Hey there! I’m Gwyn Skiles, a journalist from Chicago, Ill. currently reporting for the Vineyard Gazette on Martha’s Vineyard.

I’m a local journalist dedicated to uplifting communities through my writing. I work steadfast to document the present through reporting that situates global conversations within local culture and community, in service to those who live this moment and for the future’s public.

As a tribal elder put it during an interview, “Martha’s Vineyard is a microcosm of the world.” The Island was put on the map in 1975 for it’s role in the movie Jaws and attracts thousands to it’s shores each summer hoping for a vibrant getaway from mainland life. Historic streets are bustling with wealthy tourists and middle-class day trippers. The beaches are peppered with people of all walks of life and running into celebrities is a regular occurence.

In the off-season the anglers, farmers, shell fishermen, hunters and watermen take over: when the Island community gets it’s Island back. Shop owners close-up and town characters come out of hibernation for beach bonfires with smoked bluefish paté, potlucks in the agricultural hall with bay scallops and pig roasts at neighboring farms. The winter brings out the hardiest, generational Islanders who treasure the barrenness and find reflective moments walking trails. In the spring, towns are busy with budget building and bylaw changes.

Reporting

COMMUNITY & CULTURE

Camaraderie and Casting: Female Anglers Stand Out

Jaws Exhibit Is One for the Record Books

Betty White Postage Stamp Has Vineyard Roots

Closing of Gay Head School Still Reverberates for Tribal Elders

Author Honors His Grandmother’s Hard Decision

Morning Glory Farm Turns Fifty

Ayanna Pressley Documentary Premieres at African American Film Fest

Grey Barn Farm Closes

Hardy Surfers Answer the Call of Winter Waves

Island Seafood Highlighted In New Cookbook

Hardy Surfers Answer the Call of Winter Waves

Ava on the Rock Is a Portrait of Change

Quitsa Kitchen Brings Comfort Food to Vineyard Haven

I’ve spent much of my career in forests and along shores. I’ve covered the devastation of forests by the invasive southern pine beetle, followed avian flu outbreaks as the virus spread through wild flocks and poultry, reported on shellfish trends and pond water quality, and frequented the inside of a deer cooler to shed light on solutions to declining hunting participation that is fueling the spread of tick borne diseases. I also learned how to fish while serving as the correspondent for the annual striped bass & bluefish derby.

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Southern Pine Beetles Could Slowly Reshape Island Forests

Tracking Sea Creature Stress Related to Wind Turbine Construction

Local Marine Research Takes a Hit Following Federal Firing Edict

Deer Population Cuts Held Back By Lack of Butchers

Bird Flu Knocks Out Island Farm’s Chicken Flock

Deer Hunting Season Extended In Effort to Combat Lyme Spread

New Tactic Could Be a Big Help in Tracking Right Whales

Bay Scallop Season Sees Banner Year, Kidney Parasite

Study Finds Mill Pond Temperatures are Reaching Dangerous Heights

Tracing the Source of Pond Nitrogen

Fishing for Clues to Herring Decline

Islanders on High Alert for Avian Flu

Derby Faithful Hope for an October Blitz

Forest Cutting Plan gets Pushback in Public Comments

Derby Fever Still Hot After Eighty Years

I am the lead reporter for two towns on opposite ends of the Island: Edgartown, a historic whaling district that grows exponentially wealthy during the summer months and is a hub for aquaculture during the off-season; and Aquinnah, the smallest and most rural town with a vibrant Native population and solution-oriented community tasked with a raging affordable housing crisis and climbing tax rates. For both towns I attend daily meetings on zoning, town planning, conservation commission matters, parks department issues and more. I cover the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) sovereign nation and developed trusting relationships with members. I am also the Chappaquiddick reporter, covering a separate Island just a minute-long trip from Edgartown Harbor.