Hello yet again! This past week was my second to last here at the Woods Hole Research Center, and it was just as packed as those that preceded it. On Monday the students from the Polaris Project came back from their two weeks in the Arctic and began work in the Woods Hole Research Center’s lab analyzing their permafrost cores, dirt and water samples. The day went well, social media posts, photos of the students working in the lab, but what had me really excited was what was planned for the next day. After making my trek home and finishing up some writing and work for the next day, I packed up clothes and gear for the next day and gave a call to Robert Coady, a research assistant here at the research center.
When I got to Rob’s house we had to spray our pants for the next day with a potent insecticide known as Permethrin. Ticks are notoriously rampant on the island and those who work in the field there highly recommend using it. We sprayed our pants in the evening in order to let the Permethrin dry overnight as it can be a skin irritant. The next day Rob, another researcher from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole along with her boyfriend, and I, made our way out to Naushon Island (just off Cape Cod) to take survey data for land restoration experiments there.
Eleven years ago the MBL began the research on the Island in conjunction with the Forbes 
Trust, which has owned the island since the early 1800’s. The research is now in its final year of experimentation and data collection. The island was spectacular, but due to the large removal of grazing animals there, natural species such as Cat Brier (Smilax Glabra) have grown rampant and unchecked, reaching heights unseen, making swaths of the island near, if not totally, impossible to access, an choking out other native grasses and plant species.
The grasslands of Naushon are very important in preventing erosion on the island and particularly in maintaining the historical integrity of the area. The day was beautiful, and blue skies and ocean breeze which made for some easy editing over the days to come. Then Thursday the Polaris team went out to Martha’s Vineyard to watch Max Holmes present on permafrost thaw, which I documented. The Vineyard was beautiful, and Oakbluffs was a funny and quaint town that I was more than happy to see.
Next week is my final week! My time at the research Center has flown by, and I’ve got more field work lined up as well as the first Woods Hole Research Center Gala, so stay tuned.
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