One Bad Crab: Screening, Discussion & Green Crab Tasting!

The invasive green crab: nasty, but tasty!

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome environmental filmmaker Sandy Cannon-Brown, along with members of the MV Shellfish community, for a screening and discussion of the film, One Bad Crab, followed by a green crab appetizer prepared by Chef Galen of the Lambert's Cove Inn. Speakers to include: MV Shellfish Group Executive Director Emma Green-Beach, MV Shellfish Group Founder Rick Karney, GreenCrab.org Executive Director Mary Parks, and Tisbury Shellfish Constable Danielle Ewart. This event will be held at 4:00 pm on Friday, August 28th, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

One Bad Crab is a 38-minute documentary film by environmental filmmaker Sandy Cannon-Brown, narrated by Nelson Sigelman. The Latin name for the European green crab, Carcinus maenas, translates as “raving mad crab", which gives some insight into the personality of this invasive crustacean with a voracious appetite that undermines valuable shellfish resources here on the Island. It's impossible to eliminate this fecund critter, but we can take advantage of its presence as a savory menu item. Chef Galen of the Lambert's Cove Inn will treat attendees to a green crab appetizer following the screening. 

Sandy Cannon-Brown, founder (1985) and president (1985-present) of VideoTakes, Inc., is an award-winning environmental filmmaker. Before moving to Martha's Vineyard in 2020, she lived in DC and St. Michaels, MD and made nine documentaries about subjects important to the Chesapeake Bay with writer Tom Horton and photographer Dave Harp. In 2025 the team was honored by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with the prestigious Bay Heritage Award. Sandy was also an associate director for the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University, honored as CEF’s first senior scholar in 2013, and named AU’s adjunct professor of the year in 2011. Among her many other honors, Women in Film Video DC honored Sandy as a Woman of Vision in 1998. She served as WIFV’s president 2011-2012.

Emma Green-Beach is Executive Director of the MV Shellfish Group. Emma grew up in Oak Bluffs and fondly remembers gathering shellfish from Sengekontacket, Edgartown Great Pond and Wasque. She started with the MV Shellfish Group as seasonal staff in 2006 after receiving her B.S. in Biology at U Mass Dartmouth. She went on to earn a M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University in 2011. She joined MV Shellfish Group full-time in 2014 and became the Executive Director in 2017.

Rick Karney is Founder and Director Emeritus of the MV Shellfish Group. Rick came to the Island in the 1970s to create a shellfish management program that focuses on aquaculture to enhance public shellfish stock propagation. He also helped start the MV Shellfish Group, which celebrates its 50th year in 2026. His work with MVSG earned him the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award in 2001 for demonstrating "that shellfish aquaculture can be an environmentally and economically sustainable activity for coastal communities." Rick graduated from Rutgers University in 1972 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences.

Mary Parks is Executive Director of GreenCrab.org. Mary grew up in Penobscot Bay and first learned about the green crab's invasive impact from the surrounding lobstering and clamming community. After working in traceability for a commercial fish wholesaler in Boston, and learning more about bait markets for green crabs, she started asking what needed to be done to build a culinary market. In 2020, she went on to found GreenCrab.org: a nonprofit dedicated to building culinary markets for European green crab and spreading awareness of its invasive impact.

Danielle Ewart is the Tisbury Shellfish Constable. During the summer of 2004, between her freshman and sophomore years of college, Danielle worked as a summer deputy for the Town of Oak Bluffs and part-time at Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group. After graduating, she rose in the ranks to full-time deputy for the Town of Oak Bluffs. She became the Shellfish Constable for the neighboring Town of Tisbury in 2010.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.

Exploring the Deep: Technology, Discovery, and the Future of Our Oceans

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Dr. Anna Michel, a Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Chief Scientist of the National Deep Submergence Facility, for a presentation on Technology, Discovery, and the Future of Our Oceans. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, August 4th, at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Earth is an ocean planet—more than 70% of our home is covered by water an average of 12,000 feet deep, most of it unseen and unexplored. Dr. Anna Michel’s journey into this unknown began in high school, when she joined the Jason Project and traveled to the Galápagos Islands. There, she piloted her first underwater robot, sparking a lifelong passion for ocean exploration.

Today, Dr. Michel is a Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Chief Scientist of the National Deep Submergence Facility. She develops new tools to monitor and understand the changing ocean. Her work takes her from the icy Canadian Arctic to track greenhouse gas emissions, to deep-sea volcanoes teeming with life, to coastal waters affected by microplastics. Whether three miles below the surface in the submersible Alvin or working with engineers in her lab, Dr. Michel is helping unlock the ocean’s secrets to better protect our blue planet.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.

 

Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, and Martha's Vineyard with Tim Hall

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome climate scientist Tim Hall for a discussion of climate change, sea level rise, and the impact on Martha’s Vineyard. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Sea level is rising as the climate warms, and the risk of coastal flooding is increasing on Martha's Vineyard. Tim will address the basic factors driving climate change, the impacts on sea level, and the tools we use to predict future climate. As a coastal community, Martha's Vineyard is particularly vulnerable. Tim will show examples of current flood risk on Martha's Vineyard and forecasts of its evolution over the next several decades.

Tim Hall is a Senior Scientist in S&P Global’s Sustainable1 division. His work focuses on developing hazard and risk models of extreme weather and climate. Prior to S&P Global, he was a staff scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies for nearly 20 years, working in climate modeling. Hall has written more than 60 academic research publications and was a lead author on the 2017 National Climate Assessment Report. He has also served as consultant to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and several risk modeling companies, reinsurers, and ILS investors. Hall holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University. Since 2021, he and his wife have lived full time on Martha’s Vineyard.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.

NOAA Fisheries in the Northeast: What's Happening in the Waters Around MV

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Nicole Cabana, Deputy Director of NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) for a presentation on what's happening in the waters around our island. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, December 2nd at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for providing the scientific information and tools necessary for productive, sustainable, and healthy marine ecosystems and coastal communities in our region. Some of the high profile topics in this region include protection of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and offshore wind development. These and other topics will be discussed.

Nicole Cabana is Deputy Director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in Woods Hole. She has been at the NEFSC since 2018, when she reported as a NOAA Corps Officer in the Chief of Staff role. In 2020 she retired from the NOAA Corps and stepped into a civilian role as the NEFSC Deputy Director. She has an undergraduate degree in Marine Biology, a Masters degree in Engineering, and certificates in Geographic Information Systems and Project Management. She is also a dual rated pilot, certified to fly both fixed and rotary wing aircraft and seaplanes. 

During her 20 years of service in the NOAA Corps, Nicole served in a broad range of operational, staff, and leadership positions. She operated NOAA Ships in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, served as a divemaster, and flew NOAA aircraft on a variety of scientific missions spanning from the equator to the arctic. As Deputy Director she oversees the Center’s five labs, 400+ staff, and scientific research to support productive, sustainable, and healthy marine ecosystems and coastal communities in our region.  

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.

Spinnaker: An Entanglement Story, presented by Jesse Mechling of the Center for Coastal Studies

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Jesse Mechling, Director of Marine Education at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, for a presentation on Spinnaker–an 11-year-old humpback whale, whose skeleton provides important lessons for marine conservation. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, November 4th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Spinnaker is a 36-foot humpback whale skeleton installed at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown in 2017. Spinnaker was an 11-year-old humpback, known to the Center since she was a calf, who tragically died after suffering many fishing-gear entanglements throughout her short life. Hear her story and marvel at images of the only large whale skeleton on Cape Cod, and the only whale skeleton in the world with the entanglement that led to her death still lodged in her bones. This program is suitable for all ages and tells the important message of long-term scientific studies and conservation efforts, as well as serious threats marine animals still face today. 

Jesse Mechling is the Director of Marine Education at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. The ocean and ocean life are among his great passions, and he relishes his role of introducing new generations to the wonders of the ocean. A lifelong visitor to Cape Cod and permanent resident since 2008, he received a masters from the University of Rhode Island in Marine Affairs and was a 2005 John Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in Washington DC, working for the National Ocean Service. He has over two decades of experience in marine policy and education, and has been with the Center since 2009. He lives in Eastham with his family.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.

Shipwrecks: Models for Understanding a Changing Ocean with WHOI scientist Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, PhD

The Vineyard Haven Library is pleased to welcome Dr. Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser for a presentation on shipwrecks and what they can teach us about the ocean and the environment. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, October 21st at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

There are 3 million shipwrecks worldwide, which serve as habitats for marine animals. In this presentation, Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser will show how her research on shipwreck communities helps us understand human impacts on the environment and plan for a more sustainable ocean. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Dr. Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser is an Assistant Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She studies communities of animals on the seafloor to understand how habitats are colonized, connected, and change over time. She is a technical SCUBA diver and has traveled to 6 continents and numerous island nations. She lives in Falmouth, MA with her husband and her 100-lb golden doodle, Kraken.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.

Mice Against Ticks: 7 pm Thursday, July 12th

Mice Against Ticks is a community-guided project which aims to reduce the number of disease-carrying ticks on Martha’s Vineyard by enlisting our local white-footed mice. At 7pm this Thursday July 12th at the Katharine Cornell Theater in Vinyard Haven, The Vineyard Haven Public Library will present a panel discussion about community-guided science and the ethical implications of altering our shared environment to reduce tick-borne disease.

The New Yorker’s Michael Specter will lead the discussion. Panelists will include MIT assistant professor Dr. Kevin Esvelt, Dr. Sheila Jasanoff, Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the Harvard Kennedy School, Dr. Duane Wesemann of Brigham & Women's and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Sam Telford of Tufts, and Dr. Carolyn Neuhaus of The Hastings Center.

The program will include opening remarks by local science-fiction author John Sundman, lightning talks on the cutting-edge science behind Mice Against Ticks, and a game of Lyme prevention trivia with permethrin-treated prizes. Everyone is invited to ask questions of the lead scientists involved in the effort, and join the conversation in this program about biotechnology, bioethics and the fight against tick-borne disease!

7 pm Thursday, July 12th
Katharine Cornell Theater, 51 Spring Street, Vineyard Haven

CRISPR and Genetic Editing: Uncharted Waters

On Wednesday August 30 at 6pm, Vineyard Haven Public Library will host a panel discussion, "CRISPR and Genetic Editing: Uncharted Waters." Leading scientists and bioethicists from Harvard, MIT, Stanford and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole will discuss the astounding new techniques that make editing DNA, for scientists, nearly as easy as editing an email. Along with vast potential for curing disease, feeding the world and eliminating pollution come vexing issues of fairness, safety and morality. This presentation is part of the library's "Pushing the Limits" series, funded in part by a grant from National Science Foundation and Califa Library Group. The event will be held at the Katherine Cornell Theatre at 51 Spring Street starting at 6pm, and is free and open to the public.

Included on this panel will be Dr. Sheila Jasanoff from Harvard's Kennedy School, one of the world's leading bioethicists. Simply put, her job is to think and talk about the ethics of the work being done with gene editing. Prof. Kevin Esvelt from the MIT Media Lab and is director of the Sculpting Evolution group, which invents new ways to study and influence the evolution of ecosystems. His current project is developing mice that are immune to Lyme and releasing them on Nantucket. Professor Paul Aluru, of the Biological Labs at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is in the field of “environmental epigenetics,” which involves studying how environmental factors interact with DNA, “turning genes on” or “off”.  The WHOI is one of the premiere institutions in the world for this kind of research. Professor Jeantine Lunshof, Assistant Professor at the Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, and currently a visiting professor at Harvard, is a philosopher and bioethicist, based in the synthetic biology laboratory of Dr. George Church. As an “embedded” ethicist, Dr. Lunshof works with scientists at all stages of their research to help identify potential areas of concern. Professor Emeritus Paul Levine from Stanford will open with introductory remarks about the short history of genetic engineering from the '70s. John Sundman will moderate the panel. His background includes writing and speaking at various institutions about CRISPR.

Library Eclipse Viewing Party

On Monday, August 21st, for the first time in nearly a century, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America. The total eclipse viewing corridor, called the "Path of Totality" will stretch across 14 states, with only a partial eclipse visible in Vineyard Haven beginning at 1:28 pm and ending at 3:59 pm. We will celebrate at the library beginning at 12:30pm, with activities, live-streaming of the Path of Totality, and refreshments. All ages welcome!

The library will have a limited number of eclipse viewing glasses to share with attendees during Monday's event at the library. Other safe methods of viewing the eclipse include making an eclipse viewer, such as this example from Boys Life magazine: http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/153637/how-to-make-a-solar-eclipse-viewer/, or a pinhole projector, printable from NASA's website: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/2d3d-printable-pinhole-projectors

Many organizations will be streaming eclipse coverage online, for some examples visit http://lifehacker.com/the-best-livestreams-for-watching-the-2017-total-eclips-1797481957

Evening Lecture Series: August Events

These programs at the Vineyard Haven Public Library are free and open to the public. Please join us!

7pm Tuesday, August 8th
Norm Lazarow, MD, PhD, JD: Navigating the Medical System
Dr. Lazarow tells his personal story of the difficulties of helping a loved one with a life-threatening disease through the medical system. Dr. Lazarow’s story can give hope, ideas and resources to other patients and caregivers facing similar situations. 

7pm Thursday August 10th
Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World
Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, the Washington Post, Slate, the Boston Globe, Aeon, and the Vineyard Gazette. He was a 2015 journalist-in-residence at the Duke University National Evolutionary Synthesis Center and a 2011 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Ocean Science Journalism Fellow. He will discuss his new book, The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions.

7pm Tuesday, August 15th
Alexander Hamilton: A Study  in Resiliency
Wayne Nichols will present his study of Alexander Hamilton. Unlike other founders who can seem more like myths than men, Hamilton strikes us as a human: flawed, fearless and reckless, an uneducated orphan who sailed to America with big plans and bigger dreams.

7pm Thursday, August 17th
Donald Berwick, MD: Health Care as it Should Be
Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is also former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. A pediatrician by background, Dr. Berwick has served on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and on the staffs of Boston's Children's Hospital Medical Center. Tonight he will be talking about Health Care as it Should Be. Bring your questions! 
This event will be held at the Katharine Cornell Theater, 51 Spring Street.

7pm Tuesday, August 22nd
Thomas Dresser: Hidden History of Martha’s Vineyard
Tom will speak about the Island as Noepe, the Underground Railroad on the Vineyard, critical shipwrecks in Vineyard waters including rum running, prominent buildings and finally a look into Vineyard graveyards.

7pm Thursday, August 24th
Dr. Henry Kriegstein: Digging for Dinosaurs in the Badlands
Dr. Kriegstein pursues his passion for paleontology, organizing private digs in the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana and collecting dinosaur fossils. Every summer, Henry returns to the badlands and continues his search for fossils. He considers it  a philosophical perspective on the mystery of life and the beauty of the colors of the mineral-laced fossils.

Programs and facilities for lifelong learning at the Library are supported by the Stephen C. Luce Foundation, a generous bequest from the estate of Ruth Redding, and by ongoing support from the Friends of the Library.

Additional programs this Summer are being offered as part of the Library's "Pushing the Limits" series, exploring ways that scientific ideas intersect with everyday life. This nationwide program is funded through the National Science Foundation and was created through a collaboration of Dartmouth College, The Califa Library Group, the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, Dawson Media Group, and the Institute for Learning Innovation. For more information visit:
http://vhpl.blogspot.com/2017/07/pushing-limits-reading-viewing-and.html

Daniel Goleman: Altered Traits

On Monday, July 24th at 7pm, Vineyard Haven Public Library will host a free talk by Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., the bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, Focus, and A Force for Good (written with the Dalai Lama). Dr. Goleman will discuss his forthcoming book, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Transforms Mind, Body, and Brain. A reception will follow the talk. The library will close at 5:30pm Monday and reopen at 6:30pm for this event only.

This program is being offered as part of the library's "Pushing the Limits" series, exploring ways that scientific ideas intersect with everyday life. Other programs in the series include a reading, viewing and discussion group held on Monday afternoons, and a variety of lectures by prominent scientists. Please visit the library website for a full schedule of events.

Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., an internationally recognized psychologist known for his bestselling books on emotional intelligence, has a long-standing interest in meditation dating back to his two years in India as a graduate student at Harvard. A psychologist who for many years reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times, Dr. Goleman has received many journalistic awards for his writing, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for his articles in the Times, and a Career Achievement award for journalism from the American Psychological Association. Dr. Goleman's newest book, Altered Traits, unveils cutting-edge research that shows us the truth about what meditation can really do for us, as well as exactly how to get the most out of it.

"Pushing the Limits" is a nationwide program funded through the National Science Foundation and created through a collaboration of Dartmouth College, The Califa Library Group, the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, Dawson Media Group, and the Institute for Learning Innovation.

"Pushing the Limits" Reading, Viewing and Discussion Series

Vineyard Haven Public Library has received a grant for our community to participate in a nationwide reading, viewing and discussion series for adults called Pushing the Limits. Since the beginning of time, humans have imagined and achieved ways to push the boundaries of the physical world.  We want to be stronger, smarter, more aware; and we create stories to bring those dreams to life. But many of those stories are no longer just stories; and with great new advances in science and technology, we are finding ways in which all of us are able to push the limits every day. The Pushing the Limits program will explore these ideas in discussions that will include recommended popular books and feature film quality videos featuring authors, scientists and everyday people who thrive on exploring the natural world.

Our first discussion group will be held at 3pm on Monday, July 17, focusing on the theme "Nature" and TC Boyle's novel When the Killing's Done. Please join us as to discuss the book and view two short videos, including one from the author made especially for this program. Refreshments will be served.

Copies of books for the series will be available at Vineyard Haven Library or may be ordered through CLAMS. Additional discussion events will be held on the following topics and books:

Monday, August 7, 2017 3 pm
CONNECTION:  Erik Larson, Thunderstruck

Monday, August 28, 2017 3 pm
SURVIVAL:  Clive Cussler, Arctic Drift

Monday, Sept 11, 2017 3 pm
KNOWLEDGE:  Jean Auel, The Land of Painted Caves

Other programs in this series made possible by the grant include author Jonathan White's talk on June 29th on his book Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, and Daniel Goleman's talk on Monday, July 24th on his forthcoming book Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Transforms Mind, Body, and Brain. Future programs featuring prominent scientists will be scheduled over the summer and early fall.

This nationwide program is funded through the National Science Foundation and was created through a collaboration of Dartmouth College, The Califa Library Group, the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, Dawson Media Group, and the Institute for Learning Innovation.

Vineyard Haven Library Receives Rural Gateways Grant for STEM Programming in Community

Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to announce it has received a $3,500 National Science Foundation grant from the Califa Library Group to provide science-based programs for adults. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math) are popular topics for children's education, but rarely mentioned in relation to adults.

The programs funded by the grant are essentially “book club meets science café.” Attendees read a pre-announced popular book selection, then to come to the library for an event in which they discuss the book, and then watch and discuss a short human interest video where scientific ideas touched on in the book intersect everyday life. Programs will be scheduled starting in 2017.

“The videos are engaging. There are no scientists in white coats. They're people you would want to sit down and talk to,” said previous grant recipient Dwight McInvaill, Director of the Georgetown County Library in Georgetown, SC.

Rural Gateways is funded through the National Science Foundation and was created through a collaboration of Dartmouth College, The Califa Library Group, the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, Dawson Media Group, and the Institute for Learning Innovation.

George M. Church, PhD: Recent Revolutions in Biotechnology and Medicine, A Personal View

Special Event!
Wednesday June 10, 2015, 7pm
At the Katharine Cornell Theater, 54 Spring Street, Vineyard Haven.

George M. Church, Ph.D., is the Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, and has been a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.

Dr. Church will speak about the revolutionary implications of synthetic biology for human and planetary well-being. He will comment on a combination of breakthroughs that might soon affect the average person such as diseases like Lyme and Malaria, gene therapies, precision medicine, synthetic brains and age reversal.

Would a Whale Fit in the Library?

Cynde McInnis, owner of The Whalemobile, will be bringing her life-sized (43 ft.) inflatable whale, Nile, to Tisbury on August 6 at 4 pm, as part of the Vineyard Haven Public Library’s summer reading program. Because the whale is too big to fit in the Library, the program will be held at the Tisbury School Gym.

The presentation begins with a slide show introducing students to the toothed whales and baleen whales that are found off the coast of Massachusetts in the Gulf of Maine. Sounds of each species and videos of humpbacks are included. After the assembly, students will meet Nile, a 27-year old humpback whale whom McInnis has seen almost every summer since 1994. They can go inside of the inflatable whale and see ways in which whales are similar to humans. Students will learn about Nile’s migratory path, how many calves she’s had, as well as how researchers learned this information. Artifacts such as baleen, teeth and bones are available for children to see and feel. At the end of the presentation, students will learn about what they can do to keep the oceans safe for all the animals.

2014 is McInnis’ 21st season with Cape Ann Whale Watch out of Gloucester, MA as Lead Naturalist and Education Director. She has studied whales in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. She brings her passion for whales as well as her vast knowledge of these animals into schools to help shape future generations of ocean advocates.

The Whalemobile aims to captivate students and help them connect with the oceans, both emotionally and intellectually. Children will come away with knowledge of and a fascination for whales that will be a spark that inspires them to care about the oceans and the environment around us.

This free program is supported by a grant from the Anderson Foundation to the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public library.

Evening Lecture Series: July Events

All programs at the Vineyard Haven Public Library are free and open to the public. Please join us!

Tuesday, July 1st, 7 pm
Greg Balco: Antarctica and the Antarctic Ice Sheet
News reports in the past few months have highlighted the fact that parts of the Antarctic ice sheets are shrinking rapidly and likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Greg Balco, a scientist at the Berkeley Geochronology Center, studies Antarctic ice sheet change. He will give a talk that aims to put these reports in some context by discussing what ice sheets are and how they work; what exactly is in Antarctica, what it looks like, and what it means that it's "collapsing;" and what is involved in actually getting to and working in Antarctica to learn about ice sheet change.

Thursday, July 3rd, 7 pm
Suzan Bellincampi:  Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature
In her new book, author Suzan Bellincampi, director of Mass Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary,  takes you on favorite Island trails and behind the scenes of what the natural Vineyard has to offer. Suzan will talk about how she did the research for the book and will include some slides from her explorations here on the Island.  Reception to follow.

Wednesday, July 9th, 7 pm (doors open at 6:30)
Sam Low: Hawaiki Rising
As the walls of Troy were falling to the Greeks, Polynesian explorers followed star paths across the world’s greatest ocean to settle one third of Earth’s surface. It’s one of the most amazing stories of navigation and maritime exploration, and it has never been properly told — until now. Reception to follow.

Tuesday, July 15th, 7 pm
Neville Frankel: Bloodlines
Novelist and South African emigré Neville Frankel will discuss his literary thriller of the apartheid era. Bloodlines, called "fierce and thrilling" by Kirkus Indie Review, is the riveting story of a family fractured by apartheid and a son who struggles to piece everything back together. The author will read excerpts from his novel and discuss South Africa’s troubled history from a personal and political perspective.  Reception to follow.

Wednesday, July 16th, 7 pm (doors open at 6:30)
William Waterway: Gay Head Lighthouse: The First Light on Martha’s Vineyard
Join us for the launch of this fascinating book. In 2013 it was determined the lighthouse needed to be moved from the eroding cliffs. We will learn about the lighthouse and how as a community we will save it. Slideshow.  Reception to follow.

Tuesday, July 22nd, 7 pm
Susie Bowman from Felix Neck: Martha’s Vineyard Seashells
Susie Bowman, naturalist and educator from Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, will join us to present a program on the seashells of Martha's Vineyard.  She will present a slide show and bring samples. 

Tuesday, July 29th, 7 pm
Peter Simon: Through the Lens 
For over 40 years, Peter Simon has documented some of the world’s most historic events from the protest-filled 1960’s, hippie communes, nude beaches and the New Age Movement to the greatest names in Rock n’ Roll, Reggae, Pop music; the action of Major League Baseball and the majesty of Martha’s Vineyard. Through his multimedia presentation, Simon speaks honestly about his photographic art, privileged background, alternative lifestyle explorations, and an addictive personality that finally got the better of him and affected his relationships with family and friends.

Research, Monitoring, and Restoration Displays Coming to Island Libraries

Photograph by Lanny McDowell

Beginning this month, Island libraries will be providing library visitors an opportunity to learn more about wildlife and conservation on Martha's Vineyard. Ten or more poster exhibits describing current wildlife research, monitoring, and restoration projects will rotate among the libraries of Chilmark, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Haven, starting in February and continuing through July 2014.

The first display to be featured at the Vineyard Haven Public Library will provide information on otter mapping and monitoring activities by BiodiversityWorks. The Oak Bluffs Library will display information on Quahog Culture from the MV Shellfish Group. Edgartown Library will feature information on prescribed fires from the TNC Fire Program, and the Chilmark Library will feature a display on osprey migration by Rob Bierregard. Future displays will be produced by The Nature Conservancy, Vineyard Conservation Society, Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, and others.

The library project was conceived by wildlife biologist Luanne Johnson, director of Biodiversity Works, a 501(c)3 non-profit founded on Martha’s Vineyard in March of 2011. The mission of Biodiversity Works is to promote conservation of biodiversity through wildlife research and monitoring while providing opportunities for people to engage in hands-on nature study. Over the past several months, Luanne has been in contact with a diverse range of organizations and individuals who monitor and study the wildlife of Martha's Vineyard, to put the project together.

Luanne presented her idea to the Martha's Vineyard Library Association last year, and the project was enthusiastically embraced by the librarians. Many of the projects to be featured have already been the subject of talks at various libraries that have drawn engaged and curious audiences. The ongoing displays will be an opportunity for library visitors to keep up with these projects, and will introduce new projects and conservation issues to the public. For more information, contact your local library, or visit BiodiversityWorks online at http://biodiversityworksmv.org.

Two Cool Events: Antarctica and Alaska

On Tuesday, February 16th at 7pm, oceanographer Andrew McDonnell will share photographs, stories, and basic science from his research and travels to Antarctica in 2009. He'll explore some of the scenery, wildlife, and people that make Antarctica such a unique and magnificent place. He will also explain some of the scientific objectives and operations on and around the continent and describe how a rapidly changing climate is threatening the ice, oceans and ecosystems of the region. Andrew McDonnell is a Ph.D. student in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and MIT.

On Sunday, March 21st, travel to Alaska without leaving Martha’s Vineyard. Joe Doebler, an experienced photographer, will share his recent visit to Alaska and the Bering Strait with a slide show. The program will begin at 2pm, and light refreshments will follow the talk. The Sunday with Friends series is sponsored by the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library. The mission of the Friends is to support the Library, to build a partnership between the Library and the community and to advocate for quality library service.