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Massachusetts State Legislature Calls on Congress to Enact Constitutional Amendment Reversing Citizens United Decision

Massachusetts joins Rhode Island, Vermont, California, Maryland, New Mexico
and Hawaii in calling for an amendment to restore democracy

BOSTON – The Massachusetts State House passed a resolution yesterday calling on the United States Congress to enact a federal Constitutional Amendment to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and restore fair elections and constitutional rights to the people.  The State House vote follows recent action in the State Senate, which passed a similar resolution on Thursday.

In an overwhelming bipartisan victory, both chambers passed resolutions just before the end of the annual legislative session, with the State House voting by voice vote last night, following the State Senate, which voted 35 to 1 on Thursday.  In the Senate vote, all Republicans joined the majority in approving the resolution.

The 2010 Citizens United decision overturned decades-old laws restricting corporate expenditures, ruling that they violated the First Amendment’s protection of free speech. The decision dramatically expanded the fabricated “corporate rights” doctrine and has unleashed a flood of corporate money into federal, state, and local elections.

“The Citizens United decision is a tremendous threat to our democracy,” said Rep. Cory Atkins, the House sponsor of the resolution. “The very integrity of our political system is at stake, and I am proud of the House for passing this resolution yesterday and, along with the Senate, sending a strong message that our democracy isn’t for sale.”

In the wake of the Citizens United decision, campaign spending by outside groups has skyrocketed. In the 2010 election cycle, the first since the Supreme Court decision, outside groups spent nearly $300 million.

“The vote in Boston yesterday is going to carry national significance for this movement. Not only have seven states now called on Congress to act, but the latest has done so with impressive bipartisan support,” said John Bonifaz, the co-founder and director of Free Speech For People, a national campaign launched on the day of the Citizens United ruling to press for an Amendment to the Constitution to overturn the ruling and make clear that corporations are not people with constitutional rights. “With this vote, Massachusetts lawmakers of both parties are helping to lead the way in restoring American democracy to the people,” Bonifaz said.

Super PACs have emerged as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, amassing huge amounts of money used for attack ads, such as those aired this past spring during the Republican presidential candidate primaries. Super PACs are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the 2012 elections, breaking all previous records.

“Big corporations aren’t run by the 99 percent – or even by the 1 percent. Rather, they are run by a super-wealthy 0.01 percent,” said Avi Green, Executive Director of MassVOTE. “Politics should be for all of us – not just the super-wealthy and the big corporations they control. Kudos to the State Legislature for recognizing this and supporting this resolution.”

“Massachusetts now joins the several states and hundreds of communities nationwide who’ve issued similar resolutions,” said Mark Hays, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign. “With leadership from the states, we’re demonstrating that amending the Constitution to challenge the corrosive impacts of money in politics is no pipedream, but is a mainstream vision for a democracy that serves the people, not giant corporations.”

Cities and towns across the nation have voted on similar measures. In Massachusetts, 68 communities have voted in favor of a Constitutional Amendment including Boston, Springfield and Worcester. Massachusetts joins the state legislatures in California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont in voicing their state’s opposition to the decision and support for a Constitutional Amendment to address its ramifications.

“We are delighted that the State Legislature has taken bipartisan action to address this disastrous decision,” said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “A campaign for a Constitutional Amendment is no easy task, but the US Supreme Court left us no choice. Only with a constitutional amendment can we address the problem of money in politics that it, with other decisions, has created. Passing this resolution has put Massachusetts on the forefront of that critical effort, which, as the cradle of liberty, is where we should be.”

“We congratulate the State Legislature on the passage of this resolution.  It is past time to limit the impact of large amounts of money, often from donors whose identity is not public, on our elections,” said Eva Valentine, president of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.

To learn more, visit: www.commoncause.org, www.FreeSpeechForPeople.org, www.DemocracyIsForPeople.org and www.United4thePeople.org.

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Project Native “Wislocki Woods” Trail Ribbon Cutting

Project Native “Wislocki Woods” trail ribbon cutting August 17th, 10:00 am
Camp Becket YMCA Service Corps trail clearing funded by Housatonic Heritage Grant
Project Native is opening their 54-acre farm and wildlife sanctuary to the public after receiving a grant from the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area to develop and maintain the trails, which include a level mowed grass path around a 22-acre meadow of wild flowers surrounded by trees, and a woodland trail through 6.5 acres of old growth forest preserved for white oak (Quercus alba) regeneration.
The forest trail cleared by the Camp Becket YMCA Service Corps, a group of a dozen young men in leadership training, goes through Wislocki Woods, named for the founder of Berkshire Natural Resources Council. The Service Corps cleared invasive species, widened paths, and built woodland habitats for native wildlife.
Another group of young men from Heartwood   School, in Washington, Mass., used posts and beams from Project Native’s dismantled barn to build an information kiosk at the entrance of the native plant seed bank.
The kiosk, trails, and interpretive signs and maps will educate visitors about why native plants are essential to a healthy ecosystem and the prevention of extinction of many species of plants, insects, and birds.
The ribbon cutting for the new trail through Wislocki Woods is Friday, August 17th at 10:00 am. Camp Becket Service Corps and Project Native staff will be celebrating. The public is invited.
Project Native is a 54-acre native plant farm, nursery, and wildlife sanctuary in Housatonic, MA, working to protect, propagate, and promote native plant species as habitat for the insects and birds that depend on them for food.

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Songs and Sponsors Support Goodnight Irene Concert

The Connecticut River Watershed Council, a conservation group based in Greenfield, MA is moving forward with plans for its Goodnight Irene songwriter concert to be held at Deerfield Academy’s large auditorium on Tuesday, August 28th at 7 pm in Deerfield, MA. The performance, on the first anniversary of tropical storm Irene, is a benefit for the Council’s annual Source to Sea river cleanup, which will be held Sept 29, 2012.

 

The following songwriters will be performing or will be represented at the concert: From Vermont : Patty Carpenter (Guilford), Steve Spensley (Pittsford), Dave Clark (Quechee), Larken Goode (Woodstock), Dan Seiden (Brookline), Bridget Ahrens (Winooski), Victor Tremblay (Granby), Laura Molinelli (Jamaica), and Leslie Blair (Hancock); From Massachusetts: Charlie Conant, Roland Lapierre, Pat & Tex LaMountain (all Greenfield), John Currie (Orange), and Katie Clarke (Conway); From Towson, MD: Greg Bullen, former Choral Director at Deerfield Academy for over a decade in the 1990’s.; From Munich, Germany: Michael Veitch, who has four CD’s of original songs, has toured with singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin and been covered by Judy Collins on his song “Veteran’s Day”. Veitch’s song is about the Bartonsville Covered Bridge that has received a lot of YouTube attention.

“We are putting together a vibrant cast of singers and musicians who can bring these wonderful songs to life before your eyes, including many of the writers themselves,” adds Pat LaMountain, co-producer. Information on songs, writers and performers will be available at:

http://www.ctriver.org/programs/outreach_education/songwriting/index.html Tickets ($10) can be purchased at CRWC headquarters or online.

“A rich collection of over 30 songs has arrived at CRWC’s Greenfield MA office showing a broad spectrum of emotions and points of view expressed by regional writers,” says Tex LaMountain, co-producer of the event. Reacting to the call for songs inspired by Tropical Storm Irene, response has come from songwriters in six states, including a former Vermont resident and songwriter who now lives in Munich, Germany and a former Deerfield Academy Director of Choral Music who is an internationally recognized composer now living in Maryland. “We are incredibly impressed with the quality of the songs received. They vividly describe the initial shock and wonder at the damage, then give way to respect, hope, humor, and of course, Yankee determination and resilience,” notes LaMountain.

“The awesome force of the storm can be felt in the rhythms and lyrics. Graphic, poetic descriptions segue into intense instrumental solos conjuring up storm images; then a humorous look at ‘That No Good Irene’, and finally a determined ‘Can’t Drown Out Vermont.’ In a refreshing surprise, a beautiful modern classically-flavored ballad asks us to ‘trust the rain again’ and ‘follow the river to its end’; finally, we are rebuilding bridges, cleaning up the fields, regaining our confidence, as the music moves into upbeat toe-tapping country-flavored bluegrass/gospel-styled ‘river revival’. This concert covers a lot of ground,” adds LaMountain. “We had to select fifteen to eighteen songs out of the 30 submitted. That was hard.”

“In the stories, the images, and in the music, we can almost see and feel our beloved rivers transitioning and relaxing back into their roles as lifelines of our communities. We have all witnessed the unpredictable force and power of nature, but perhaps the respect we have gained will bring us to appreciate even more the true gifts we all have,” notes Pat LaMountain. The rivers mentioned in the songs include: the Deerfield, the OttaQuechee, the West, the White, the Mad, the Winooski, Otter Creek, the Green, the Williams, Clesson Brook, and the Chickley.

The Watershed Council is grateful to have received the support of four lead sponsors for this concert: Woodard and Curran, TransCanada, Southworth Paper and Western Mass Electric Company, and two general sponsors: PV Squared and WGBY.

 

More Cleanup Information: http://www.ctriver.org/programs/outreach_education/source_to_sea_cleanup/index.html

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Legislative Committee Kills Updated Bottle Bill

Despite unprecedented and overwhelming public support, a legislative committee killed the updated bottle bill by removing it from a pending jobs bill.

“Sadly it’s becoming clearer that big business is dictating how Beacon Hill votes,” said James McCaffrey of the Sierra Club. “The bottlers and other big beverage interests trumped the people, the environment and the facts on this one,”

Although the Senate included the bottle bill update in its version of the jobs bill, the House did not. Last evening, the Joint Conference Committee, which reconciled the differences between the House and Senate Jobs bill, filed its conference report, which struck the amendment.  The Updated Bottle Bill would have added water, juice, sports drinks and similar beverage containers to the current deposit law, which stands as the most effective recycling measure in the state.

With the support of 77% of the public, 208 cities and towns, Governor Patrick, and a majority of legislators, the measure should have been swiftly adopted. “Instead of Massachusetts taking home the gold medal, by disqualifying the public’s opinion, the legislature gives us more litter, more waste, and less recycling.” said Janet Domenitz of MASSPIRG.

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SIX PARKS.  ONE SQUIRREL. A SUMMER OF FUN:

2012 Great Park Pursuit

THE BERKSHIRESLooking for free family fun this summer?  Look to your Massachusetts state parks and the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) 2012 Great Park Pursuit!  The Great Park Pursuit (GPP) invites families and family/youth groups to register as a Team and challenges them to visit 6 “park pursuits” that they create themselves.  Teams can visits DCR parks and programs near their home or plan adventures across the commonwealth. New in 2012 is the GPP squirrel mascot.  Teams download and decorate their GPP Squirrel Mascot, name it, take it on their park pursuits and capture team and squirrel photos of their park adventures.  Teams share photos and stories on their GPP Family Homepage.  Teams that meet the challenge are invited to the Grand Finale Celebration on Saturday, September 15, 2012.

 

It’s all right here, in the Massachusetts state parks system!  Discover the more than 450,000 acres of forests, parks and reservations from Cape Cod, to Boston, to the Berkshire Hills, including such world-famous destinations as Pilgrim Memorial State Park (home of Plymouth Rock), Walden Pond State Reservation in Concord, and the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. There are 87 ocean and inland beaches, more than 2,000 miles of trails, and 31 campgrounds, hundreds of free programs and events, as well as many mountaintops, islands, waterfalls, and historic resources to visit and explore!  It all adds up to some amazing natural resources and great family fun.

 

There’s nothing like a day of fresh air and adventure to bring the family together. Whether you like to hike, fish, climb, bike or swim, you’ll find a Massachusetts state park that’s just right for you.  Join the 2012 Great Park Pursuit, get outdoors and create lasting memories together!

 

Area Highlights Include:

  • Pittsfield State Forest: Nature Walk, Sundays at 11am; Children’s Nature Program, Fridays at 10am, Junior Rangers, Saturdays at 10am.
  • Mount Greylock State Reservation: Tyke Hike, Fridays at 10am; Wild Waterfalls, Saturdays at 1pm; Medicinal Herb Walk, Sundays at 10am and 2pm.
  • Tolland State Forest: Critters of the Forest Fun! Fridays at 4pm, Hands On Nature! Sundays at 4pm.
  • Natural Bridge State Park: Marvelous Marble Walk Saturdays and Sundays 10am-noon and 1-2pm; Nature Crafts for Kids, Thursdays at 2pm.
  • Clarksburg State Park: Fort Massachusetts Commemorative Campfire, August 18 at 7:30pm.
To register or find out more about the DCR Great Park Pursuit please visit online at www.mass.gov/dcr/gpp or call 617-626-1450 phone.

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Fall Wilderness Classes Tamakoce Wilderness Programs

Hi folks,

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer with lots of time spent exploring investigating and playing in the outdoors. Fall classes will be starting the week of September 24th, so I’m starting registrations now. To help me with my administrative tasks, I’m asking for you to Please send in your registration by August 20th

 

The classes and dates are:

Albany – Clay Coyotes (Ages 8-12): Wednesdays, September 26th to December 5th ( skipping the 21st.) the sleepover will be held on December 5th-6th and there is an additional fee of $65 for the overnight

 

Albany – (Ages 5-7): Some interest has been expressed in having a class for 5-7 year olds. I can set this up on Mondays or Fridays if there is sufficient interest.Let me know as soon as possible if you would like to participate in this new class.

 

Cambridge- White Wolves and Snowy Owls (Ages 5-12): Tuesdays, Spetmeber 25th to November 27th; the sleepover will be held for ages 8-12 on November 27th-28th and there is an additional fee of $65 for the overnight

 

Time: All classes run from 9:30-3:30 Tuition: Sliding scale is $300-$500 with a 10% sibling discount

 

Teen Boys’ Rites of Passage (Ages 13-14): Ongoing monthly meetings. For more information about this, please email me.

 

Attached is the registration form. Please fill out all the fields. Tuition is a sliding scale tuition so please put down the specific amount you plan on paying for your child(ren). Mail it with a $50 deposit per child to: Tamakoce Wilderness Programs, 95 Crandall Road, Petersburgh, NY 12138 by March 1st.

 

Lastly, we recently initiated a nature skills badge program. I’ve attached the list of skills for kids to think about Testing for the badges will be done at the end of the session.

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

Dan Yacobellis

tamakocewildernessprograms.com

518-658-0328

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