In the News
- How Wall Street Occupied America
- Climate Change Ushers in New Era of Uncertainty for Water Resource Management
- EPA Action Would Help Protect U.S. Water Quality and Lower Invasive Species Risk
- Puppets Teach How to Protect Our Water
- Using Highway Right-of-Way to Generate Renewable Energy
- Results of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- Berkshire Grown Reports Record Revenue Generated At November Holiday Farmers’ Market; Next Market Scheduled For December 17
- Bad Science in the Obama Administration
- Powering Pittsfield Aims to Reduce Community Energy Use by 20%
- Join the 112th Christmas Bird Count
- Save January Dates to Count Eagles
- Keeping the Clean Water Act Strong–An Op-Ed by former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly
- Insects Find Crack In Biotech Corn’s Armor
- Mercury Awareness Week: Strong Protections Coming Soon
- Grassroots Activism: A Wall of Support to Move Beyond Coal
- Discovery Channel Decides to Air Climate Change Episode
- WAMC Has New Berkshire Bureau Chief
- NOFA Conference Scholarships
- Check Out These Great Upcoming Workshops from Third Sector New England
- The Massachusetts Bays Program Announces Watershed Delineation and Assessment RFR
- Mass Audubon’s Advocacy Department Seeking PT Public Outreach Coordinator for, Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
- Job Opening: Assistant Directors for the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
How Wall Street Occupied America
Bill Moyers
November 2, 2011 | This article appeared in the November 21, 2011 edition of The Nation.
If you want to see the story pulled together in one compelling narrative, read Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class, by political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson. They wanted to know how America had turned into a society starkly divided into winners and losers. They found the culprit: the revolt triggered by Lewis Powell, fired up by William Simon and fueled by rich corporations and wealthy individuals. “Step by step,” they write, “and debate by debate America’s public officials have rewritten the rules of American politics and the American economy in ways that have benefited the few at the expense of the many.”
There you have it. They bought off the gatekeeper, got inside and gamed the system. As the rich and powerful got richer and more powerful, they owned and operated the government, “saddling Americans with greater debt, tearing new holes in the safety net, and imposing broad financial risks on Americans as workers, investors, and taxpayers.” Now, write Hacker and Pierson, the United States is looking more and more like “the capitalist oligarchies, like Brazil, Mexico, and Russia,” where most of the wealth is concentrated at the top while the bottom grows larger and larger with everyone in between just barely getting by.
BEAT Note: This is a huge environmental issue. Politicians no longer respond to what their constituents want. They vote the way the money wants. See BEAT’s Blog.
Climate Change Ushers in New Era of Uncertainty for Water Resource Management
By Douglas MacDougal and Dustin Till
November 30, 2011
Scientists are seeing more climate change impacts on water availability – particularly in those areas dependent upon glacial and snow meltwater for agriculture. As water becomes available at different times of the year (or grows more scarce), controversies over water allocation will grow more common. This is particularly true in the arid west, but also in the plains states and many other parts of the country. Water resource agencies will increasingly struggle with how to protect senior water rights, preserve agriculture and other economic activity, manage flood events, and provide instream flows for fish habitat and other ecological purposes. This article details some of the difficult trade-offs that decreased flows will require to be made.
Click here for full article (pdf)
EPA Action Would Help Protect U.S. Water Quality and Lower Invasive Species Risk
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing two draft vessel general permits that would regulate discharges from commercial vessels, excluding military and recreational vessels. The proposed permits would help protect the nation’s waters from ship-borne pollutants and reduce the risk of introduction of invasive species from ballast water discharges.
The draft Vessel General Permit, which covers commercial vessels greater than 79 feet in length, would replace the current 2008 Vessel General Permit, when it expires in December 2013. Under the Clean Water Act, permits are issued for a five-year period after which time EPA generally issues revised permits based on updated information and requirements. The new draft Small Vessel General Permit would cover vessels smaller than 79 feet in length and would provide such vessels with the Clean Water Act permit coverage they will be required to have as of December 2013.
Both permits will be subject to a 75-day public comment period, which will allow a broad array of stakeholders, including industry and communities, to provide feedback. That information will help inform EPA’s decision on the final permits, which are expected to go into effect in 2013. EPA intends to issue the final permits in November 2012, a full year in advance, to allow vessel owners and operators time to prepare for new permit requirements.
Information on the draft Vessel General Permit:
The updated permit would reduce the administrative burden for vessel owners and operators, eliminating duplicative reporting requirements, clarifying that electronic recordkeeping may be used instead of paper records, and streamlining self-inspection requirements for vessels that are out of service for extended periods. The permit would continue to regulate the 26 specific discharge categories that were contained in the 2008 permit and, for the first time, manage the discharge of fish hold effluent.
A key new provision of the permit is a proposed numeric standard to control the release of non-indigenous invasive species in ballast water discharges. The new ballast water discharge standard addressing invasive species is based upon results from independent EPA Science Advisory Board and National Research Council National Academy of Sciences studies. These limits are generally consistent with those contained in the International Maritime Organization’s 2004 Ballast Water Convention.
The new standard is expected to substantially reduce the risk of introduction and establishment of non-indigenous invasive species in U.S. waters.
The draft Vessel General Permit also contains updated conditions for mechanical systems that may leak lubricants into the water and exhaust gas scrubber washwater, which would reduce the amount of oil and other pollutants that enter U.S. waters. EPA will take comment on potentially more stringent requirements for bilgewater discharges.
Information on the draft Small Vessel General Permit:
This permit would be the first under the Clean Water Act to address discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels less than 79 feet in length. Recognizing that small commercial vessels are substantially different in how they operate than their larger counterparts, the draft Small Vessel General Permit is shorter and simpler. The draft permit specifies best management practices for several broad discharge management categories including fuel management, engine and oil control, solid and liquid maintenance, graywater management, fish hold effluent management and ballast water management, which consists of common sense management measures to reduce the risk of spreading invasive species. The permit would go into effect at the conclusion of a current moratorium enacted by Congress that exempts all incidental discharges from such vessels, with the exception of ballast water, from having to obtain a permit until December 18, 2013.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/vessels
Puppets Teach How to Protect Our Water
This month more than 50 students at St. Agnes School in Dalton learned about water and how raindrops make their way to rivers and oceans and back up into clouds, only to fall as raindrops once again. The “Water and You” educational program uses hand-puppets and shadow-puppets to engage students in learning about water and their role in protecting water in their community. Thanks to a grant from the Berkshire Environmental Endowment of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) has teamed up with Dr. Augie’s to make these “Water and You” puppet shows available to elementary schools in the central Berkshire area.
Dr. Augie is an inquisitive raccoon puppet who loves science. His side-kick, scientist Lisa Provencher, helps fuel the curiosity by teaching all about the weird and wonderful world in which we live.
Through these puppet shows students learn the importance of environmental issues that impact their lives. By teaching many facets of environmental science through theater we aim to create a more informed, educated, and concerned community of enthusiastic learners, who will in turn go home and inform their parents and family members. These shows are designed to be extensions of the current classroom curriculum and align with the Massachusetts State Frameworks. They also help meet the educational requirements for Pittsfield’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit.
Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to protect the environment for wildlife in the Berkshires and beyond. BEAT publishes a free weekly e-newsletter with environmental news, calendar of events, and public notices. www.thebeatnews.org
If you are interested in learning more about this program and other science and art related puppet shows please contact Lisa Provencher at [email protected] or Jane Winn at [email protected]. Dr. Augie’s creates and presents science shows as well as art & science classes. www.draugies.com
Using Highway Right-of-Way to Generate Renewable Energy
In recent years, public agencies have expressed a growing interest in generating and utilizing renewable energy to fulfill a portion of their energy needs or to meet climate change-related goals. The generation of renewable energy produces public benefits, such as reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increased fuel diversity and national security, while supporting regional economic development. Some public agencies aiming to increase renewable energy production in the near term have begun pursuing opportunities for installing technologies that produce renewable energy in spaces not traditionally considered for green energy generation.
One such area that has gained recent attention is the highway right-of-way (ROW). With over 8 million lane miles of public roadway under State Department of Transportation (DOT) supervision, these locations have the potential to generate significant amounts of renewable energy. Many international transportation agencies have demonstrated the viability of utilizing the highway ROW for decentralized renewable energy production. Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, for example, have been installing solar energy arrays on noise barriers along highways and railways since the 1980s. Given the promise of these and other international projects, several State DOTs in the United States have begun pursuing similar projects. The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Real Estate Services supports State DOT initiatives to generate renewable energy in the highway ROW.
State Renewable Energy Initiatives
Currently, solar, wind, and biomass growth, or “bioenergy,” technologies offer the most immediate opportunities for generating renewable energy in the highway ROW.
Solar Energy
Solar energy technologies convert sunlight into usable energy without producing any emissions. The primary technology used for generating solar power is photovoltaic (PV) technology. There are two types of PV systems: traditional flat-plate PV systems and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Flat-plate PV systems convert sunlight into electricity. These panels can be fixed in place or allowed to track the sun. CPV systems use lenses or mirrors to capture the sun’s energy and focus it onto solar cells, greatly increasing the efficiency of the cells. CPV solar cells increase the power output while reducing the size or number of solar cells needed.
The Oregon DOT (ODOT), in partnership with Portland General Electric, developed the Nation’s first solar highway project in 2008. The project, now commonly known as “Oregon’s Solar Highway Demonstration Project,” is located at the interchange of Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 in Tualatin, Oregon. This project consists of a 594-panel, 104-kilowatt (kW) ground-mounted solar array system that produces enough electricity to supply one-third of the energy needed to power ODOT’s lighting and road signs at the site. In the summer of 2011, ODOT broke ground on a second and much larger solar highway project in an area adjacent to the Baldock Safety Rest Area on Interstate 5. The Baldock Solar Highway Project will consist of a 6,994-panel, 1.75-megawatt (MW) ground-mounted solar array that will produce approximately 1.94 million kW hours of electricity. ODOT’s solar highway projects contribute to the State’s goal of meeting 100 percent of the agency’s electricity needs with renewable energy by 2025.
The Ohio DOT’s Veterans’ Glass City Skyway Bridge Solar Array Project is another example of solar energy harvesting in the highway ROW. In 2010, Ohio DOT, in conjunction with the University of Toledo, installed a 100-kW solar array in the highway ROW off Interstate 280 in Toledo, Ohio. Electricity generated by the solar array is sent to the energy grid and indirectly offsets the electricity demand of the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway Bridge, which has a 196-foot lighted pylon containing 384 light-emitting diode fixtures. Ohio DOT is testing rigid and flexible PV panels, both of which are manufactured in Ohio, to determine the viability of each in potential future applications.
Wind Energy
Wind can be used to generate electricity through the use of wind turbines. The amount of energy wind turbine systems can produce currently ranges from less than 100 kW for small wind turbines to 2.5 MW for utility-scale turbines. While the size of the highway ROW is typically too small to accommodate mid- and utility-scale turbines, recent advances in smaller and micro-wind turbine technologies are providing the opportunity to explore the harnessing of wind energy in many locations not previously feasible, such as along roadways.
To date, only a few State DOTs have examined the feasibility of installing wind turbines in the highway ROW or at highway rest areas. For example, the Ohio DOT is installing a small 32 kW wind turbine at a maintenance facility adjacent to Interstate 68 in Northwood, Ohio. The electricity that the turbine produces will be used on-site, and Ohio DOT anticipates that it will help meet up to 65 percent of the maintenance facility’s electrical needs.
The Massachusetts DOT (MassDOT) also began exploring the feasibility of locating wind turbines on MassDOT-owned land to meet the renewable energy targets established for all Massachusetts State agencies. Following a statewide analysis of potential wind turbine sites along the Massachusetts Turnpike, the agency determined that a 68-acre site adjacent to its Blandford service area was suitable for wind power development. In 2009, MassDOT began working with a developer to construct a 400-foot tall, 1.5 MW wind turbine. However, in 2011, town residents voted against a wind power zoning bylaw that would have allowed the development of the proposed turbine, putting the future of this project in question.
Bioenergy
Bioenergy is a form of renewable energy made from organic material. Sources of bioenergy are called “biomass” and include agricultural and forestry residues, municipal solid wastes, industrial wastes, and terrestrial and aquatic crops grown for energy-generating purposes. Several agencies are beginning to explore the potential for bioenergy generation in highway ROWs through the Freeways to Fuel (F2F) National Alliance. The F2F National Alliance investigates the use of non-traditional agronomic lands, such as roadside ROWs, for growing crops that can be processed into biofuels. States participating in the F2F National Alliance include Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, among others. As participants in the F2F National Alliance, these States contribute to the research on whether the use of non-traditional lands to generate biocrops is economically and environmentally feasible.
The North Carolina F2F National Alliance project, a cooperative effort between the North Carolina DOT (NCDOT) and North Carolina State University, began in 2009 and is now largely regarded as one of the most successful programs in the F2F National Alliance. NCDOT first planted four 1-acre plots of canola and sunflower crops. In 2010, NCDOT harvested the biocrops and extracted 3,000 pounds of canola seed, which produced 100 gallons of virgin oil. The virgin oil was then combined with conventional diesel to produce approximately 600 gallons of B20 product (a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel) that NCDOT used to power its dump trucks, tractors, and other equipment. NCDOT recently completed its fourth biocrop planting.
Results of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
According to the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) in an article titled Good For Our Climate, Economy And Consumers, a study by The Analysis Group shows that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) – the country’s first market-based program to reduce power plant carbon emissions – has cut greenhouse gas emissions, created jobs, and reinvested money in communities to make them more energy efficient.
The article goes on to say that RGGI is economically and environmentally effective. Power plant owners have spent roughly $912 million to buy CO2 allowances, and as a result of RGGI and the economy, emissions have gone down. RGGI dollars are invested in local economies – through energy efficiency measures, assistance to low income customers to help pay their electricity bills, education and job training programs, and more – the dollars have multiplier effects. Once amplified by these local and regional programs, RGGI’s $912 million in allowance expenditures “produced to $1.6 billion in net present value (NPV) economic value added to the ten-state region.”
According to CLF, “This money has created jobs and, in turn, kept money local. By generating a market, and a need for labor, RGGI created approximately 16,000 new job-years, or about 20% of the 73,000 civilian jobs lost from September 2010 to September 2011. Moreover, due to reduced demand and investment in energy efficiency, RGGI reduced the 10 states’ payments to out-of-region providers of fossil fuels “by just over $765 million.” New England in particular benefited greatly from this program.7,200 new job-years were created in New England alone, while the region reduced its payments to out-of-region fossil fuel providers by $210 million.”
Additionally, the energy efficiency programs that RGGI funds has reduced consumption of oil and natural gas heat saving consumers nearly $174 million. This benefit is most notably due to New England’s much-higher “level of investment in energy efficiency with RGGI allowance proceeds than the other regions.”
“Of the three regions, only in New England do the savings to electricity consumers outweigh the reduction in revenues by power generators,” says the Analysis Group.
Berkshire Grown Reports Record Revenue Generated At November Holiday Farmers’ Market; Next Market Scheduled For December 17
GREAT BARRINGTON + WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (December 1, 2011) – On November 19 and 20, Berkshire Grown hosted more than 65 regional farmers and food producers in the Berkshires attracting more than 2,600 community members to the third annual Holiday Farmers’ Markets the weekend before Thanksgiving. The markets, which help bridge the gap in locally grown food access during months when farmers’ markets are not available in the region, generated more than $45,000 in vendor income at the four-hour Great Barrington and Williamstown markets combined, an increase of five percent over last year’s November figures.
“The markets were an overwhelming success,” said Barbara Zheutlin, executive director of Berkshire Grown. “The economic impact of these markets has been incredible for the farmers. Everyone is excited about the December 17th markets coming in two weeks!”
Surveys are still coming in from vendors but the Great Barrington November market has reported close to $20,000 and the Williamstown market more than $27,000 in income for participating vendors. Several patrons traveled from the Albany region and Pioneer Valley to attend the markets.
“The markets give the community a way to support and celebrate our local farmers and food producers,” said Zheutlin. “People buy directly from farmers, helping to extend the season, strengthening local agriculture in the off-season.”
December 17th Holiday Farmers’ Markets
On Saturday, December 17 from 10 am to 2 pm, Berkshire Grown will present more than 70 regional farmers, food producers and artisan crafters to the Berkshires at the last Holiday Farmers’ Market of the season, scheduled for Williamstown and Great Barrington the weekend before Christmas.
Many vendors will be offering items only available at this time of year or that have been created for these markets specifically. All vendors will feature locally grown, produced and crafted products. The December markets will feature local crafts in addition to farm and artisan food products.
In Great Barrington, the December market will feature items including wool, pottery, candles, soap, lotions, herbals, flowers and jewelry with new vendors Asia Luna, Bean Yarn, Berkshire Orchids, North Plain Farm Weaving, Lorna’s Naturals, Moho Designs and Pamela Read Hardcastle Garden & Floral Design plus a Metroland table and wares from market sponsor Kripalu’s gift shop.
The Williamstown market will highlight new products/vendors with handmade herbal soaps, glass beaded jewelry, handmade bags, silk-screened organic clothing, woodcraft and artisan breads from Dancing Bare, Memphremagog Studios, Erin Kaukus Designs, Moho Designs, Naga Bakehouse, Norm Jolin and Peterman’s Boards & Bowls. As a special treat, local burgers from the prize steer at this year’s Big E will be grilled outside for lunch by The Red Lion Inn, one of the market’s major sponsors. A complete list of vendors for the December markets can be found at www.berkshiregrown.org/holiday-farmers-markets-2011.
Entertainment for the whole family will include live music at both venues and lunch items will be available for purchase. The Great Barrington market will feature a visit from Santa for the kids at noon and the Williamstown market will highlight the Berkshire Chorale from 11:30 am to noon to ring in the holiday spirit. The Mocha Jam Band, a perennial favorite, will perform from noon to 1:30 pm as a benefit to the Friendship Center Food Pantry in North Adams.
Holiday Farmers’ Markets will take place at the Muddy Brook Elementary School on Monument Valley Road in Great Barrington (10 am – 2 pm) and the Williams College Towne Field House on Latham Street in Williamstown (10 am – 2 pm.)
SPONSORS
As part of Williams College’s ongoing commitment to sustainable food and local agriculture, the College is co-sponsoring the markets by donating the Williamstown venue as well as providing funding toward the event. The Williams College Sustainable Food and Agriculture Program and The Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives is supporting the markets as a community partnership to further incorporate the principles of sustainability into the fabric of campus life. For more information on Williams’ ongoing commitment to sustainable food, visit http://sustainability.williams.edu.
In addition to generous support from Williams College, the premier sponsors for the markets are The Williamstown Chamber of Commerce and the Green Pastures Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Major sponsors of the event include Berkshire Co-op Market, Berkshire Organics, BlueQ, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Mezze Restaurant Group, Sweet Brook Farm and The Red Lion Inn.
Visit www.berkshiregrown.org/holiday-farmers-markets-2011 for additional details or call 413.528.0041.
Bad Science in the Obama Administration
from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Using $40 million in stimulus funds, in 2010 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) undertook the biggest scientific study in its history. It assembled scientific teams to map detailed eco-trends affecting landscape across the West.
Small problem – BLM managers informed their scientific teams that grazing would not be studied at all due to anxiety from “stakeholders,” fear of litigation and, most perplexing of all, lack of available data on grazing impacts.
Even further, BLM instructed them that grazing data of any kind could not be reported unless it was combined in an undifferentiated lump with other native and introduced ungulates (such as deer, elk, wild horses and feral donkeys).
This sort of heavy-handed tampering gives a new unsavory meaning to the phrase shovel-ready science. PEER has filed a Scientific Integrity complaint with the Interior Department. This complaint will help define whether Interior’s highly touted new scientific integrity policies are worth the paper they are printed on.
The story of our complaint was featured in an NPR segment that drove a lot of reporters to contact BLM to ask what the heck was going on. After delaying for more than a day, BLM finally issued a tortured statement saying that it lacked sufficient data “to model grazing impacts on a region-wide basis.”
What a load of steaming ungulate manure. BLM has more data on grazing than any other impact it is studying. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey, using BLM data, just produced regional databases of grazing impacts (oops).
We are seeking to have the responsible managers and political appointees identified and fired. Lots of folks talk about accountability but PEER lustily pursues it. Join our quest.
Sincerely,
Powering Pittsfield Aims to Reduce Community Energy Use by 20%
Powering Pittsfield is continuing to reach out to businesses and building owners in the downtown Pittsfield area. Stay up to date with Powering Pittsfield.
Upcoming Event – Ice Dam Prevention Workshop – December 7th, 7:00 PM, Conte Community School, 200 West Union Street, Pittsfield. Did your house suffer from ice dams last year? You are not alone. Come to the Ice Dam Prevention Workshop put on by the knowledgeable staff at CET to learn how to prevent ice dams at your home this year. This event is free and open to the public.
Check out our Powering Pittsfield Website.
Stay connected with Powering Pittsfield as we will soon begin reaching out to homeowners in the Morningside and Westside neighborhoods. Powering Pittsfield is committed to helping residents and businesses become more energy efficient to save money, increase the comfort of homes and businesses and to make our community a better place to live and do business.
We wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday Season.
Join the 112th Christmas Bird Count
Make the Christmas Bird Count part of your seasonal outdoor tradition in Worcester County! From December 14, 2011, through January 1, 2012, bird lovers in Massachusetts will be participating in the nation’s longest running wildlife survey, the 112th Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Families, students, birders, and scientists armed with binoculars, bird guides, and checklists go out on an annual seasonal mission – often leaving before dawn. For decades, the desire to both make a difference and experience the beauty of nature has enticed dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the holiday season. The data collected by bird observers over the past century allow researchers, conservation biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, the CBC provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.
In Massachusetts, there are 33 geographic “count circles” where bird counts occur. Each count circle is coordinated by an experienced Count Compiler who works with teams of birders who’ve signed up for that circle’s bird count. Beginning birders can join a group that includes at least one or two experienced birdwatchers in charge of covering a portion of the circle. In addition, if your home is within the boundaries of a count circle, you can report the birds visiting your feeder. In either case, if you have never been on a CBC before, locate and contact your local Count Compiler to find out how you can participate. For more information visit the MassBird website at http://massbird.org. Information and history about the CBC can be found at National Audubon’s web page at http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count.
Save January Dates to Count Eagles
As part of an annual nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey, anyone spotting an eagle in Massachusetts from January 4, 2012 – January 18, 2012 is strongly encouraged to report their sighting to the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW). Please provide date, time, location, and town, number of birds, juvenile or adult bird, and observer contact information. Images are welcome, but not required. Report sightings either to: [email protected]or by postal mail to “Eagle Survey”, MassWildlife, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA, 01581.
Dr. Tom French, DFW’s Assistant Director of Natural Heritage and Endangered Species, noted that citizen interest in the eagle survey has been very help ful. “With higher numbers of eagles dispersing throughout their range, we can’t possibly cover the entire state. Citizen spotters play an increasingly important role in our survey efforts. In January of 2011, we received 61 emailed reports from people who saw eagles during the 2-week survey period.”
A target date of January 6, 2012 will be used for a concentrated survey of major rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the coast by staff from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and volunteers across the state. In 2011, a record 107 bald eagles were documented in Massachusetts during the one-day event. A fact sheet on bald eagles can be found at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/species_info/nhfacts/haliaeetus_leucocephalus.pdf.
Keeping the Clean Water Act Strong–An Op-Ed by former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly
from Water Headlines for the week of December 5, 2011
William K. Reilly, EPA Administrator from 1989 to 1993, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about protecting the Clean Water Act against attempts to weaken it. Next year is the 40th anniversary of this landmark law. The op-ed is available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/opinion/keep-the-clean-water-act-strong.html
Insects Find Crack In Biotech Corn’s Armor
by Dan Charles of NPR
EnlargeSnbetor via Flickr
Scientists say the corn rootworm is growing resistant to Bt corn.
Hidden in the soil of Illinois and Iowa, a new generation of insect larvae appears to be munching happily on the roots of genetically engineered corn, according to scientists. It’s bad news for corn farmers, who paid extra money for this line of corn, counting on the power of its inserted genes to kill those pests. It’s also bad news for the biotech company Monsanto, which inserted the larvae-killing gene in the first place.
In fact, the gene’s apparent failure, as reported in the journal PLoS One, may be the most serious threat to a genetically modified crop in the U.S. since farmers first started growing them 15 years ago. The economic impact could be “huge,” says the University of Arizona’s Bruce Tabashnik, one of the country’s top experts on the adaptation of insects to genetically engineered crops. Billions of dollars are at stake.
The story of how this happened is long and complicated, but the details are important, so let’s start at the beginning. Read the full story.
Mercury Awareness Week: Strong Protections Coming Soon
from the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is celebrating Mercury Awareness Week December 5-11 as President Obama prepares to issue the first nationwide protections against toxic mercury from coal plants later this month. Americans are planning rallies and awareness events to show their support for these long-overdue protections, while Big Coal and Big Oil are lobbying hard to block these commonsense safeguards. Is there mercury in your sandwich?
Grassroots Activism: A Wall of Support to Move Beyond Coal
from the Sierra Club
High fives to the Sierra Club’s Chicago Beyond Coal organizers! Last Friday, 100 volunteers with the Chicago Clean Power campaign came out to City Hall to deliver a massive wall of photo petitions to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Volunteers cemented 800 photos on a folding wall with the title: “We all have the right to breathe clean air.”
For three months, volunteers collected hundreds of photo petitions on college campuses, at local events, and while canvassing in the Chicago neighborhoods affected by the Windy City’s two ancient coal.
BEAT Note: What a great, visual way to deliver a “petition”
Discovery Channel Decides to Air Climate Change Episode
from Change.org
For weeks, the Discovery Channel refused to show the stunning conclusions of its own Frozen Planet documentary series that showed the devastating effects that climate change has had on the North and South Poles — and the danger it portends for the rest of the planet.
But just hours after Claudia Abbott-Barish’s Change.org petition hit 75,000 signatures, Discovery backed down, and agreed to air the final episode (all about climate change) in its entirety!
It’s another sign that something different is happening all over the world. Every day, people are taking a stand on local, state and national issues that matter to them, and they’re winning.
Change.org has a simple goal — enable anyone, anywhere, to start, join and win campaigns about issues that are important to them. We’re a community of more than 5 million people, and together we’ve achieved some amazing victories.
WAMC Has New Berkshire Bureau Chief
WAMC has a new Berkshire Bureau Chief, Lucas Willard. ([email protected]) Patrick Donges has moved to the Albany Bureau.
NOFA Conference Scholarships
NOFA/Mass is offering a limited number of beginning farmer scholarships to our Winter Conference on January 14, 2012, at Worcester State University.
Applicants must have fewer than 10 years farming experience and be members of (or join) NOFA/Mass.
To learn more about the scholarships, visit
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/newfarmer.php.
For more information about the conference, visit
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php.
Apply now!
Application deadline December 15.
Questions? Contact Michal Lumsden, NOFA/Mass beginning farmer program coordinator, [email protected].
Check Out These Great Upcoming Workshops from Third Sector New England.
Enjoy a NEGEF discount of 15%! Enter “NEGEF2012” when you register.
Be well,
NEGEF staff
The Power of Individual Donors
WHEN: January 19, 2012 (9:00am-4:30pm)
WHERE: Third (Downtown Boston, MA)
COST: $99 (lunch included) 15% discount available for NEGEF grantees
MORE INFO: http://cts.vresp.com/c/?NewEnglandGrassroots/ee09d42753/c2e576a7f9/77143dbcf1
Is it time to overhaul your individual giving program? Individuals are where the money is. Their loyalty is stronger than any other giving source, no matter the economy. The power of individual donors can be yours with thoughtful planning, focused volunteers and smart staff leadership. Attend this workshop to learn how to: Create donor-centered relationship-building plans; Design the best solicitation strategies; Solicit gifts. Audience: To attend you must have individual donors who give regularly and board members who help with fundraising.
Effective Supervision: Creating a Culture of Mutual Respect
WHEN: January 12, 2012 AND AGAIN ON March 8, 2012 (9:00am-3:30pm)
WHERE:Third Sector New England NonProfit Center (Downtown Boston, MA)
COST: $99 + $15 materials fee (lunch included) 15% discount available for NEGEF grantees
MORE INFO: http://cts.vresp.com/c/?NewEnglandGrassroots/ee09d42753/c2e576a7f9/e524df1bc8
Effective supervision contributes directly to mission effectiveness for your nonprofit. It is critical to maintaining a productive staff in the face of shifting and competing priorities. Strong supervision creates a culture of mutual respect in which employees and supervisors communicate regularly and clearly about job-related expectations, tasks and overall performance. Through this highly participatory training designed for supervisors with all levels of experience, you will: Identify your preferred supervisory style; Learn to recognize what supervisory approaches are most effective under different conditions; Consider when to adapt your style and practice doing so; Strengthen a variety of critical forms of supervisory communication.
Massachusetts Bays Program
251 Causeway Street, Suite 800, Boston, MA 02114
(617) 626-1217 / Fax (617) 626-1240
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The Massachusetts Bays Program Announces Watershed Delineation and Assessment RFR
November 30, 2011
The Massachusetts Bays Program (http://www.mass.gov/envir/massbays/) is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to help lay the groundwork for the update of its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The selected contractor will delineate and characterize the watersheds of the 40 estuaries and embayments that make up the Massachusetts Bays Program planning area. The contractor will also assemble baseline physical, ecological, and demographic data on each watershed and collect information on a select set of indicators to aid the program in assessing overall ecosystem health. The Massachusetts Bays Program has made up to $50,000 available to complete the work. To download the details of the Request for Responses, visit the Comm-PASS website and search for document number “ENV 12 CZM 05”. Proposals are due on December 30. For additional information, please contact Prassede Vella at [email protected].
Jobs at Mass Audubon Advocacy
Mass Audubon’s Advocacy Department is seeking a part-time, results-oriented public outreach coordinator at our Worcester site, Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary to promote and develop support for local and regional land use reforms, sustainable development, conservation initiatives, and other key advocacy issues in the Route 495/central Massachusetts region. The Regional Conservation Advocacy Coordinator will develop and present outreach programs and provide support for associated local and regional initiatives through the Shaping the Future of Your Community program.
For details visit: http://www.massaudubon.org/Jobs/index.php?type=Part-time#BroadMeadowBrookWildlifeSanctuary
Other part-time job vacancies at Mass. Audubon are listed here: http://www.massaudubon.org/Jobs/index.php?type=Part-time