E-Comet Newsletter of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association |
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Dear Friends of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association:
November is blowing onto the island these next few days, that’s for sure! November brings with it the season of thanksgiving and gratitude for the natural world, for the support of friends and loved ones, and for this life that can be both precious and fragile.
There is much to report this month at the MMA! We start off with NASA Week from November 1-6 to celebrate the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. As part of NASA Week, we are hosting two November Open Nights on November 4 and November 5. To read more about our other events this week, please see below.
At our Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, the theme this month is Nova November – it's space month! Please check our website and social media for special exhibits and free science kits throughout the month.
The results of the most recent Barn Owl Survey are in! Most boxes are not active, which is not unusual for this time of year – read more below. And, our Virtual Release Day was a huge hit – you can watch it here.
We hope you take a moment to acknowledge that which makes you grateful and hold it close. Please know that we are so grateful for your support of the MMA, your engagement in our programs, your enthusiasm for our staff, and our shared love of Nantucket – its skies, land, and seas. This year, Giving Tuesday is on November 30. We hope that you are inspired to be generous and support us in our efforts and mission.
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Anne of Green Gables, as this sentiment fits our island perfectly.
"It was November--the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. She roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul." ― L. M. Montgomery
With much gratitude,
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Joanna Roche
Executive Director
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The MMA has joined almost 500 sites across the country to celebrate the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA’s next great space observatory. To celebrate this scientific achievement, the MMA is hosting a NASA Week from November 1-6 and offering a range of public programs outlined below.
The JWST is the largest and most complex space telescope ever built – the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies, will launch in December 2021.
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On Tuesday, November 2, the MMA is hosting a special event from 1-2PM at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club (NBGC). This program is open to all NGBC members and will be led by MMA Education Coordinator, Camden Palm, and Astronomy Research Fellow, Celia Mulcahey.
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The MMA is providing a pop-up Science Speaker Series Lecture on Wednesday, November 3, from 7-8PM with Dr. Stephanie LaMassa. Her talk, “Unveiling the Mysteries of the Universe with James Webb Space Telescope” will be FREE for all participants and held via Zoom.
Dr. Stephanie LaMassa is a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute working on the JWST mission. To read more about the lecture and Dr. LaMassa's work, please visit the registration page.
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On Thursday, November 4, and Friday, November 5, the MMA is hosting two Open Nights at Loines Observatory. Programs take place at 59 Milk Street Extension from 7-8:30PM and are weather permitting. No reservations are required; tickets will be available at the door. Open Nights are $10 for Non-Members and FREE for Members. On Thursday, November 4, this program will be free to all participating members of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club’s Tween Night who have pre-registered through the NBGC.
On Saturday, November 6, the MMA is handing out NASA Everyday Science Kits during Open Hours at the Natural Science Museum from 10AM-1PM. These kits are offered for FREE to all, thanks to the generosity of ReMain Nantucket. The NASA kit explores the life cycle of a star with a bracelet making activity.
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Nova November at the Natural Science Museum |
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This month, the theme at the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum is Nova November. Come enjoy space trivia, our space-themed library, and, as always, say hello to our animals!
Admission is $5 per person and FREE for Members! Included with admission are the 10-11AM Animal Feeding program and 11AM-12PM Nature Story Hour program with museum staff. No registration is required; tickets will be available at the door.
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Members-Only Beach Biology Field Trip: November 20 |
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Join the MMA's Aquarium Director, Jack Dubinsky, for a special Members-Only Beach Biology Field Trip on Saturday, November 20 from 2-3:30PM. Participants will discover shells and bones of over 15 species of marine animals and are likely to observe live mole crabs, sand fleas, shore birds, beach insects, seals, and more! This program will be FREE for Members. Registration is required, so be sure to sign up in advance.
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And, if you aren't able to make it to the Members-Only program, please join us for our regular Beach Biology Field Trip, on November 6 and 13 from 2-3:30PM.
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The MMA recently launched a new program led by our Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews. Birding for Beginners is an introduction to finding and identifying birds, held from 8-10AM on Saturdays through November 20. Learn about bird families, habitats, common local birds, how to use field guides, tips for seeing birds, and how to adjust your binoculars for best vision. Participants will go out and see what birds can be found around the town area. Binoculars are available for loan while supplies last.
Birding for Beginners is $10 for Non-Members and $5 for Members. Registration is suggested, as the program is limited to 6 guests.
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The MMA’s 2021 Fall Barn Owl Nest Box Survey took place from Tuesday September 28 to Saturday October 2. MMA Research Associate, Dr. Bob Kennedy, along with volunteers, Mitch Blake and Kim & Tom Griswold, checked fifty-six nest boxes, installed six new nest boxes, and selected two locations for additional nest boxes.
Of the fifty-six nest boxes checked, most (forty-nine) were not active, but we did find three boxes with females incubating eggs or caring for tiny young, two with both male and female present, and two with roosting males. These numbers are not disturbing as most adults or young of the year roost in dense foliage, like cedar trees, during the day and may or may not use their nest box until they nest again in the spring.
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There seems to be some shuffling of nest box use by a few females. One female nested this spring and raised two young in Monomoy and we found her in Madequesham 2.44 miles south southeast incubating five eggs! |
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9th Biennial Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative Research Conference |
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The Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative (NBI) Research Conference brings together researchers and naturalists working on Nantucket, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Islands, and surrounding areas. The MMA is a founding member of NBI and proud to have two staff members on this important team of scientists.
The conference is open to the public and is generously funded by the Nantucket Community Foundation’s ReMain Nantucket Fund. This year, the conference is November 4-6 and offered both in-person and virtually. Registration fees directly support the NBI Research Grant Program.
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“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews
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Keep Calm and Bird On
By Ginger Andrews
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Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind as we slide into winter on Nantucket is maintaining situational awareness. Yes, birds can be great, unusual, even record-breaking, as the annual dispersal of young birds brings unexpected or unlikely species to our shores, fields, woods, ponds, and back yards.
But November is also hunting season: archery season for deer, shotgun season for Ring-necked Pheasants and some other birds, a confusing pastiche of overlapping regulations.
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Week of Gratitude and Giving Tuesday |
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Giving Tuesday is just around the corner on November 30! Giving Tuesday is a generosity movement created in 2012 with a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
As one of Nantucket's oldest non-profits, the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) has been serving learners of all ages for over 100 years. It is because of your support that we are able to offer our programs and share in the excitement of science with learners of all ages. In the week leading up to Giving Tuesday, the MMA is launching a "Week of Gratitude" to show our appreciation for our members, staff, board, collaborators, and community who make our work possible. We hope you will participate in this global day of gratitude and reinvest with a Giving Tuesday gift that will contribute towards our year-end campaign.
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Discover Nantucket's unique marine ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity with the MMA's Virtual Release Day video! Learn from MMA Aquarium Director, Jack Dubinsky, and 2021 Summer Aquarium Intern, Jazmine Fraga, as they discuss the animals in our Aquarium and release them back to the ocean.
We would like to give a special thank you to NCTV for working with us on this project and The Osceola Foundation for making this event possible!
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Listen to the latest episode of "Looking Skyward," a podcast with MMA Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson, on WCAI. In this episode, Dr. Jorgenson discusses NASA's Lucy mission to learn more about eight asteroids that may be left over from the formation of our solar system.
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While doing your holiday shopping, consider supporting the Maria Mitchell Association by adding us as your selected organization on Amazon Smile!
Simply go to smile.amazon.com and search for the "Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association." Anytime you're shopping on Amazon, make sure you go through smile.amazon.com, and .5% of your purchase will go to us with no fees or extra cost!
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MARIA MITCHELL ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Helene Weld, President
Judy MacLeod, First Vice President
Frances Symes, Second Vice President
Curt Burwell, Treasurer
Joseph E. Santucci Jr., Clerk
MEMBERS
Richard Bard
Margaret Falk
Chris Griffiths
John Hartner
Carolyn Holt
Toni McKerrow
Michael Nelson
Molly Paiement
Mary Archibald (Bebe) Poor, D.V.M., M.S.
Katherine Rhode, Ph.D.
Brian Sullivan
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HONORARY MEMBERS
Beverly Barlow
Howard Blitman†
Sally Charpie
John Daniels
Daniel Drake
Joan Gulley
Judith Lee
Malcolm MacNab, M.D., Ph.D.
Eileen McGrath†
Nathaniel Philbrick
Anne P. Strain
Edward Symes, III†
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The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island. |
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