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The mission of the
Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT)
is to work with you
to protect the environment
of Berkshire County, Massachusetts and beyond. |
For a brief description
of where each button
above leads, look here . |
Follow all the environmental news and events in Berkshire County delivered to your computer weekly.
Subscribe to The BEAT News by email. (follow link and click on subscribe)
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BEAT is co-sponsoring the
Massachusetts Wildlife Trackers Conference
November 1, 2008
at the
Doyle Conservation Center
Leominster, MA
see the Mass. Wildlife Trackers website for more information and to register |
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22 Tires, 2 Barrels, and a TV
First Church really cleans up
On Saturday, August 16th members of First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, joined folks from Berkshire Environmental Action Team, The Trustees of Reservations, the Housatonic River Museum, and other volunteers for a river cleanup at Fred Garner Park. In just under three hours the crew pulled out 22 tires - including one enormous and heavy truck tire - two metal barrels and a plastic garbage barrel, a television set, and several bags of trash.
The group met at Fred Garner Park on Pomeroy Ave. in Pittsfield, and started cleaning at the confluence; where the east and west branches of the Housatonic River meet. From there they worked their way up the west branch of the river as far as they could clean in two hours. They then had to haul everything they collected back out to the parking lot, where the City of Pittsfield will haul everything away for proper disposal. The City Conservation Agent made sure the gate to the park was unlocked and provided large, tough garbage bags for the cleanup.
At the end of the cleanup, workers were greeted with lunch provided by members of First Church.
The cleanup was organized by First Church of Christ, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, The Trustees of Reservations, Housatonic River Museum, Housatonic Valley Association, and the City of Pittsfield.
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Some of the volunteers who helped with the cleanup
August 16, 2008
Bruce adding the television set to one pile of tires - all hauled out of the river
A second pile of tires, barrels, and trash hauled out of the river
One canoe load of trash.
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July 2008 - Better Roads for Wildlife in the Berkshires
Major road planning in Berkshire County just became a little more wildlife friendly! Wildlife habitat impacts will now be considered in ranking all major highway projects, something BEAT has been pushing for as a member of the Berkshire County Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC).
A couple of years ago, BEAT began videotaping the Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO), which approves all the major road projects in the county. One of BEAT’s major issues of concern is the impact of the transportation network on wildlife and ecosystems. We had been told by Defenders of Wildlife Habitat and Highways program that the BMPO was the most likely place to be able to have an impact. However, road planning often takes10 years, so we didn't think BEAT would have much impact for quite a while.
Last year BEAT was invited to join the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) to the BMPO. This group is supposed to represent diverse interests and provide more public input on transportation issues. [So if you have environmental issues that you would like represented please contact Jane and let her know.]
The two issues that BEAT repeatedly raises are:
- bicycling as transportation - not the bike path - all roads when they received state or federal money should be required to accommodate bicycles.
- decreasing the impact on roads on the surrounding ecosystem.
On this second point we have scored two major victories -
- Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's GIS (Geographical Information Systems – mapping) and transportation staff are working very hard to try to quantify ecosystem impacts. BEAT helped arrange a presentation by Scott Jackson from UMass on the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System for the BRPC staff. This is a work in progress, but real consideration is being given to wildlife habitat and state-listed species habitat.
- Mass Highway District 1 (our district of Mass Highway) and the BMPO have new Transportation Improvement Project criteria. These criteria, with numerical values attached, are used to rank various road projects. These new criteria (look at the right most column) include improved stormwater assessments and WILDLIFE HABITAT ASSESSMENT!
Thank you to Alison Church, Transportation Planner at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and Peter Frieri at Mass Highway for helping to make these changes possible. Peter also pointed out that when BRPC and Mass Highway work with the towns, it gives them a chance to get the town Departments of Public Works to use these same criteria, so we expect this to have broad reach in improving road projects! |
Bear Tracks
Photo by David Ellis
wildlife monitor for
Berkshire Keeping Track
Bears are just one of the large mammals that may have trouble crossing roads in Berkshire County. By buildling passages under roads to accomodate wildlife both human and wild lives may be saved. Not all passages have to accomodate large mammals. In many cases, just using an open-bottom culvert and maintaining the natural bottom for a passages below the road is enough. adding fencing to guide the animals toward the culvert is another option. |
Jefferson salamanders
Ambystoma jeffersonianum |
April 2008 - BEAT Presented Two Workshops on Vernal Pools
We are working on a web page about Vernal Pools, that so far has just a description of how to find an on-line map of Certified and Potential Vernal Pools.
Berkshire Environmental Action Team presented Vernal Pools – Ecology and Conservation with Tom Tyning, a workshop that provided an in depth look into the science and policy of vernal pools for Conservation Commissioners, City Planners, foresters, educators, and anyone else whose profession brings them into contact with these natural wonders - and Vernal Pool Certification Training Workshop for lay-people, volunteers, and concerned citizens. This afternoon workshop offered a FREE crash course in vernal pool certification to anyone willing to commit to certifying at least one pool over the coming year.
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Spotted
salamanders
Ambystoma maculatum
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