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Hello Readers!
Spring on the Island arrives in increments. Ospreys return to their platforms. Farm stands reopen. Gardens wake up, slowly at first. Transfer stations and thrift stores fill with the early-season rhythm of spring cleanouts, brimming with items ready to be reused and rehomed. It’s a time of noticing what’s come back and taking care of what’s here.
This issue is, in many ways, about stewardship, and the different ways it takes shape across the Vineyard. It shows up in how we grow food, how we pass things along, and how we care for the land, wildlife, and each other.
It’s a small Island, and connections run deep. While editing Tom Chase’s essay, we mentioned Suzan Bellincampi’s osprey story, and he shared that Gus Ben David — closely connected to the osprey story she tells — was his lifelong mentor and close friend. Tom also shared that he wrote Gus Ben David’s obituary and, at the request of his family, helped place his ashes, mixed with his eagle’s, in the osprey nest by his home. It’s a story that feels almost impossible anywhere else, and a reminder of how closely stewardship and community are intertwined here.
At IGI, that means rethinking farming practices to build healthier soil and support biodiversity over time. In our Island’s thrift culture, it’s a shared understanding that objects still have value and many lives beyond their first. And in the return of the osprey, it’s a reminder that sustained conservation efforts can reshape a landscape in lasting ways.
These stories reflect a kind of collective care that’s rooted in place and carried forward by the people who call it home.
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Thank you for reading, and happy spring!
–Britt Bowker
