The BEAT News April 6, 2011

Vernal Pools workshops

BEAT’s Vernal Pools workshops will be held Saturday, April 16th from 2-4:30 pm, and repeated Friday, April 22 (Earth Day), also from 2-4:30 pm.  We will start indoors, probably at Berkshire Community College’s Hoffmann Environmental Center Room R101 (see map). We’ll run through slides of all the “obligate” amphibians, their eggs, and other evidence to certify vernal pools –  and briefly what it takes to certify a pool – then we will carpool to a pair of vernal pools that in years past have had spotted and Jefferson salamanders, wood frogs, and fairy shrimp. If you haven’t already, please let Jane know if you plan on attending either workshop.
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Interpretive Master plan for Mount Greylock State Reservation

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will hold a public meeting in Lanesborough on April 12 to present and obtain public comment on a draft Interpretive Master Plan for the Mount Greylock State Reservation. An Interpretive Master Plan lays the groundwork for programs and improvements that forge connections, both emotional and intellectual, between visitors to the Reservation and the natural features and history of the Reservation itself. [BEAT Note: as far as we can tell, the Draft Interpretive Master Plan is not on-line yet.]

At the meeting, DCR staff members and the agency’s consultant, Design Division of Amherst, will present an overview of the draft Interpretive Master Plan (IMP) for the Reservation and solicit comments. The IMP includes possible interpretive themes and programs, the audience for such programs, and the desired interpretive experience at the reservation.

The public meeting will be Tuesday, April 12, 2011, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Mount Greylock Visitors Center, 30 Rockwell Road, Lanesborough.

“It’s exciting to see a comprehensive public education plan being developed for Mount Greylock State Reservation, DCR’s first state park,” said DCR Commissioner Ed Lambert. “The Interpretive Master Plan will help inform visitors of the many facets of Greylock – from its geologic formation to the Civilian Conservation Corps’ parkway design – and will foster a sense of environmental stewardship.”

This public meeting is the second in a series of workshops to solicit public input on development of the IMP.

The Mount Greylock IMP will be the basis for future interpretive programs and projects, including a Historic Parkway Exhibit and Signage project next year. The IMP and the Historic Parkway project are being funded through an $860,000 federal grant from the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation program, and $215,000 in capital funds from DCR. The federal grant is also supporting creation of an Operations and Maintenance Plan for the recently rehabilitated parkways at Mount Greylock.
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Happy April!  News from Northern Naturalists

Despite the ~3 inches of snow that fell on us here in western Massachusetts April Fool’s night, some frogs and salamanders were moving.  Here are a few photos that Noah took near his house.

In other news, Charley has started a blog about bug tracking and other natural history tidbits.  Have a look at http://bugtracks.wordpress.com/.

This month Northern Naturalists are being featured at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls, MA.  Yesterday we installed our photography show in their Great Hall, where it will be on display all month: http://www.northernnaturalists.com/art.html  On Thursday, April 14, we will be having a reception there at 7 pm, during which we’ll present our slide show about invertebrate tracking.  Finally, on Saturday, April 30, we will be leading an invertebrate tracking walk there, beginning at 10:30 am.  Space is limited for the walk, so call (413) 863-3221 to reserve a spot.
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New Mill River Greenway Group Goes Public

The Mill River Greenway, a group of local volunteers from Williamsburg, Northampton and beyond, is inviting everyone in the Mill River watershed to join them when they launch their new website on April 1, followed by a party to celebrate the Mill River on April 15.  The website is http://millrivergreenway.org

The Mill River Greenway, which began in the summer of 2009, is a working group of local citizens who aim to protect the Mill River watershed, preserve its cultural artifacts, enhance its biological health and encourage recreational activity. Their ultimate goal is to design and create a greenway along the river, which people can access and enjoy.       “This has been an unbelievable ride,” said John Sinton of Florence, the group’s moderator.  “A dozen of us met a year and a half ago when we discussed plans to memorialize the old riverbed in downtown Northampton. Then we decided that we should look at the whole river within the watershed from Goshen to Northampton.  A bunch of passionate, smart, inventive people came up with the idea of a community-based Mill River Greenway initiative.”

A dozen people from Northampton and Williamsburg met bi-monthly in late 2009 and throughout 2010 to discuss projects in various parts of the river.  Greenway projects included river walks in Northampton, park designs in Williamsburg, and increased recreational opportunities.  The team also started coordinating work on several research projects, from examining Mill River history through old maps and cultural events, to ecological inventories and water-quality monitoring.

The initial result is a website that serves as a community hub for all things related to the Mill River watershed.  The website lists and organizes a host of river projects in which the community can participate and have an active and positive impact on the Mill River. Greenway groups provide a way to make a difference for people interested in photography, history, and mapping on the Mill River.  Other groups focus on birding, virtual tours, and controlling invasive plants.  The site makes it possible to find out what is happening in the watershed, and how one project relates to another.  For example, there are two projects on controlling Japanese knotweed, and the leaders of each project collaborate and share information.

The Mill River Greenway is open to anyone interested in the river. The website will even eventually include a kids’ page and teen page, which still are in need of volunteer leaders.  Intended to be a dynamic entity which evolves as projects progress and events occur, the website is open to contributions from and with interests driven by community members.  “More than anything,” said webmaster Neal Bastek, “this experience has shown me the extraordinary commitment to the river’s health and vibrancy on the part of local folks, not to mention the amazing talents these volunteers willingly bring to the effort.”  The Mill River Greenway plans to showcase that talent for many years.  Just check out some of the outstanding photography from Janine Norton and  Richard Shephard, who shoots from ultra-light aircraft, at http://millrivergreenway.org

There will be a party to celebrate the public celebration of the Mill River Greenway initiative on Friday, April 15th from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at Pedal to Properties, Craig Della Penna’s Trailside Realty office at 14 Strong St. in Northampton.  All are welcome.
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Shelburne gets grant to aid compost program
from the Greenfield Recorder

SHELBURNE — Shelburne received a $10,000 grant from the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Technical Assistance Program to strengthen a compost program started last summer by local food businesses, through the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association and the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District.
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This Earth Day let your legislators know you want safer alternatives to toxic chemicals
From the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow

Earth Day 2011 is just a few weeks away.  What will you do to celebrate?

This year, take that extra step towards a healthy environment: come to the State House for Earth Day 2011 lobby day and support the Safer Alternatives Bill.

Date: Thursday April 21st, 2011
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM (see below for detailed schedule)
Where: Grand Staircase (2nd floor), The State House, Boston
What: Earth Day celebration, environmental fair, and lobby day

The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow is teaming up with environmental groups in Massachusetts this Earth Day. Every person that comes to Earth Day 2011 will be asked to visit their legislators and urge them to support funding in the state budget for environmental programs and the pro-environment bill(s) of their choice.  Please come and ask your legislators to support the Safer Alternatives Bill (H-1136 & S-397) to protect our health from toxic chemicals in our workplaces, consumer products, homes and communities.

Sign up now!  Please RSVP by April 15th, and when you do, put AHT as your affiliated organization.  Materials and training will be provided.  We will also help make appointments with your legislators.  Don’t delay!  RSVP now!

Can’t make it? Write to your legislators from home:
While we can’t stress enough how powerful it is for you to visit your legislators in person, we know that not everyone can come to the State House on a weekday.  So if you just can’t make it, go to our website and write to your legislators in support of these bills instead. Take Action.

Earth Day 2011 Schedule:

11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Educational Fair
12:30 pm – Lobby training
1:00 pm – Lobby visits

Participating organizations: Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Clean Water Action, Environment Massachusetts, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Audubon, Sierra Club, Trustees of Reservations and many more.

For more information email me or call 617-338-8131 x203
To learn about the Safer Alternatives Bill visit our website.

I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Saunders
For the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow team.
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Cowls lumber plans to use Shutesbury land for biggest solar farm in state
By BEN STORROW
Special to the Greenfield Recorder

SHUTESBURY — One of the state’s smallest towns could soon be home to one of its largest solar farms. W.D. Cowls, the Amherst-based lumber company, and Citizens Energy Corp. of Boston are working on a plan to build a 35-acre solar-electric development, one capable of producing up to 6 megawatts of electricity. The development, proposed off Pratt Corner Road and estimated to cost $25 million to $30 million, would be able to produce enough electricity to power approximately 700 homes, officials said.

Other Franklin County towns, and Northfield Mountain Recreation Center, are considering similar installations. The town of Greenfield this spring will see installation of a 2 megawatt solar farm on its former landfill.
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Berkshire Grown Online 24 hour Farmers’ Market!

Self-propelled by Berkshire Grown members, the page will benefit those of you who choose to participate in it. Farmers and food producers can post what they have available, and chefs and community members can comment or contact suppliers directly with requests for product or more information.

Berkshire Grown offers this as a networking service and bears no responsibility for transactions.

Berkshire Grown has created a Facebook page called Berkshire Grown Online Farmers’ Marketplace – a central place for Berkshire Grown members to congregate and talk supply and demand.
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Rock Snot found in Farmington River, CT

Please help prevent the spread of Didymo…..

  • Check! Clean! Dry! Freeze!
  • And avoid Felt-Bottom Waders!

For more information about this invasive algae please see these links below:

Ht Didymo

DidymoBrochure

Help spread the word, not the snot!

~ Carrie Banks
Westfield River Wild & Scenic and Stream Team Coordinator
Division of Ecological Restoration


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Help Stock Salmon Fry!
Volunteers from high schools, sporting clubs, civic groups, colleges, and other people with a passion for rivers, fish, or fishing are needed to assist the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) personnel in stocking 1.5 million salmon fry (juvenile fish) as part of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon restoration program. According to Dr. Caleb Slater, DFW’s Anadromous Fish Project Leader, stocking begins in April through early May to release salmon fry into dozens of Connecticut River tributaries. The fry will come from MassWildlife’s Roger Reed Hatchery in Palmer and the White River National Fish Hatchery in Bethel, Vermont. Fry will be trucked to meeting sites where volunteers will gather and caravan to release sites. The tiny fish will then be moved from truck to water by bucket using volunteer man- and womanpower. The Fry Stocking Schedule and details on meeting locations and stocking tips are posted at http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/fisheries/anadromous/salmon_fry_stocking.htm.

Dr. Slater offers some tips for potential volunteers: “You may get wet! A change of clothes is a good idea. You will be walking in slippery stream and river beds, so waders or other waterproof footgear is useful. There are a few waders to loan, but please bring your own if you have them.” Volunteers will also be climbing up and down steep stream banks and should be in good physical condition. DFW aids anadromous (migratory) fish in a number of ways: stocking fry in tributaries of the Connecticut River; monitoring fish passage at dams on the Connecticut, Westfield, and Merrimack Rivers; trapping salmon and shad for transport to hatcheries and/or upstream release locations; working with federal agencies to ensure safe upstream and downstream fish passage at hydroelectric dams; and working with local watershed groups to improve freshwater habitat for fish. For more information, click on the above link or contact Dr. Slater at (508) 389-6331.
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CRITTER OF THE MONTH –New England Cottontail
from MassWildlife

The Year of the Rabbit and Easter in April is an ideal time to feature Massachusetts’ only native rabbit, the New England Cottontail. It’s also an opportunity to remind interested conservationists for their assistance in identifying undiscovered populations of New England cottontails in the Bay State.  Most people are unaware that there are two kinds of cottontails in the state—the native New England cottontail and the commonly seen non-native Eastern cottontail.  You can’t tell these rabbits apart by looking at them in the field. The differences can be determined only by skull characteristics or by DNA testing.

During the last four decades, the distribution of the New England cottontail has been drastically reduced across its range, resulting in the rabbit’s designation as a Candidate Species for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.  Unlike the abundant Eastern cottontails seen in neighborhood yards, parks, fields and pastures, New England cottontails require very dense, thick shrublands to hide from predators and survive cold, harsh winters. New England cottontails require large expansive patches of this type of habitat, often a minimum of 10-20 acres in size, but these habitats amount to less than 5% of all forested habitat acreage in Massachusetts.

State and federal wildlife agencies and other conservation groups working together have launched the New England Cottontail Initiative, an interagency effort to conserve and restore New England cottontail populations and their habitat throughout New England and New York.  Rabbit hunters, highway workers, animal control officers, and other interested citizens across the state can help DFW biologists identify new locations of New England cottontails by submitting cottontail carcasses or cottontail skulls to DFW offices as part of an important statewide survey.
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Northampton Public Schools Join Together to Make a Giant Earth Day Ball!

All Northampton Public Schools will work together in April to make the largest ball ever made entirely of single-use plastic shopping bags. The event will culminate on April 23rd at Northampton’s Earth Day celebration in Pulaski Park when the ball will be rolled down the streets of Northampton and into the park.

In a tribute to the inspiring kids’ book, Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball, published by the United Nations Environmental Programme, Green Action in Northampton Schools,GREEN Northampton and the Center for EcoTechnology are coordinating this project to raise awareness of the environmental impact of using plastic bags in stores and get Northampton to become a bring your own bag shopping district.

This project is an opportunity for Northampton schools to work together and make an impact on our local environment. All four elementary schools in the district, JFK Middle School, and the Environmental Club at Northampton High School have signed up for the program and teachers and students are busy collecting bags. Classrooms are collecting used plastic bags from their homes and family/friends’ homes that are being tied together to form a rope. The number of bags tied together by the class are being counted and recorded. Plastic bag ropes from the different classrooms will be joined together and a total count taken on 15 April, after which the ropes will be picked up by volunteers and taken to a central location. During spring break students and volunteers will assemble the ball ready for the Earth Day celebration on Saturday April 23rd. After the Earth Day celebration, the ball will be available to schools and environmental groups wishing to display it as an educational tool in promoting respect for the environment and the reduction of waste. Teachers are also using this project as an educational opportunity for hands-on math and science/energy conservation investigations.

Single-use plastic bags are made from crude oil, natural gas, or other petrochemical derivatives – all nonrenewable resources. They are non-biodegradable, breaking into smaller particles over 100’s of years, BUT never fully disappearing. Each year, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags and it is estimated that a typical shopper in 1 year uses 500 plastic bags. The average family of 4 uses nearly 1,000 plastic bags every year.

WGBY, GREEN Northampton and the City of Northampton have teamed up as they did in April 2010 to hold an Earth Day Eco- Fair on April 23 in Pulaski Park. The Giant ball will be the star among one of over 20 environmental and recycling based exhibits and activities for families and children available between 10a.m.-4:00pm. WGBY will hold an Earth Day film festival at the Academy of Music with special episodes of Martha Speaks at 11:30 am, Nova-Power Surge, Now’s David Brancaccio’s fiim Fixing The Future, and a special screening of Carbon Nation at 7:30 pm.

WRSI -The River will once again provide a stage and live entertainment from 12:00-4:00pm in Pulaski Park and in Amherst at the Amherst Sustainability Festival which will also be held on the town Common from 10-4:00. The Earth Day Planning committee hopes that Fair goers will visit both venues and encourage visitors to take a bus or use the bike trail to the different events. Information about the Earth day fair will be available at WGBY.org.
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Letter from NOFA about GMO in Foods

The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA)’s lawsuit agaisnst Monsanto will take years to wind through the courts and will not stop the current rush to plant new GMO seeds for alfalfa, sugar beets or ethanol corn, but it does raise fundamental questions about the validity of patents on life forms and has the potential to reverse the power of biotech corporations over our agriculture. There will be an article in the upcoming April NOFA/Mass newsletter which explains a little more about the suit, in case you are interested.
Even though it seems right now as if our political system has not been very responsive to the fact that a vast majority of US citizens do not want to eat GMO food, it is always helpful to tell your representatives that this is an important issue to you.

But there is a power that each of us has as a consumer which perhaps we should begin to use collectively. As you know, 80% to 90% of corn and soy grown in the US is now GMO, and virtually all processed foods (sauces, snack products, soups, pot pies, etc.) contain soy or corn products. So if you buy a processed product that is not labeled organic, you are virtually certain to be eating GMOs. If we refused to buy non-organic processed products, and wrote to manufacturers that we are refusing to buy their products until they source non-GMO ingredients, and wrote to stores requesting they stock non-GMO products, we would be speaking with our dollars — a language that power seems to understand.

Another thing that people can do, if they are raising animals, is to make sure that their feed is organic. If it is not organic, and there is corn or soy in it (which is true of the vast majority of animal feeds) you are buying GMOs to feed your pets and livestock. If we started asking about the ingredients of our animal feed, and insisting on non-GMO sourcing, we would again be voting with our dollar power (as well as doing our animals’ health a big favor!)

NOFA/Mass plans to be putting out more information about using our consumer power to confront agricultural biotech. If you can help in this way, by talking to friends and family about your concerns, by organizing local groups to pressure manufacturers and merchants, by refusing to buy products suspected of containing GMOs, that will help a lot. — Jack

Jack Kittredge
Policy Director
NOFA/Mass
411 Sheldon Rd.
Barre, MA 01005
978-355-2853
jack@nofamass.org
Sign up for the NOFA/Mass enewsletter, News Bytes
http://www.nofamass.org/news/enews.php
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Massachusetts Bottle Bill – still waiting

Now over 160 cities and towns support an update to the bottle bill.
Poll shows 77% of the state supports an update to the bottle bill.
The assigned bill numbers are H.890 and S.1650. The bills were referred to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy (which has responsibility for the Bottle Bill).

The latest information from the Massachusetts Coalition to Update the Bottle Bill
http://www.massbottlebill.org/ubb/index.htm

MA DEP studies of Beverage Containers in Litter & Public Waste Receptacles
http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/fslitter.htm

Bottle Bill Resource Guide
http://www.bottlebill.org/legislation/campaigns/massachusettsc.htm
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Fungus sweeps across the country, killing bats .

By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
April 3, 2011
Reporting from Ruidoso, N.M.—
More than 100 hibernating bats hang from the vaulted ceiling of a chilly gallery in central New Mexico’s Fort Stanton Cave, seemingly unaware of the lights from helmet lanterns sweeping over their gargoyle-like faces.

The mood is heavy with anxiety as biologists Marikay Ramsey and Debbie Buecher search for signs of white-nose syndrome, a novel, infectious and lethal cold-loving fungus that digests the skin and wings of hibernating bats and smudges their muzzles with a powdery white growth.

“These bats look fine, which is a relief,” U.S. Bureau of Land Management endangered animal specialist Ramsey said as she prepared to log the humidity and temperature of the cave in a hand-held computer. “But we still worry that the disease could hit New Mexico this winter or the next. If that happens, we may have to close every cave and abandoned mine in the state.”

Biologists across the nation are facing a similarly grim scenario. Since it was discovered in New York four years ago, the fungus has swept across 17 states as far west as Oklahoma, killing a million bats. A majority of the dead were little brown bats, which have lost an estimated 20% of their population in the northeastern United States over the last four years. The fungus seems to prefer the 25 species of hibernating bats, but each of the 45 species of bats in the United States and Canada may be susceptible to white-nose syndrome.

Geomyces destructans was first documented in 2007 in New York’s Howe Caverns, commercial attraction visited by thousands of tourists from around the world each year. As the disease began to spread, researchers learned that a similar fungal growth had long been seen on the faces and wings of hibernating bats in Europe.
…
Bats have always existed at close to the numbers seen prior to the arrival of white-nose syndrome, feasting on such night-flying insects as mosquitoes, which transmit West Nile virus, and agricultural pests damaging to cotton and corn crops. They also pollinate plants, including the saguaro cactus. “We don’t know what will happen if they disappear,” said USGS biologist Paul Cryan. A recent study published in Science estimates that the value of pest control provided by bats each year is at least $3.7 billion nationwide. <MORE>
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Third Maine Town Passes Landmark Local Food Ordinance
Effort Gaining Attention Nationwide

BLUE HILL , MAINE – On Saturday, April 2, Blue Hill became the third town in Maine to adopt the
Local Food and Self-Governance Ordinance. The Ordinance was passed at Blue Hill’s town meeting by a near unanimous vote. This comes on the heels of the unanimous passage of the Ordinance in the neighboring towns of Sedgwick and Penobscot on March 5 and March 7, respectively. The Ordinance asserts that towns can determine their own food and farming policies locally, and exempts direct food sales from state and federal license and inspection requirements.

The Ordinance failed in a fourth town, Brooksville, on March 7, by a vote of 161 to 152, however voting irregularities have called the vote’s validity into question. Brooksville town residents are circulating a petition calling for a revote at a special town meeting, which could take place in as little as a few months. The petition questions the legality of placing the town’s Ordinance Review Committee’s recommendation of a “No” vote on the ballot. Brooksville was the only town to vote on the ordinance by ballot, rather than by a show of hands.

Blue Hill resident John Gandy said the passage of the Blue Hill ordinance “is a huge milestone in the struggle to protect the rights, not only of farmers to sell their products, but also of all citizens to eat the food of their choice.” Gandy serves as the Master for the Halcyon Grange in North Blue Hill, which passed a Resolution for Food Sovereignty in February of this year. “It is time citizens start defending our rights against big government and big business.”

Dan Brown, farmer from Blue Hill, noted during the discussion on the Ordinance that this comes down to whether or not small-scale food producers can earn a livelihood. “They come to me, close my doors, and I’m back to driving truck.” And losing even more farms and food producers, says Brown, means local people have less access to local food. “Shut me down, then people don’t get their tomatoes, their milk.”

Brown’s personal experience with the Maine State inspection program has revealed inconsistencies in which operations are deemed legitimate and under what terms. According to Brown, the state inspector responsible for his county has offered to license Brown’s home kitchen in a way that would “bend the rules.” “He said to me, ‘couldn’t you put your cats outside between 10am and 2pm? If you tell me you will I’ll believe that you do all your cooking between those hours.’”

When Brown asked if only selling dairy products to his customers who have signed a contract would satisfy the Maine Department of Agriculture he was told that such contracts were not legal, despite at least one other Maine farm operating in this manner. Five years of frustration and worry from not knowing whether he will be in business tomorrow has taken it’s toll on Brown, yet he is not giving up. “Either arrest me, prove what I’m doing is wrong in a court of law, or leave me alone.”

The Local Food and Self-Governance Ordinance has drawn national attention, with emails and phone calls pouring into Western Hancock County from around the U.S., Canada, and as far away as New Zealand. Farmers, ranchers, and artisan food producers have contacted local residents wanting to know how and why this ordinance came to be, and whether or not it could happen where they live.

Heather Retberg, whose diversified family farm in Penobscot has come under heavy scrutiny from state inspectors, has found comfort and camaraderie in the show of support. “A farmer who has given up her award winning cheese operation under incredible pressure from the FDA has connected to our work here and a friendship is forming across the country because of it,” said Retberg.

She also noted the importance of the more lighthearted comments she has received, like the farmer from Virginia who emailed to assure Retberg that “we believe the same things as y’all do.”

As of press time the Maine Department of Agriculture had not returned requests for comment.

The Local Food & Self-Governance Ordinance can be viewed at www.localfoodlocalrules.wordpress.com.

Check out Democracy School and what they are doing all over the country.
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Funding for beaver related flooding help.

Thanks to a grant from the Nion Robert Thieriot Foundation, the MSPCA has funding to assist with installation of water flow devices to humanely, non-lethally, and ecologically mitigate beaver-related flooding in the Berkshires.
Who can participate? Any individual, town, business, or organization in the Berkshires.

What are the criteria? A willingness (of all parties involved) to resolve problems non-lethally for the long term, a site that is conducive to flow device usage, and permission of the landowners and the local Conservation Commission to install water flow devices.

How do I request assistance?  Send a description of your conflict site(s) and the limitations of your budget to the MSPCA for consideration.  Starting in the spring, we will evaluate the sites to determine if they are conducive to flow device usage.

Funding assistance: The amount of funding offered to each applicant will depend on the number of requests,  the amount of each viable request, and the ability of each requester to pay for part of the flow device, or the maintenance contract for the device, themselves.

Deadline: Requests will be accepted throughout 2011 until funding is exhausted.
Requests will be considered in the order in which they are received.  Submit ASAP, please.

Send requests to:  Linda Huebner, MSPCA, 350 S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02130 Lhuebner@mspca.org, voicemail 617-541-5104, cell 617-448-8997 www.mspca.org/beaverfunding
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The Nature Conservancy’s is looking to rent housing for our Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program, which will bring 3 high school students and 1 adult mentor to the southern Berkshires for a one-month internship. The objectives of this program are to connect urban youth to nature, while also providing them with a paid work experience and teaching them life skills. We are currently seeking to rent housing for this group from July 11th through August 5th.  A location that is easily accessible to their work in the southern Berkshire region, primarily Sheffield, would be ideal. They would need to have electricity, hot/cold water, a bathroom with shower facilities, and a kitchen (not just a microwave/mini fridge) where they can cook all their meals. We would prefer for each intern to have their own bed and for the mentor to have a separate room if at all possible. Please contact me if you know of possible accommodations that would meet these criteria. Thanks!
——————————————————————————–
Angela Marie Sirois
Western Massachusetts
Stewardship Manager
asirois@tnc.org
(413) 229-0232 Ext. 232 (Office)
(413) 822-8340 (Cell)
(413) 229-3034 (Fax)
The Nature Conservancy
Massachusetts Chapter
404 LeGeyt Rd
Sheffield, MA 0125
nature.org
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Berkshire Taconic’s Simple Gifts Fund offers grants to help send young people to summer camp

The Simple Gifts Fund, established by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in 1998, supports the participation by local young people (ages 8 to 21) in summer enrichment programs for cultural or creative endeavors. If your child has a passion for the experiences and learning that Flying Deer offers, they can apply for a grant to participate in one of Flying Deer’s programs this summer, particularly those programs which will allow them to develop and hone their skills.

Applications will be reviewed according to the quality of the enrichment program and the potential impact of the program on the young person’s life and studies. The awards generally run from $200-$800, and recipients will be required to send a letter to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation about their experiences in the program by September 30.

Find out more and apply at www.berkshiretaconic.org.
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