Happy New Year! We hope this finds you taking some quiet time for yourself as we move into January. Reflecting on 2024, so much of it was about outreach, collaboration, growth, and education. There were many things that made us grateful and proud, including these highlights:
Hosting our first-ever fundraising event in Boston with Sailors' Valentines at The Kartal.
Collaborating with the Nantucket Public Schools and the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club to celebrate the Eclipse and having 1,500 people join us on the baseball field at the high school – yes, we ran out of glasses!
Our 2nd Annual Wine dinner with VIK wines, Island Kitchen, and our good friends the Kennedys.
The renovation of the Seminar Room at the Vestal Street Observatory thanks to Board members Richard Wolfe and John Wise.
Moving the Aquarium just a short way down Washington Street and returning the land to nature and the Land Bank.
Launching our Harbor Health Monitoring Buoy – thanks to funding from Remain Nantucket Fund at the Community Foundation for Nantucket, Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation, Osceola Foundation, and the Sociable Weaver Foundation.
Announcing the first 1 million dollar grant to our Aquarium & Discovery Center capital campaign – thank you to the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation for your support of our vision!
Our Stargazer Gala on Polpis Harbor, chaired by the dynamic duo of Board Members and Development Co-Chairs, Elizabeth Markel and Tanya Forman.
Making the difficult decision to step away from the Good Neighbor Agreement, and continuing to register our concerns regarding the protection of our dark skies.
Each staff member, board member, visitor, camper, intern, and donor contributed in some meaningful way to our ability to affect the nature of Nantucket and our relationship with science. Through your generosity, curiosity, and sense of community, the legacy of Maria Mitchell lives on in our work.
As we look ahead to 2025, we are excited to head to Washington DC January 12 - 16 for the annual American Astronomical Society Conference, where six MMA REU Astronomy Interns (class of 2024) will present their project posters to judges and peers for a chance to be considered for a Chambliss Award.
Our Discovery Camp is slated to launch registration on January 13 for island families and on January 15 for the summer community – don’t miss it as it fills up fast.
We are launching our Learning Lab series this month and the first one is on January 10 from 8 - 9:30am, it will be focused on creating a Roadmap for 2025. Join us for a fun and productive planning session where we will work on identifying the goals, priorities, and projects that will define your year. You can register for this free program here.
And finally, the snowy owls have arrived. If you have never been on an Owl Prowl with Ginger Andrews, it is not to be missed.
See you on the trails,
Joanna Roche, MMA Executive Director
MMA Discovery Camps - Summer 2025
Mark your calendar!
REGISTRATION FOR ISLAND FAMILIES
OPENS MONDAY, JANUARY 13 AT 6AM
REGISTRATION FOR ALL
OPENS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15 AT 6AM
Camp registration is open to MMA Members Only.
This means you must belong to our Family or Year-Round Island FamilyMembership in order to register.
2024 MMA NSF-REU Astronomy Interns who facilitated our events and programming at the Loines Observatory, while simultaneously conducting exceptional research in Astronomy. The MMA receives over 200 highly qualified applicants annually from all over the country to fill just six astronomy internship positions.
Summer 2025 Internship Opportunities Now Available!
We are excited to announce that internship opportunities for Summer 2025 are now posted on our website! We invite students studying marine biology, natural sciences, astronomy, education, history/art, historic preservation, non-profit development, and communications/marketing to apply.
If you know a qualified undergraduate or graduate student who would love to intern on picturesque Nantucket Island next summer, please help us spread the word by sharing the link below. Come join our amazing team!
A New MMA-Led Series Offering In-Depth Exploration of Science, Nature, and Community Topics by Local Experts
Learning Labs – a series of 90-minute workshops on a range of topics designed to spark curiosity, brought to life by MMA experts and special guests.
Create a roadmap to your year with a discussion, prompts, visual tools, and your personal brand of creativity. Make 2025 and your vision for yourself a reality with a good planning session, a dose of energy, and encouragement, and leave with a tool that helps you achieve your goals.
Our new program kicks off on January 10th, in person at 8am with a Leadership Lab facilitated by MMA Executive Director Joanna Roche.
This first session is complimentary, and we invite you to be our guest.
Pre-registration is required, and supplies will be provided, as will coffee and a light snack.
Seeking Sounds of Saw-whet Owls with Ginger Andrews
Saturday, January 11 | 4:45 - 6:15pm
MMA Research Center, 2 Vestal Street
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, to listen for the calls of Saw-whet owls and other nocturnal creatures. We will search for Saw-whets as they begin their nightly activities. While a sighting is not guaranteed, you will certainly be able to observe several fascinating nocturnal animal species.
Birding 101: A Two Part Exploration of the Unique Avian Life of Nantucket with Ginger Andrews
Friday, January 17 | 3 - 5pm
Saturday, January 18 | 10am - 12pm
What is the allure of birding? We have always looked to birds to tell us what is happening in the world around us but there are almost as many ways to enjoy birds as there are birders. Join the MMA's Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews, for a workshop to find your own unique birding style, with tips and suggestions to find and identify Nantucket's varied avian life.
This workshop is a two-part series but you may register for individual days. The time of the field trip will be solidified during the Friday afternoon session.
Part 1: Introduction to Birding, January 17
-Field Guides
-Bird Feeding
-Specimens, Sketching, and Note Taking
Part 2: Birding Field Trip, January 18
-Bird Identification
-Habitats and Homes
-Binoculars and Telescope Configuration for Viewing
Pre-registration is recommended as programs do fill up but walk-ins are welcome subject to availability.
Saturday, January 11 and 25, February 15 and March 8 | 1pm
Join the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF), the Nantucket Land and Water Council (NLWC), the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA), the Nantucket Land Bank, and Fairwinds for a fun and FREE community series. This is a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors during our quiet season to enjoy Nantucket's natural environment together.
These engaging walks,will last approximately 45 – 60 minutesand will be led by staff from the organizations. At the start of each walk, a representative from Fairwinds, Nantucket’s behavioral health center, will give a brief introduction and background on their services.
January 11: Squam Farm, 1 Squidnet Road; NCF
January 25: Monomoy Creeks, 22 Berkley Avenue; NLWC
February 15: Hither Creek, 27 Massachusetts Avenue; MMA
March 8: Beechwood Farm, 44 Almanack Pond Road; Nantucket Land Bank.
Come see us for "Ravenous Reptiles," "STEAM Sensation," "Pajama Storytime," and "Nature Storytime." Or stop by to visit our animals and gift shop on Fridays from 3–7pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am – 2pm.
Wednesday, Jan. 22 and Feb. 12 are NPS Early Release Days. Register for Jan. 22 and Feb. 12 under NPS Early Release Days Option one week prior. More information here.
School might be out, but the curiosity never stops!
Stay tuned for our Winter Series II, Spring Series I and II, and our February and April Camp options!
Birding News
Image of a Northern Lapwing by Trish Pastuszak.
Keep Calm and Bird On January 2025!
by Ginger Andrews
What will the new year bring? With the December appearance of a Northern Lapwing, the second county record for this rare European visitor, all we can say is, “expect the unexpected.” Is it gone? Will it stay? As of this writing in mid-December, we do not know yet.
The last three years have been exceptionally mild, with last winter marking the first time at least one Belted Kingfisher remained through the winter. It seems as if we have not really had “winter” as a season, for about ten years. But there were a couple of notable blizzards punctuating those not-very-frozen years, and thus far ice has formed overnight a couple of times. So, could we be overdue?
Meanwhile we look for the usual winter treats: Bonaparte’s, Iceland, and Glaucous Gulls; Long-tailed and Harlequin Ducks; all three Scoters; Razorbills, Red-necked and Pied-billed Grebes. On the ponds some are already here: Scaup and a Tufted Duck; Northern Shovelers, Canvasbacks and Redheads. Snow Geese and Tundra Swans are here too.
And there is no telling what summer fare may linger on, even if a brief cold snap poses a sharp challenge: Great Egrets — two wintered over, last year — are still, as of mid-December, being seen in Polpis Harbor and at the UMass Field Station. An immature Scarlet Tanager, one of a handful of December records for New England, plopped down in Wauwinet on December 6.
Lingering among the Yellow-rumps, late Palm Warblers are also likely, as long as the bayberries hold out; the Bird Club enjoyed six, strung out in a bush like a line of Christmas ornaments, at Barlett’s Farm compost field on December 15.
So whatever we get, for weather or birds, it is bound to be interesting. Always remember to dress for the weather, which means: over-dress for when the wind picks up; you can always take off a layer. No matter what, it is still a great time to get outside and look for birds.
The 70th Nantucket Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is one of the longest running wildlife census projects in the world and is organized by the National Audubon Society. Nantucket has been a proud participant since 1954, and originally conducted the count with only three volunteers. It has now expanded to over seventy participants, which includes local and off-island birding enthusiasts!
On count day, this year December 29, 2024, the entire island was divided up into eight different sections and each one was assigned a team leader and field observers. At the end of the 24-hour period, numbers of all species observed in each section were compiled into one list. The CBC is a fantastic way of getting a quick “snap-shot” of what and how many birds are within a definitive radius in 24 hours, and every bird counts!
We spotted some exciting birds, and celebrated 70 years of conservation and community science on Nantucket. This milestone was a year to remember!
The MMA's Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews, reflected on the project’s growth over the years: "It's not like I remember the first one, but it's so amazing to see how it has grown over the years, how many people have gotten involved, how many people love birds, appreciate birds, want to help birds, and are willing to come and count them! This is the longest citizen science project that we have, going strong for 70 years. It's so important to collect actual data... This was started by my mother, father, and John Dennis. It grew from the original three to surpassing 60 participants in our most active years. We even had one couple count on a bicycle-built-for-two."
The 2024 Bird Count Results Coming Soon!
MMA News and Updates
“The Nature of Nantucket,” “The Star Report,” and
"Maria Mitchell's Attic”
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. Listen here!
Don't forget to check out our weekly "Star Report," written and presented by the MMA Astronomy Department.
Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger. Read here!
MMA Hours January
The Hinchman House Natural Science Museum and Gift Shop, 7 Milk Street:
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.
