BNRC Protects 109 Acres Along Webster Road in Tyringham| 10:34AM / Tuesday, May 06, 2025 | |
LENOX, Mass. — Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) has purchased 109 acres along both sides of Webster Road in Tyringham for conservation, strengthening a conservation corridor adjacent to Beartown State Forest and near the Appalachian Trail. The acquisition, finalized on March 12, 2025, for $650,000, was made possible through funding from the Nion Robert Thieriot Foundation, Mass Audubon 30x30 Catalyst Fund, the Wyncote Foundation, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Land Acquisition for Forest Reserves Grant Program, and the support of private donors. This collaboration ensures important wildlife habitat remains intact and supports strategic land conservation >> Read More |
GE Plans for PCB Removal Gets OK| 03:46PM / Wednesday, April 30, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved, with several conditions, the General Electric Company's Revised On-Site and Off-Site Transportation and Disposal Plan. GE's revised plan maximizes the use of rail and hydraulic pumping for the transport of sediments and soils in and along the Housatonic River that are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls. Approximately 75 percent to 80 percent of the material to be removed from the river will be transported hydraulically without the need for any trucks. Approximately 17 percent of the material can be transported by rail (combined with trucking). As little as approximately 5 percent of the material >> Read More |
Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Launches Market Match DriveBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
03:05PM / Thursday, April 10, 2025 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Agricultural Ventures has started its 2025 Market Match campaign to aid federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program users. "It's a program that exists to support SNAP matching programs in our area farmers markets," communications and development manager Audrey Hackett said. This financial assistance plays a role in bolstering food equity and ensuring that all community members have access to fresh, local, and nutrient-dense food. Through the economic development and food access program, funding is provided to farmers markets to enhance the effectiveness of SNAP benefits throughout the Berkshire-Taconic >> Read More |
Landowners Play Vital Role Creating Habitat for Declining Native WildlifeBy MassWildlife, Guest Column
05:47PM / Saturday, January 25, 2025 | |
Mass Wildlife is partnering with private landowners to create habitats for the native species, which is found in South Berkshire. BECKET, Mass. — The New England cottontail, the only native rabbit in the region, thrives in dense young forests and shrublands. However, this habitat is disappearing across Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and eastern New York, putting the species at risk. Young forest habitats are areas of dense clusters of tree saplings and sprouts that provide abundant food and shelter for a wide range of wildlife including the New England cottontail. New England cottontails are found in only a few areas >> Read More |
BNRC Conserves 66 Acres Along Great Barrington's Blue Hill Road| 05:41PM / Friday, January 03, 2025 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Natural Resources Council has conserved 66 acres of woodland on the western slope of Three Mile Hill, enhancing the region's natural beauty and bolstering climate resilience. With support from the Thieriot Foundation and private foundations, Mass Audubon, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs' Acquisitions for Forest Reserves Grants Program, BNRC's Blue Hill Road property will safeguard vital wildlife habitat and create new opportunities for people to connect with nature. Mass Audubon contributed $125,000 toward this acquisition through its 30x30 Catalyst Fund. The fund is a >> Read More |
Counting Birds Now a Christmas Tradition By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
06:38AM / Saturday, December 28, 2024 | |
The bird counts are important in collecting data for ornithologists and conservationists. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A team of birders will be heading out across North County on Saturday to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count. The count has become a tradition for many over the last 125 years while providing valuable environmental insights for researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies, and others. Participating in this wildlife census allows people to observe and interact with birds in their local environments directly and can inspire a deeper connection to nature, instilling a desire to protect it, said Tom Tyning, former >> Read More |
One-Day Track and Sign Certification with BEAT and a TCNA Evaluator| 08:03AM / Thursday, October 24, 2024 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is offering a One-Day Track and Sign Certification led by Daniel Hansche, an evaluator with Tracker Certification North America and the founder of Spur Wander, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the Washington Marsh in October Mountain State Forest. Learn how to recognize tracks of mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates on your landscape and interpret animal movement and behavior. This explorative practice reveals a hidden world of wildlife sign and develops the ability to find subtle evidence of animal presence. In short, this skill set facilitates knowledge on a remarkable variety of life in an >> Read More |
North Berkshire Waste District Interested In Hydrogen Facility Project By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
02:50PM / Monday, January 22, 2024 | |
ADAMS, Mass.— Members of the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District (NBSWMD) were intrigued by a plan by Local Power to work towards community-wide decarbonization through a waste hydrogen facility in Western Massachusetts. In a presentation on Jan. 11, Local Power President Paul Fenn told the district members that Local Power helps local governments set up community-wide decarbonization with a focus on localization "as a core strategy in an industry defined by centralized energy and capital sources." He said the community choice aggregation firm helped usher in community choice power supply programs to many towns and cities in Berkshire
>> Read More |
Grant Supports Berkshires Ecological Restoration, Climate ResilienceStaff Reports ,
12:13PM / Saturday, December 16, 2023 | |
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) recently received a grant to support healthy aquatic systems and address climate change in the Berkshires.? Funds were awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game's Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) through its Regional Restoration Partnerships Program, which helps nonprofits and Regional Planning Agencies build capacity and advance ecological and aquatic restoration work. The nearly $200,000 grant will further support the Berkshire Clean, Cold, and Connected (BCCC) Restoration Partnership, a network of key stakeholders in Berkshire County working to keep the Hoosic, >> Read More |
The Nature Conservancy To Remove Egremont HouseStaff Reports ,
12:15PM / Saturday, November 04, 2023 | |
EGREMONT, Mass. — Twenty-one years ago, The Nature Conservancy, Egremont Land Trust, and the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Conservation and Recreation protected 213 acres of forested lands in Mt. Washington and Egremont, Mass., in the Berkshires. The parcel is part of a 36,000-acre intact forest block which includes the headwaters of Karner Brook, an area of critical environmental concern and a public water supply for Egremont residents. The land was ultimately transferred to the Town of Egremont, however, a family house remained on the property until this week. Part of the purchase agreement was that the Friedman Family, owners of >> Read More |
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