E-Comet Newsletter of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association |
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Dear Friends of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association:
Maria Mitchell helped me see the world differently. Here, I am part of a group of people who appreciate the Earth and inspire me to learn more about it in my daily life. As a Citizen Scientist, I rely on places like the MMA to share with me a world that would have gone unseen. There is not a day that goes by where the birds, weather, and stars don’t impact me. As I walk to work, play after school with my daughter, or wake up to the light peeking in my window, I bring with me a special set of lessons from the MMA. I hope you will join me in applying this appreciation for the natural world by participating in our annual Bird-A-Thon. In the spirit of togetherness, we've expanded our event this year to a Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon to include birders and families on and off the island.
As we prepare for an exciting summer, we are welcoming new staff members and eager interns who will help us “spring forward” into a wonderful season. As summer approaches, I encourage you to support us at the MMA and be a part of those who see the world in partnership with nature. We hope to see you at our Stargazer Gala, our Science Speaker Series, or visiting Vestal Street!
Warm Regards,
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Jason Bridges
Interim Executive Director
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Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon |
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From 5PM on Friday, May 21 through 5PM on Saturday, May 22, the MMA invites birders of all ages, experienced and novice, near and far, to participate in our annual Bird-A-Thon. This year, the MMA is reimagining and expanding the effort to include birders all over the world as a Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon!
The goal of the Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon is to encourage participants to notice birds in their daily lives. Adhering to social distancing and local COVID-19 protocols, participants can observe from their home, whether that be at a backyard feeder or a favorite local birding spot! Participating birders should identify the species of birds they see in this 24-hour period and keep track using a list. Following the event, the MMA will host a live Zoom session on Tuesday, May 25 at 7PM to share the results and official count of species seen.
MMA Members and Non-Members, Nantucket residents and non-residents can participate by birding, donating, or both!
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Your support last year helped us navigate through a difficult time, and we remain incredibly grateful for your generosity and assistance. We hope you will once again raise your hand in support of science and help us spring forward towards a successful 2021.
In honor of Earth Day and in support of our mission to create opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science, please consider a donation to the Maria Mitchell Association’s SPRING FORWARD SCIENCE FUND today.
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Welcoming New Faces to the MMA |
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This month we will be welcoming two new faces to the Maria Mitchell Association! Please join us in welcoming Camden Palm as our new Education Coordinator and Samantha Delle as our new Administrative Assistant.
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Camden Palm was born and raised in Southern California, and found a love for environmental education on an 8th grade field trip to Yosemite National Park. After spending many summers in New Hampshire and Connecticut, she is excited to be back working and exploring the New England ecosystems.
Her passion for environmental education was cultivated while attending the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) where she studied Environmental Studies and Statistics. During her time at UCSB, she volunteered with an environmental education organization teaching local students environmental stewardship and sustainability curriculum. After graduating, she worked as an Instructor and Assistant Director for the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program on Catalina Island, located off the coast of Los Angeles. Similar to the programs at the Maria Mitchell Association, this program promotes a passion for science and sustainability through land and sea exploration. Taking her experience from one island ecosystem to the next, she is excited to continue connecting students, participants, and campers to the natural world.
Camden will be leading the MMA’s summer programming, including the popular Discovery Camps, overseeing the 2021 Education Internship Program, mentoring this year’s Education Interns, and continuing the MMA’s school year STEM programming in partnership with Nantucket schools.
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Samantha Delle is excited to join the Maria Mitchell Association in her role as Administrative Assistant. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Tampa, with a minor in Biology. At UT, she worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Biology, which sparked her investment in experiential education. Samantha is also currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, where she is pursuing a M.A. in Science Writing. She hopes to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship through strong, passionate communication.
Previously, Samantha served an academic appointment at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where she curated the “Intern of the Day” spotlight series. She also volunteered at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium on Long Island. Most recently, she completed a Wiki Scholars course focused on copyediting and fact-checking articles related to state responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Samantha’s Nantucket story transcends generations. Her grandmother spent summers on the island in the 1930s, which inspired a lifelong love. Samantha has newly relocated to Nantucket, and she looks forward to exploring all of the island beaches and open spaces.
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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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May is the month when, in theory, spring is busting out all over. Yet Nantucket doesn’t get reliable waves of migrating warblers as does the faster-warming mainland. Water takes longer to warm up. Cooling sea breezes slow development of plant and insect life, aka bird food: juicy caterpillars, hidden pupae, worms, or flowers and buds. For this reason, many birds prefer the Mississippi or Appalachian flyways in spring.
But Nantucket is also the rest stop of last resort for migrants caught in fog or bad weather. So, expect the unexpected: exhausted land birds may plop down on a beach where they aren’t usually found, glad to escape a watery grave. Keep an eye out for un-sprayed flowering trees. Pesticides close the bird restaurant. If a tree blooms, or has a sudden “hatch”, of insects, it may be full of warblers chowing down after the arduous trip. It may last only a few minutes or a couple of hours, but with lucky timing, it’s a great show.
But there is plenty to watch with local breeding birds too. The drama of courtship, nest-building, and defense spans forest, field, pond, marsh, and beach. Listen to noisy Willets, or relentless Towhees calling. Watch Ospreys hover and dive. You might see a fierce Kingbird ride a Red-tailed Hawk out of its territory, pecking the back of its head while out of reach of those sharp talons. Or you might catch a dramatic display of distraction like the Killdeer’s academy-award-winning performance of, “No, chase me, I have a broken wing” as it flutters away from its nest. This is a great time to start “patch” birding on your regular walks, and track the daily changes.
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Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism |
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The MMA was selected as a recipient of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) FY21 Travel & Tourism Recovery (TTR) Grant Program. The goal of the TTR Grant Program is to help communities recover from economic challenges resulting from COVID-19 by strengthening state tourism and encouraging individuals to visit local attractions, businesses, and organizations. Recipients of this award were selected based on marketing campaigns that support the statewide My Local MA campaign.
With the funding from this grant, the MMA plans to produce more diverse and well-distributed advertisements for the organization. This project includes gathering new photographic content, producing advertisements and brochures, and translating these materials into multiple languages. Our marketing materials will be distributed throughout Cape Cod, on the ferries, and promoted via social media. With this generous funding, the marketing plan will increase awareness of the MMA to a broader Massachusetts audience and make our unique properties and experiences more accessible through translation. This campaign will ultimately boost visitation to the Nantucket community as a whole and create a positive impact on other local businesses and non-profits.
There were fifty-nine total organizations that received funding from the TTR Grant Program. Other Nantucket recipients of this grant include the Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket Preservation Trust, Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, and Nantucket Comedy Festival.
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Recent research shows that an unseen force may be breaking apart the cluster of stars closest to our sun.
Intrigued? Check out WCAI's podcast, "Looking Skyward" featuring MMO Director, Dr. Regina Jorgenson to hear what she has to say about this mysterious force.
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If you missed Rachel Bowyer's Winter Science Speaker Series presentation, you can find the recording of her talk entitled "Hidden Patterns in Galaxy Motions: What They Can Tell Us About the Universe" on our YouTube channel.
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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
Beverly Barlow
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
Jane Tausig
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HONORARY MEMBERS
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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