Field Notes
by Peter B Brace

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE… Is that your boat lying there on the beach or down at the boatyard?

The Marine & Coastal Resources Department will deal with abandoned boats and trailers on town, private and Grey Lady Marine property in short order beginning Monday, July 9. That is the start of a three-day period in which the Marine Department will be accepting sealed bids for the abandoned boats and trailers. Photos of the items up for auction will be posted at the Marine Department offices at 34 Washington St. You must submit your bids in person.

Of course, if you do own any of these errant pieces of marine equipment and can prove it by July 9 with the correct permits and registration, Harbormaster Dave Fronzuto wants to meet you.

BIKE PATH INTO THE BADLANDS There is a new bike path being built on South Shore Road.

One of the conditions of approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals requires Nantucket Homes for People, the developer of the 28-unit 40B Abrem Quary residential subdivision, to build a bike path from the development out to Surfside Road.

Currently, the path has been blazed and being graded, but no asphalt has been laid. Nantucket Homes for people hopes to finish its project sometime this summer (see related story).

RIPPING OUT THE EVIL WEED The third annual purple loosestrife pull on the shores of Pocomo Pond will take place July 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. Help members of several island conservation organizations fight this beautiful yet destructive plant and discover the best removal method by joining them at the dirt pull at the southwest corner of Sesachacha Pond.

Event coordinator Sarah Treanor, Research Technician for the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, says to bring trowels, spades and determination. You should also bring some sort of snack and enough water to get you through three hours of weeding. For details, call Treanor at 228-2884 or email her at streanor@nantucketconservation.org.

LADIES BEACH IS BIG IN BOSTON Boston Magazine has deemed one of the island's beaches as worthy of making its list of 'New England's Best Beaches' this year.

Although most Nantucketers know it as Fat Ladies Beach, Boston Magazine chose to list the more PC version of the name, referring to it simply as "Ladies Beach." This beach shines at the number two spot on the list because it "boasts jawdroppingly gorgeous views and an endless expanse of silky sand" and because it "is pretty far off the beaten path, it stays relatively uncrowded."

Beaches from Maine to Rhode Island were rated and those that made the cut were profiled with photos of each beach scene, tips on best times to be there and what to bring, and information on sand composition, prevailing winds, wave heights and location-specific hazards. Rounding out the top five are Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit, Maine; Cahoon Hollow Beach in Welfleet; Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine; Crane Beach in Ipswich.

TICK TOOLS Not that we don't already have enough information on the subject, but for those who need more on deer ticks and Lyme disease, check out www.tickencounter.org/.

This site is likely to be an invaluable resource for those who spend a lot of time exploring Nantucket's outdoors. It includes a tick identification page; how-to videos showing you how to safely remove ticks from your body; how ticks transmit diseases; how to apply clothing-only repellent and how that repellent works.

You will also find thorough, easyto understand descriptions of each disease, detailed photos showing how ticks bite, patient profiles and information on how to participate in deer tick studies. Although the site is geared toward Rhode Island deer tick research and eradication, its information applies to all states with high incidents of Lyme disease. It is definitely

worth checking out. I