CIA Brief | 2024 Summer
President’s Memo
Charya Peou
As summer quickly approaches, we are preparing for another great year at Beach Bluff Park and Preston Beach. Our opening day celebration brought out individuals and families from all over and we were thrilled to see so many new and familiar faces. Whether you were visiting for the cookies or the beach, we were glad to see everyone enjoying themselves and learning more about the CIA. I want to give a special thanks to the folks at Bertucci’s who went above and beyond with their kindness and generosity (especially Iris and Hector!). Their donation of all that delicious pizza helped make the event even more memorable, not to mention yummy.
We would also like to thank our returning agents as well as two new agents who will help keep our summer operations running smoothly. If you need a membership or would like to pick up your sticker, please stop by the lot and say hello and they will be happy to assist you.
Please continue to be respectful of the park. Our guidelines are posted in the kiosk as you enter. If you see anything suspicious or illegal, please contact the police department. Also remember, fires are prohibited anywhere on the beach or in the park.
Lastly, we would like to recognize all our friends and members that generously donated toward the repair of our park and seawall. Your membership and donations also go to support the other operations in our organization and its important mission. Please continue to support us as we work to secure a future for Beach Bluff Park and Preston Beach for generations to come.
Enjoy this Summer Edition of the CIA Brief and feel free to email the newsletter team with any article ideas you would like to suggest: VicePresident@ciabeachbluff.org.
CIA Officers and Directors
Sheryl Levenson
Welcome, everyone, to another year with the Clifton Improvement Association (“CIA”). We are proud of our officers and directors. They are a hardworking, devoted group of people continuously working to maintain our parking lot, little library, park, seawall, and all the plantings. We would like to tell you who they are.
Our new president is Charya Peou. Charya follows in the footsteps of our past president, Kelly Upham. We are delighted that Kelly has agreed to remain a director. She brought her exceptional organizing skills to the CIA during her reign. Her love of the park, lot, and beach was evident in everything she did.
Our second vice president is yours truly, Sheryl Levenson. The first vice president seat is open. Our secretary is Roberta Chadis and our treasurer is Krissy Sgambellone. The positions of assistant secretary and assistant treasurer are open.
Our directors are Charya Peou, Sheryl Levenson, Krissy Sgambellone, Roberta Chadis, Julianna Thibodeaux, Bruce Greenwald, Kelly Upham, Pete Bowen, Lynn Nadeau, and our newest member, Hester Tinti-Kane.
Phil Lee (our former treasurer) is taking a break from the board to concentrate on his business. His knowledge was invaluable to us and we hope he will consider us in the future.
Summer Solstice 2024
Jim Keating
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere begins June 20 at 4:51 p.m. EDT. If you are standing in the Sun Circle, the Sun rises at its leftmost position on the horizon, reaches its highest point at midday, and sets at its rightmost spot on the horizon.
We should all have the empirical knowledge that the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The Sun is above the horizon for 15 hours and 18 minutes at Marblehead’s latitude.
However, there are some nuances with the start of summer.
First: The earliest sunrises occur from June 8 to June 20, all at 5:07 a.m. EDT.
Second: The latest sunsets occur from June 20 to July 2, all at 8:25 p.m. EDT.
Third: The only day above that overlaps is June 20, which is the Summer Solstice.
Back at the Spring Equinox, I asked those present at the Sun Circle: “When does spring start?” My answer was, “It depends on whom you ask.” When does summer start? The answer falls into three categories: Meteorologist, Astronomer, and Archaeoastronomer.
Meteorologist: June 1
Astronomer: When the Sun’s Day Arc is the greatest: June 20, 2024. This changes from year to year due to perturbations caused by gravitational forces.
Archaeoastronomer: There is evidence that the Summer Solstice has been culturally important since the Neolithic era. An example of this is Stonehenge in England. Many ancient monuments are found all over the world. In the Roman Empire the date of the Summer Solstice was June 24. In Germanic speaking cultures the time around the Summer Solstice was called “Midsummer.” The reason for this was that summer started on May Day (May 1). In Northern European cultures, holidays, festivals, and rituals were held on the night of June 23-24.
Please join us for the Summer Solstice ceremony at the Sun Circle on Beach Bluff Park in Swampscott above Preston Beach. This ceremony will be led by Lisa Kawski and Kampa Vashi Deva and begins at sunrise at 5:07 a.m.
Sightings: Paying our Respects to Espresso
Julianna Thibodeaux
Espresso, the young female humpback whale who was first found washed up in Marblehead just over the Swampscott line this spring, was finally put to rest on May 21—not at sea, but in a sand burial on Preston Beach. While a sea burial was attempted after Espresso’s initial discovery, nature’s forces brought her back to the beach. (Many news sources covered the sequence of events, easily discovered via Google search.) This beach burial was sanctioned by NOAA and other marine experts and was undertaken under the direction of officials from the Town of Swampscott.
As a daily beach walker, I was deeply saddened to see this magnificent creature devoid of life. Perhaps you were, too. Humpback whales can live up to 90 years or more, but this was not Espresso’s fate; she was just 11, although she had reached physical maturity. Whales are magnificent beings—they are intelligent, form close community bonds, and, of course, they sing. Espresso was heartbreakingly beautiful, even in her final repose.
Living here on the North Shore and so close to Boston, we are constantly reminded of the draw of our unique coastline and the marine life further offshore. Every summer brings tourists from all over the globe who put whale watching in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary on their itinerary, whether out of Boston or Gloucester. But unlike the seals and penguins at the New England Aquarium—another popular destination—one encounters them, instead, here in their natural habitat along the path of their annual migration.
While it is a privilege for us humans to cohabitate Earth with this endangered species, our mere presence poses a threat, whether from fishing lines, undersea noise, ship strikes, or harassment from boaters, among other issues. All these things interfere with their longevity, quality of life, and capacity to regenerate their populations. According to NOAA Fisheries (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division), whales were killed near the point of extinction until the 1985 moratorium on commercial whaling put a stop to the practice. Populations of humpback whales alone had already been reduced by more than 95 percent by this time.
Although some humpback whale populations around the globe have increased, they continue to be threatened, as Espresso’s death illustrates (official cause of death has not yet been announced). NOAA reports that humpback whale mortalities along the Atlantic coast are on the rise. Off the coast of Massachusetts alone, 43 deceased humpback whales (out of 221 total) have been reported since 2016, although this number does not include Espresso and others during 2024. Half of the deceased whales were autopsied, and around 40 percent—or 90 individuals—exhibited signs of either ship strike or fishing gear entanglement. (In some cases, it was unclear whether the ship strike was the cause of death.)
If you, too, are a frequenter of the beach—likely you are, as a CIA member—you would have seen the large numbers of onlookers and visitors when Espresso first came to shore. Most came out of curiosity and genuine concern, or they were present in an official capacity as journalists, scientists, or government officials. As CIA members and supporters, we cherish the beach, park, and ecosystems that support the ocean and its surroundings. We witness both the beauty and the “cycle of life” from these places.
When it comes to sustaining our oceans and beaches, you can do your part—not only in support of our organization, but also in support of our magnificent sea creatures. Many nonprofit organizations conduct research and conservation efforts, right here in Massachusetts (including the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation). You can also assist investigators by reporting sightings of distressed or injured whales. While a stranded whale is hard to miss, sometimes they are still alive and should always be reported immediately by calling the Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (866) 755-6622. If you’re out at sea, you can also contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. Remember that when it comes to any injured or dead marine animal, including sea birds (see our previous articles on the avian flu), do not approach and do not touch or try to handle the animal—for their safety and yours.
As we move into the summer months, remember to pay your respects to Espresso as you come down to enjoy our park and beach. The Town of Swampscott hopes to host a memorial for Espresso, so stay tuned for further information. To learn more about humpback whales or to follow the continuing research on whale strandings and deaths, visit NOAA’s fisheries division.
The Last Word: Little Free Library in the CIA Parking Lot
Sandi Olivo and Kristen Nyberg
Happy 10th birthday to our Little Free Library! We had no idea when we installed it back in 2014 that it would be a such a hit with beachgoers and neighbors. Like all Little Free Libraries, it is a free book exchange, designed to promote literacy and a love of reading along with a sense of community. It belongs to everyone, and everyone can use it!
We love that we have so many friends of our Little Library! As beach season opens, we wanted to share a few reminders:
Please be courteous. Don’t take too many at a time so others can enjoy a book as well.
Thank you for continuing to donate books. We try to keep the bottom shelf for children and young adults. You know what YOU like to read, so please share great novels, paperbacks, and beach reads.
Please don't use the library as a dumping ground—house cleanouts fill the shelves with books others aren't interested in and create extra work for volunteers. If you have bulk book or other media donations, the sign in the Little Library offers suggestions on where to take them.
Thank you so much for being an involved book-loving community. We hope to see you on the beach this summer with a good book!