Marion Natural History Museum After-School Programs

on

The Marion Natural History Museum will offer the following programs through the winter and spring:

January 24: Rain Gutter Regatta with engineer Mark Whalen. Participants will be developing a model sailing vessel to “race the clock” as well as each other. The program includes pre-event discussion and demonstration of sailboat engineering and design: buoyancy, stability, lift and drag forces. Program is limited to 20; please register early.

February 14: Whales of Buzzards Bay with Woods Hole marine mammal biologist Michael Moore. Dr. Moore will discuss the biology of whales we might see along our coast, with special focus on the humpback whale. He’ll speak about how the current population of this species is faring and what we may or may not see in years to come. This program promises to be an exciting opportunity to ask Dr. Moore questions about these animals and explore some of the museum’s relevant collections.

February 28: BARK! Have you ever noticed how trees have different types of bark? Some smooth, some deeply furrowed, but all serve an important purpose. Let’s learn a little about tree identification using characteristics other than leaves.

March 14: Animal Track, Scat and Sign Basics. Gnawed wood, deer scat, and animal tracks left in the snow or mud. Come join us for a fun-filled adventure to learn about different animal tracks, how animals move, and the signs animals leave behind.

March 28: Designing with sticks and stones. Have you ever built a fort out of sticks? Some people might consider that a form of art as well as cover. We’ll be looking at examples of different arrangements of simple items from nature (sand, rocks, twigs, leaves) to create art, and attempt to create a simple piece ourselves.

April 4: Backyard Bugs. Together we will take a closer look into our own backyards at the world of insects. We will explore some of the insects we might find and how they have overcome challenges we would never consider. Come join us as we dive into the mysterious and misunderstood micro-cosmos of the insect world with Blake Dinius, Entomologist with Plymouth County Cooperative Extension

April 11: Early spring bird walk. Join us while we learn about some of the birds we see at our feeders or only glimpse briefly in flight. Justin Barrett, from the Nasketucket Bird Club, will be leading our walk. Please dress warmly.

April 25: Let’s dive into vernal pools. Let’s study these temporary natural nurseries. We will be using microscopes and magnifiers to take a close look at some of the plants and animals that rely on this important habitat (they will be returned to the same pool they came from).

May 9: Bird Island trip with Isaac Perry and the Marion Harbormaster’s office. We will see the habitat of some of the world’s rarest birds. This program fills very fast so please register early!

May 16: This IS rocket science! Join us while learning about propulsion and lift with Mike Cronin. Each child will have his/her own rocket with motor to assemble and set off. The cost for this program is $20 per participant. Submit payment to Marion Natural History Museum. Space is limited to 12 children. The program is limited to children ages 6 and older, on a first-come, first-served basis. Parent volunteers are encouraged to help with rocket assembly. For more information, go to www.marionmuseum.org.

Learn to Skate and Play Hockey

on

Gateway Youth Hockey will be holding its third Learn to Skate/Play Session at Tabor Academy for ages 3 and up. Dates include January 28, February 11, 18, & 25 from 9:00 – 9:50 am. The cost is $49 plus $3 fee if paying online. More information is available at www.warehamyouthhockey.com.

Geraldine M. (Perry) Nunes

on

Geraldine M. (Perry) Nunes, 93, of Mattapoisett died January 24, 2018 at Island Terrace Nursing Home after a long illness.

She was the wife of the late Renato C. “Renny” Nunes.

Born in Fairhaven, the daughter of the late George and Irene (Paull) Perry, she lived in Mattapoisett most of her life.

She will always be remembered as a sweet wonderful person.

Survivors include her 2 sons, Brian Nunes of Mattapoisett and Jeremy Nunes of Rochester; a brother, George Perry, Jr. of Fairhaven; and many nieces and nephews.

She was the sister of the late Beverly Greenwood and Shirley Carrol.

Private arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Community Nurse and Hospice Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

General Store Special Permit Granted

on

There are few buildings in the waterfront village neighborhood of Mattapoisett more iconic to the town’s past than the General Store situated at 10 Water Street. Although it cannot boast to be the oldest, the image of the structure has appeared in photographs from several centuries. But everything must change, even old buildings. Thus, as the needs of the current owners, Chris Demakis and Vince Cragin, have changed, they proposed changes to make the building better for modern living and commerce.

Seeking a Special Permit during the January 18 meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals, Demakis described their plans.

Stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor residential space are very steep, nearly ladder-like, Demakis said. He said their dog and visitors of all ages are finding the 11-inch spacing between the risers hard to scale. With this in mind, and a growing need for a bit more floor space in the first floor retail area, they requested a Special Permit. The permit would allow for a two-story addition measuring 10.6 feet by 16 feet on the eastside of the current structure.

“We’ll use the additional floor space in the store for coolers,” Demakis said, adding that those would be used for beer and wine products.

Demakis said that if the permit were approved, construction would take place during March at which time the store would be closed for the renovations.

Noting the fine job the partners have done on the building during their years of ownership, the ZBA members unanimously granted the request.

Also seeking a Special Permit for the construction of a new home located at 16 Cove Street was Donna McCaffery, represented by engineer Rich Charon.

Charon gave the ZBA members a history lesson on the vacant lot, explaining its complicated past from being part of a singular large parcel in the 1800s to becoming an unbuildable lot prior to public sewer extension into the beach community, and then to a buildable lot if older set-backs (those prior to 1973) were recognized by the ZBA now.

Charon said that through his research he was unable to find any time when the lot had been joined to another one situated across Cove Street, although the two lots had shared a common lot line.

Charon explained that in the 1920s a public right of way that still exists today was established; thus, the two lots – the leading characters in the deed story – could not be joined to make one larger lot.

McCaffery’s aunt had given her the lot in question and the other lot went to McCaffery’s cousin. Now with the availability of sewer, McCaffery sought to have the pre-1973 setbacks approved and build a new single family.

Charon said that the Conservation Commission had issued an Order of Conditions and that the Board of Health would allow the sewer tie-in upon approval of the Special Permit.

The ZBA members saw no problem with the project as presented, granting McCaffery a Special Permit.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals will be scheduled for February 15 at 6:00 pm in the town hall conference room if there are cases to be heard.

Mattapoisett Zoning Board of Appeals

By Marilou Newell

 

Tabor Academy News

on

Science@Work Lecture Series – On January 29 at 6:30 pm, Michael Retelle, Professor of Geology at Bates College (ME), will share information about Paleo-Climatology through his study of arctic glaciers. Retelle did his undergraduate studies at Salem State College (BS, 1976) prior to working as a field geologist on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in 1976. He did his graduate work in Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. His primary research interests include glacial and marine environments and climate change in northern New England and in the Canadian and Norwegian arctic.

His talk will focus on the recent environmental history in Svalbard, Norway, with an emphasis on the alpine glacier history from the ice expansion during the Little Ice Age of the 14th to 19th Centuries to the retreat that began in the beginning of the 20th Century that has accelerated in recent decades. Svalbard is an extensively glaciated archipelago in the Norwegian high arctic that sits at the boundary of polar and North Atlantic waters, climatologically sensitive to shifts in ocean currents and related air masses, impacting regional sea ice and glacier extent.

This lecture is free and open to the public and will be held in Lyndon South Auditorium, Stroud Academic Center, 232 Front Street, Marion, on January 29 at 6:30 pm.

Tabor Academy Marine Science Expands Reach – Tabor’s Marine Science faculty is building new connections to enhance programs and increase research opportunities for students.

Building on the success of past partnerships with University of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University in Aquaculture, and their long-standing project with the National Parks Service and U.S. Geological Survey in the Caribbean through the REEF program, Tabor Academy’s marine science faculty have been reaching out and making new connections in the community, bringing new opportunities to campus.

Jay Cassista, Director of Marine Science, has been hard at work visioning a program that gets students engaged in more local projects to expose them to national research projects. His efforts have put him in conversation with the world renowned Marine Biological Labs (MBL) in Woods Hole, associated with the University of Chicago. MBL was so impressed by Cassista and Tabor’s passion for getting high school students involved in ongoing scientific research projects, they have invited him to be a member of their Secondary Education Advisory Board. The board will provide guidance in developing curriculum and infrastructure for robust year-round secondary education programs at MBL.

According to MBL, “In its 125-year history, the MBL has played a unique and pivotal role in fundamental biological discovery. Our blend of research and education has been transformative for generations since 1888, when the first students and faculty arrived at the lab. Many of the world’s leading scientists have worked or studied here, and more than 50 scientists affiliated with the MBL have been recognized with Nobel Prizes.”

Beyond the MBL Advisory Board appointment, Cassista has also been working on developing an immediate partnership with MBL scientists that might provide a template for their desire to inspire more secondary school students to pursue marine science. At a recent meeting on campus, Cassista and senior leadership at Tabor discussed having MBL scientist come to Tabor to do demonstrations, as well as inviting Tabor students to their labs in Woods Hole to gain experience using world-class instrumentation and to assist with MBL research projects. Cassista is already working on a proposal to expand MBL’s reach in the Southcoast in their effort to map flora above the high tide marks in the area. Tabor is planning to map Sippican Harbor and identify plants that might be affected by a 10-cm rise in sea level. The Tabor faculty are discussing several other research projects students can engage with next fall to help MBL collect data and present findings as part of a student research team.

Further, Elizabeth Leary, faculty and manager of Tabor’s Schaefer Wet Lab, is working with her students on the Oceans Genome Legacy (OGL), which collects samples of tissue from local specimens to be put into a gene bank for marine organisms. This project was suggested to Tabor by MBL, which is also participating in this endeavor; the OGL is part of Northeastern University.

Partnering with such high-level organizations gives Tabor students further exposure to professional research methods, opportunities to analyze data that seeks to answer vital questions about our ocean home, and exposes them to a wide array of inspiring scientists involved in research worldwide. The possibilities are endless!

“Helping Our Kids Navigate Our Technology-Driven World.” Join the tri-town school communities of the ORR School District and Tabor Academy for a free evening lecture for parents by technology consultant and digital safety expert Katie Greer at Tabor Academy on February 2 at 6:30 pm in the Fireman Center for Performing Arts in Hoyt Hall at 235 Front Street, Marion.

Katie Greer, a nationally recognized digital safety expert and Advisory Board Member for The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe) has been featured in USA Today, TIME Magazine, CNN, Inside Edition, Cosmopolitan and more. She speaks with students and families across the country about the appropriate use of technology. Applauding the amazing power of our devices to connect us and amplify powerful ideas, Katie’s focus is on healthy use, understanding consequences for inappropriate action, and how parents can support children as they learn how to live and work in our technological world.

This talk is applicable to parents with children in 6th-12th grade and will help them with strategies to help navigate the digital waters with their children. Katie Greer will clarify the trends and challenges for each age level, providing parents with proactive initiatives to keep their children safe and aware online, now and into the future.

Tabor Academy and the ORR School District are pleased to bring this important topic to the community through this free lecture, open to the public. Please join us on February 2 at 6:30 PM at Tabor’s Fireman Center for the Performing Arts in Hoyt Hall, 235 Front Street, Marion. Reservations are not required, open seating.

Project GROW 2018-2019

on

Project GROW applications for the 2018-2019 school year are now available online for children who will be 3-5 years old by September 1, 2018. Project GROW is an integrated preschool program with three locations: Sippican School, Center School, and Rochester Memorial School. The program has a Monday/Wednesday/Friday group and a Tuesday/Thursday group, and both run from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. This program does not provide transportation, so families must arrange drop off and pick up. Tuition for the program is $25 per day. Financial assistance is available for families who qualify.

For more information about Project GROW, or for an application, please check out our Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/ORREarlyChildhoodOffice. You can also call the office at 508-748-1863 or email ChelseaHarrison@oldrochester.org.

Marijuana Moratorium Ready for Special Town Meeting

on

A very brief meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, January 22 to review and sign the articles for the upcoming Special Town Meeting – a meeting that will ask voters to put a temporary hold on recreational and medical marijuana sales in the seaside community.

With the fast approaching April 1 launch date of state rules and regulations governing the sale of marijuana, cities and towns have been hustling to impose temporary moratoriums in an effort to slow outright implementation and research options for establishing local bylaws.

Planning Board public meetings were held and the public – both pro- and anti-recreational and medical use of the plant – found the majority in favor of a temporary moratorium.

Now the Planning Board is moving forward with a public meeting to be held on Monday, February 5, at 7:00 pm at Old Hammondtown School. At that time, the public is invited to review the warrant articles being proposed by the Planning Board.

The Special Town Meeting Warrant Article 1 asks voters to place a temporary moratorium on recreational marijuana establishments. The moratorium article covers “…cultivation, processing, distribution, possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes.…”

Article 2 covers medical marijuana treatment centers and also asks voters to approve a moratorium. This, too, covers cultivation, possessing of food, oils, and similar ingested or applied products. Section 12.3 reads “…the town hereby adopts a temporary moratorium on the use of land or structures for Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers.”

“We’re bringing back Attorney Katherine Laughman to answer any questions voters may have, especially concerning Article 2, medical marijuana sales,” said Town Administrator Michael Gagne.

Gagne said that the Planning Board confirmed that coverage of that aspect of marijuana issue was not fully vetted during previously held public meetings.

With that in mind, Laughman and Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain will respond to any questions.

The moratoria, if accepted at the Special Town Meeting and approved by the Attorney General, would remain in place until December 31, 2018.

A two-thirds vote is required for approval of the new temporary bylaws.

The Special Town Meeting is scheduled for February 12 at 6:30 pm at Old Rochester Regional High School’s auditorium. The warrant is available in hardcopy at Town Hall and is viewable and downloadable from the Town’s website, www.mattapoisett.net.

Also during the meeting, the selectmen were advised by Gagne that the state would be providing some sewer rate relief funding.

Gagne also presented the selectmen for their signatures two PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) programs for solar arrays constructed off of Crystal Spring Road.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, February 13 at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

 

Polar Plunge Warms Hearts

on

“Celebratory, inclusive, and a little crazy.” These words, spoken by Tabor Academy junior Grace Ryan (Class of ‘19), aptly characterize last Sunday’s Polar Plunge at Silvershell Beach in Marion.

Proceeds from the annual plunge benefit the school’s Special Olympics Young Athletes Program, which pairs Tabor student volunteers with cognitively- and developmentally-delayed children to work on building fundamental skills.

The mood was festive as students from Tabor and Sandwich High School (fundraising rivals) showed up at Silvershell Beach – many in shorts and flip-flops – for their second annual dip.

After a few opening remarks and words of gratitude, it was go-time. Locking hands for moral support, participants raced into – and right back out of – water that was the same frigid 42 degrees as the air outside. Even Tim Cleary, dean of the freshman and sophomore class, took the plunge – fully clothed, hat and all.

The tally as of Monday was $8,000 raised from pledges, donations, and sales of “Freezin’ for a Reason” Polar Plunge sweatshirts at Sunday’s event. Almost $1,100 of that was raised by Tabor’s Annalisa Souza (Class of ‘18), who was last year’s top fundraiser as well.

It was over in a blur, literally, but the benefits will warm these students and young athletes for months.

By Deina Zartman

Rochester Council On Aging

on

The Rochester Council on Aging announces the following upcoming meetings:

– Wednesday, January 24: Tax appointments will be held from 9:00 am – noon. Senator’s Office Hours are from noon to 2:00 pm.

– Friday, January 26: Bonjour! Conversational French I & II will meet from 9:30 – 11:30 am.

– Sunday, January 28: January day trip. Celebrate the New Year at the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, Boston and lunch at the China Pearl Restaurant. We leave at 9:00 am and return at 4:00 pm. Lunch from the menu is your only cost.

Please be sure to sign up well in advance to ensure your seat on the van!

Call the Rochester Council on Aging at 508-763-8723 for more information regarding these events. If you need transportation, please call the Senior Center at least 24- 48 hours in advance. Thank you.

FORM Brunch Fundraiser

on

The Friends of Old Rochester Music (F.O.R.M.) Brunch will take place on Sunday, January 28 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm at The Inn on Shipyard Park. The brunch will include a full buffet menu and live music performed by ORR high school and junior high school students. All are welcome and tickets are available – $30 adult/$15 children – by contacting F.O.R.M. at orrform02739@gmail.com. All proceeds will benefit F.O.R.M. to provide direct financial support for the students in the ORRHS and ORRJHS music programs.