Environment - Marblehead Current

CUZNER IN NATURE: A rare glimpse of kit venturing from den

31May

By Rick CuznerNo Comments

Environment, Top Stories

CUZNER IN NATURE: A rare glimpse of kit venturing from den

I spotted a young red fox kit venturing away from its den. The kit exhibited a certain shyness, yet its curiosity was undeniable. An inquisitive kit stares at nature photographer Rick Cuzner after the young red fox ventured from its den. COURTESY PHOTO / RICK CUZNER The exact location must remain undisclosed, but it's somewhere along the North Shore. The den, which is still active, should be respected. These photos were captured just a little over a week ago. It's interesting to note that the adult foxes often relocate the kits to new locations from time to time. According to both Mass Audubon and the MSPCA, two species of foxes call Massachusetts home: the red and gray fox. These creatures, predominantly active during the night and early morning hours, have demonstrated remar...

Village students return from Bournedale adventure

28May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Environment, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

Village students return from Bournedale adventure

More than 180 Village School sixth-graders are back from the traditional four-day excursion to Camp Bournedale in Plymouth— the first time since 2019 that students have been able to go. The program is called VillageXperience. “Students missed out on so many social opportunities over the past few years. We hope that this Xperience will be one that they will remember for a lifetime,” said Village teacher Jonathan Heller, who helped lead the trip. Village students have been going to Bournedale for at least three decades. “There are Village staff and chaperones that attended Bournedale when they were students in Marblehead Public Schools,” Heller told the Marblehead Current. Scenes from the Village School students trip to the Bournedale Camp. COURTESY PHO...

Kids, parents pedal to school together on Bike Bus, joining international movement

23May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Environment, Life Style, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Public safety, Sports, Top Stories

Kids, parents pedal to school together on Bike Bus, joining international movement

Warmer temperatures are here, and the Marblehead Bike Bus is back on the road, with a peloton of young students pedaling through town on their way to school. Wyatt Wells, left, in orange, and Bowie Osborne, in blue, pedal to school on the Marblehead Bike Bus. CURRENT PHOTOS / LEIGH BLANDER “It’s fun,” said smiling fourth-grader Sadie Osborne last Friday morning. “I’m always very tired in the morning, and this wakes me up.” Marblehead dad Peter Fleming started the Marblehead Bike Bus last fall, joining a worldwide movement of neighborhoods and schools organizing groups of students and parents to bike to school in a group. “Bike buses are kind of magical things. They get more children and parents riding to school instead of driving,” Fleming told the Marblehead Current. “T...

Marblehead Farmers’ Market launches season this Saturday with new offerings

23May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Environment, Life Style, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories, Uncategorized

Marblehead Farmers’ Market launches season this Saturday with new offerings

The Marblehead Farmers’ Market launches its 26th season on Saturday, May 27. The popular market runs every Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, through November 18. The market attracts up to 900 people a week. The Marblehead Farmers’ Market returns May 27. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Come check out the strawberries when the Farmers’ Market reopens May 27. COURTESY PHOTO “It’s a great place to get outside and just enjoy the day on a Saturday morning,” said Stephen Fowler, who manages the market. “We honestly have people who come to the market not even to shop but to socialize. Then we have serious shoppers who try to supply their whole week.” This season, the Farmers’ Market will feature 20 farms and food vendors, with about three craft vendors each week. Of course, the Scouts will b...

Marblehead Racial Justice Team to discuss climate justice

17May

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Culture, Environment, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Press releases, Science

Marblehead Racial Justice Team to discuss climate justice

The theme of this month’s Conversations on Race event with the Marblehead Racial Justice Team will be “Climate Justice is Racial Justice.” The program will be held Monday, May 22, 7 p.m. at the Marblehead Museum, 170 Washington St. Climate justice is a term used to talk about the impact of environmental pollution on different populations. During this session, Rev. Clyde Elledge from St. Andrew’s Church will explore climate justice as a historical movement. Discussion will move to present day climate injustice and its contribution to systemic environmental racism. The program will be broadcast on Zoom. Register HERE. For details, email infoMRJTeam@gmail.com.

Armini, colleague propose deploying tree canopies in climate fight

6May

By Alison Kuznitz/State House News ServiceNo Comments

Environment, Local News

Armini, colleague propose deploying tree canopies in climate fight

Tree canopies shading Massachusetts cities and towns could grow dramatically, particularly in environmental justice communities where there's currently scant coverage, under a legislative proposal to launch a municipal reforestation program. Neighborhoods with less than 20 percent tree canopy cover — defined as "the surface area of the land covered by the combined leaves, branches, and trunks of all standing trees in a given area when viewed from above" — are deemed top priority locations in bills filed by Reps. Steve Owens and Marblehead’s Jenny Armini and Sen. Cindy Creem (H 869 / S 452). David Meshoulam, co-founder and executive director of Speak for the Trees Boston nonprofit, said the urban tree canopy declines every year across the country due to development, the threat of pes...

Marblehead Town Meeting beefs up leaf blower ban

3May

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Environment, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

Marblehead Town Meeting beefs up leaf blower ban

On its second night, Marblehead Town Meeting strengthened regulations governing the summertime ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, adding enforcement provisions and penalties for noncompliance. Meanwhile, attendees defeated resident Todd Norman’s citizen petition, Article 47, that attempted to erase the leaf blower ban that Town Meeting adopted in 2022. Jeanie Stahl addresses Town Meeting about her leaf blower ban on May 2. CURRENT PHOTOS / LEIGH BLANDER Article 48, sponsored by Jeanie Stahl and Dr. Kathy Breslin, passed 246 to 165. “Other towns in Massachusetts have limitations on decibel level. One community has a maximum fine of $2,000,” Stahl told Town Meeting. “Another has limitations on decibel level.” Stahl clarified that t...

26Apr

By Elaine Leahy and Jenny MortonNo Comments

Environment, Opinion, Uncategorized

SUSTAINABLE MARBLEHEAD: Moving to pesticide-free gardening

Marblehead is a leader in organic lawn care for public spaces. As early as 2001, the town mandated that its public spaces be treated organically and managed without the use of toxic chemicals. Marblehead is often cited nationally as being one of the first towns to advocate for the elimination of pesticides by teaching organic lawn-care classes to hundreds of Marblehead residents. Among the team bringing this innovation to our community was Chip Osborne, former chairman of the Marblehead Recreation & Parks Commission and owner of Osborne Organics, a company he founded to support and educate the land-care industry and public sector in alternative approaches to turf management. He blends science with hands-on experience to create safe, sustainable and healthy athletic fields and lands...

GOING GREEN: Learn how to plant a pollinator garden

25Apr

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Environment, Local News

GOING GREEN: Learn how to plant a pollinator garden

Have you been worried about the decline in the number of honey bees, but unsure what you can do about it as a concerned inhabitant of planet Earth? Colleen Guertin Parenteau, who has a master of science degree in Ecological Teaching and Learning from Lesley College, will explain how to plant a pollinator garden during a Meetinghouse Series talk at the Unitarian Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford St. on Sunday, May 7, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Parenteau, who teaches science and health at the Tower School, will speak about the relationship between native plants and critically endangered bumblebees and butterflies. With over 20 years of experience as a naturalist, garden educator and classroom teacher, Parenteau is passionate about the importance of creating residential pollinator corridors t...

OP-ED: Doing right by New England lobstermen

25Apr

By Rhod SharpNo Comments

Environment, Local News, Opinion

OP-ED: Doing right by New England lobstermen

April 24 is Right Whale Day in Massachusetts. In one of his last acts as governor, Charlie Baker signed a proclamation that this day should (rightly) be set aside for the people to promote the preservation of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. In spring 2022, the Division of Marine Fisheries the Massachusetts coast played host to large aggregations of North Atlantic right whales. COURTESY PHOTO / MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES. For the commercial lobsterman — not so much. In fact, about a month later, in February, another bill was referred by both houses of the state Legislature to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, as one might expect for an endangered species. When it comes out — if it does — S.552 will be more than a procla...