Thank you to Rachel Branch, producer of the television show Solutions Rising for including a “BEAT” series for people to learn more about the fracked gas pipelines proposed to bring gas from the fracking fields of Pennsylvania across New York, Massachusetts, and New England.
Some Berkshire Farms to Receive Aerial Crop Planting
2016 Sustainability Summit to be held September 17th
The theme of this year’s Sustainability Summit is “Energizing & Democratizing New England’s Energy Economy.” Join local energy leaders and concerned citizens from across New England to learn, share, and work together to catalyze a new energy economy in our region that is based on clean sources, thriving local economies, and access for all. Attendees will be grappling with tough questions, sharing inspiring solutions, and looking to hear from all participants about the strategies they see in their community as we craft a path forward for our region. [text-blocks id=”26627″ slug=”click-headline-read”]
Upcoming Sandisfield Conservation Commission Meeting
Challenge to presidential candidates: Debate about science
Climate change. Mental health. Space exploration. Vaccinations. The health of the oceans. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs. These are not the typical meat-and-potatoes topics of presidential debates. Often, the candidates and people who ask them questions skip over such topics entirely. But dozens of non-partisan groups that represent millions of scientists and engineers across the country are eager to change that. For the third consecutive presidential election, the folks behind ScienceDebate.org are asking candidates to hold a debate exclusively about major issues in science, engineering, health and the environment. Since that almost certainly won’t happen (it didn’t in 2008 or 2012, either), the organizers have put together 20 questions they are asking candidates to address in writing. By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post, August 10, 2016. [text-blocks id=”26627″ slug=”click-headline-read”]
Jobs
Experienced Solar Technician – Berkshire Photovoltaic Services – Adams, MA
Research Scientist – SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry – Albany, NY
Weekend Visitors Services Staff – Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox, MA
Some Berkshire Farms to Receive Aerial Crop Planting
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Farms in Adams, Cheshire, Lanesborough, North Adams, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown will be seeding a little differently this August.
Instead of establishing a cover crop by hand, a helicopter will plant winter rye grass seed from above.
The airborne cover-crop planting is being done through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation program.
Letter: Still time for solution on Project Native land
The Berkshire Eagle
A local environmental tragedy and travesty is happening in Great Barrington, causing me great concern and outrage at the bureaucratic procedures at the Department of Agricultural Resources.
A parcel of land owned by Project Native on North Plain Road in Housatonic which for over 10 years has been dedicated to the cultivation of native plants, is to be given over to the raising of livestock. A wealth of well-established plants, a gorgeous wild meadow full of rare native flowering plants and grasses, a beautiful natural sanctuary that is an important resource for the preservation of native species, is about to be given over to be devoured by pigs.
This is a tragedy for the environment and a huge bureaucratic mistake. Anyone who has seen the land, which is horribly depleted and bare, would know that this will be the fate of all the work that went into creating the incredible wild habitat at Project Native.
Project Native has been an invaluable resource for people like me who garden with the intent to restore native habitat for bees, birds and butterflies. Helia Landscape Design, chosen by Project Native to continue its work, should be allowed to buy the land.
A nasty and misguided political decision that pits neighbor against neighbor would be avoided. The hearts of a community fond of its citizens’ accomplishments in environmental conservation would not be broken.
It is my understanding that Helia Landscape Design had been given verbal assurances by the Dept. of Agriculture for permission to keep working the land as Project Native did under its agricultural designation, and then suddenly lost that support. It is unimaginable that government could pull out the rug from under a small business that does such good work. It seems to me that people in power would want to come and see the local situation and find good solutions rather than just look at an application and decide with a stroke of the pen.
Anne Legêne, Great Barrington
2016 Sustainability Summit to be held September 17th
Energizing & Democratizing New England’s Energy Economy
Join local energy leaders and concerned citizens from across New England to learn, share, and work together to catalyze a new energy economy in our region that is based on clean sources, thriving local economies, and access for all. Participants will be grappling with tough questions, sharing inspiring solutions, and looking to hear from all attendees about the strategies they see in their community as together they craft a path forward for our region.
Keynote speaker Sandra Steingraber, an acclaimed ecologist and author, will explore the links between human rights and the environment, with a focus on climate change, chemical contamination, and shale gas extraction via fracking. She takes a personal and scientific look at these issues and offers insights into how we can protect our environment and our communities. Steingraber brings a clear, lyrical voice to the complex evidence of biology.
Workshop tracks will be led by leaders confronting our current energy system, harnessing critical opportunities, creating new models, and thinking big about possibilities for access for all to clean energy. If the following questions resonate with you, then you don’t want to miss this conference!
How can we make energy efficiency upgrades accessible for those who need it most?
What are the economic models for financing locally-owned community energy projects?
How can we rethink ownership of energy and envision an inclusive new energy system?
Upcoming Sandisfield Conservation Commission Meeting
Challenge to presidential candidates:
Debate about science
By Brady Dennis
The Washington Post
August 10, 2016
Climate change. Mental health. Space exploration. Vaccinations. The health of the oceans. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
These are not the typical meat-and-potatoes topics of presidential debates. Often, the candidates and people who ask them questions skip over such topics entirely.
But dozens of non-partisan groups that represent millions of scientists and engineers across the country are eager to change that. For the third consecutive presidential election, the folks behind ScienceDebate.org are asking candidates to hold a debate exclusively about major issues in science, engineering, health and the environment. Since that almost certainly won’t happen (it didn’t in 2008 or 2012, either), the organizers have put together 20 questions they are asking candidates to address in writing.
Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, said answers from the campaigns could help voters gauge how a candidate plans to use scientific information to make important decisions in the White House.
“When you look at the scope of the questions, they touch on so many issues that are important to our quality of life — things that are going to impact our health, our economy, our future resources,” McNutt said in an interview. “It certainly would be good for America to see the answers to these questions.”
Rush Holt, chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said one hope is to encourage both journalists and voters to press candidates in the coming month to speak in depth about where they stand on important scientific topics.
“Sometimes politicians think science issues are limited to simply things like the budget for NASA or NIH, and they fail to realize that a president’s attitude toward and decisions about science and research affect the public well being,” Holt said in a statement.
The effort has the support of a wide swath of the scientific community — from the American Chemical Society to the Geological Society of America to the Paleontological Society. It also has a track record. In 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain submitted answers to more than a dozen questions. In 2012, President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney did the same. You can see those answers here and here.
So how will the effort fare this year? Who knows. The 2016 election season has been nothing if not unpredictable.
But chances are the group is likely to hear from Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee has sections on her campaign website dedicated to her stances on climate change, protection of wildlife, biomedical research, the opioid addiction crisis and investing in science and technology research, among other issues. Clinton also declared in her recent speech at the Democratic National Convention, ” I believe in science. I believe climate change is real and that we can save our planet while creating millions of good-paying clean energy jobs.”
Meanwhile, Republican nominee Donald Trump repeatedly has said he isn’t “a believer” that humans have played a significant role in the Earth’s changing climate.
In his own tweets, Trump has called the concept of global warming everything from a “hoax” to “bulls—” to a scheme “created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” (He later said he was joking about the China tweet). In a wide-ranging meeting with The Washington Post editorial board in March, he again dismissed man-made climate change. Instead, he said the type of climate change we should worry most about is nuclear weapons — an apparent reference to Cold War-era fears over a “nuclear winter.”
Trump’s stance on climate change, of course, puts him at odds with the vast majority of scientists.
But the questions being asked by ScienceDebate.org go far beyond that topic, touching on research and development investments, long-term energy plans, how science and math are taught in schools and views on public health campaigns aimed at reducing smoking and drunk driving.
For the 20 questions that the group said it also will submit to Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein… CLICK HERE for the full article.
Jobs
Experienced Solar Technician
About Berkshire Photovoltaic Services (BPVS)
Since 1985 our mission has been to install safe, efficient & durable PV systems. We are looking for an Experienced Solar Technician to join our team! BPVS is fully licensed (MA HIC 131996) and insured for commercial, institutional and residential PV systems. All of our installations are fully permitted and approved. BPVS has helped pave the way for PV acceptance by installing the first solar electric systems in over 90 jurisdictions and several utility territories. Office Phone: 413-743-0152.
Job Duties
PV installation tasks
Qualifications
At least 2 Years working in solar field
10 Hour OSHA Card
Drivers license (with a clean record)
Plus but not required:
CSL
NABCEP Certified
Experience working with AutoCAD
Send resume & cover letter to Becca Martin at Becca@bpvs.com
Rebecca Martin
BPVS (Berkshire Photovoltaic Services)
46 Howland Ave
Adams, MA 01220
Tel: 413.743.0152
Fax: 413.743.4827
www.bpvs.com
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Research Scientist – SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry – Albany, NY
Category: Research Foundation
Department: EFB
Locations: Albany, NY
Posted: Jun 27, ’16
Type: Full-time
About College of Environmental Science and Forestry: Founded in 1911, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is the nation’s oldest and most respected school dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies and building a sustainable future. The ESF main campus is in Syracuse, NY and has regional campuses throughout Central New York and the Adirondack Park. ESF consistently earns high rankings in US News and World Report, Forbes, Peterson’s Guide, The Washington Monthly, Princeton Review and other national college guidebooks.
Job Description:
Title: Research Scientist
Department: Environmental and Forest Biology
Salary: $50,000 minimum
Duration: Through March 2018, with likely continuation through March 2023
Location: Albany, NY (New York State DEC Headquarters)
Brief Description of Duties: This position will work closely with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Bureau of Wildlife (BOW) staff and will function as the BOW’s Data Scientist. This position will assist the Game Management Section with annual monitoring efforts by maintaining current systems in antiquated database software (i.e., Visual FoxPro and Turbo Pascal) while simultaneously working to upgrade the programs in a modern data analysis language (i.e., R or Python) and database platforms (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, sqllite, or MS Access). The position will seek opportunities to streamline and automate the workflow and data flow involved in annually recurring surveys conducted by the Game Management and Wildlife Diversity Sections.
The Research Scientist also serves as a consultant to BOW staff throughout the state and research collaborators, providing direct support with statistical analyses, guidance on sampling designs, evaluation of project proposals to ensure statistical validity, assistance with preparation and review of technical reports and manuscripts, and response to data requests from staff and the public.
Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Oversee annually recurring deer harvest estimation. This is a major project and involves validation of all input data sources (e.g., harvest reports from hunters, biological data from field checked deer, etc.), statistical analyses (descriptive and inferential), development of summary tables, and appending estimates to several long-term databases and spreadsheets.
Oversee data validation and analysis of annual data collection from a variety of wildlife observation surveys (e.g., bow hunter sighting log, big game hunter survey, grouse and turkey hunter logs, drumming surveys, incidental sightings) to monitor relative abundance of deer, bear, moose, turkey, selected furbearers, and other game and non-game wildlife species statewide. Evaluate and refine as appropriate.
Provide technical guidance on data management systems, maintain and update computer programs used to analyze survey data, and help identify and correct sources of errors that occur in telephone, internet and scannable form reporting systems.
Provide statistical expertise and consultation for design and analysis of wildlife population research, user surveys, and monitoring programs and evaluate those surveys and programs after implementation.
Provide user-friendly reports and data queries from the above surveys as needed for public information or management purposes.
Assist BOW biologists in the preparation of peer-reviewed manuscripts and technical reports.
Train and supervise support staff to assist with data quality assurance and validation procedures.
Travel around New York State as needed to meet with and make presentations to regional staff, other professionals, and wildlife management stakeholders.
Requirements:
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree and two years of professional research experience, OR a Master’s Degree and one year of professional research experience, in biometrics, biostatistics, data sciences, wildlife population ecology or related field.
Expertise MS Access and with one or more statistical programming language such as R, Python, and/or SAS.
Strong interpersonal skills, including ability to establish and maintain satisfactory working relationships and collaborate with diverse personalities on project teams.
Preferred Qualifications:
Master’s Degree and two years of professional research experience, OR a PhD, in biometrics, biostatistics, data sciences, wildlife population ecology or related field.
Proficient with a version control system for software development (e.g., Git, Subversion, etc.)
Familiarity with Turbo Pascal and/or MS Visual FoxPro
Proficient at writing custom functions and/or packages in R and/or Python
Strong familiarity with relational databases and proficient using SQL
Experience developing dashboards such as RShiny Flex Dashboards, ArcGIS Dashboard for Operations, Rbokeh, Python bokeh, etc.
Proficiency with likelihood-based and Bayesian inference.
Experience working closely with state or federal wildlife agency staff.
Advanced user of ArcGIS for Desktop.
Additional Information: In accordance with the “Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act” institutions of higher education are required to prepare an annual report containing information on campus security policies and campus statistics. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by SUNY-ESF; and on property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a printed copy of this report by contacting SUNY-ESF University Police at 315-470-6667 or by accessing the following web site: http://www.esf.edu/univpolice/crimereports/
As an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer, the Research Foundation will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin and veteran or disability status.
Application Instructions:
Date to Be Filled: August 1, 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Application Deadline: Although the college will accept applications until the position is filled, interested candidates should submit their materials by July 15, 2016 to ensure optimal consideration.
Application Procedure: Employment application must be submitted on-line. Be sure to include contact information for a minimum of 3 references in your resume/CV.
Weekend Visitor Services Staff
Responsible for staffing the admissions office, Sundays, 10am – 4pm and some Monday holidays, greeting visitors, answering telephones, selling books, gifts, and bird feeders, processing registrations for programs, events and camp and generally representing Pleasant Valley and Mass Audubon to the public.
If you are looking for a part time position, have a love of nature, and enjoy sharing that enthusiasm with our visitors, this is a great opportunity for you. This is a year round position, however seasonal applicants will also be considered.
Qualifications
- Friendliness, tact, dependability, enthusiasm and a desire to work with people.
- Ability to deal with the varied pace of a public attraction necessary (there can be over 400 visitors on a busy day).
- Experience with handling money, using a cash register and credit card machine.
- Ability to take responsibility for office without additional staff.
- Customer service experience preferred.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn basic computer programs.
- An interest in natural history is helpful, natural history background a plus.
- Must pass a background records check (CORI and SORI).
Compensation and Benefits – Rate of pay $10-$11.00/hr
How to Apply
Please email your resume and cover letter to: