Farm, Garden, and Trail: Service on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

The Trip

On this working vacation we’ll explore the Martha’s Vineyard few tourists ever see. New England’s largest island, the Vineyard lies four miles south of Woods Hole off the coast of Cape Cod. Triangular in shape, the island is 20 miles long and nine miles wide. Formed by glaciers over 10,000 years ago, the Vineyard’s distinctive landscape consists of kettle ponds, open meadows, dense forests, steep cliffs, and natural harbors. Its globally rare habitats include coastal sandplains, grassland heaths, and scrub oak woodlands.

The Vineyard’s bountiful lands and waters provided ample sustenance to Native Americans long before the first European settlers arrived in 1642. Over the next 200 years, islanders made their living as fishermen, merchant seamen, pilots, and whalers. Tourism constitutes the primary economic activity now. During the summer the resident population of 15,000 swells to 150,000 tourists. The island’s rich history is evident in its six towns. Each has its individual character expressed in widely divergent architectural styles -- from the gingerbread cottages of Oak Bluffs to Edgartown's aristocratic, white-clapboard sea captains' homes to the traditional fishing village of Menemsha. Today, farmers and fishermen remain close to the land and sea in the company of celebrities of all stripes. This proximity will give us the opportunity to sample the freshest seafood and some new dishes. 

We will also visit Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Community. As described in Sally Dagnall's book, Circle of Faith:

"This is the story of a place founded in 1835 as a wilderness religious retreat, that is unlike almost any community in America. Stand amid the colorful painted cottages of the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting Association, just a few yards from the busy commercial center of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, and you just might hear echoes from the past: The “fervid whooping” of old-time ministers demanding souls be saved and devils cast out. The sound of chatting women and men sitting in elaborate tents, or visitors complaining about their own close quarters in rooming tents strewn with straw for bedding. The sounds of a bell beginning and ending each day, and the hymns sung at services and prayer meetings held throughout the day."

The Project

The Trustees of Reservations (a Massachusetts conservation organization) has several properties on Martha's Vineyard. In the past, we worked primarily at The Farm Institute, an educational yet working farm. Since 2018, we sent a crew over to Mytoi Japanese Garden on Chappaquiddick Island. The Trustees again are looking forward to our return as they have plenty of projects. In 2022, we completed trail maintenance and installed a story walk at the Menemsha Hills Reservation (14 posts topped with plywood. A book is disassembled and the pages placed under Plexiglas so hikers can read the story at each station).

Other projects completed in 2022 were:

• Constructing a pergola
• Moving two chicken houses; removing and installing fencing for both in new locations
• Cleaning animal stalls (mudracking)
• Doing prep work in the Friendship Garden
• Reorganizing the library
• Cleaning out the farm stand and converting it to the library
• Painting outside trim on the new library
• Painting screen frames
• Caulking windows and replacing broken panes in the new library
• Preparing a garden across the road for planting
• Deep-cleaning the commercial kitchen
• Cleaning “classrooms” in the barn
• Rebuilding the hay-ride wagon; rusted wheels are now sun spot wheels
• Rebuilding goats’ buffet table
• Sierra Club artist, Jennifer, cut and painted a plywood sunflower height chart
• Giving chicken skin treatments and goat pedicures

Note that because of the nature of service trips and the pre-planning needed, the work project may change and the Trustees may have different priorities once our trip start date arrives.

Day 1: We will meet for dinner at the lodging on Martha’s Vineyard. Detailed instructions and maps will be sent prior to the trip.

Days 2-3: We will start our service work based on the needs of the Trustees.

Day 4: A leisure day. We will tour the Camp Meeting Association as a group with a local guide. You will have many options for the rest of the day, including the Aquinnah Cliffs, Edgartown, Menemsha fishing village, lighthouses, and of course, those famous beaches. Dinner is local fare at your expense.

Days 5-6: We will continue our work days.

Day 7: After breakfast and a thorough cleanup of our housing accommodations, we will depart. 

Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to weather, the service needs of the Trustees’ staff, and other unforeseen conditions. 

Getting There

Transportation to and from the Island and hostel are not included in the trip price.

Unless you fly directly to the island, you have to take a ferry. The ferry ride from Woods Hole takes about 45 minutes, and the ferry fees are not included in the trip price. If you bring a car, reservations must be made in advance through the Steamship Authority (see the link below in References). Expect to pay a round-trip fare of about $150 per car plus $15 per passenger. Otherwise, you can park in the Woods Hole-Falmouth lot for approximately $15 per day. Air service, with connections through Boston and Providence, is also available.

It is not necessary to rent a car if you a traveling by air. There is a Peter Pan Bus (fare is about $40) available at the Logan Airport (Boston), which will transport you to the Steamship Authority Woods Hole Ferry Dock, then the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. Links are below under references.

Once on the Island, the Vineyard Transit Authority provides island-wide bus service at low cost, which can get you around and also to the lodging. The bus service on the Island is very good and you can actually tour the Island by bus or bike (there are many bicycle rental concessions on the Island). The bus fare is $2.50 from the ferry terminal to the lodging (exact change required).

Be sure to have your Happy Meal on the mainland since there are almost no chain stores on the Island.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

Our base will be a hostel not far from the Island Airport in dormitory-style accommodations with shared bathrooms. You will have a roommate/s. We will have to travel to the work projects and it could be a one-way commute up to 15 miles.

Cooking, dishwashing, and related commissary duties will be done by the participants with direction from the leader. Breakfast and dinner will be at the hostel and lunch will be at the work project. Dinner on Wednesday night is not included in the cost of the trip. We prepare meals for a group and cannot accommodate individual preferences and special diets. If you require a special diet or foods, please plan to bring food. You will have access to the fully equipped kitchen to prepare your own meals.

Trip Difficulty

This trip is suitable for folks who like the challenge of a work project in a unique island setting. Participants should be in good physical condition to enjoy this trip. Our work will range from moderate to strenuous. Expect chilly May mornings, fog, rain, manual labor, dirt, and sweat. It gets windy down on the farm. Teamwork is essential, safety is paramount, and no one is expected to perform beyond his or her physical capabilities. Help is always available -- a positive attitude and friendly cooperation are better assets than brute strength. 

We will be working closely with the Trustees staff and hope to learn new skills as they share their knowledge and experience. 

Please note that leader approval is required to participate in this trip.

Equipment and Clothing

A detailed equipment list will be sent prior to departure time. 

Work gloves, hearing protection, and safety glasses are provided. Safety glasses are required for any striking work, power-tool use, weed-whacking, or otherwise when eye protection is needed. Bring clothing you can layer on or off when the temperature or exercise level changes, or when the wind picks up.

• T-shirts, shorts, and other clothing for the week
• Long-sleeved shirts: lightweight for sun/mosquito/tick protection, heavier for chilly nights
• Light jacket/sweater for cool mornings
• Work boots required; sneakers and open-toed shoes are not permitted while working.
• Mud boots (optional)
• Long pants: protection from sun, poison ivy, and ticks
• Sunglasses, sun hat, sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Camera and binoculars
• Daypack, canteen
• Rain gear: prepare for rain, equip for rain (rain jackets and pants)

Group cooking and cleanup gear is provided. Our lodging is well stocked with individual eating utensils. 

Personal bedding is not permitted in the hostel. The hostel will provide pillows, sheets, blankets, and towels.

Martha’s Vineyard does have a tick problem so preventive steps and protection should be taken. Participants may want to tuck their pants into their socks and then spray the outside with repellent. If you have gaiters they may be useful to seal boot tops.

References

Books: 

• Schneider, P., The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.
• Friary, N. and Bendure, G., Walks and Rambles on Cape Cod and the Islands.
• Brooks, G., Caleb's Crossing.
• Oldale, R.N., Cape Cod and the Islands: The Geologic Story.
• Wessels, T., Reading the Forested Landscape.
• Cronon, W., Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England.
• Newcomb, L., Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide.
• Dagnall, Sally, Circle of Faith, The Story of the Martha's Vineyard Camp-Meeting.
• Richmond, A.P., Gingerbread Gems – Victorian Architecture of Oak Bluffs. 

Martha's Vineyard, unfortunately or fortunately depending on your perspective, has been the setting of many murder mysteries by authors Cynthia Riggs and Philip R. Craig. Mr. Craig, who died in 2007, wrote about 20 such mysteries and Ms. Riggs about 18. Ms. Riggs lives in West Tisbury and runs the Cleaveland House B&B. Books by both authors are available on the Island at the Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven. Trip participants are encouraged to read both authors prior to and during the trip, hopefully engendering some interesting conversations while pulling weeds or cleaning beaches. Then as we tour the Island we can spot locations from the novels and various homicidal sites. One book will be chosen for the evening literary discussion and perhaps a trivia contest.

Websites: 

• Vineyard Travel: http://www.mvy.com/
• Vineyard Gazette Newspaper: http://mvgazette.com/
• Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association: http://www.mvcma.org/
• The Farm Institute: http://www.farminstitute.org/
• Peter Pan Bus Service from Boston’s Logan Airport to the ferry at Woods Hole: https://support.peterpanbus.com/hc/en-us/articles/204571034-Boston-Logan-Arpt-MA
• The Steamship Authority passenger and vehicle ferry from Woods Hole to the Island: Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard High Speed & Car Ferry | The Steamship Authority: https://www.steamshipauthority.com/
• The Fast Ferry -- connection at Providence Airport to Martha’s Vineyard, passenger ferry: https://www.vineyardfastferry.com/index.htm
• Martha’s Vineyard Regional Transit Authority: http://www.vineyardtransit.com/Pages/index
• Moving the Gayhead Lighthouse, NOVA, April 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Ebq6MlgGw
• The Trustees of Massachusetts: https://volunteer.thetrustees.org/
• Author Philip R. Craig: http://philiprcraig.com/
• Author Cynthia Riggs: http://www.cynthiariggs.com/
• Mytoi: https://thetrustees.org/place/mytoi/

Conservation

Martha’s Vineyard is a summer destination for thousands. Travel here is highly seasonal. There are six towns on the Island and the challenge is to balance tourism with the natural state of the Island. While visitors strive to experience the Island's beauty, in recent years the disappearance of open space and rare species has accelerated alarmingly due to the demand for development, mostly of large luxury homes.

All trash must be hauled off-island since there is no landfill or incineration on the island. This leads to a lot of creative reuse as frequently items are offered curbside for free.

In the 1970s, the Strock Family owned the Katama Farm and drew up plans to divide the property into 700 buildable lots. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), they went bankrupt in 1977. Katama Farm became the property of a Boston bank.

From a collaborative fundraising and conservation effort between the newly formed “Committee to Do Something,” the Open Land Foundation, the Vineyard Conservation Society, the Edgartown Conservation Commission, local Katama neighbors, and town and state offices, Katama Farm was purchased by the town of Edgartown and the Edgartown Conservation Commission became the landlord of Katama Farm. The Farm Institute is the leaseholder. 

Being an island, much food is “imported” to Martha’s Vineyard. The Farm Institute is dedicated to farm to table, land preservation, and environmental stewardship.

In 2016, The Farm Institute became part of The Trustees of Reservations. The Trustees preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts.

The Trustees are more than 100,000 people who love the outdoors, who love the distinctive charms of New England, and who believe in celebrating and protecting them, for everyone, forever. They care for more than 100 special places -- nearly 25,000 acres -- all around Massachusetts.

Since its founding in 1892, Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our own backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.

Service outings, in particular, stand out as one of the Sierra Club’s most important “boots on the ground” conservation efforts. The work done by service trip participants in our nation’s public lands is a way of practicing conservation in the most direct way possible, whether it’s improving access while preserving wilderness values, restoring wildlife habitat, or repairing human-caused damage to a natural area. Service trips are a great way to pitch in and do something tangible to make the world a better place; they’re a way to go beyond just talking about conservation; a way to get out there and experience conservation with your whole being.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.