News and Events for Nantucket Island
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Every summer two dangers come floating to the surface, one entertaining but unlikely, the anticipated and much feared great white shark attack, the other much less entertaining and sadly, very likely, in the form of blue green […]
In continuation of their family-friendly tradition, Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) recently announced their annual naming contest. Last year, a pair of seahorses had the honor of being named (Hide and Seek) by an 8-year-old MMA patron. For this season, the MMA brings to the stage two very different critters: a […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • One of the most common questions I get each year is: “What is the foam I see on the water in the harbor or in salt ponds like Sesachacha or Hummock Pond?” This foam looks alarmingly like […]
• 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 […]
