Upcoming Events at the Elizabeth Taber Library

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Throughout October check out a pumpkin at the Elizabeth Taber Library!  Pick up a pumpkin, take it home to decorate and return it to the library by October 28 to enter our Great Pumpkin Contest.  (Carved pumpkins will be accepted only between October 26-28.)

            True Crime Book Club hosted by Jay Pateakos – Tuesday October 11, 6:30. The True Crime Book Club will be discussing Blood and Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder that Hooked America on True Crime by Joe Pompeo.

            Tabletop Gaming Club – Saturday October 15, 11 am. Open to all players, all ages welcome.  This month will feature the games, Smash Up and Pandemic.

            Ghost Glow Hunt for Kids – Friday October 21, 4 pm. Over a hundred ghosts are hiding in the library!  Grab a glow stick and join the hunt for spooky prizes.

            Glass Blowing demonstration with glass artist Kim Savoie – Saturday October 22, 11 am.

See a demonstration of hand held glass blowing techniques outdoors at the library.

            Tim Weisberg from Spooky Southcoast – Thursday October 27, 6:30 pm. Tim Weisberg visits the Elizabeth Taber Library for a thrilling and chilling program on local legends.  Paranormal vortexes, ghosts, UFOs, cryptids and true crime in our own backyard! 

            Great Pumpkin Party – Friday October 28 at 5 pm. Join the library for pumpkin decorating, spooky book crafts and more!  Help us pick some winners in our Great Pumpkin Contest!

            For more information on the Elizabeth Taber Library, visit us at www.ElizabethTaberLibrary.org or call us at 508-748-1252.

MOSAC Measuring Point Road Progress

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            Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission Chairman John Rockwell called a special public meeting for October 6 to discuss progress on the Point Road Bike Path.

            In discussing progress with clearing along the designated area where the Point Road Bike Path will run alongside the road, MOSAC member Deb Ewing said, “It still looks like there’s a lot to do.”

            MOSAC member Amanda Chace said many logs look “lovely and straight” and maybe someone in town would like to have them as lumber.

            “Whatever they get for them will cover the cost of removal for us,” was Rockwell’s hope.

            He stated the importance of finding out exactly where the property line is in the area of the path that butts up against Point Road and Joanna Drive properties.

            In looking over a map, Rockwell focused on a turning point opposite the town bound. “(We) need something there. There have to be three bounds,” he said.

            Chace agreed that “an objective marker” can help bridge the communication gap with landowners in the neighborhood.

            Rockwell said he could send out a request to a surveying company as early as October 7. MOSAC doesn’t need a plan, he noted, just some cement bounds installed. Rockwell said the town bounds on site will make it easy for the installer and that the cement bounds cost approximately $400 each.

            “We can whine about the price,” said Rockwell, noting that an advertised bid process is necessary and suggested sending one out to three to six prospective bidders. Chace suggested that the proximity of more-locally based job bidders should favor MOSAC.

            Rockwell asked MOSAC member Deb Ewing for an update on the commission’s Council on Aging members. Ewing said one man who volunteered wants to keep doing what he has been doing, but that selection of any more help should be based on the new year just begun.

            The forestry plan was discussed, and Rockwell said forester Thomas Farrell will be at the project site on October 29 to do his field work. “He’s going to give a public talk as part of the agreement,” said Rockwell.

            As the project nears 75% completion, Rockwell said the next step is public feedback; 100% design, he said, still has to go through the town permitting process, and details need vetting. Rockwell said the project needs an easement between Brew Fish and Baldwin Brothers. “Progress is being made,” he said.

            Rockwell said he has received a document from the Stewards of Open Space and that he would share the information in it with MOSAC members.

            MOSAC adjourned without scheduling next month’s public meeting.

Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission

By Mick Colageo

The MAC Halloween Parade Returns

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The volunteer witches of the Marion Art Center have been brewing up plans for resuming our annual Halloween Parade around the town on Monday, October 31. Costumed characters of all ages are invited to join in for this fun family event! Participants should meet in front of the Marion Music Hall (we’ll line up on Cottage Street) at 4:00 pm. Under the direction of Hannah Moore, the Sippican Elementary School drummers will lead the parade of witches and princesses, goblins and ghouls, wild animals, and spooky spirits. The parade route will head south on Front Street, up Main Street, north onto Spring Street and back down Cottage to the Music Hall. Once back at the Music Hall, the good witches of the Marion Art Center will hand out surprise goody bags. Come one, come all!

Mattapoisett PTA Fun Run

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The Mattapoisett PTA is pleased to be partnered with Booster to sponsor a Fun Run Fundraiser for Center School and Old Hammondtown School (OHS)! The fundraising effort has already started and is open until October 18!

            Our goal is to raise $20,000 to support OHS playground updates, bring arts and science enrichment programs to both schools and help defray the cost of field trips. Our playground needs repairs and safety updates for it to continue to be a fun safe place for children to play! We are also very excited for the return programs into our schools and field trips! The Mattapoisett PTA supports grades Kindergarten through 6th.

            The Fun Run fundraiser is designed to bring character trait lessons to our students over a six-day period, while at the same time each student visits a different National Park during the Grand Land Adventure! The Fun Run event involves every class being announced through a tunnel and excited to walk or run during each grade’s designated time while cheered on by teachers, staff and families (weather permitting.)

            Would you consider making a donation to help our school? In return, we’d love to post your logo on our donation site for families to see and promote your business to our community through social media.

            There are ways to give: Online at: mybooster.com/v3/dash/46tDTmj4 or check donation. Make check payable to Mattapoisett PTA and please email: ptamattapoisett@gmail.com for us to send to an address for your donation. Feel free to email Bridget Bernier at ptamattapoisett@gmail.com.

            Thanks for supporting our fundraising efforts this year.

Natalie Thayer Richards

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Natalie Thayer Richards, 94, of Mattapoisett, passed away on Monday October 10th after a life very well lived. Born in Weymouth, MA to Howard and Madeline Richards, the family soon moved to Norton, MA where they turned an apple orchard ruined by bad luck and a hard freeze into a celebrated poultry business. Natalie was extremely proud of her Mother and Dad who eventually put down roots in Antassawamock. It was there that she developed her love of sailing and the sea. Natalie graduated from Middlebury College with a teaching degree and went on to teach English in Westwood for a time before the call of the sea beckoned her to relocate to her small cottage on Buzzards Bay. For many years she tutored youngsters in the community there, sharing her love of reading and passion for education with her students. She continued to share her love of learning with the wider community into her later years. One of her greatest joys was volunteering at the South Coast Learning Network in New Bedford. She also volunteered at the Shepherd’s Pantry in Fairhaven. An avid traveler, she made many lifelong friends across the globe. When Natalie wasn’t doing for others, or off on an adventure, she enjoyed gardening, reading, cooking, painting, throwing pottery, weaving baskets and working with stained glass. For years she would get up at first light to go for a swim in Buzzards Bay. She shared her many interests and talents with her nephew and nieces, their children, and her many loving friends in Antassawamock, Mattapoisett and beyond. Her family remembers her for her many gifts and talents, her love of boating, and for showing them all up by catching the biggest fish using only a handline. Natalie is survived by her younger brother, Edward and his wife, Lorraine, of Laconia NH, their four children, and eleven grandnieces and nephews. As is her wish, there will be no formal ceremony but she will be memorialized in a small private celebration of life with her family.

Katheryn Lynn Babbitt

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Longtime Marion, MA resident Katheryn Lynn Babbitt, 94, passed away at Waveny Care Center on October 4, 2022 in New Canaan, Connecticut.

            She was born in Princeton, West Virginia on April 27, 1928 to Francis Norton Davidson and Eva Gallaher Davidson.  Following Mr. Davidson’s work-related accidental death when Katy was but eight months old, her mother subsequently married Colonel John Clementson Key, a professor of mathematics and engineering at The Citadel, and the family lived in Charleston.

            Katy graduated from Meminger Girls’ High School and the College of Charleston, where she was a History major and President of her Chi Omega sorority chapter. Shortly after graduation she and Edwin (Ted) V. Babbitt were married, and they soon moved to Marion, MA where her husband joined the Babbitt Steam Specialty family business in New Bedford.

            During her years living in Marion, along with her husband Katy was a communicant of St. Gabriel’s Church and during the 1950s was a founding member of the Marion Art Center’s theater group called The Hornblowers.  She actively participated as a member of The Sippican Tennis Club, The Kittansett Club, the Country Club of Charleston, and The Beverly Yacht Club. 

            She was predeceased by her husband Ted Jr. and son Ted III.  Katy is survived by her daughter Donna (John) Reinman, two grandsons, and two great grandchildren.

            She also leaves her daughter-in-law Jane Babbitt, her four grandsons and granddaughter, and two great grandsons.

            An only child, Katy was a loving, kind person who retained a lifelong affection for her native South.  She spent many happy days sailing with family, playing bridge, tennis and golf with friends, and enjoying her many poodles including Timothy, her companion for most of her final 14 years.  She will be greatly missed by all who remember her considerable beauty, gracious charm and gentle personality.  The family wishes to thank the Inn at Waveny and her caregiver Florence, who provided excellent care in her final years.

            Internment will be private, followed by a memorial service to take place at St. Gabriel’s in Marion, MA on at 2pm October 21st. 

Researcher Brings Belize to Mattapoisett

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If you are thinking about heading south for the winter, you might want to consider Belize. As seen through the eyes of biology researcher and wildlife photographer Joy Marzolf, it is wonderland in full, living color.

            Hosted by the Mattapoisett Library’s Purrington Lecture Series on October 7, Marzolf made an hour-long photographic presentation, bringing to life all the color and all the vibrancy from insects and animals to waterways and lush vegetation that this paradise on earth holds.

            Photography, beyond the job of capturing thrilling frames, plays a significant role in Marzolf’s work as a volunteer researcher with the Crocodile Research Coalition located in the Placencia Peninsula. The coalition was established just a few years ago to study and find ways to protect native crocodile species. The first step in a project of this sort is data collection.

            Marzolf talked about dark nights spent with team members in small, narrow boats, seeking eye shines, reflections from crocodile eyes, in waterways throughout the peninsula. While Belize has its own native species of crocodiles called Morelet’s crocodile with a broader snout and head, the American crocodiles are also common in the area. Cross breeding of the two is well established, she said.

            Another predator in the jungles of Belize is the jaguar. Marzolf displayed images of wild boar prints in beach sand that had been stepped in by jaguars meshing the two into one. Other large predator cats found there include pumas, ocelots, jaguarundis and margays.

            Birds both migrating and native to the region number in the tens of thousands, Marzolf explained, as she shared brilliant images from her frequent travels. Warblers of all types, storks and herons, varieties of falcons, ospreys and, of course, parrots.

            Of the latter, Marzolf noted they are struggling.

            While the thrust of the presentation was a focus on plant and wildlife, such a discussion cannot sidestep the impact of humans on natural resources. Commercial development and developers are not unchecked by local environmental officials and rules. But Marzolf said, while mitigation of commercial development is part of the permitting process, developers can and do reach far beyond restrictions. She said mangrove swamps get cut down, trees removed and wildlife habitats ruined.

            Part of the work of the CRC, Marzolf said, is conservation and education. One of its primary missions is protection of crocodile habitats, as well as protection of the animals themselves from illegal harvesting.

            On her journeys, Marzolf has documented manuals. She specifically noted deer is a favorite of the predator cats. Manatees are also native to the area and are protected. Unlike Florida where swimming with manatees is permitted, such activity in Belize is restricted.

            And not to be forgotten, Marzolf said, “If you are afraid of spiders…” your nerves will be tested, as spiders and tarantulas hunt at night. Eat or be eaten – law of the jungle. Oh yes, and don’t forget the snakes, many of which are harmless to humans, she assured all.

            Not forgotten were the ants. A quick internet search turns up numerous websites featuring the ants of Belize. Marzolf showed a short video clip of leaf-cutter ants in long processions, bringing tiny triangles of green-leaf matter back to their nest.

            Belize gained its independence from England in 1981 but remains part of the British Commonwealth. It is a fairly easy place to get to from here. A direct flight to Miami and then a short trip over to Belize will find you enjoying this Caribbean-like country in Central Standard Time year-round.

            Marzolf suggested that visitors should go to well established environmental preserves to learn from trained tour guides about the natural wonders of this enchanted land of iridescent beauty. To learn more about Belize and Marzolf’s other journeys, visit thejoysofnature.com.

Mattapoisett Library

By Marilou Newell

MLT Salty’s Soiree

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Join the Mattapoisett Land Trust on Saturday October 22 from 5:00 – 7:30 pm for an evening of fun, family-friendly, fall activities! Salty’s Soiree takes place at Dunseith Park on the corner of Rt. 6 and North Street in Mattapoisett (aka Salty the Seahorse Park.) We will have music by Jeff Dunn, storytelling by Jackson Gillman the “Stand-up Chameleon,” a toasty bonfire and plenty of s’mores making materials! Our latest Storywalk will also be posted at the park: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn.

            Please park in the village and walk, do not drive to the soiree; there will not be parking available at Dunseith. Bring a flashlight with you to find your way back to your car at the end of the night. In the event of inclement weather, the rain date for the event is Saturday October 29, same time and place.

            You won’t want to miss this quintessential autumn evening. All are welcome!

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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Unfortunately, rain canceled the tractor pull at the Rochester Country Fair. However, it did bring back memories of horse pulls that I went to as a child. Horse pulls predated tractor and truck pulls. Around the 1860’s, it was horses that pulled farming machinery. Farmers loved to brag about how strong their horses were, and all the bragging led to contests to prove their claims.

            To show off horses or to settle arguments, it was customary to take down a barn door, lay it flat on the ground and then people would pile on. The goal was to test the horse’s strength and the farmer whose horse could pull the most people won bragging rights. It didn’t take long for horse pulling events to show up at county fairs. Even after tractors replaced horses in the pulling of farm machines, horse pulling contests continued into the 1900’s.

            The contests usually had teams of two draft horses that would pull a stone boat or weighted sled. The winner would be the team that pulled the most weight a certain distance. The picture with this article is of a horse pull that was held as part of Rochester’s 300th celebration in 1979. It was held at a field owned by Kips Bray on Rounseville Road across from Town Hall.

            There were teams of Belgium Draft horses in the heavyweight class, and there was a lightweight or a “free for all” class. The horse teams in the heavyweight class pulled a stone bolt or sled loaded with increasingly large boulders which weighed from 500 lbs. to 1500 lbs. They also had contests with ponies competing against each other and one with three ponies versus a lightweight horse.

            While less common today, you can still go to a horse pull across the country. In Massachusetts, the Cummington Fair and the Topsfield Fair still offer a chance to see a horse pull. Perhaps, the biggest difference between then and now is that the horses are no longer work animals, but rather equine athletes who are trained exclusively for these events.

By Connie Eshbach

Yes Vote Fails to Cool Heads

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            The Marion Conservation Commission was finally ready to approve the restoration plan by owners of the Marion Golf Club during its September 28 public meeting, setting the table for the removal of the Enforcement Order under which the 10 South Lane club’s owners have been working.

            But a conclusion to the dispute came without the typical sense of celebration and unity between the town and the applicant.

            Once the commissioners finished discussing the latest revisions to the planting plan as presented by Brian Madden from LEC Environmental, the glove ironically came off.

            Representing the club, Will Fulton asked for the floor and introduced his concern with “trespassing issues” and said the process made the part-time Marion resident feel “bullied.”

            “We are doing something here for the public good, and no one here seems to want to recognize that,” he said, noting what he considers the commission’s intrusions on his property to have hurt his “sense of the community.”

            Acknowledging that Fulton was trying to establish the property owners’ side of the story, Conservation Commission Chairman Jeff Doubrava said that the town has engaged with the golf course for over two years on the case.

            “We don’t issue enforcement orders,” said Doubrava, who in his 10th year sitting on the commission noted that this was only the third such order through a private party, calling it “a rare event.”

            Another course representative, Michael Kane, clarified that the golf course did not perform the work. “We reject the notion that this action against the Marion Golf Course has any standing at all because the golf course didn’t do this work,” he said.

            Doubrava argued that the contractors did not, as asserted by the applicant, remove invasive species, but Kane argued that course owners “engaged someone to remove invasive species from that area,” following state-recommended guidelines.

            ConCom member Shaun Walsh told Kane that there is no exemption from Wetlands Act permitting for invasive-species removal, no matter how beneficial the action to the land. “I agree with Jeff, this was not invasive-species removal, but even if it was, it was subject to permitting,” said Walsh.

            Walsh called Fulton’s assertion of trespassing as “absolutely, factually inaccurate – for the record,” going on to emphasize that Fulton’s topic was not relevant to the business of the Marion Conservation Commission.

            Fulton reiterated his “feeling” that the course has undeservedly suffered the commission’s wrath. He said he and others are pouring money into the course and losing money on it and that the commission members and their families are persecuting the golf course “harder than any other group in Marion.”

            Doubrava reasserted that the Enforcement Order stems from clear-cutting done in the buffer zone and the wetlands area, calling it one of the “more-egregious things” requiring commission response. Fulton vehemently disagreed with Doubrava’s characterization of the activity.

            Kane sought confirmation that the issue is now solved (paving the way for cancellation of the existing Enforcement Order.) Doubrava acknowledged the direction but said, “We seem to be throwing hand grenades in the air right now.”

            Kane apologized, but Fulton reopened his Zoom microphone to protest any apology for his offense to what he considers punishment from the commission for trying to open the Marion Golf Club to all walks of life. “We are trying to do something that’s good,” Fulton stressed, reiterating trespassing accusations against Walsh’s daughter.

            Walsh told Fulton he is sorry that Fulton feels as he does but that bringing someone’s family member into the dispute is “wholly inappropriate, well beyond the scope of this public meeting.”

            Dissatisfied with the narrative of the history of the situation, Kane said that as the Marion Harbor East Trust, his group filed a forestry plan with the state that he said was approved. He said some of the suggested cutting ended when it was learned that the area being cut should have shown up on the GIS map.

            Walsh contradicted Kane’s narrative, saying that the cutting started in a jurisdictional area prior to the filing of a forestry plan. Kane countered that after the course’s forestry plan was approved and before a cutting plan was approved, the property owners were allowed by the state to cut in areas not near wetlands.

            “We thought that area where we started was not close to a wetland, but it turned out it was,” said Kane, noting that the Cease and Desist order from the town stopped cutting “for about a year.”

            Doubrava said the commission was “not going to go point to point” with Kane, who told the commission he was looking to establish common ground in fact.

            Doubrava said Marion’s first Cease and Desist order was issued not for the cutting plan but for the undergrowth in the resource area. Kane disagreed on the history of the project, saying the Cease and Desist was withdrawn because the landowners were found to be doing nothing wrong.

            “You guys filed a Cease and Desist (order) on us when we had a legitimate cutting plan and a legitimate forestry plan,” insisted Kane.

            Kane insisted his goal in discussing the matter was to confirm his understanding of the facts of the case.

            “We understand that you have jurisdiction, that we should have come to you,” he said. “But … we weren’t mowing the underbrush because we didn’t like the way it looked. We’re mowing it to get rid of invasive species.”

            Walsh reiterated the town’s position prohibiting “mowing down to the ground” invasive species and said the commission had held several public meetings devoted to vet the activity going at the course. He said the state could recommend such action “selectively” but not “indiscriminately.”

            Representing the town, attorney A. Alexander Weisheit of KP Law recommended the discussion be ended in favor of a vote. The property owners’ legal representation disagreed with putting a lid on the discussion. She said the goal posts are moved every time the applicant comes back with a revision for the commission’s approval.

            The commission finally voted to close the public hearing and immediately voted unanimously to accept the restoration plan.

            The Enforcement Order will be canceled when the commission determines that the conditions have been carried out. The two sides’ attorneys agreed that any future site visits by commissioners are preceded by 24 hours’ notice in writing.

            In David Davignon’s absence, Deb Ewing represented the Cove in Marion Trust, Jenney Lane, in its Notice of Intent to conduct proposed maintenance of vegetation.

            Ewing: State Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife (aka MassWildlife) said there is no problem mowing the field so long as it is done within the planned time frame of October through April.

            Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee acknowledged the continuance was granted in light of the NEHP letter. “I think we need to discuss the consent issue,” he recommended to the commission.

            Walsh said the commission needed to discuss the NOI and regulations requirements for approval from the landowner (Town of Marion) when the project location is not owned by the applicant. Walsh referenced an Order of Conditions voted according to a 2015 application, but he suggested the current applicants acquire permission from town management.

            “I don’t think we can issue an Order of Conditions until that regulatory requirement is satisfied,” he said.

            Ewing said there have been no changes to the 2015 application, but Doubrava said the NOI needs the signature of the Select Board or himself. He also said he thinks the plan looks different than what was approved in 2015.

            As an example, Doubrava pointed out that the original Order of Conditions sanctioned mowing in the buffer zone, noting that no mowing was planned for the Department of Public Works area. He agreed that the proposal has not changed.

            Acknowledging the proposal’s positive impact on diamondback terrapins, Doubrava questioned the proposal’s assertion of positive impact on the box-turtle health and population.

            “I’m still struggling with the necessity of cutting bordering, vegetated wetland,” said Walsh, disputing the interpretation of the 2015 Order of Conditions as validating the necessity of cutting DPW wetlands for the sake of box-turtle habitat. He cited state-sponsored literature stating that the box turtle thrives in a variety of terrains. “It’s not like the Diamondback Terrapin, that has to have access to the water, unimpeded.”

            Ewing said the applicants have not cut wetlands and citing both Diamondback Terrapins and box turtles nesting in the field, she sought clarification.

            “I’m not saying it’s necessary to cut wetlands … the terrapins don’t just nest in the garden, they do look for other areas, and often they will go up and across roads and into people’s yards and driveways because it’s low growing,” said Ewing. “They do come through that field. … We’re not trying to mow any wetlands.”

            Doubrava shared a map of the 2015 plan with the meeting, and Ewing said the applicants do not mow in the area of concern. “Is it possible to strike that from the condition …” she asked.

            Walsh said Google maps indicated mowing in that area but also said the proposal does not need revision but just an added condition that the Conservation Commission is only sanctioning mowing in the buffer zone to bordering vegetated wetlands.

            “I believe that’s all we were asking for,” said Ewing. “When you walk through that area, you do see a lot of nesting sites.”

            ConCom member Emil Assing agreed with the positivity of the project but said the DPW open space being used as meadows would be better served by letting it grow back while the applicants continue maintaining the meadow area as is.

            At Walsh’s recommendation, the commission voted to continue the public hearing to Wednesday, October 12, at 7:00 pm.

            In other action, the Barbara L. Grainger Trust was issued an Order of Conditions for a float-anchor-improvement project at 33 East Avenue.

            Kenneth and Darla Parsons were voted an Amended Order of Conditions for a proposed reconstruction of a house and garage at 27 Dexter Road.

            The commission voted to extend by three years a permit for activity that Robert and Joan Wilson are conducting at 43 Holly Road.

            Guey-Lee said a letter to a property owner whose constructed pier resulted in some destruction of the saltmarsh at 122 Register Road.

            The members voted to appoint Walsh to represent the commission to the Stewards of Community Open Space Committee.

            The commissioners offered no comment to the Planning Board regarding a proposed subdivision off River Road.

            The commission conducted executive session at the start of the meeting to discuss ongoing litigation with regard to Purpose 3 of the Massachusetts General Law c. 30A, Section 21(a)(3).

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo