Outreach & Education
Connect • Protect • Reflect
Connect human and natural communities . . .
. . . Protect the land and water to allow all to flourish . . .
. . . Reflect on how to build a sustainable future togeth
The Vineyard Conservation Society was formed in the 1960s, back at the dawn of the modern environmental movement. Our mission then, as now, was to protect for future generations what is most precious about Martha’s Vineyard: the land, air, water, wildlife, and natural beauty of this unique island. In practice, for most of our first five decades, this meant conserving land through purchases and conservation restrictions, working to preserve family farms, fighting inappropriate development proposals, and advocating for what were then novel ideas —recycling, energy conservation, preventing pollution, and more. Like many of the early environmental groups founded in what we might call the Silent Spring era (in honor of Rachel Carlson’s groundbreaking book), it would be fair to say that “protection” has been our guiding principle.
However, as we look at the environmental challenges facing the Vineyard today, it is clear that achieving a truly sustainable future for the island will require a broader constituency for what we are fighting so hard to protect. That’s why, while VCS continues our work in land conservation, we have increasingly turned attention in recent years to the public outreach and education side of the mission. Under the banner of Connect • Protect • Reflect, VCS is seeking to re-energize our community’s environmental awareness through a variety of programs that help us connect to the natural world, and reflect on its importance to us all. This includes: public events, like the annual Earth Day Beach Cleanup and monthly Beach BeFrienders outings, the “Nature as Inspiration” film festival (in collaboration with MV Film Society), and the long-running (and ever-popular) interpretive Winter Walks series; youth initiatives like the Art of Conservation student art contest, collaborations with students and teachers on waste reduction efforts, and a variety of activities for littler kids; and the creation and sharing of resources on topics of local importance, from Vineyard Lawns to climate change.
The simple, takeaway message of Connect • Protect • Reflect is that to protect this island for the future, people today must care. Unfortunately, for too many of us growing challenges in other aspects of life have reduced the urgency, or at least the salience, of environmental concerns. Somehow, against the background of those challenges, and constant personal distractions, we must care enough to take serious action: through votes at town meeting, individual choices in lifestyle and consumption, and active support of organizations like VCS, the public Land Bank, and the private land trusts. The threats to our island’s environment are real, and growing. To protect our future — to make Martha’s Vineyard a place where concepts of sustainability are practiced, not just preached — we must connect and reflect in the present.
Top image: a collage created from sketches drawn by the Island community in response to the question, “What do you most want to protect?” (more background here)