News and Events for Nantucket Island
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • This week’s column is designed to get you outdoors to work with visiting scientists and learn more about Nantucket’s diverse and fascinating plants and animals. For the first time, the Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative is sponsoring a Citizen […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • I have a picture of myself with some high school friends arm in arm standing in the middle of a field facing the camera. The image always solicits an obvious “oldie but goody” joke, typical nostalgia for […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • The gentle glowing of fireflies that surround me at the UMass Boston Nantucket Field station is a welcome summer visitor. I was surprised when a group of students from Worcester was shocked and delighted to see these […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • A Biological Search for the Indigenous Life on Nantucket Not all readers of this column may know the term washashore which is used by natives to refer to newcomers who live on Nantucket who were not born […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • A few months ago I attended a water quality presentation up at the Massachusetts State House at the invitation of my friend and our most excellent Cape and island House Representative Tim Madden and island buddy Bob […]
by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station It’s been four years since I last wrote about squid, and their eggs have been washing up around our island during the last two weeks. It looks like we may have a good population of squid this year. Squid […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Spring has sprung and summer is almost upon us. Everywhere you look on island flowers are blooming, turtles are crossing the road, and insects are waking up to enjoy the warm sunny days. Several notable natural occurrences, […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • This week’s topic came up while talking with friends about trends on island that might be fun to write about. They mentioned that they remember when no Turkey Vultures were present on island and how prolific they […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay | Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Maybe I am hungry every time I write this column? This week I wanted to remind everyone of the incredible variety of natural foods on Nantucket. There are many fine restaurants on island, and this is […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Living at the UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station gives me the opportunity to observe the wonderful diversity of bird life that defines Nantucket. Spring signals the return of piping plovers, oystercatchers and osprey along with the wading […]
