Behind the Band: 30 years of creativity at Musical Monday begins B2 Featherstone B14
Thursday, June 25, 2026
THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES
Volume 43, Issue No. 25
2 Sections
Aggressive plan to harvest the herd
Price $1.00
As fear of ticks continues to rise, some suggest “harvesting” 70 percent of deer.
On fishing and freedom
BY ELLA MUNNELLY AND EUNKI SEONWOO
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ROBYN TWOMEY
hile expanding the hunting season remains an important if methodical part of culling the Island’s overabundance of deer, who serve as a vector for a growing Island infestation of ticks, the wider usage of a relatively new state-run program has become a pivotal part of a Vineyard group’s efforts to be more aggressive in culling the Island’s deer population by 70 percent. Tick Free MV, a local nonprofit whose mission is to mitigate the harm from tickborne conditions, has been making efforts to expand the deer-harvesting capacity of the Island. To that end, the nonprofit says Deer Damage Permits (DDP) need to become a central part of the Island-wide effort to reduce tick-borne illnesses by killing off deer, who otherwise have no natural predator on Island. These permits, issued by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), allow agricultural property owners, such as working farms, conservation land, and some large private estates, to call in hunters to treat deer as pests on their property, outside the regulated deer hunting season. In short, it allows the Island to recognize a growing public health crisis and to work more quickly to reduce the spread of tick-borne illnesses, particularly a sudden rise in what is known as alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to meat and dairy caused by a bite from the lone star tick. This program started in 2024, and the Island has received 12 DDP permits approved this year. However, state officials say they are not releasing the exact property location for the state permits to the public. Gov. Maura Healey was on the Island Wednesday to speak about this aggressive effort. To be effective, supporters say DDP permits will need to be issued on conservation lands, such as those belonging to Sheriff’s Meadow and the Trustees of Reservations, and will likely face pushback. In an interview with The Times on Wednesday afternoon Continued on A7
A Brazilian father talks about the ICE arrest of himself and his son, and thanks the Island for support. BY PAULA MOURA
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he father and his son had always been knotted together through a shared love of fishing, a narrative throughline from their homeland in Brazil and throughout their journey as immigrants to America. When his son was just a little boy, the
father provided him with a bamboo pole to go for tilapia in the pond near their hometown of Colatina, Espírito Santo, in Brazil. Later they fished with bobbers along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, where they applied for asylum;
and they stepped up their fishing gear to go surfcasting for striped bass off Chappaquiddick’s Wasque Point on Martha’s Vineyard, where they embedded in the Island’s vibrant Brazilian community. Continued on A8
A world of good FIFA fever spreads as World Cup knockout rounds approach. BY MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES
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ith the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout rounds right around the corner, fans across the Island are packing local restaurants and bars to cheer on Team USA and other favorite teams. In what too often feels like a deeply divided time, World Cup fever seems to be uniting us all, especially on Martha’s Vineyard. On an Island that celebrates its diversity, with immigrants from Brazil, Cape Verde, Croatia, Haiti, and other qualifying countries, there are World Cup watch parties on screens in crowded bars and family-packed basements from Oak Bluffs to Aquinnah. Among the most boisterous of fans are the
Scottish, who’ve been stopping by to take in the Island’s beauty before making their way to a match at Foxborough, and the Brazilians, who are part of a thriving community here on the Island that sees a devotion to the national team that is perhaps more akin to a religion than just a sporting event. But it seems there is no team that has won more hearts than the dramatic underdog Cape Verde, or “Cabo Verde,” to use the local pronunciation. On Friday, the small, relatively poor country of Cape Verde will face the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is a much-anticipated Continued on A3
ELLA MUNNELLY © 2026
England fans celebrate at El Barco.
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