As is always the case in an endeavor of this kind, especially one which contains so many diverse
subjects, there are many people who have contributed significantly to the enterprise. Without their help this publication would be much the poorer, though the amount of each person’s contribution has varied. Thanks for assistance therefore go especially to: Suzan Bellincampi for help with sea stars; Timothy M. Boland and Laura Coit Boland for help with vascular plants and for proofreading and formatting the manuscript; James Cardoza for help with mammals; Brian E. Cassie for information on shells; Thomas H. P. Chase for lists of known spiders and mosses; Kristin Maloney and Kimberly Schlesinger of the Chilmark Free Public Library for obtaining pertinent literature through inter-library loan; Dr. Elizabeth Chilton for copies of her published research on archaeological digs; Dr. Stephan Cover for a list of the known species of ants; Wendy Culbert for information on fresh-water fish; Robert Culbert for help with birds and the print-to-online conversion process; Margaretn Curtin with help with plants; Robert and Eric Edwards for information on spiders; Eleanor Eulinger for research assistance at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole; Karsten E. Hartel for information on fishes; Marshall Iliff for help with birds; Dr. Robert Kennedy for information on Nantucket fishes; Elizabeth Kneiper for information on lichens;
Gregory Palermo for help with plants; Matthew L. Pelikan for help with butterflies, odonates, orthoptera and tiger beetles and for peer reviewing the manuscript; Dr. Donald H. Pfister for information on fungi; Charles Ratté for geological information; David Remsen for help with mollusk, fish and crustacean taxonomy; Dr. James Richardson for help with archaeology references; Dr. James A. Riley for help with ferns; Dr. Gregory Skomal for help with marine fish; Dr. James R. Sears for assistance with marine algae; Mary A. B. Sears for research assistance at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University; John A. Shetterly for help with tiger beetles; Margaret L. Sibert for help with mollusk shells; Dr. Gregory Skomal for invaluable help with bony and cartilaginous salt-water fish; Dr. Douglas G. Smith for help with fresh-water invertebrates; Sam Telford for help with mammals; Dr. Bruce Tifney for help with fossil plants; Rose Treat for help with marine algae and fungi; Carrie Anne Vanderhoop and Tobias Vanderhoop for access to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) tribal library and help with published tribal
historical sources; and Charles Van Tassel for help at the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society Library. Particular mention must be made of Dr. Norton G. Miller of the Biological Survey, New York State Museum in Albany () for contributing the essay on the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts which appears under his name below. We also wish especially to thank Dr. Paul Z. Goldstein for his several contributions including his essay on Martha’s Vineyard insects, comments and suggestions he contributed to several of the insect chapters, and many published references on insects which areincluded in the bibliography.
Lastly and most importantly, we want to acknowledge and thank both the Edey Foundation and Mr.
and Mrs. Frank W. Hoch for their generous contributions without which this book might not have been published.
Allan Keith