August has snuck up on us! I write to you with a full heart, having just wrapped up our Stargazer Gala – our biggest fundraiser of the year. The generosity of our community, our members, our donors is remarkable, and we are so grateful. We want to particularly acknowledge the efforts of the silent and live auctions, filled with beautiful gifts and experiences, and bid on and delivered to our generous auction winners. Your gifts helped us raise money for our internship program, which provides a ten-week experience to students in astronomy, environmental education, history, marine biology, and non-profit administration. Our interns leave here with stars in their eyes and sand in their shoes, smiling from ear to ear. Thank you.
We want to recognize Lulu Powers, EJ Harvey, Jonas Baker, Katie Jetter, Sylvia Furmanovich, Isaiah and Gaelan Truyman, Cush and Tripp Donelan, Will Halik, Hawkin Edwardes, Bill Hoenk, Don Peacock, Hilary Pereira, Bruce Beebe, Kyle Karp, Sam Cargill, Dan Bursch, Peter and Denise Wittich, our hosts - Deb Beale, Mark Beale, and Will Kinsella - and of course our local legend, Elin Hilderbrand. None of this would be possible without your donating from both your business and your heart. We are grateful.
To all of you who felt the connection to the rich legacy of Maria Mitchell and her love of the nature of Nantucket, and gave generously, you make what we do possible. You are appreciated and celebrated.
I hope you make the most of August ̶ sunsets, waves, long walks, friends, bonfires, all the things that create the magic of island life. And, that you can reflect for a moment on how your contribution to our organization helps to create the fabric of this community, and that it really matters.
Thea and Pete Kaiser with Kimberly Kozlowski; Rick Sharpie
Images courtesy of Bill Hoenk
Thank You to Our Donors
Huge shout out to our generous donors of our live and silent auctions.
Honoring Dr. Bob Kennedy
On July 20, Dr. Bob Kennedy, ornithologist and barn owl hero, passed away at 76. Bob worked at the MMA for nine years as the Director of Natural Science and began the MMA's barn owl program in 2001. He helped to promote the installation of osprey poles on the island - one of his favorites - and under his tenure, he helped to create more than seventy barn owl boxes on the island, nurturing the owl population to where it is today. Our thoughts are with Bob’s wife, Anne, their daughter Reeve, and their son, Forrest, as well as their grandchildren and family. The MMA community is mourning the loss of Bob deeply. We plan to honor him soon; details will follow.
MMA Events!
Summer Pop-Up Happening Now through August 3!
33 Washington Street
Wednesday, July 31 - Saturday, August 3
Join the MMA and East Coast vendors for a Summer Pop-Up! Featured vendors include Brett Lauren Jewelry, jewelry with passion and purpose; Choix Home, chic tabletop and fashion accessories; Haute Energy, luxe crystals and stones; Top Banana, chic apparel for tennis enthusiasts; MDVII, hard to find and one-of-a-kind vintage jewelry from around the world; and Wendy Loves This, beautiful things for beautiful people.
Please join us for “MMA Summer Pop-Up Cocktails” on Friday, August 2 from 4pm - 7pm.
Booths will be open August 1 - 3 from 10am - 4pm each day.
Join us at the MMA Aquarium for a special appreciation event. All grandparents accompanied by a grandchild of any age will receive free general Aquarium admission. Enjoy a morning of celebrating grandparents at the MMA Aquarium with free admission, lemonade, and doughnuts!
Because our first Grandparents Day on July 6 was such a huge success, we are offering an additional event!
Pre-registration is required – sign up for your timed admission spot today to guarantee admission for you and your grandchild!
Join the Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket Land and Water Council, and Sustainable Nantucket for a week of fun and informative programming about the invasive European green crab! Events will include chances to hunt, capture, recycle, and even eat green crabs! The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is an invasive species that threatens Nantucket’s native species and eelgrass habitats. We will be hosting a variety of events throughout the week – be sure to check our website to learn more and register!
Participate in the MMA Makers Market on August 9 from 9am - 4pm at 33 Washington Street. “Makers” include Nantucket crafters, creative artists, designers, pet suppliers, food and beverage producers, gadget makers, and more. Open to all ages! Join us to celebrate our island vendors. Space is limited.
MMA Astronomy Interns Present Summer Research Projects
MMA Research Center, 4 Vestal Street & On Zoom
Wednesday, August 7 | 6 - 7:30pm
Please join us in person or online via Zoom for a very special presentation of this summer’s astronomy research. The MMA’s National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) interns will present their research on everything from finding baby stars to understanding how galaxies grow over time and how dark matter influences galaxy cluster collisions.
The MMA’s Maria Mitchell Observatory operates the NSF-REU program each summer and has done so for decades. The program, funded by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation, allows the MMA to bring six top undergraduate students to the MMA each summer who are selected out of a pool of approximately 380 applicants from around the United States. This summer’s NSF-REU interns and their research presentations are:
Naija Bruckner (Rice University): Probing Circumgalactic Medium Turbulence with Synthetic Absorption
Sophia Davis (University of Michigan): Shining the X-ray Light on Planetary Nebulae in Globular Clusters
Jillian Epstein (Cornell University): Searching for X-ray Counterparts of Protostellar Cores
Fiona Lopez (Texas A&M University): Understanding the Interplay Between Dust, Gas, and Stars in High Redshift Galaxies with ALMA and JWST
Nicolas Mazziotti (University of Arizona): Exploring Dark Matter and Galaxy Clusters
Gada Tefera (Pomona College): Investigating the Impact of sub-DLAs on the Neutral Hydrogen Mass Density of the Universe
This presentation is complimentary and is presented in person and via Zoom. Please pre-register for the Zoom link.
Henry Michaelis, a passionate aerial photographer and cinematographer, shares his latest project, "Aerial Abstraction," as Artist-In-Residence at the Maria Mitchell Association. This collection of photographs showcases his fascination with the natural world, captured from a unique aerial perspective. From the glacial rivers of Alaska to the potassium mines of Utah to the watercolor sand shoals of Nantucket Sound, Michaelis's images invite us to see the world in a new light.
With a keen eye for detail and a love for the unknown, Michaelis uses his drone to explore the intricacies of the landscape, revealing hidden patterns and textures that often go unnoticed. His work is a testament to the beauty and complexity of the world around us, and a reminder of the importance of slowing down to appreciate its simple wonders. Through "Aerial Abstraction," Michaelis hopes to inspire a sense of curiosity and awe in his viewers, and to share his own sense of wonder at the world's wild stories.
Gallery open hours will be held on Thursday evenings from 5 - 7pm at 33 Washington Street (subject to changes). Please check our website calendar for up-to-date hours at: https://www.mariamitchell.org/calendar.
Birding News
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews
Keep Calm and Bird On!
by Ginger Andrews
Shorebirds continue to flood through in August. It is worth remembering that you might see the same species every day, but it is likely not the same individual, day to day. Stopovers are often brief, a mere pitstop for re-fueling. So the tide, the wind, the availability of food on the ground are all crucial elements in an ever-more dangerous journey south.
That migration is hazardous is nothing new. Birds have been figuring out survival strategies for millennia. They adapted to climate change as glaciers froze and melted, as oceans rose and fell, mountains rose or chipped away. And almost everything—except possibly horseshoe crabs—evolved along with them: fish and crabs, clams and worms, isopods, and amphipods.
Birds adapted as predator populations rose and fell. Often the strategy was to have tremendous fecundity; or if not, power and endurance, or longevity and wisdom.
But now the pace of human-constructed hazards has picked up with astronomical speed. Tall buildings kill thousands of land birds every year. Lighthouses were recognized as attracting birds from the very beginning of their construction. Oil rigs, cruise ships, windmills, and other offshore hazards take their toll, usually without any notice or outcry. Evidence of harm just washes away. The difficulty of proving a “taking” that might incur a penalty makes otherwise risky—sometimes exceptionally risky—locations appear more attractive.
So, it becomes ever more important to protect known locations for migrating shorebirds. The shoals and shallows, mudflats and sandbars, where tiny creatures nourish such as, Whimbrel and Dowitchers, Plovers and Sanderlings, Yellowlegs and Godwits, must remain undisturbed. Birds need safe access to feeding areas. Without them, our shorebirds, the long-distance fliers, athletes of the air, cannot survive. Cars, boats, dogs, runners, walkers, kites, all create a footprint of disturbance larger than their physical volume, with noise and wake and appearance. If we cannot calm the rush for unspoiled serenity, there will be none, for bird or human.
Nantucket Bird Walk
with Ginger Andrews
33 Washington Street
Sunday, August 4, 11, 18, and 25 | 7:45 - 10am
Explore Nantucket’s birdy landscapes and hidden nooks with local bird guide and Inquirer and Mirror columnist, Ginger Andrews. With so many varied habitats so close together, the Island is a great place to look and listen for birds. Our location out at sea makes for a fascinating mix of migratory species and year-round residents. Dry humor—always useful in a foggy environment—natural and human history, unexpected rarities, and other stories fill out the picture. Children 8 and up are welcome with an adult guardian. Loaner binoculars available. Wear sensible shoes, dress for the weather. You never know what may turn up.
This program meets at the MMA 33 Washington Street lawn at 7:45 AM. This program will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather and a ticket exchange issued for an alternative date.
Thursday, August 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 | 7:45 - 9:30pm
Night-time has always had a mysterious appeal, which brings out a whole new cast of avian and other creatures. It requires patience, and a shift of consciousness from sight to hearing. Join the MMA's Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews, as we listen for calls of a variety of nocturnal animals and birds. We will watch for owls as they begin their nightly activity. While an owl sighting is not guaranteed, you will certainly be able to observe several fascinating nocturnal animal species.
On July 24, 2024, the MMA, the Wolfe family, several friends, and MMA Board members and staff, gathered together to dedicate the Seminar Room addition of the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory in memory of Alice Payne Amey, a descendant of William Mitchell and his son, William Forester Mitchell, a younger brother of Maria Mitchell. Mrs. Amey served as a Mitchell House Committee member and its chair for many years and was actively involved in the running of the Mitchell House in the 1950s and 1960s. Her grandson, Richard Wolfe, a member of the MMA Board of Directors, generously funded this renovation of the Seminar Room that was added to the Observatory in 1987.
The newly reinvigorated space saw many much-needed updates including new HVAC, alarm, and electrical systems; new office spaces; an updated Seminar Room for use by interns and staff; an updated intern study space; and a small kitchenette and improved bathroom. Work was conducted by Wise Construction, Kevin Wiggin HVAC, Marden Plumbing, and Brian Connor Electric, as well as several other contractors.
A plaque has been placed inside the Seminar Room noting Alice Payne Amey’s contributions to the MMA, and her grandson, Richard Wolfe’s, wish to honor that dedication in perpetuity.
Friday, August 2 and Friday, August 16 | 9 - 10:30am
Do you keep a collection of rocks, feathers, bones, shells, and other objects found in nature? If so, consider joining the MMA Adult Curious Kids (ACK) Club. This summer-long series of outings led by Dr. Rich Blundell, MMA Scientist-In-Residence, will investigate the histories and mysteries of many natural objects and phenomena of Nantucket. Bring your curiosity and found-objects to our lab and for us to investigate together and share our adventures with the community.
This program is designed to be interesting for inquisitive adults.
Pre-registration is required for this program but walk-ins are welcome subject to availability.
This summer, the MMA has initiated a major project to monitor the health of Nantucket’s coastal environment. Activities include the deployment of a state-of-the-art oceanographic buoy moored in a strategic location within Nantucket Harbor. This buoy will record real-time changes in key water quality metrics including dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, phytoplankton, and nitrate nutrient load. Join Dr. Rich Blundell, MMA Scientist-In-Residence, for coffee, education, updates about the MMA Ocean Acidification monitoring project, and inspiration about Nantucket Harbor and our unique ecological opportunity.
This program is designed to be interesting for all ages. Space is limited, RSVP by email is suggested.
You may have heard of a “Nantucket Sleigh Ride” but have you ever heard of the Nantucket Terrane Wreck? Did you know that some of the rocks and pebbles found on Nantucket were formed deep beneath a mysterious archipelago off the coast of Africa over 600 million years ago? Join MMA Scientist-In-Residence, Dr. Rich Blundell, on an odyssey of Nantucket’s geological oddities. We will travel to prospecting sites around the island looking for clues to reconstruct the geological and glacial story of Nantucket Island.
Pre-registration is suggested, walk-ins subject to availability.
Two Sessions: Days Vary, please check our calendar
9 - 9:45pm and 9:45 - 10:30pm
Open Night Family Stargazing Fridays
Dates Vary, please check our calendar
9 - 9:45pm
Join our professional astronomers and get a chance to view an impressive tour of Nantucket’s night sky. MMA staff will guide you in viewing astronomical objects through our historic 8-inch Alvan Clark refractor and our modern 24-inch research telescope. Get a chance to view the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and even other galaxies!
Pre-registration is recommended, walk-ins subject to availability.
Check out our own podcast, "The Nature of Nantucket," brought to you by 97.7 ACKFM. This program airs on 97.7 every Sunday at 7:20am. You can listen to full episodes on Apple or Spotify. While you're there, don't forget to check out our weekly "Star Report," written and presented by the MMA Astronomy Research Fellows.
Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written on a weekly basis by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger.
To ensure a safe experience, the Aquarium will admit a reduced number of visitors each day. It is strongly encouraged that yo reserve your tickets in advance. Tickets for members and non-members can be purchases here or on the site.
The Sea Shop, 32 Washington Street
9am - 5pm, Monday - Saturday; 9am - 2pm, Sunday.
The Historic Mitchell House, 1 Vestal Street
10am - 4pm, Monday - Friday; 10am - 1pm, Saturday
Research Center, 2 Vestal Street
By appointment only. Please e-mail jgurley@mariamitchell.org
The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science, through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.
