News and Events for Nantucket Island
August 1 marks the 197th birthday of Maria Mitchell, who was born at 1 Vestal Street in 1818. To celebrate her life and legacy, the Maria Mitchell Association invites the public to an afternoon full of free activities and refreshments on Friday, July 31. The MMA campus on Vestal Street […]
~ by Amy Jenness, author of On This Day in Nantucket History, available at Mitchell’s Book Corner ~ On August 1, 1818, Maria Mitchell was born into the Nantucket Quaker family of William and Lydia Mitchell whose family lines went back to the island’s original white settlers in 1659 and […]
~ by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station ~ Last week I went with some of my high school interns to do water sampling at the small bridge located in Madaket at the intersection of South Cambridge Street, Red Barn Road, and Massasoit Bridge Road […]
~ by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station ~ I have always been fascinating by crows, we have several very vocal ones here at the field station that will fly off in a huff when you disturb them while walking the trails. Every day I […]
~ by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station ~ One of the many luxuries that Nantucket visitors can experience is the chance to see a humpback whale, and just a few weeks ago we had one cavorting very close to the island in the shallow […]
~ by Marc Hensel and Dr. Sarah D. Oktay ~ Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station. There is a habitat war going on between many different colored armored soldiers who hide in the muck like WWII combatants and fight to the death over territory and food. Much of the […]
-by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station- For the first time in many years, we have a new mammalian intruder who has managed to stowaway on a boat and make their way to the island. What would be a farcical children’s book story for the […]
by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station We have had three visitors this week, a Mola Mola otherwise known as an ocean sunfish, a beautiful humpback whale out by Great Point and an errant washashore/rode-ashore raccoon, and I thought I would write about one of […]
• by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay – Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Over the past few weeks, a deceased Risso’s Dolphin has been seen off Madaket as its sad corpse is returned to the shoreline by incoming waves. At least three people have emailed or texted me […]
