2015 Vision Fellows Announced
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship is pleased to announce ten Vision Fellowship Awards for 2015. This year’s applicants all impressed the selection committee with their passion for and vision in many of the Fellowship’s areas of interest, all of which emphasize Island sustainability. The 2015 Fellows join the Vision Fellowship community of 44 past and current fellows and all of their mentors and collaborators.
The 2015 Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellows are:
Wesley Brighton, commercial fisherman and playwright, and Jeremy Mayhew, filmmaker, animation designer, director and multimedia artist, who will create a film documenting the world of commercial fishing on the Vineyard and the importance of this community to the island’s identity and heritage. By tracing the fishing industry’s history, explaining its present struggles and openly discussing the challenges facing its future survival, Wesley and Jeremy hope to ensure, with the help of the greater island community, its survival. They will collaborate with the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Kendra Buresch, biologist, will work to create a new conservation education program that will inspire and motivate children to become directly involved in protecting the natural landscape of Martha’s Vineyard. The main goals of the program are to develop a science-based curriculum that teaches students about Martha’s Vineyard ecology and to help students create habitat patches at the island’s elementary and middle schools that will act as stepping stones for wildlife. The project is a collaborative education initiative with an advisory committee comprised of The Nature Conversancy, Polly Hill Arboretum, Biodiversity Works and Island Grown Schools.
Lee Faraca, a senior at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, will pursue an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering. Lee will work with The Avant Gardner, a local gardening business that strives to utilize organic methods and materials and whose gardens have been recognized by the Vineyard Conservation Society as being ‘Chemical Free Gardens.” Lee will focus on the environmental impact of the gardens installed and/or maintained by The Avant Gardner, and will work to ensure that the gardens are all environmentally friendly, have limited runoff, and have the least impact on fragile ecosystems.
Eli Hanschka, a senior at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, will study environmental science, renewable energy and engineering at Colby College after engaging in an Island-based internship this summer through which he will explore alternative/renewable energy solutions with a focus on climate change. Among other accomplishments, Eli designed and built a buoy that used the power of small waves to create electricity and illuminate LED lights that won the grand prize at the MVRHS science fair and second place at the regional competition, thereby earning a place at the state science fair at MIT.
Erin Hickey, a senior at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, will pursue an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. This summer, Erin will intern with Biodiversity Works where she will develop an independent research project that tests the efficacy of chick shelters in reducing predation on piping plover chicks on beaches where there is not adequate dune grass or other cover for them to use for hiding from hunting crows and gulls. Among other accomplishments, Erin created an after-school math program for 3rd grade girls at the Edgartown School who were preparing for their first mathematics MCAS.
Luanne Johnson and Liz Baldwin, wildlife biologists and director and assistant director of Biodiversity Works, will study Northern Long-eared Bat (NLEB) distribution, roosting and migration behavior on Martha’s Vineyard. This research will gather life history information for NLEB specific to Vineyard habitats that will help us protect our population of these rare bats and recover the species within the Northeast. Martha’s Vineyard and Long Island may have the only remaining breeding populations of NLEB in the Northeast due to widespread white-nose syndrome causing mass mortalities at winter hibernacula. Luanne and Liz are collaborating with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the USGS Cooperative Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Virginia Tech, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Mass. Fish & Wildlife, New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, local conservation non-profits, and private landowners.
Cristina LaRue, third grade teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, will pursue a Master of Science in Ecological Teaching and Learning at Lesley University. This course of study combines Cristina’s two passions, the environment and teaching, and will give her the opportunity to deepen her understanding of ecological and sustainable practices and how she can integrate them across content areas in the elementary classroom. Cristina also will work during the summers to design, implement and evaluate a natural history docent-training program at Mass Audubon’s Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary that will engage a broad spectrum of the Island community in learning about Martha’s Vineyard’s ecology and environment, connecting generations of Islanders through nature.
Dana Munn, physics teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, will continue his professional development in the areas of alternative and renewable energy and education, with a secondary focus on conservation and sustainable architecture/built environment. Dana has been passionate about energy education for many years and has introduced his students to the study of renewable energy. He will concentrate his professional development activities on photovoltaic systems and will use the information gained to develop solar curriculum units, laboratory activities, and projects for the Principles of Green Engineering course at MVRHS. Dana will share his curriculum materials and knowledge with other teachers.
Matthew Thibert, owner and head technician of Vineyard Alternative Auto in Vineyard Haven, will create a waste vegetable oil (WVO) cooperative and farm equipment conversion program. The cooperative will be a member-controlled, sustainable and cost-effective way to decrease fossil fuel usage while ensuring that the farmers’ daily activities continue with as little disruption or additional work as possible. Matthew has converted numerous vehicles to WVO, including his Ford F250, which has logged over 15,000 trouble-free miles. WVO alleviates the need for fossil fuels and removes a product from the waste stream. Matthew will work collaboratively with Morning Glory Farm and Mermaid Farm and anticipates the creation of a high functioning model that will deliver significant fuel savings to farmers. Matthew hopes this project will spark a larger discussion of the long term viability of our food system and its current dependence on fossil fuels.
Saskia Vanderhoop, founder and director of Sassafras Earth Education in Aquinnah, will deepen her practice and studies of Nature Connection Mentoring, a holistic approach to learning and living, derived from cultural anthropological research and cross cultural comparison of indigenous and ancient ways of passing knowledge on to the next generation. Saskia will focus her practice and studies on the subtopic of Bird Language, a new initiative of the 8 Shields Institute, intended to awaken deep nature connection through understanding the bird communication patterns in a landscape. For nearly 10 years, Saskia has lead year-round nature programs for adults and children, women’s talking circles and summer day camps, and has held many community events through Sassafras Earth Education.
Kristina West, an Island native who has worked worked and volunteered for numerous non-profit and public good organizations, including Island Grown Initiative, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, Meals on Wheels, the American Red Cross, Tri-Town Ambulance and Island Grown Gleaners, will create a plan for an Island food hub. The plan includes extensive research, feasibility studies and collaboration with farmers, government officials, community members and nonprofit organizations. The goal of the food hub is to increase access to, and availability of, locally grown products by growing a resilient local food system that preserves the Vineyard’s agricultural and culinary knowledge while strengthening community-based businesses.