summer | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM 63 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

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News, events, what’s hip, fresh, traditional & cutting edge - here are some resources we like: M A R T H A’ S V I N E YA R D Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce: www.mvy.com NEWS & EVENTS SOURCES Martha’s Vineyard Online: www.mvol.com Martha’s Vineyard.com: www.marthas-vineyard.com Martha’s Vineyard Times: www.mvtimes.com Martha’s Vineyard Gazette: www.mvgazette.com LIFE STYLE, ARTS & CULTURAL SOURCES Edible Vineyard Magazine: www.ediblevineyard.com Vineyard Style Magazine: vineyardstyle.com Martha’s Vineyard Magazine: www.mvmagazine.com My Food Guy Blog: www.mvfoodguy.com Martha’s Vineyard Patch www.marthasvineyardpatch.com TV / RADIO Martha’s Vineyard TV: Channels 13,14 &15 www.mvtv.org Martha’s Vineyard Radio: 93.7 FM www.mvyradio.com FARMS & FARMERS MARKETS

HISTORIC / MUSEUM ORGANIZATIONS

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION cont.

Martha’s Vineyard Museum www.marthasvineyardhistory.org

Maria Mitchell Association: www.mariamitchell.org

African American Heritage Trail mvafricanamericanheritagetrail.org

Nantucket Land Bank: www.nantucketlandbank.org

Aquinnah Cultural Center www.wampanoagtribe.net

Nantucket Conservation Foundation: www.nantucketconservation.org

NANTUCKET Nantucket Chamber of Commerce: www.nantucketchamber.org NEWS & EVENTS SOURCES Inquirer & Mirror: www.ack.net Mahon About Town: www.mahonabouttown.com LIFE STYLE, ARTS & CULTURAL SOURCES Arts Nantucket www.artsnantucket.com Nantucket Blackbook: www.nantucketblackbook.com Nantucket Bucket www.nantucket-bucket.com N Magazine: www.n-magazine.com Nantucket Today Magazine: www.nantuckettodayonline.com Nantucket Net: www.nantucket.net

Sustainable Nantucket: www.sustainablenantucket.org The Trustees CoskataCoatue Wildlife Refuge: www.thetrustees.org UMASS Nantucket Field Station: www.umb.edu/nantucket ARTS & CULTURAL Gallery Blue: www.galleryblue.com Nantucket Atheneum: www.nantucketatheneum.org Nantucket Dreamland Theater: www.nantucketdreamland.org Stephen Swift Furniture Maker: www.stephenswiftfurnituremaker.org HISTORIC / MUSEUM ORGANIZATIONS

MID CAPE CHAMBERS Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce: www.capecodchamber.org Hyannis Chamber of Commerce: www.hyannis.com NEWS & EVENTS SOURCES Cape Cod Times: www.capecodonline.com Barnstable Hyannis Patch: www.barnstable-hyannis.patch.com TV / RADIO WXTK-FM: www.95wxtk.com WQRC-FM: www.wqrc.com FARMS & FARMERS MARKETS Sustainable CAPE: www.sustainablecape.org Cape Cod Organic Farm: www.farmfresh.org Cape Abilities Farm: www.capeabilities.org

Nantucket Historical Association: www.nha.org

Osterville Farmer’s Market: www.ostervillefarmersmarket.org

Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum: www.eganmaritime.org

Mid-Cape Farmer’s Market: www.midcapefarmersmarket.com

WELLNESS

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION

MV Agricultural Society mvas.vineyard.net

Only Nantucket: www.nantucketonline.com

Annye’s Whole Foods www.annyes.com

Wood’s Whole Oceanographic Institute: www.whoi.org

The FARM Institute: www.farminstitute.org

Yesterday’s Island: www.yesterdaysisland.com

Lisalates Pilates Studio www.lisalates.com

All Cape Cod: www.allcapecod.com

Nantucket Cottage Hospital: www.nantuckethospital.org

Mass Audubon - Cape Cod www.massaudubon.org

Slow Food Martha’s Vineyard: slowfoodmarthasvineyard.org Living Local Martha’s Vineyard: livinglocalmv.org ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION Island Grown Initiative: www.islandgrown.org Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank: www.mvlandbank.com Trustees of Reservations: www.thetrustees.org Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head: www.wampanoagtribe.net Mass Audubon Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary www.massaudubon.org WELLNESS Martha’s Vineyard Hospital www.mvhospital.com Two Blue Lemons www.sarahwaldmanwellness.com YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard www.ymcamv.org

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TV / RADIO WACK-FM: 97.7FM www.ackfm.com Nantucket Community TV: Channel18 www.nantucketcommunitytelevision.org Geno TV: Channel 99 genotv.com FARMS & FARMERS MARKETS Sustainable Nantucket Farmers & Artisans Market: www.sustainablenantucket.org

Nantucket Network of Wellbeing: www.nantucketnow.org

FLAGSHIP SUPPORTERS & SERVICE PROVIDERS Great Point Properties: Sales & Rentals www.greatpointproperties.com Grey Lady Marine: Sales & Service www.greyladymarine.com

Bartlett’s Farm: www.bartlettsfarm.com

Housefitters & Tile Gallery: Kitchen & Bath Design, Window Treatments & Tile www.housefitters.com

Moors End Farm: www.moorsendfarm.com

Nantucket Energy: Propane & Grill Tanks www.nantucketenergy.com

Pumpkin Pond Farm: www.pumpkinpondfarm.com

Nantucket Moorings: Sales, Service & Rentals www.nantucketmoorings.com

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION Linda Loring Nature Foundation www.llnf.org Mass Audubon - Sesachacha Heathlands Wildlife Sanctuary: www.massaudubon.org

early summer 2013 | SOUND-MAGAZINE.COM

Peter Beaton: Fashion Boutique & HYDREX Philanthropic www.peterbeaton.com The Nantucket: Hotel & Resort www.thenantuckethotel.com The UPS Store: Shipping, Printing & Art Photography www.theupsstorelocal.com/5207

WELLNESS Cape Cod Hospital www.capecodhealth.org Jordan Hospital: www.jordanhospital.org Wellness Group of Cape Cod: www.wellnessgroupofcapecod.com HISTORIC / MUSEUM ORGANIZATIONS Cape Cod Maritime Museum: www.capecodmaritimemuseum.org TRANSPORTATION SERVICES Cape Flyer: Train from Boston to Hyannis capeflyer.com Plymouth & Brockton: Bus Service to & from Boston-Hyannis www.p-b.com

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