The Plum Island Hall sign is back!

Claire Nicolosi, a long time Island resident, recently completed the laborious process of refinishing  our Hall sign with new gold leaf paper and marine paint.   The sign was originally carved by Jim (Vincent) Nicolosi, Claire’s husband, when they became permanent residents of Plum Island many years ago after his retirement. 

Jim began hand carving wooden signs for many establishments in the Greater Newburyport area and Claire worked diligently by his side to add the fine touches to his thoughtfully crafted signs.   Jim passed away a few years ago and Claire took on the task of refinishing the Plum Island Hall sign in his memory and honor over the last several months.  

The process involved a tedious method of preparing the surface with a sticky solution so that the gold leaf paper would adhere and “set up” to become permanent on the wood and not flake off.    Claire spent many late nights and early mornings adding  gold leaf paper, one letter at a time, at just the right moment when the sticky solution was ready… the timing of this was crucial to the end result.   Please take time to notice the sign sign on our Hall and to thank Claire for her and Jim’s efforts.  

Sustaining Coastal Cities,  A Conference at Northeastern University.

National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence, Sylvia Earle, called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and  first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine, is opening Northeastern University's "Sustaining Coastal Cities" conference. 

The conference focus is the critical role and fragile state of marine ecosystems as the relationship between cities and their nearby coastal resources is at risk due to natural disasters, sea level rise, increases in temperature, ocean acidity, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollutants.

Earle, an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for corporate and non-profit organizations, will give a public lecture on Wednesday, May 22. The full-day conference on Thursday, May 23 officially launches the Urban Coastal Sustainability Initiative at Northeastern University, a cutting-edge science and policy center committed to generating research and developing solutions toward the sustainability of city coastal regions. 

You can register for the conference, and find more information about it at northeastern.edu/cos.