Tuesday, November 28

Environment

The 2023 wild turkeys of Marblehead photo album
24Nov By William J. DowdNo Comments
Environment, Local News, Top Stories, Uncategorized

The 2023 wild turkeys of Marblehead photo album

Wild turkeys were not just a Thanksgiving centerpiece in Marblehead; they have become a year-round spectacle. The Marblehead Current created a local wild turkeys photo album featuring photos from our readers. Wild turkeys are spotted in Marblehead, maintaining a tradition of appearing in local neighborhoods. COURTESY PHOTO / THERESA COLLINS Turkeys roam the neighborhood around Togan Way near Redd's Pond in Marblehead. COURTESY PHOTO / DOUG HILL A solitary turkey known as Eloise struts with confidence along Circle Street. COURTESY PHOTO / HAYLEY MARTIN Hayley Martin captured a bold turkey named Eloise on Thanksgiving Day, right on Circle Street. Elaine Leahy didn't miss her chance, photographing turkeys outside the medical building on Widger Road. Meanwhile, Doug Hill's lens...
Read More
BALANCING ACT: Resident loses fight for eco-friendly heat/AC unit on appeal to town
22Nov By William J. DowdNo Comments
Environment, Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

BALANCING ACT: Resident loses fight for eco-friendly heat/AC unit on appeal to town

The Marblehead Select Board unanimously upheld a decision requiring Front Street homeowner Sally Thompson to relocate exterior electric air conditioning equipment on her historic home, despite her pleas of financial hardship. Sally Thompson, center standing, makes her case before the Marblehead Select Board to allow exterior air conditioning units to remain on her home in the town's historic district during an appeal hearing Nov. 15. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD The Select Board rejected Thompson’s appeal of an order from the Old and Historic Districts Commission, demanding she move heat/air conditioning line sets attached to the outside of her house at 34 Front St. by March 2024. The OHDC said the highly visible line sets violated historic preservation rules prohibiting moder...
Read More
OUR OPEN SPACES: Finding our way
15Nov By David KrathwohlNo Comments
Columns, Culture, Environment, Local News, Uncategorized

OUR OPEN SPACES: Finding our way

It’s tough to get lost in many of Marblehead’s loveliest conservation areas. Ware Pond, for instance, a wetland and woodland gem of 8.8 acres, has just a couple of trails and borders two roads and the railroad path. But some of the larger areas, especially when the foliage is full, can confuse those of us without a strong inner compass. Fortunately, help is close at hand. The map box at the lower entrance to Forest River from Lafayette Street across from Carna Road. Take a waterproof map from the plastic holder or scan the QR code on your smartphone to see a digital map of the area you are visiting. A laminated map next to the map holder shows your current location on the trail map. The Marblehead Conservancy, a nonprofit, volunteer organization that helps keep the trails passable a...
Read More
CUZNER IN NATURE: Rare sighting of a short-eared owl
3Nov By Rick CuznerNo Comments
Cuzner in Nature, Environment, Local News

CUZNER IN NATURE: Rare sighting of a short-eared owl

I captured this image of a short-eared owl a while back at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I don't come across too many of these owls in my travels.  Photographer Rick Cuzner captured this image of a rare short-eared owl at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newbury. The owl is an endangered species in the state. When I heard one was in the area, I went on a mission to find it. I hiked in about 3 1/2 miles on a dirt road that had been closed to vehicles because of excessive ice and erosion. The reward was certainly worth it. I spent about an hour watching the owl hunt in an open field, landing in very close proximity to the road several times. The short-eared owl is an endangered species in Massachusetts, with only 20-25 breeding pairs remaining in the state...
Read More
Artist brings ‘world’s smallest house’ to Charter School
1Nov By Leigh BlanderNo Comments
Art, Education, Environment, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

Artist brings ‘world’s smallest house’ to Charter School

How small is too small for a house? That’s the question sixth-graders at the Marblehead Community Charter Public School pondered last week, as they checked out what has been dubbed the world’s smallest house, created by artist Jeff Smith. Smith’s tiny house, built with reclaimed wood, is 25 square feet with a 3-foot-tall ceiling.  Artist Jeff Smith sits in the tiny house he built. It features a sink, ‘toilet,’ table and more. COURTESY PHOTOS It fits in the back of a regular minivan and has wheels so it can be rolled around easily. “Having a house this small creates magical opportunities,” Smith told the Current. “You can roll it out of a parking lot and into the woods. You can sleep on the beach somewhere. Think of all the different places you get to under the radar. Imagin...
Read More
SUSTAINABLE MARBLEHEAD: Working toward net zero
27Oct By Dr. Eileen MathieuNo Comments
Columns, Environment, Opinion, Uncategorized

SUSTAINABLE MARBLEHEAD: Working toward net zero

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the landmark 2018 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for Marblehead, prepared by Sustainable Marblehead and presented to the Select Board. This report measured the town's carbon footprint and identified key sources of emissions contributing to global climate change. A piechart depicting Marblehead's gashouse emissions by source. Among the key findings, resident passenger vehicle emissions stood out as the largest contributor at 27%, with commercial and municipal vehicles contributing an additional 2%. These findings were particularly noteworthy given that in 2014, the town's 20,000 residents owned a staggering 22,000 vehicles. Natural gas use, primarily for heating, accounted for a quarter of the town's carbon emissions, and the burning of home...
Read More
OUR OPEN SPACES: Looking back at Ware Pond
18Oct By Joan McDuffNo Comments
Columns, Environment, Local News, Top Stories

OUR OPEN SPACES: Looking back at Ware Pond

Ware Pond has been a town-owned  conservation area for almost 60 years, but appreciation of its natural beauty extends much further back in history. The earliest records of the Ware Pond area indicate that on May 2, 1636, the neighboring town of Salem granted 500 acres known as the Plains Farm to John Humphrey of Marblehead. Ware Pond from the viewing platform and boardwalk built by the Marblehead Conservancy in 2005. As one historian put it, Humphrey “was given this land to improve and to sell to approved inhabitants of Marblehead.” The land, adjacent to Salem and in the southeastern part of Marblehead, was described as having spring-fed ponds, rich meadows and thick woods. Much of this area was very desirable property as for many years before it had been the summer camp site of th...
Read More
Wampanoag Tribe members share their culture with Marblehead preschoolers
9Oct By William J. DowdNo Comments
Culture, Education, Environment, Local News, Top Stories

Wampanoag Tribe members share their culture with Marblehead preschoolers

Drumming and chanting rang through Temple Sinai's vegetable garden Friday morning as children joined hands with members of the Wampanoag Tribe for a celebratory harvest dance. JCC preschoolers join hands with Wampanoag Tribe members during a celebratory harvest dance at Temple Sinai's vegetable garden on Friday. CURRENT PHOTOS / WILLIAM J. DOWD It was just one scene from the cultural event led by Cheenulka Pocknett, "Big Bear"; his brother, David Pocknett, "Little Bear"; Cheenulka’s son, Napowse Pocknett, "Bear That Walks At Night"; and friend Miles Bernadett Peters, "Lightning Wind," which shared Wampanoag music, dance and storytelling to teach children about Indigenous traditions and honor, in part, the fall harvest. The dance workshop was part of the synagogue's celebration of...
Read More
GUEST COLUMN: Boy Scout reflects on an epic hike
2Oct By Clive ConnollyNo Comments
Columns, Community resources, Culture, Environment, Local News, Top Stories

GUEST COLUMN: Boy Scout reflects on an epic hike

Ten scouts and six adult chaperones from Marblehead’s Scout Troop 11 are back from a two-week hiking trip to Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks over the summer. The Scouts, ages 14 to 18, faced 110 degree temperatures and water shortages. They also braved challenging conditions on the trails, but they persevered and had the trip of a lifetime. Marblehead Scout Troop 11 hiking through Antelope Canyon in Arizona. COURTESY PHOTO Thirst aid The central adventure for the trip was backpacking at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Scouts split into two groups. The older Scouts descended to the bottom of the Canyon and the younger scouts hiked along the edge of the north rim, gaining some great views into the canyon. The older crew backpacke...
Read More