Edgartown Beach Wins "Best Preserved" Nod

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association has named the Edgartown Beach and Dune Restoration Project at Bend in the Road Beach and Cow Bay one of its Best Restored Beaches of 2013.

A national nonprofit founded in 1926 to combat beach erosion has named Edgartown's Bend in the Road-Cow Bay beach restoration to its short list of Best Restored Beaches for 2013. The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association this week released its list, writing of the multiyear public-private effort that: The Edgartown Beach and Dune Restoration Project has been a huge success for public and private stakeholders alike. The multi-faceted regional dredging and beach nourishment project has increased the width of the recreation beach on both the private and public beaches from several feet to several hundred feet over the three-year length of the project. In addition to the much-needed storm damage protection and flood control that …

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Wasque Beach to Reopen, Report Says

The killer current that swept a swimmer out to sea in 2011 has shifted, making Wasque Beach safer for recreational use, a Trustees of Reservations official tells the Vineyard Gazette.

Closed for nearly two years, the beach at Wasque is expected to reopen this summer for swimmers and anglers, according to a report in the Vineyard Gazette. The current that swept a Watertown man to his death in 2011 is still strong but now moving alongside the shore instead of out to sea, a Trustees of Reservations supervisor tells Gazette reporter Sara Brown. Read her full Gazette article here. Wasque Beach has suffered heavy erosion over the past year from ocean storms including Hurricane Sandy and the February blizzards. A mansion built on a bluff near the water's edge is being moved back before it falls into the waves. Have you been to Wasque lately? Tell us in the comments. Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | …

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35 Martha's Vineyard Places Spotlighted in "Travel + Leisure"

The June issue of "Travel + Leisure" magazine includes a "definitive guide to Martha's Vineyard." What do you think of the editors' 35 choices?

Congratulations to the following Island businesses and attractions: They were chosen for the new Travel + Leisure "Definitive Guide to Martha's Vineyard," appearing online and in the June issue of the magazine published by American Express. Waterfront inns: Eateries: Bars: Shopping: Things to do and see: Beaches: Islanders' picks: To read the full Travel + Leisure article, click here. Are your favorites on this "definitive" list? Did the editors miss something? Tell us in the comments. Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views.

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Sunday Afternoon Poem

"Squibnocket Beach," a Poem by Warren Woessner

Take a lyrical walk on a favorite beach with an Island poet, for this week's Sunday afternoon poem.

Squibnocket Beach Hard rattle of granite shaken by waves– ball mill miles long making sand. In the intermissions, tiny birds feed between stones that could kill if they moved an inch. Next wave breaks and they race up the beach together. Birds gain dry sand, safe. Then new food draws them back to trace the edge of just enough again. ~ Warren Woessner Originally posted on Patch by Mathea Morais Feb. 12, 2012. The Sunday Afternoon Poems are supplied to MV Patch by the Martha's Vineyard Poetry Society, which embraces the largest community of year-round and seasonal poets. For more Martha's Vineyard authors and poets, please see our Patch Reads page.  Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on …

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Cottage For Sale in Vineyard Haven: 2 Beds, 1 Bath, $2.7 million

A 928-square foot cottage may not seem like much, but its 55,000-square-foot lot is right on the water. Click the highlighted address to take a photo tour of our Martha's Vineyard home of the week.

If waterfront living appeals to you, check out this new Zillow listing added last week: 655 Herring Creek Rd., Vineyard Haven "Herring Creek Cottage sits directly on the sandy shores of Vineyard Sound with panoramic views of the entire sound, including the Elizabeth Islands and Woods Hole. In the other direction, the property stretches to Lake Tashmoo with sweeping sunrise views. With a romantic, shabby chic coastal style, the open Living and Dining Areas have a vaulted ceiling, fireplace, and two sets of French Doors that open directly onto the waterfront deck. The compact, but well-equipped kitchen, has a Sub Zero under-counter refrigeration, oven and gas range. The two Bedrooms have ocean and lake views, and share a full bath with tub/…

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We'll Be Nicer, Chilmark Official Says

Frustration and resentment have boiled over into harsh language more than once at Chilmark human resources board meetings, riling the community. Selectman Bill Rossi says it's not going to happen any more.

An ongoing disagreement between Chilmark selectmen and the town's advisory human resources board over the part-time beach supervisor and her job requirements has given birth to a separate controversy. Harsh, personal language and profanities during human resources board meetings in February were recorded and released to a member of the town's beach committee, after which transcripts — inaccurate, meeting participants say — were posted at Alley's General Store and the Menemsha Texaco for all to read. The posted typescripts contained "quotes that are not in the tapes," said town counsel Ron Rappaport at Tuesday night's selectmen's meeting, which drew a capacity crowd of more than two dozen town residents and Island reporters. "Some of those …

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Watch the Waves at Lucy Vincent Beach

Take a 30-second beach break with Martha's Vineyard Patch.

You may also be interested in: Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views.

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Cliff Collapse, Bar Brawl, Moxie, McDonald's & Naked Thursday: Your Top MV Patch Headlines

Our video and photo gallery of storm devastation in Chilmark quickly zoomed to the top of this week's most-read stories. Here's a round-up of the articles most popular with Martha's Vineyard Patch readers this week, month and year to date.

Most-read on Martha's Vineyard Patch this week: Most-read on Martha's Vineyard Patch in March, 2013: Most-read on Martha's Vineyard Patch since Jan. 1, 2013: The Top Nine Most-Read Martha's Vineyard Patch Stories of 2012 Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views.

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Walking the Winter Beach in Edgartown

At the beginning of March, you can have Lighthouse Beach to yourself. Take a 30-second video beach walk with us to listen to the waves and see seabirds, swans and the Edgartown Light.

When's the last time you walked on a Martha's Vineyard beach without seeing another soul, on the sand or on the water?  This time of year, it's commonplace to find beaches empty of humanity. But they're still as full of fascination as in high summer: Shells in profusion, occasional beach glass, marine creatures' egg cases and assorted flotsam line the shore, while winter seabirds float on the waves. On March 2, a sunny morning at Lighthouse Beach in Edgartown, the only passing vessel was a solitary scalloper heading into Edgartown Harbor. Few footprints marked the sand. A pair of swans sailed on Eel Pond, occasionally upending themselves to feed. But on the wind came the sound of hammers hard at work on the waterfront, a reminder that …

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