Massachusetts
Massachusetts beach extends swimming ban due to ‘persistent’ shark sightings; dog owners told to keep dogs out of water
A popular local beach will continue to ban swimming because of “persistent” great white sightings amid peak shark season.
Crane Beach in Ipswich has had a swimming closure for weeks due to white shark sightings along the North Shore beach. That swimming ban has now been extended through the end of October, according to the Trustees of Reservations.
“For the last few weeks, we have had persistent Great White Shark sightings off of Crane Beach,” a spokesperson for the Trustees said in a statement on Tuesday. “We had the beach closed to swimming week by week as we worked with local public safety officials and marine biologists.
“Sharks are still being sighted, as recently as yesterday when the Ipswich Harbormaster did a patrol, so we decided after consulting with our experts to keep the beach closed to swimming through October,” the spokesperson added.
The Trustees are urging dog owners to keep their dogs out of the water due to the sharks being spotted close to shore.
“Today the beach did open to dog walking, but out of an abundance of caution, we are asking folks to keep their dogs out of the water,” the spokesperson said. “October 1 usually marks the end of the shorebird nesting season at Crane, thus we allow dogs back on the beach.”
While swimming is banned, the beach remains open for walking, hiking, and other recreation.
These shark sightings come amid peak season for white sharks along Cape Cod and Massachusetts.
September and October are typically very busy for great white shark activity along Cape Cod. Last year, September had the third most shark detections and October had the most shark detections, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Logbook.
Great white sharks hunt for seals along the Cape coast throughout the summer and fall. The sharks feed on seals close to shore.
Massachusetts
Treasure hunt for gold trophy with massive prize narrowed to Massachusetts woods
AMHERST – The Project Skydrop treasure hunt for a gold trophy and a massive prize has zeroed in on western Massachusetts.
Jason Rohrer and Tom Bailey, video game developers from New Hampshire, hid a pure gold trophy valued at $26,000 somewhere in the woods. Whoever finds the trophy also gets the “prize bounty,” which is currently over $80,000, made up of entry fees from people joining the hunt.
Where is the Project Skydrop trophy?
When the search started on Sept. 19, a map showed that the trophy could be in a 500-mile radius that encompassed much of the northeast and areas as far south as Virginia. Now the circle’s diameter is only 35 miles within Massachusetts, stretching from South Hadley to the border of Vermont.
Massachusetts communities inside the circle include Northampton, Amherst, Williamsburg, Easthampton, Deerfield, Montague, Greenfield, Ashfield, Shutesbury, Shelburne Falls and Charlemont.
The circle will continue shrinking until it’s only one foot in diameter on Oct. 10. By then, someone will have figured out where the treasure is hidden.
Joining the Project Skydrop hunt
For $20, hunters get access to daily clues in the form of aerial photographs that show more of the surrounding landscape every day. They can also discuss the clues in a members-only chat group.
The Project Skydrop website has a live webcam view of the trophy location and screenshots of motion detected nearby. So far, cameras have only captured squirrels and other wildlife creatures checking out the treasure.
To claim the growing prize bounty, the winner must take a first-person video of themselves walking up to the trophy and upload it to YouTube.
Massachusetts
Looming dockworker strike could impact Massachusetts businesses
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Massachusetts
Nibi the beaver ordered released into wild; Massachusetts rescue group
CHELMSFORD – A wildlife rescue group and its supporters are protesting a decision by authorities to release “Nibi” the beaver back into the wild, potentially as soon as Tuesday.
For the past two years, Nibi has been at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford. The organization found the orphaned beaver and took her in when she was very young.
Since then, she’s been a hit on social media.
“So many people have fallen in love with Nibi,” Jane Newhouse tells WBZ-TV.
MassWildlife says it’s time for Nibi the beaver to be released
But now MassWildlife says it’s time to Nibi to return to nature, saying in a statement that “wild animals like this one belong in the wild.”
“The role of licensed wildlife rehabilitators is to care for sick and injured wildlife so that animals can be released back into the wild as soon as possible,” MassWildlife said. “Newhouse Wildlife Rescue was informed in June that the beaver is healthy and must be returned to the wild, in accordance with their permit and state regulations.”
Newhouse worries that the decision will cost the beaver her life. She said Nibi wanted nothing to do with other orphaned beavers brought to the facility, and could not be conditioned to survive in the wild.
“We tried to make Nibi releasable,” Newhouse said. “The goal for any wildlife rehabilitator is to acclimate these animals to the wild.”
MassWildlife says this is an appropriate time to release a beaver into the wild, but Newhouse wants to at least wait until spring. She fears Nibi won’t be able to make a den and dam and store food for the winter.
“Heartbroken over all of it”
A request to make Nibi an educational beaver and let her stay at the rescue was denied, Newhouse said.
“I’m heartbroken over all of it, to be honest with you,” Newhouse said.
MassWildlife says the beaver will be released in a suitable habitat away from people.
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