Reflections on Winter Tracking
Last time out at Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area we had a good size group get reacquainted with snow tracking. We found tracks of coyotes, foxes, deer, turkey, weasel, squirrel, bear marked birches, and (because several of us were fresh off an insect spoor walk), the eggs of antmimic spiders. FYI during the hike I miss-identified them as ray spider eggs. The most interesting bit of the day involved a downed tree, tracks of at least four animals, and a headless chipmunk. It was a classic “who done it”. FROM BERKSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION TEAM <more>
Pipeline gas release terrifies Richmond residents – and raises questions
Residents who live near a natural gas pipeline thought something catastrophic was happening. “The noise sounded like a thousand jets flying overhead, and the smell of gas around my house was overwhelming,” said Susan Lockwood. “One close neighbor said it was so loud, she thought we were under a nuclear attack.” In reality, the Nov. 29 incident was a safety release valve relieving pressure from a gas buildup, according to the pipeline company and Richmond Fire Chief Steve Traver. THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE <more>
Turkeys a conservation success story in Massachusetts
Glitter spreads more than holiday cheer
America’s Deep Freeze Is Helping Oil and Coal
The arctic blast that’s turning the northern half of the U.S. into a giant icebox this week has been good news for oil and coal. Plants are using the most fuel oil in three years to produce the electricity that’s powering heaters across New England. In the PJM market, which stretches from Illinois to Washington, D.C., coal has once again surged past natural gas to become the biggest fuel for power generation. Oil demand has also shot up. BLOOMBERG MARKETS <more>
Jobs (click for full job listings)
Office Manager | Berkshire Agricultural Ventures | Great Barrington, MA
Executive Director | Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition | Sudbury, MA
Western MA Organizer | Massachusetts Jobs With Justice | Springfield, MA
Freshwater Projects Coordinator | The Nature Conservancy | Adirondack Region, NY
Conservation & Projects Manager | Kestrel Land Trust | Amherst, MA
Environmental Education Intern | Mass Audubon | Lenox, MA
Early Childhood Program Leader / Naturalist | Mass Audubon | Lenox, MA
Wildlife & Plant Conservation Intern | Mass Audubon | Lenox, MA
Nature Day Camp Educator – Summer 2018 | Mass Audubon | Lenox, MA
Land Management & Stewardship Intern | Mass Audubon | Lenox, MA
Environmental Justice Community Organizer | Arise for Social Justice | Springfield, MA
Conservation Agent | Town of Becket | Becket, MA
Executive Coordinator & Trustee Liaison | The Nature Conservancy | Boston, MA
Fee Stewardship Coordinator | MA Dept. of Fish & Game | Westborough, MA
Interpretive Writer | Hiltown Families | Williamsburg, MA
Development & Sales Officer | Hiltown Families | Williamsburg, MA
Executive Director | Hiltown Families | Williamsburg, MA
MA Community Organizer | Mothers Out Front | Worcester, MA
Government Relations Specialist | The Nature Conservancy | Boston, MA
Event Planner | Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee | Westfield, MA
Campus Organizer | PIRG Campus Action | Western MA
Regional Recycling Coordinator | City of Pittsfield | Pittsfield, MA
Director of Ecological Restoration | MA Dept. of Fish & Game | Boston, MA
Community Solar Interns | Co-op Power | Florence, MA
Energy Efficiency Intern | Co-op Power | Florence, MA
Community Solar Program Director | Co-op Power | Florence, MA
Energy Efficiency Program Manager | Co-op Power | Florence, MA
Chief Executive Officer | Co-op Power | Florence, MA
Reflections on Winter Tracking
FROM BERKSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION TEAM | BY ELIA DEL MOLINO
Last time out at Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area we had a good size group get reacquainted with snow tracking. We found tracks of coyotes, foxes, deer, turkey, weasel, squirrel, bear marked birches, and (because several of us were fresh off an insect spoor walk), the eggs of antmimic spiders. FYI during the hike I miss-identified them as ray spider eggs.
The most interesting bit of the day involved a downed tree, tracks of at least four animals, and a headless chipmunk. It was a classic “who done it”.
We happened upon the site after trailing a gray fox. Suspects included the gray fox, a coyote, a long tailed weasel, and deer, because you just never know!
After a bunch of sleuthing most of us were able to convict the weasel. Weasels, along with raccoons, opossums, and great horned owls are well known decapitators–I’ve been told cats and hawks do too but I’ve never seen evidence of it. Does anyone have any literature on this?
We were able to back track the weasel as it loped from the scene of the crime, up, down, around, and through the downed tree, to a chipmunk burrow that had been slightly excavated about 50 feet away.
Chipmunks hibernate during the winter however they wake every few days to raise their temperature, eat, and deficate. Perhaps the chipmunk was up and about when the weasel happened upon it. Perhaps the weasel smelled the chipmunk through the snow. It was too fine a mystery for our forever learning minds but loads of fun trying to figure out!
[The BEAT Tracking Club is open to anyone interested in animal tracking. We meet the 1st Wednesday and the 3rd Saturday of the month. There is an annual membership fee of $15.00. One-time participants can attend an individual event for $5.00. For more information contact Elia Del Molino or visit our website.]
Pipeline gas release terrifies Richmond residents – and raises questions
FROM THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE | BY HEATHER BELLOW
RICHMOND — Residents who live near a natural gas pipeline thought something catastrophic was happening.
“The noise sounded like a thousand jets flying overhead, and the smell of gas around my house was overwhelming,” said Susan Lockwood. “One close neighbor said it was so loud, she thought we were under a nuclear attack.”
In reality, the Nov. 29 incident was a safety release valve relieving pressure from a gas buildup, according to the pipeline company and Richmond Fire Chief Steve Traver.
It’s known as a “blowdown.”
Kinder Morgan spokesman David Conover told The Eagle this is a rare event.
The blowdown lasted about 40 minutes, according to residents, and had Lockwood frantically calling police and trying to find a phone number for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., the Kinder Morgan subsidiary that runs the pipeline, as her home filled with the smell of gas.
She said she was further alarmed as she began making calls.
“When I called, no one knew about it, including Kinder Morgan’s Agawam office,” she said. “When I called the police, he told me to calm down. I held up the phone so he could hear it.”
Lockwood, who lives on Swamp Road, about three-quarters of a mile from the pipeline, said she is concerned about the length of time it took to stop the event at the Dublin Road valve station near the Beagle Club.
The valve, or “pigging” station, is one control hub for Tennessee Gas’ stretch of Berkshire County gas transmission line that enters north of here at the New York State border and runs down through Sandisfield before heading into Connecticut.
Traver told The Eagle that firefighters were first at the scene and closed off a small section of road, and that the pipeline company had technicians there in 20 minutes. He said that had there been a danger to residents, the 911 alert system would have been activated.
“It scared the living daylights out of everybody, but it’s better than the pipeline blowing up,” Traver said. “It did exactly what it was supposed to do.”
Kinder Morgan spokesman David Conover explained that the pipeline has automatic relief valves at various points to control pressure when it reaches levels that are higher than normal.
“Because we consistently operate pipelines within normal operating range, relief valve activation, though noisy, is rare,” he said.
Conover also said that when the valves activate like this, the company’s gas control workers detect the pressure reduction.
But he also said landowners might hear the noise before the company knows about the pressure change. And he said that what happened on this occasion isn’t the norm.
“TGP is still investigating why the system dynamics were different than expected on the day the relief valve activated and will make adjustments in our control set-points based on that investigation to help prevent future occurrences,” he said. “We appreciate landowners who are aware of our pipeline and call to let TGP know of any unusual activities along it.”
40 minutes of fear
Rick Baehr’s home on Dublin Road is closest to the pigging station, at less than one-quarter mile. He said that when the gas started venting, it was so loud, he and his wife, Nancy, had to shout to be heard, and both had hearing loss and ear trouble for two days afterward. They had to keep swallowing for three days to clear their ears, he said.
Baehr, a contractor, put on ear protection and ran out to calm their two horses and put them in the barn.
“As soon as it blew, I knew the horses would be crazed,” he said. “They were frantic.”
Then he got angry with the pipeline company, thinking it was performing a test without notifying residents.
“So I drove to the pipeline [station] expecting to get into a fight with the gas line guys, and when I got down there, there was nobody around. There was a huge volume of gas being released into the atmosphere.”
He said the wind was carrying the gas in the direction of Lockwood’s house, which might explain why she smelled it so strongly.
When Baehr returned home briefly, his wife said, “`What should I do?’ I said, `basically stay in the house and pray, because that is a huge amount of gas.'”
Baehr also said the volume of pressure was so high that the couple felt a vibration inside their bodies. “It’s hard to explain, but it took a day for that trembling feeling to stop.”
Sensing danger, Baehr went back to the road and parked his truck so he could warn drivers away.
“What if somebody throws a cigarette out the window?” he said he was thinking at the time.
He said people who had driven miles arrived to see what was going on. Later, he learned that students at the Richmond Consolidated School had gathered at the windows, watching the blowdown, and thinking a plane had crashed.
Baehr called 911 and told them a lot of gas was venting into the atmosphere.
“They weren’t really sure how to respond,” he said. So he called Tennessee Gas’ hotline and got someone in Texas. He said he was passed on to a local manager who said “he heard something might be going on.”
Soon, the Fire Department arrived, Baehr said.
Fire Chief Traver said that while he understands how frightening it was to unprepared residents, he and his crew knew there was no danger. The department was trained by Kinder Morgan a few years ago to understand any dangers from the pipeline, and to know how to respond, he said. He also said a company representative contacts him every year with any new information, and that the company regularly sends updates and bulletins.
Traver said that, generally, he worries more about the trains he said come through town, right next to Tennessee Gas’ pigging station, carrying ethanol from a plant in the Midwest to Rhode Island.
“There are more train derailments every year than pipeline explosions,” he said.
Money and methane
Like Conover, a local Tennessee Gas manager told Baehr that this was “an extremely unusual event.”
“He said it happens every dozen years or so somewhere on their pipeline in the country.”
And Baehr said the company representative also told him it was an expensive event, given the loss of gas, and something else.
“He said, `We don’t want this to happen, because it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.'”
Expense is just one reason blowdowns are something the industry, including Kinder Morgan, said it is trying to minimize. The federal Environmental Protection Agency’s website said its Methane Challenge program has 100 industry partners committed to reducing methane emissions, considered by many scientists a major contributor to global warming. Methane constitutes about 95 to 98 percent of natural gas.
One measure that three EPA partners have committed to is reducing emissions from gas transmission blowdowns, according to the agency. Since blowdowns are also part of routine maintenance, repair and replacement, that’s a lot of escaping methane.
According to 2014 data, about 4.7 million metric tons of emissions, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent, vented from natural gas and transmission blowdowns, the agency reported.
The EPA’s 2016 Greenhouse Gas Reporting data revealed that pipeline operators reported emissions from 9,000 blowdowns at 26 transmission facilities.
“Astonishingly, these blowdown emissions were greater than the entire reported emissions from transmission stations,” wrote David Lyon, a scientist who works to quantify methane emissions for the Environmental Defense Fund.
Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Sara Hughes said the amount of gas released triggers state and federal reporting requirements.
The Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration has proposed new regulations requiring new pressure standards, and mitigation techniques, like lowering pressure, that the agency said will reduce methane emissions from blowdowns from 20,291 metric tons of methane per year to 1,353 tons annually, according to a paper by energy consultants M.J. Bradley & Associates.
But in Richmond last month, Baehr and other residents didn’t know about blowdowns until a big one happened. And Baehr said his wife has been jumpy ever since.
“She said she wants to move away now.”
Turkeys a conservation success story in Massachusetts
For more than 100 years, there were no wild turkeys in Massachusetts.
Hunting and increased development completely wiped out the wild turkeys, but in the past few decades, the large birds have rebounded in a big way. Turkeys are increasingly popping up in urban and residential areas.
“It is a great success story we were able to get them re-established,” said Wayne Petersen, director of important bird areas for Mass Audubon.
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife tried in 1911, then in the 1950s and ’60s, to bring wild turkeys back to the Bay State, but the attempts didn’t find success until the late-1970s. That is when adult turkeys trapped in upstate New York were moved into the Berkshires. The initial group of 37 turkeys took hold and thrived. As the wild turkey population grew, MassWildlife caught some of the birds and brought them to other parts of the state and turkeys soon became a re-established species.
Today, wild turkeys are found in every community in mainland Massachusetts. Wildlife officials estimate their population is approximately 25,000.
“What is probably noticeable to people is that there are more and more turkeys hanging out in residential areas, suburban areas and even some urban areas,” said Marion Larson, a MassWildlife spokeswoman. “People are not always sure how to react when they see a bird that weighs up to 25 pounds with some serious looking toes and spurs.”
In wild areas, turkeys are notoriously skittish around people, Petersen said. But when they’re in suburban or urban areas, they often lose their fear of humans.
While typically harmless, turkeys can, on rare occasions, act aggressively and peck or claw at people. Although that behavior isn’t common, it’s happened enough that MassWildlife offers tipsdetailing how to deal with aggressive turkeys.
What to do with an aggressive turkey
In a turkey flock, the birds follow a pecking order. In a flock with a particularly aggressive alpha male, other turkeys may become emboldened and act aggressively toward people to figure out where the humans fit in the pecking order, Larson said.
“I’d say 95 percent of these birds are fine; they’re not aggressive,” Larson said. “The rogue birds get all the attention for obvious reasons, because they’re the ones chasing after the mail man, pecking at cars.”
If aggressive turkeys pop up in your neighborhood, MassWildlife recommends refraining from feeding them, removing bird feeders and removing reflective objects.
Wildlife officials also say people should not let turkeys intimidate them. Making loud noises, swinging a broom and spraying water from a hose are all recommended deterrents.
They are large birds that can fly but are sometimes attacked by coyotes and foxes. The presence of a pet dog can keep turkeys away from a yard.
If turkeys act so aggressively, they become a threat to public safety MassWildlife recommends calling the local police or animal control. When the ringleaders of the flock are put down, the rest of the flock typically reverts back to normal, benign behavior, Larson said.
“When it is at the point of birds going after people and it’s consistently happening, we have advised local officials that if it’s a public safety issue, you can put them down,” Larson said. “It’s not an easy message for some people to accept, but the reality is if it’s a public safety issue, you have to do something.”
The turkey, Petersen said, has an important place in America. After all, he said, Benjamin Franklin proposed making the bird the national symbol of the United States, and one of John James Audubon’s most famous works was a painting of a wild turkey.
“They’re an interesting bird,” Petersen said. “They’re sort of comical to watch in some cases. They have beautiful plumage. They are novel in their own way.”
Recently at Little House, Big Art, a crafting studio in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood, 8-year-old Imogen Nowak looks for just the right beads. She’s making a necklace, and while she’s not using any glitter today, it’s a favorite. “I add glitter to things that I’m making or things that I love,” she says. “It adds a little sparkle to life.”
Owner Elizabeth Bashur says she goes through a lot of it. “About 100 percent of the people who come in find some way to use glitter,” Bashur says. So when Bashur saw some recent headlines calling glitter an environmental hazard — well, it was hard. “We’re kind of heartbroken,” she admits.
In November, an article in the UK’s Independent, and then other publications, pointed to the problem with glitter, and calls from some scientists to ban it. Sherri Mason is a chemist at the State University of New York at Fredonia. She studies plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. She says when you wash your hands or clothes to get rid of glitter, it ends up in lakes, rivers and oceans. “The vast majority of plastics that we find in the environment are these small pieces of plastic that are considered microplastics,” she says. “The majority of glitter…it’s a microplastic.”
Microplastics are technically 5 millimeters in diameter or smaller. Mason says most are more like a millimeter. They can be manufactured that way, like most glitter on the market, or might start out as a macro plastic, like a bottle of water that’s been ground down by the elements. Researchers estimate that 10,000 metric tons of plastic debris enter the Great Lakes every year.
Until recently there were microplastics called microbeads in facial scrubs and toothpaste. Mason’s discovery of tiny plastics in Lake Erie helped lead to federal legislation. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 banned their use in some consumer products. And for good reason. “Plastics, by their nature, are very good at absorbing pollutants from the external environment onto their surface,” Mason says. “Things like polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons–things that are known to be carcinogens, mutagens, endocrine disruptors.”
Mason says fish eat the tiny pieces of plastic, and chemicals can be passed through their flesh to us. The plastic itself may even break into smaller pieces that lodge into the meat we eat.
And while facial washes are no longer made with microplastics in the US, glitter is still pretty common in makeup.
Of course there’s been some backlash over this call to end glitter as we know it. Some say our dependence on disposable items like plastic bags is the bigger issue. Mason sees both sides.
“Glitter is not the biggest piece of the pie,” she says. “But it’s an easy one to get rid of.”
If that bums you out, Mason suggests we could use less glitter. Or switch to a sustainable, biodegradable brand. Elizabeth Bashur at Little House, Big Art found one made in Denmark. It costs more, but she says she is going to make the switch. “And then it’s compostable,” she says. “So we’ll have glitter in our community garden.”
Or you could use something other than glitter to make holiday crafts festive.
At Apoidea Apiary’s holiday open house in Shaler, kids learn to make seed bombs–this time, it’s without glitter.
Beekeeper Christina Joy Neumann admits to having a little bit of a glitter addiction. She’s used it to decorate the seed bombs in the past. They’re a mixture of soil, native seeds and water, rolled into balls and dried. You can toss the seed bombs onto the edge of a yard or hillside, or even along the side of a road now to create habitat for bees and other pollinators later.
Basically, the seed bombs look like balls of dirt. Hence the glitter. “We wanted to make them look cute, so they’d be fun for Christmas or even a New Year’s Eve toss,” Neumann says.
So with a friend, Roxanne Swann from the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, she came up with the idea of rolling the finished seed bombs in small, white pieces of perlite. Perlite is a volcanic glass that’s not sharp and can help with soil drainage. So now the seed bombs look like little snowballs.
America’s Deep Freeze Is Helping Oil and Coal
The arctic blast that’s turning the northern half of the U.S. into a giant icebox this week has been good news for oil and coal.
Plants are using the most fuel oil in three years to produce the electricity that’s powering heaters across New England. In the PJM market, which stretches from Illinois to Washington, D.C., coal has once again surged past natural gas to become the biggest fuel for power generation. Oil demand has also shot up.
It marks a rare, albeit temporary, reversal of a broader transformation taking place in America’s power mix: The U.S. shale boom has unleashed record volumes of cheap natural gas, turning that fuel into the country’s biggest source of power generation. But this week’s deep freeze triggered gas price spikes across the eastern U.S., and generators are taking advantage of the rally to burn cheaper oil and coal.
“Most likely gas prices are too high,” said Tai Liu, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. At $18 per million British thermal units for natural gas, he said, “I’d rather run my coal units if I can choose between the two.”
At one hub in New England, spot gas more than tripled earlier this week to over $35 per million Btu, data compiled by Bloomberg show. On Friday, gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange briefly traded above $3 and reached the highest intraday level since early December.
The increased coal use could add weight to the Trump administration’s push for bigger payments to coal and nuclear power generators. U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has been calling for them to be compensated for the “resilience” they offer the power grid during extreme weather events — like the polar vortex that tripped plants offline in early 2014.
As of Friday morning, utilities and grid managers including PJM, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and New England’s system operator had reported none of the gas pipeline freeze-ups that plagued plants during the vortex. Coal stocks also froze in 2014. One of the nation’s biggest coal generators, American Electric Power Co., said it had seen no curtailments due to the weather affecting supplies.
In New York City, power prices surged 47 percent to $245.89 a megawatt-hour for the hour ended 11 a.m., the highest for that period since January 2016, according to Genscape data compiled by Bloomberg. In PJM’s Western hub, prices pulled back from yesterday’s highest levels in nearly three years. PJM has issued cold weather alerts and is preparing for what could be the highest power demand since February 2015 to come on Tuesday morning, a spokeswoman said by email.
The National Weather Service is warning that “dangerously cold” temperatures and strong winds will continue to chill the Northern and Central Plains, Great Lakes and Northeast into the weekend. Wintry weather is also coming to the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies, where heavy mountain snow will make for more difficult travel.
Temperatures in Boston are forecast to fall as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 17 Celsius) on Dec. 31, 22 degrees below average, according to AccuWeather. New York City will see a low of 9 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
President Donald Trump advised those living in the U.S. East to “bundle up,” warning that the region could see the coldest New Year’s Eve on record. Trump, who decided earlier this year to pull the U.S. out of the international Paris climate agreement, also said: “Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against.”
Temperatures meanwhile aren’t forecast to reach the same lows seen during the polar vortex, but this latest chill stands to deliver a similar — if not larger — boost in heating demand.
“The current forecast is shy of the coldest temperatures observed from that season,” Bradley Harvey, a meteorologist at Radiant Solutions, said in an interview. “But this event is longer lasting.”
Late December to early January is set to yield the most gas-weighted heating degree days — a long-standing gauge for heating demand — since 1950, according to Radiant Solutions. The count will probably top those of the polar vortex, the firm said.
The chill, however, won’t last forever. The weather is forecast to warm up early next year. And coal and oil could lose their leg up even sooner.
“We are still flushing out the market,” John Borruso, director of natural gas trading at Con Edison Energy in Valhalla, New York, said Thursday. “Because of these cold temperatures, we are going to see some of these units step back in.”
Jobs
Office Manager
Berkshire Agricultural Ventures
This is a full-time position and it will evolve in responsibilities as the organization itself evolves. The successful candidate will be a creative generalist with superb interpersonal skills who is highly organized, adaptable, strategic and detail oriented. This position is a good fit for an energetic self-starter who is interested in helping a start-up organization to grow. The work will focus on three essential areas: general office support; communications management and fundraising support.
Anyone who is interested in this position should contact me at cynthia@berkshireagventures.org. This position is open until filled.
VIEW FULL JOB DESCRIPTION HERE
Executive Director
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition
The Board of Trustees of the Mass Land Trust Coalition is seeking a full-time Executive Director with strong non-profit management experience and a highly diverse skill set.
The ideal candidate will have 5 years financial management, fundraising, grant writing, communications, governance, and administrative experience. Candidates with a working knowledge of land conservation and/or natural resource management may be given preference.
Send resume and cover letter by January 5, 2018 to Executive Director, Marylynn Gentry at mgentry@massland.org
Western MA Organizer
Massachusetts Jobs With Justice
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice (www.massjwj.net) is seeking a dedicated, hardworking individual to coordinate and carry out the overall work of the organization as well as helping with campaigns, communications and administration of our growing community labor coalition in Western Massachusetts.
The Senior Organizer/Coordinator will work with other Jobs with Justice staff, partners, and activists to carry out the work of the organization and participate fully in the planning and implementation of our workplan as outlined by our Steering and Executive Committees. The Organizer will work under the supervision of the Executive Director based in our headquarters in Boston. LEARN MORE & APPLY HERE.
Freshwater Project Coordinator
Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy
The Freshwater Project Coordinator develops, coordinates, and advances aquatic connectivity projects, including but not limited to helping municipalities install climate-resilient and fish-friendly road-stream crossing replacements. This position will contribute to building a model aquatic regional partnership in the Adirondack region of New York State that might be replicated in other geographies. The Freshwater Project Coordinator is a three-year full-time position with the possibility of extension. LEARN MORE & APPLY HERE.
Conservation & Stewardship Manager
Kestrel Land Trust
Mass Audubon Jobs
Environmental Education Intern
Early Childhood Program Leader / Naturalist – Part-Time, Seasonal
Wildlife & Plant Conservation Intern
Nature Day Camp Educator – Summer 2018
Land Management & Stewardship Intern
Environmental Justice Community Organizer
Arise for Social Justice
Arise for Social Justice, a member-led low-income rights community organization in Springfield, MA seeks a community organizer to oversee our Environmental Justice and Public Health work in Springfield.
Responsibilities include working with community members to address ongoing sources of pollution, partnering with local and statewide organizations to develop and advocate for socially justice policy and solutions, and advancing the mission of our organization. Our Environmental Justice Organizer also coordinates the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition, an alliance of over 45 community organizations, faith based groups, civic organizations, and businesses working together for Climate Justice.
Qualified candidates will have some community organizing experience, familiarity with environmental and/or public health issues, a flexible work schedule, an understanding of the political processes and government structures, strong communication skills, the ability to manage multiple projects, and a commitment to community and social justice.
Additional preferred qualifications are experience in grant writing, researching, and reporting, experience in using social media as an organizing tool, and a familiarity with the Springfield, MA region.
Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to AriseForSocialJustice@gmail.
This is a 1099 consultant position, based on 30 hours a week at $20/hr ($600 a week). Benefits include some paid time off and sick time.
Conservation Agent
Town of Becket
The Town of Becket is seeking qualified applicants for the part-time (average seventeen (17) hours per week) non benefited position of Conservation Agent Working under the direction of the Town Administrator and general guidance of the Conservation Commission Chairman, the Conservation Agent is to provide technical and administrative assistance to the Conservation Commission. Required tasks include administering the Wetlands Protection Act and associated laws and town by-laws. The Conservation Agent to the Becket Conservation Commission will need to attend Conservation Commission Meetings, which are normally held on the 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 6:30 PM in the Becket Town Hall. Applicant must be able to develop draft and final permit approvals, orders of conditions and other Commission-issued permits as needed as well as set agendas and provide file maintenance. Must perform on-site inspections, verify wetland resource boundaries and review applications. Will need to maintain office hours for the public, day and time are negotiable but need to be consistent.
Qualifications: college degree in environmental science or other appropriate field with two or more years’ experience in wetland resource administration, or any equivalent combination of education and experience are highly desirable. Position requires sustained periods of walking and hiking, sometimes in construction zones, knowledge of Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, and ability to communicate clearly orally and in written form. The Agent must be familiar with Conservation Commission procedures and will need to interface with the public, volunteers, and various other departments in town.
Please mail or e- mail a cover letter and resume to Edward Gibson, Town Administrator, Becket Town Hall, 557 Main Street, Becket, MA. 01223; Administrator@townofbecket.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Becket is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer.
Executive Coordinator & Trustee Liaison
Massachusetts Chapter of the Nature Conservancy
The Massachusetts Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is recruiting for an Executive Coordinator & Trustee Liaison to be responsible for supporting the State Director, Assistant State Director, and Massachusetts Board of Trustees. S/He provides high-level administrative support and manages the operations of the Board of Trustees. For more information and to apply, visit www.nature.org/
Fee Stewardship Coordinator
MA Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife | Westborough, MA
The Department of Fish and Game, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is accepting resumes and applications from applicants for the position of Fee Stewardship Coordinator. The Fee Stewardship Coordinator is the primary overseer and manager of the realty aspects of MassWildlife’s fee-owned properties, which include 167,000 acres assembled over the last century. The individual will have a thorough understanding of real estate terminology and research techniques and become familiar with the entirety of the agency’s portfolio of properties, in order to advise staff on matters of acquisition and stewardship.
The Fee Stewardship Coordinator will maintain realty records, coordinate boundary-marking efforts, survey contracts and other services, and manage selected boundary disputes and encroachment issues. He or she will conduct deed research and provide advice regarding property interests as necessary in support of agency stewardship, acquisition, and public enjoyment of agency lands. This effort will include periodic monitoring and site visits, collaboration in implementing the agency’s Land Information System, procuring signage, assisting in the development of agency land-use policies, and being a good colleague for the other members of the Realty Section (Chief, CR Coordinator, Realty Specialist, and interns).
To learn more and to apply, click here.
Hilltown Families Is Hiring
Hilltown Families is hiring an Interpretive Writer and Development & Sales Officer, as well as an Executive Director.
They also have openings for volunteers and interns. Take a look at their website here for all of the details.
MA Community Organizer
Mothers Out Front : Mobilizing For A Livable Climate | Worcester, MA
Position Summary: The Massachusetts Community Organizer builds and supports volunteer-led community teams to grow a diverse and powerful movement of mothers that develops and implements campaigns to achieve a swift, complete, and just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Specifically, the Community Organizer works to:
-
Identify mothers, grandmothers and other caregivers in Worcester and Central Massachusetts who share Mothers Out Front’s goals and are willing to take action to reduce climate change;
-
Support the creation of member-led teams in diverse communities in Worcester and Central Massachusetts by helping to organize house parties and coaching team leaders and potential leaders;
-
Support member-led teams to launch and carry out local Mothers Out Front campaigns;
-
Connect local teams to state campaigns and national Mothers Out Front movement work across states; and
-
Provide “in-the-background” support and training to team members to strengthen their leadership skills, including their use of data and technology to support organizing.
READ THE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION & APPLY HERE
Event Planner
Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee | Westfield, MA
In 2018, the Westfield River will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary since being designated as a National Wild & Scenic River. This happens to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. As we near a quarter century of protecting the Westfield River and half century of protecting some of the greatest rivers in the United States, we hope to celebrate the accomplishments of the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System with a series of events and promotional materials. The Wild & Scenic Westfield River Committee seeks an Event Planner to assist us with our 25th and 50th Wild & Scenic Anniversaries outreach and events in 2018. Proposals will be accepted until filled with an initial review to begin on September 28th, 2017. RFQ Details here.
Campus Organizer
PIRG Campus Action | Western MA
FULL TIME CAREER POSITION
At PIRG Campus Action, our full time organizers work on college campuses across the country to empower students to make a difference on critical environmental and social issues.
If we’re serious about climate change, we can’t afford to drag our feet—so we’re pushing cities and states to commit to 100% renewable energy, now. We rely on bees to pollinate our food, yet we’re allowing some pesticides to drive them toward extinction—so we’re working to ban these bee-killing pesticides. People in our communities and even students on college campuses are dealing with hunger and homelessness that affect their quality of life. We’re raising funds, toiletries, and food items for our local relief agencies – as well as holding fundraisers for Hurricane Relief for the communities in TX, FL, and the Caribbean who were hit from the recent natural disasters.
We’re looking for an individual who has the passion and the drive it takes to win positive change on these important issues, and who isn’t afraid of hard work. Ideally, this person has experience working on campaigns or with groups on campus. Our Berkshires organizer will mobilize a team of passionate students to run a campus chapter on two campuses in Western MA. You’ll recruit dozens of students to volunteer and get involved, and teach them how to plan and run effective campaigns through internships and on-the-ground training.
You’ll build relationships with faculty and administrators, while organizing news events and rallies, and generating the grassroots support it takes to win campaigns. During the summer, you’ll run a citizen outreach office, building the organization by canvassing and training others to canvass. And you’ll learn from some of the best organizers in the country—people who have been doing this work for more than 30 years.
Location: Western MA (organizing at Berkshire Community College and Mass College of Liberal Arts)
We’re also hiring organizers to work on college campuses in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon and a few other states.
Pay & benefits
The target annual compensation for this position is $26,000 in the first year with room for advancement and salary increase with further commitment. We also offer a competitive benefits package including vacation days, health care, and undergraduate student loan repayment for those who qualify. We are unmatched in our entry-level organizer training program.
Apply here today or contact Samantha@masspirgstudents.org directly with any inquiries or recommendations for candidates.
Regional Recycling Coordinator
City of Pittsfield | Pittsfield, MA
The Municipal Assistance Coordinator for the Western District (WE) provides technical assistance to municipalities to increase recycling, composting, waste reduction, household hazardous waste diversion and regional cooperation. The City of Pittsfield has been awarded a Host Community grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to fund this position.
The Coordinator will act under the supervision of the MassDEP and will serve 100 municipalities in a district known as “Western”. The district extends from Ware to Richmond. For a map and list of communities in the district, please visit: http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/macmap.htm
This is an independent contractor position. The position is funded at 36 hours per week, with an annual ceiling of 1,800 hours. Annual compensation is commensurate with experience, starting at not less than $55,000. An additional $5,000 annual reimbursement is provided for self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare). Use of personal vehicle is required. Vehicle mileage, tolls and parking =will be reimbursed. Limited funding for in-state professional conferences is also provided.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: Friday, September 8, 2017 @ 4:00PM
Full listing and application details here.
Conservation Projects Manager
Housatonic Valley Association | Cornwall Bridge, CT
The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) is seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented environmental professional to join our Watershed Conservation Team. The successful candidate will support all aspects of HVA’s conservation projects, which include (but aren’t limited to) environmental monitoring, regional road-stream crossing assessment and replacement planning, watershed management planning, stream corridor restoration, stormwater management through Green Infrastructure development, and environmental education. This position is based out of HVA’s Connecticut office.
This is only a part of the job description. To view the full descriptions and to apply, click here.
Director of Ecological Restoration
MA Department of Fish & Game | Boston, MA
The Division of Ecological Restoration is charged with restoring and protecting the health and integrity of the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands, and watersheds for the benefit of people and the environment. This mission is critical to the success of the Department of Fish and Game that manages, protects, and restores the natural resources of the Commonwealth.
The Division of Ecological Restoration works with community-based partners to restore aquatic ecosystems. The Division’s ecological restoration work brings clean water, recreation opportunities, and other ecosystem services to the citizens of Massachusetts.
The Director leads the Division of Ecological Restoration, one of three Divisions (and one Office) of the Department of Fish and Game. The Director is responsible for all functions and program performance ensuring that the Deputy Director is properly managing the day-today operations of the Division and the assistant director is administering annual budgets properly. The Director develops and makes sure the annual and five-year strategic plan goals are implemented and sets procedures and program priorities for the Deputy Director and Assistant Director to faithfully administer. The Director oversees development of the operational and capital budgets and manages a diverse staff.
This is only a small part of the job description. Click here to read the full description and to apply.
Various Positions at Co-op Power
Co-op Power in Florence, MA, is hiring for:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Energy Efficiency Program Manager
- Community Solar Program Director
- Energy Efficiency Intern
- Community Solar Interns
Full details and how to apply here.
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save