Vineyard's Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation Responds to Critics, Supporters

“Sheriff's Meadow Foundation Responds to Critics, Supporters”
The Martha’s Vineyard Times, June 5, 2008
By Nelson Sigelman

MARTHA’S VINEYARD -- The Sheriff's Meadow Foundation (SMF) decision to allow the removal of mature pitch pines from its 153-acre Caroline Tuthill Preserve in Edgartown was not likely to have surprised Tim Simmons, a restoration biologist with the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) called to investigate the work. ...

The resulting furor was ignited by a series of stories and an editorial in the Vineyard Gazette which asserted that the conservation organization had violated the public trust and allowed landscaper John Hoff of Oakleaf Landscaping to "stripmine" plants for the benefit of Dirk Ziff, a wealthy West Tisbury landowner. The uproar left Sheriff's Meadow officials reeling. ... ©

Read the full article in The Martha’s Vineyard Times.

Related articles:

•  “An Apology and Response,” Letter to the Editor,
     The Martha’s Vineyard Times, May 29, 2008

•  “Sheriff's Meadow Thumped Over Land Management Actions,”
     The Martha’s Vineyard Times, May 29, 2008

•  "Sheriff’s Meadow Halts All Native Plant Removal On
     Foundation Property,”
     Vineyard Gazette, May 23, 2008

•  “Native Plant Stripping Violates State Law,”
     Vineyard Gazette, May 16, 2008