Join Us at the 3rd Annual Earth Day Festival!
Celebrate Earth Day with The Vineyard Way crew at the 3rd Annual Earth Day Festival this Saturday, April 19th, at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum! The event will run from 12-3PM and promises a fun, family-friendly afternoon of sustainability-themed activities, live music, and local vendors committed to protecting our island’s environment. We’ll be there sharing the […]
Preparing for Rising Waters: Updating Floodplain & Wetlands Bylaws
As climate change accelerates, Martha’s Vineyard is already experiencing the impacts of sea level rise, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding. To respond to these growing risks, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) is working closely with town governments to update local floodplain and wetlands bylaws—key tools for protecting both public safety and the island’s natural […]
MVP 2.0 Project: Advancing Climate Resilience on Martha’s Vineyard
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) is happy to announce that it has received grant funding from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program to support climate resilience planning across the six Island towns. This new initiative, the MVP 2.0 Project, builds upon the earlier MVP Community Resilience Building workshops conducted several years ago, which identified […]
A Message About Leaf Blowers from the MVC Climate Change Coordinator
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Change Coordinator sent a letter to the editors of our two island news outlets this week. Here is the letter, shared to expand reach and ensure visibility: To the Editor: Somebody has to advocate for the natural world, I’ve always believed, since it doesn’t have a voice of its own. […]
Flood Safety and Storm Tide Awareness: Protecting Our Island
Living on Martha’s Vineyard means we’re surrounded by the beauty of the ocean, but it also means staying aware of the risks that come with coastal living—particularly flooding and storm tides. Flood safety and storm tide awareness are crucial for islanders, especially as weather patterns shift and extreme storms become more frequent. Dukes County’s GIS […]
Call for Donations! Help Us Understand the Economic Impacts of Climate Change
Climate change will impact the local economy in many ways, including the high cost of adaptation, town budget shortfalls due to the loss of property tax income (when buildings are lost due to storms and sea level rise), job loss, loss of recreational income (beach erosion), cost of living increases, loss of ecosystem services (salt […]
Massachusetts’ Wildfire Season: Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead
As 2024 comes to a close, Massachusetts experienced one of its most intense wildfire seasons to date. Beginning in late August, dry conditions quickly escalated into an unprecedented fall fire season. Between October 1st and November 27th alone, over 662 wildfires burned across 4,000 acres statewide. Drought, wind, and the annual leaf drop created a […]
Protecting our Floodplains and Wetlands
Protecting the Island’s floodplains and wetlands is critical to climate change resilience and public health and safety. Floodplains are so named because they flood in storms. Wetlands absorb floodwater. As part of The Vineyard Way, the Vineyard Climate Action Plan, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission is working with the town Planning Boards, Conservation Commissions and Climate […]
2024 Accomplishments and 2025 Goals!
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) is the regional planning agency for Martha’s Vineyard Island and the Elizabeth Islands (together, comprising the County of Dukes County). The mission of the MVC is twofold: (1.) To assist our region’s 7 towns (Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Gosnold, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, & West Tisbury) with planning expertise; and (2.) Protect […]
Martha’s Vineyard Public Food Forest Plan
The MVC has partnered with landscape designer and MV Vision Fellow, Mary Sage Napolitan, to secure a grant through the MA Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program to create a Public Food Forest Plan for the island. Public, perennial food forests (diverse, layered plantings of food producing trees, shrubs, and perennials that mimic the structure of a […]
