The BEAT News June 4, 2014

News Headlines

Volunteers needed for Get Outdoors at Springside Park, Sat. June 14

Volunteers of all kinds are needed to help insure a fantastic day of free, fun outdoor activities for the entire community to enjoy amidst the natural beauty of Pittsfield’s largest park!

Manning tables, activities, coordinating parking and carrying equipment are some of the tasks most needed.  In particular, 8am -1030am there is a need for many hands to assist with set up of tents, tables and chairs and helping coordinate the start of the festival, as well as help breaking down from 4pm to 6pm, but we have need of volunteers at any time of day you are free to help.

Email SpringsideNow@gmail.com or call 413-441-7922 for more info or to RSVP times you can help.

Thank you!
Springside Park Conservancy

 

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EPA Celebrates Farmer Heroes

from Water Headlines, June 4, 2014

EPA has launched a new web page celebrating farmers who work to protect clean water by properly managing nutrients on their farms. The farmers have been identified through partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts for implementing best management practices that reduce nutrient pollution while improving or sustaining their profits, soil quality or yields. Protecting clean water is essential to sustaining agricultural in the United States, and nutrient pollution threatens our economy, public health and quality of life. These “farmer heroes” are stewards of their local water resources as well as providers of America’s food supply. Read the farmer heroes’ stories here.


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WRLF dedicates Dietze Interpretive Center

The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation is pleased to announce the official opening of the Dietze Interpretive Center at Sheep Hill, dedicated during WRLF’s 27th Annual Meeting of members on Saturday May 17.

Named for Williamstown residents and WRLF friends Maureen and Jack Dietze, the Center celebrates the natural and cultural history of Sheep Hill, a former family farm now a conservation property and the headquarters of the WRLF, and other special and preserved places in Williamstown and adjacent towns. As a Board member, Maureen has been integral in the effort to expand the WRLF’s education offerings to children and adults and sees the Center as the ideal way to engage and inspire.

Hank Art, President of the Board of the WRLF, states “Since before moving from Spring Street to Sheep Hill, it was clear that WRLF needed a facility to serve our missions of not only protecting the regional environment, but also educating the public about the values of wise land use, working landscapes, and our landscape heritage.”

The Dietze Interpretive Center celebrates the history of the 1810 dairy barn and has interactive displays and information about the flora and fauna of the seasons, a collection of maps with the geology and history of the settlement of the town and which document land use changes over the 20th century.

Visitors can watch wildlife, see aquatic insect life of the pond up close, and find information on area hiking trails and special features of other WRLF conservation properties.

Sheep Hill is open daily from dawn until dusk for exploration, recreation and enjoyment of nature. The property has a variety of habitats to explore, including a frog pond, a diverse meadow, and an adjacent woodland property. The Nature Cabin is always open and stocked with materials for nature discovery.
The Dietze Interpretive Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and during the summer on Saturday mornings.

The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation is a non-profit, member-supported land conservation trust. Sheep Hill is located on Route 7, approximately one mile south of the Williamstown Rotary.

For more information about the Dietze Interpretive Center visit www.wrlf.org or contact the WRLF at 413-458-2494.

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Holly Betit One World Conservation Center (OWCC) Nature Educator for the summer 2014 season

The One World Conservation Center (OWCC) names Holly Betit of North Bennington Nature Educator for the summer 2014 season. Holly will be in charge of programs and activities at the OWCC’s Education Center and its adjacent Norman & Selma Greenberg Conservation Reserve. These activities will include weekly guided nature walks on Saturday afternoons and “Nature Explore”, a program, to be offered at area playgrounds, day care centers and other sites where children gather. Holly will also host nature programs at the Greenberg Reserve upon Request. Mary Fuqua, President, states that “Our Board looks forward to taking nature programs to children in the area and are delighted that Holly is able to help us do so.”

An active advocate and steward for conservation. Holly is a science educator and has been a Vermont State Park Ranger. She has also assisted individuals and families in need as a Case Manager and support broker and created a pilot program to assist families living with disabilities in remote regions of Vermont.

The One World Conservation Center provides nature education and experience to Southwestern Vermont and adjacent New York and Massachusetts. Its Norman & Selma Greenberg Reserve, once a dairy farm, is now a living classroom and a place for a short hike, offering visitors opportunity to explore a meadow, the Jewett Brook wetland and the wooded hillside. It is a site for school and youth field trips throughout the year.

The OWCC’s programs for the coming summer season will focus on providing nature experiences to children in and around Bennington and to summer visitors. Trail maps and nature walk schedules will be circulated widely.

 

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The Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator is accepting applications for participation.

About the Incubator: The Farm Business Incubator is an initiative of Glynwood working to foster the success of new, sustainable farm businesses. The incubator is located on more than 300 acres of historic farmland owned by the Open Space Institute in New Paltz, NY.  The Farm Business Incubator accepts applications for livestock, vegetable, value-added, or mixed/diverse enterprises.  Incubator participants are provided with access to land, housing, shared equipment and infrastructure, farm and business mentoring, technical classes and peer learning opportunities. After successfully completing the program, graduates may have the opportunity to transition to long-term land tenure accessed with the assistance of Glynwood and project partners such as OSI.

How to Apply:  Glynwood is accepting proposals for participation through June 30th, 2014. Three incubator participants will be selected in the fall of 2014 to develop their businesses at the incubator for the 2015 season.  Requirements include a minimum of two years of agricultural experience, a demonstrated commitment to sustainable agriculture, a strong business proposal and a completed application form. To apply please visit: www.glynwood.org/incubator

Glynwood’s Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator is supported by the Open Space Institute, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA, Grant #2011-49400-30628) and individual philanthropists.

 

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Kestrel Land Trust/AmeriCorps MassLIFT Position Opening: Stewardship Coordinator

Do you want to get hands-on experience in land conservation and stewardship? Kestrel participates in the AmeriCorps MassLIFT (Land Initiatives for Tomorrow) program and will be hosting a Land Stewardship Coordinator from September 2014 through August 2015. This is a full-time volunteer position with a living stipend, a financial education award, and the opportunity for excellent professional development in a growing conservation organization. Ideal for recent college or masters’s program graduates, but more experienced individuals are welcome to apply as well. Applications now being accepted through the MassLIFT program. Get all the details right here!

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