New Synapse Report on New England’s Shrinking Need for Natural Gas
The costs of the proposed Access Northeast pipeline to transport fracked gas into Massachusetts and other New England states would be more than double what pipeline sponsors claim — $6.6 billion versus the projected $3.2 billion – according to a dramatic new report by Synapse Energy Economics. Furthermore, the report projects that the use of natural gas in New England for electric generation will decrease by 27% by 2023, compared to 2015, leaving the pipelines underused and unneeded. Rather than reduce consumers’ bills, as claimed by the pipeline sponsors, the pipeline would increase costs for Massachusetts consumers by $141 million over the life of the pipeline, according the Synapse report. From Katy Eiseman, PLAN-NE, February 7, 2017. <more>
FERC pushes through pipeline approvals, awaits
new chair
And then there were two. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday issued a flurry of orders, including approval of Transco’s Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline project, winding up its ability to act with a three-member quorum on the last day of Chairman Norman Bay’s tenure. Bay resigned from the commission after President Trump replaced him as chairman with acting Chairwoman Cheryl LaFleur. With the absence of a quorum, FERC on Friday also issued an order delegating additional authority to agency staff to continue certain agency operations in the absence of a quorum, which comprises three commissioners under FERC rules. By Rod Kuckro, E&E News, February 6, 2017. <more>
Powerful Environmental Activists Announced as Keynote Speakers at 30th Annual Local Environmental Action Conference in March
Join nearly 500 citizens, activists and experts at one of the premier grassroots events in New England scheduled for Sunday, March 5th at Northeastern University in Boston. This year, the keynote speakers are Kandi Mossett and Lois Gibbs. Kandi Mossett is a powerful Indigenous leader and environmental justice hero on the frontlines of the fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. The conference will offer nearly 20 workshops that cover a range of issues and skills and is a day to recognize our many victories over the year and be inspired to go back and continue the fight to protect the health and safety of our communities, our environment, and our climate. <more>
2 Cities To Pull More Than $3 Billion From Wells Fargo Over Dakota Access Pipeline
Seattle’s City Council has voted to not renew its contract with Wells Fargo, in a move that cites the bank’s role as a lender to the Dakota Access Pipeline project as well as its creation of millions of bogus accounts. As a result, the city won’t renew its contract with the bank that expires next year. The unanimous vote will pull more than $3 billion in city funds from the banking giant, the council says. Seattle says the bidding process for its next banking partner will “incentivize ‘Social Responsibility.'” Not long after Seattle’s vote, the City Council in Davis, Calif., took a similar action over the pipeline. It voted unanimously to find a new bank to handle its roughly $124 million in accounts by the end of 2017. By Bill Chappell, New England Public Radio’s The Two-Way, February 8, 2017.<more>
Xinhua Insight: China’s farmers go green
When Yao Huifeng quit his well-paid job in a medical company to become a rice grower six years ago, he was nicknamed “Yao the idiot.” Now people call him “manager Yao” due to his successful career transition. From city life to farm work in Yifeng County, east China’s Jiangxi Province, Yao has tried various methods for high-quality rice, the only constant being that his produce is organic. He avoids using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and leaves the field fallow for a season to guarantee quality, which is what Chinese middle-class consumers now care about most. Xinhuanet via Environmental Health News, February 8, 2017. <more>
Jobs
Conservation District Grant Administrator – Pittsfield, MA
Caretaker – Cold Brook Wildlife Sanctuary – Otis, MA
Streamflow Restoration Specialist (Environmental Analyst II) – Boston
GIS Manager – Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) – Cornwall Bridge, CT
Volunteer Ambassadors Needed at Notchview – Windsor, MA
Visitor Services Internship – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Northeast Regional Office – Hadley, MA
2017 SCA MA Forests & Parks AmeriCorps Position – DCR-Wompatuck – Hingham, MA
Trail Team Massachusetts Corps – SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps – Hawley, MA
Plant Conservation Volunteer – New England Wild Flower Society – Western Mass
Hoosic River Revival – Executive Director – North Adams, MA
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation – Executive Director – Williamstown, MA
New Synapse Report on New England’s Shrinking Need for Natural Gas
From Katy Eiseman, PLAN-NE
February 7, 2017
Proposed Access Northeast pipeline will cost New England $6.6 billion, not the $3.2 billion claimed by pipeline sponsors
Independent analysis finds Massachusetts electric ratepayers would be forced to pay an additional $141 million to cover pipeline costs
February 7, 2017 – The costs of the proposed Access Northeast pipeline to transport fracked gas into Massachusetts and other New England states would be more than double what pipeline sponsors claim — $6.6 billion versus the projected $3.2 billion – according to a dramatic new report by Synapse Energy Economics.
Furthermore, the report projects that the use of natural gas in New England for electric generation will decrease by 27% by 2023, compared to 2015, leaving the pipelines underused and unneeded.
The report was sponsored by a coalition of environmental groups, including the Sierra Club of Massachusetts, Consumers for Sensible Energy, Pipeline Awareness Network for the Northeast, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, Connecticut Fund for the Environment and the Sierra Club of Connecticut.
Rather than reduce consumers’ bills, as claimed by the pipeline sponsors, the pipeline would increase costs for Massachusetts consumers by $141 million over the life of the pipeline, according the Synapse report.
“This study provides a reality check on the costs of Access Northeast to consumers and demonstrates that forging ahead with massive gas infrastructure expansion is incompatible with legal mandates throughout the region, said Kathryn R. Eiseman, President, Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast, Inc. “We know that to comply with the law and sound climate policy, we must reject this gas infrastructure overbuild and double down on renewables, energy storage, and demand-side solutions — and this study shows that.”
“This report confirms what we’ve been saying all along- these pipelines aren’t needed, would raise costs on consumers, contribute to climate change, and put us in non-compliance with Massachusetts’ energy and environmental laws.” said Emily Norton of the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Sierra Club. “Massachusetts has a proud legacy of being a leader in the fight for our environment, but this would be a giant step backwards, toward increased reliance on fossil fuels. We deserve real solutions that look to the future, not more fracked gas pipelines that contribute to global warming, harm our environment and pick our pockets.”
The use of gas-fired electricity will decline dramatically, according to the Synapse report, because electricity demand is expected to be flat for the foreseeable future and state laws require the use of more renewable resources which will force gas out of the system.
Beyond the projected 27% reduction in the use of natural gas for electric generation by 2023, compared to 2015, the report projects that natural gas usage will be 41 percent lower by 2030.
The report also finds that the $3.2 billion pipeline construction cost, cited frequently by the proponents, excludes other significant costs such as operations, maintenance, depreciation and return on equity, making the full cost of the ANE pipeline $6.6 billion —
more than double the pipeline proponents’ claim.
Contrary to the utilities’ claim that the pipeline would lower consumer rates, the Synapse report found that New England ratepayers would be forced to pay an additional $277 million over the lifetime of the pipeline.
The pipeline partners had initially proposed that the pipeline be paid for through a pipeline tax added to monthly electric bills. The pipeline tax was overruled by the Massachusetts Supreme Court and rejected by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.
“Our research clearly shows that Massachusetts and New England ratepayers would face substantial cost increases on their utility bills, if the Access Northeast Pipeline is built” said Pat Knight of Synapse. “Furthermore, Massachusetts ratepayers would be making an enormous investment in a pipeline that would be unneeded almost as soon as it is built, as the use of gas is displaced by mandated renewable power. “
Synapse Energy Economics is a research and consulting firm specializing in energy, economic, and environmental topics. Since its inception in 1996, Synapse has grown to become a leader in providing rigorous analysis of the electric power and natural gas sectors for public interest and governmental clients.
By Rod Kuckro, E&E News
Monday, February 6, 2017
And then there were two.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday issued a flurry of orders, including approval of Transco’s Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline project, winding up its ability to act with a three-member quorum on the last day of Chairman Norman Bay’s tenure.
Bay resigned from the commission after President Trump replaced him as chairman with acting Chairwoman Cheryl LaFleur.
With the absence of a quorum, FERC on Friday also issued an order delegating additional authority to agency staff to continue certain agency operations in the absence of a quorum, which comprises three commissioners under FERC rules.
“The Commission anticipates not having a quorum for an indeterminate period, but has a continuing responsibility to carry out its regulatory obligations under the Federal Power Act (FPA), Natural Gas Act (NGA), and Interstate Commerce Act (ICA), among other statutes,” the agency said in a statement.
The FERC delegation order is intended to ensure that commission staff has authority to prevent certain rate filings under the NGA and FPA from taking effect by operation of law during the no-quorum period.
The order does not allow FERC staff to issue certificates, issue new policies or propose rulemakings.
FERC staff will be able to act on tariffs, rate filings, waiver requests, extensions of time and uncontested settlements.
Is help coming from Texas?
Normally a five-member commission, FERC now has just two members, LaFleur and Commissioner Colette Honorable. Both are Democrats.
Trump will be able to name three members of his own party.
To lead the commission, Trump may look no further than to Barry Smitherman, a close ally of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Trump’s pick to be secretary of Energy, according to several sources. He has met with the president.
Smitherman, 59, has a broad background as both an electricity sector and oil and gas regulator, which means he could hit the ground running at FERC.
Perry appointed Smitherman to the Public Utility Commission of Texas in 2004, and he became the chairman in 2007. Smitherman left the PUCT in 2011 when Perry named him to the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas, where he became chairman in 2012 and served into 2015.
On Inauguration Day, Smitherman was in Washington, and that day he resigned his partnership at Vinson & Elkins’ Austin, Texas, office to “pursue other career opportunities and interests,” according to a statement from the firm.
In December, Smitherman penned an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News touting Perry as the right selection to run the Department of Energy.
Smitherman commended Perry for his support of Texas’ competitive electricity market, a buildout of 2,300 miles of transmission to access wind and increased domestic oil and gas production and infrastructure made possible by hydraulic fracturing drilling techniques.
Smitherman heading up FERC would not be a first for a Texas regulator. In 2001, President George W. Bush picked Pat Wood, at the time the chairman of the PUCT, to become chairman at FERC.
Others names that have been circulating for a seat on FERC are Shannon Bañaga, a lobbyist for Tampa, Fla.-based TECO Energy Inc.; Neil Chatterjee, a longtime energy aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.); Janet Sena, a former electric utility executive; Kenneth Minesinger, a shareholder and co-chairman of Greenberg Traurig LLP’s global energy and infrastructure practice; Richard Lehfeldt, an energy lawyer at the firm Crowell & Moring and former counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power; and Bill Marsan, executive vice president and general counsel of American Transmission Co. (E&E News PM, Nov. 28, 2016).
Atlantic Sunrise
Among its Friday orders, FERC gave the go-ahead to the 183-mile Atlantic Sunrise Project, a $3 billion venture by Transco, a subsidiary of Williams Cos.
Originating in Pennsylvania, the pipeline would move Marcellus Shale gas through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Some gas would be diverted to the Cove Point liquefied natural gas terminal in Maryland for export.
The approval was slammed by environmental groups.
“FERC’s decision to rush this dirty and dangerous project through is nothing short of reckless — particularly given the inadequate reviews of this project, leaving substantial outstanding questions about its full impact,” said Lena Moffitt, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign.
The commission’s approval contains 56 environmental conditions in the project’s final environmental impact statement, which said the pipeline poses “some adverse environmental impacts” but that they could be managed.
FERC also approved National Fuel Gas Co.’s plan for the $455 million Northern Access Project that would bring more gas into markets in New York, New England, the Midwest and Canada.
One day earlier, FERC ruled in favor of Energy Transfer Partners LP’s Rover natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to Ontario, a project estimated to cost $4.2 billion.
Powerful Environmental Activists Announced as Keynote Speakers at 30th Annual Local Environmental Action Conference in March
This year, the keynote speakers are Kandi Mossett and Lois Gibbs. Kandi Mossett is a powerful Indigenous leader and environmental justice hero on the frontlines of the fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. A member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, Kandi is the Indigenous Environmental Network’s Extreme Energy & Just Transition Campaign Coordinator, leading the fight to raise awareness about the environmentally & socially devastating effects of hydraulic fracturing on tribal lands. Event organizers are honored to have her joining the conference to share lessons from NoDAPL and her international and national climate advocacy work.
Lois Gibbs is known by many as the mother of the anti-toxics movement and the federal Superfund program. Lois was a housewife living in Niagara Falls, New York in 1978 when she learned that her neighborhood, Love Canal, was built on top of 21,000 tons of hazardous chemical waste. After successfully organizing her neighbors to win the evacuation and cleanup of Love Canal, Lois went on to found the Center for Health, Environment & Justice and has helped communities across the country fight to protect themselves from toxic exposures. Most recently, Lois has been working on the ground in Flint, Michigan.
The conference will offer nearly 20 workshops that cover a range of issues and skills – from the future of energy in New England, to organizing in the age of Trump, to the health impacts of fracked gas well-head to your kitchen stove.
Local Environmental Action 2017 is a day to recognize our many victories over the year and be inspired to go back and continue the fight to protect the health and safety of our communities, our environment, and our climate. Whether you’re a veteran participant from all 30 years of Environmental Action or a first time attendee, don’t miss out on this exciting day!
Register now for just $35. Or cosponsor as a group and receive a discount of two tickets for $60. (Breakfast and lunch included in all tickets.) Register online or call 617-747-4362 for more details. Early bird registration closes February 11th and prices go up $10 after that date.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 617-747-4362 or by email at info@toxicsaction.org.
Cohosted by Toxics Action Center, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, the Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative (NEJRC) in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Northeastern Social Science Environmental Health Research Initiative, and many others.
2 Cities To Pull More Than $3 Billion From Wells Fargo Over Dakota Access Pipeline
By Bill Chappell
New England Public Radio’s The Two-Way
February 8, 2017
Seattle’s City Council has voted to not renew its contract with Wells Fargo, in a move that cites the bank’s role as a lender to the Dakota Access Pipeline project as well as its creation of millions of bogus accounts. As a result, the city won’t renew its contract with the bank that expires next year.
The unanimous vote will pull more than $3 billion in city funds from the banking giant, the council says. Seattle says the bidding process for its next banking partner will “incentivize ‘Social Responsibility.'”
Not long after Seattle’s vote, the City Council in Davis, Calif., took a similar action over the pipeline. It voted unanimously to find a new bank to handle its roughly $124 million in accounts by the end of 2017.
On the same day the two cities moved to cut ties with Wells Fargo, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted an easement allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under the Missouri River north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. As NPR’s Rebecca Hersher reported, that clears the way for construction of the final 1.5 miles of the more than 1,700-mile pipeline.
“Protests in Seattle against the Dakota Access Pipeline project have been large and frequent, often organized by local tribal members,” member station KUOW reports. “Protesters, many of them Native people from Washington state, share the concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which says the pipeline would threaten tribal water supplies, land and cultural sites.”
Wells Fargo has been in the headlines since last fall over a scandal involving bank employees creating fake accounts in customers’ names to bolster performance results and boost bonuses. While other banks are also involved in the pipeline deal, Wells Fargo’s recent history seems to have helped make it a target once again.
Seattle’s plan to stop its dealings with Wells Fargo comes months after the city canceled a $100 million bond deal between its electric utility and the bank. That took place last fall, when the treasurers of California, Illinois and other entities said they would freeze their dealings with the bank — in some cases, for a one-year period.
Wells Fargo’s commercial banking manager for Washington state, Mary Knell, tells KUOW that she’s disappointed in Seattle’s new move, noting that the bank is bound by its contract with the pipeline project.
Knell tells KUOW that the bank has “enhanced our due diligence on projects such as this to include more research into whether indigenous communities are affected and that they have been properly consulted.”
Socialist City Council member Kshama Sawant, who spearheaded Seattle’s move away from Wells Fargo, says a rally against the bank is scheduled for this weekend.
And after noting that Wells Fargo is “one of the six primary financiers of the for-profit private prison industry,” Sawant ended a statement about the bill’s initial passage earlier this month with a note of caution, saying, “All of the big banks are terrible, and, as long as we have capitalism, our contracts will be with institutions that put corporate greed over human need.”
Days before Seattle held an initial vote on divesting from the bank, Wells Fargo announced plans to donate $500,000 to five of the city’s nonprofit groups that work to revitalize Seattle neighborhoods.
When Seattle Council member Debora Juarez spoke of voting against Wells Fargo, she repeatedly cited a need for integrity — even as she acknowledged the small direct impact Seattle’s move will likely have.
“For a company whose deposits totaled more than $1 trillion last year, it’s a drop in a very big bucket,” Juarez said in a statement. “But for Seattle, a City whose budget is approx. $4B., voting to withdraw our funds … money that covers the biweekly payroll of $30 million for about 12,000 employees – is an opportunity to send a message.”
In Davis, the city’s report on the possibility of cutting ties with Wells Fargo noted that Philadelphia and Minneapolis are also considering the same move.
As for Seattle’s future options, KUOW reports:
“It’s not clear which financial institutions the city will work with in the future. More than a dozen other banks are connected to the pipeline, including CitiBank, ING, Chase and Bank of America.
“City Council members including Sawant, Mike O’Brien and Lisa Herbold are interested in contracting with a credit union or state-run public bank. Both of those options, however, would require a change to state law.”
In addition to complaints about the pipeline and its business practices, Wells Fargo was hit with a lawsuit at the end of January that accused the bank of “illegally denying student loans to young immigrants who are protected from deportation and allowed to work and study in the U.S. under a program created by former President Barack Obama,” as member station KPCC reported.
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Xinhua Insight: China’s farmers go green
Source: Xinhuanet via Environmental Health News
February 8, 2017
When Yao Huifeng quit his well-paid job in a medical company to become a rice grower six years ago, he was nicknamed “Yao the idiot.”
Now people call him “manager Yao” due to his successful career transition.
From city life to farm work in Yifeng County, east China’s Jiangxi Province, Yao has tried various methods for high-quality rice, the only constant being that his produce is organic.
He avoids using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and leaves the field fallow for a season to guarantee quality, which is what Chinese middle-class consumers now care about most.
His rice sells at 10 yuan (1.45 U.S. dollars) a kilo, three times higher than average, yet still popular.
Last year, his success drew more than 70 local farmers to join his rice cooperative.
“Ninety percent of the local fields have switched to organic rice, and the economic output in our cooperative has exceeded 4 million yuan,” Yao told Xinhua.
Organic farming, and eco-farming in a broader sense, is becoming increasingly popular in the world’s most populous nation amid growing concerns for food safety.
China has become the world’s fourth largest organic food consumer, but organic food penetration is still small, taking up only about 1.5 percent of the country’s food market share, according to a report by Zero Power Intelligence Group, a research institution headquartered in Shenzhen.
Lured by the tremendous market potential of green food, companies have rushed into the sector in search of profits.
Zhengzhuang farm, based in Jinan, capital of east China’s Shandong Province, has been devoted to high-quality, chemical-free fruit since it was founded in 2012.
Like Yao’s farm, it abandoned chemical fertilizers and turned back to “old-fashioned” animal manure to use on the land of about 67 hectares.
“Using chemical fertilizers can cause the soil to harden and degrade, while organic manure can help the land regain nutrients,” said Wang Yan, co-founder of the farm.
Wang has been purchasing manure from a nearby dairy farm for the last three years. Two cows, each producing a tonne of dung a year, can meet the demand of one mu of land.
“Apart from cow dung, we also use feces of geese, horses, donkeys and earthworms. The greater the variety of manure, the better,” she added.
Wang calls herself a modern farmer, who represents a new generation of growers embracing innovative and green agriculture production.
China has been promoting sustainable farming to reform the agriculture industry in recent years. A document issued earlier this week called for an output increase in high-quality products based on green and innovative production. It also said the country would maintain a zero increase in the usage of pesticides and fertilizers.
Long-time reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to boost production has resulted in severe problems, such as pollution and soil degradation.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show about one-third of the world’s chemical pesticides, or 1.4 million tonnes, are used in China every year. The use of pesticides in China is 2.5 times the amount in developed countries.
“Arable lands in China faces three major problems — low productivity, soil degradation and low fertility,” said Gao Yiwu, CEO of Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group, a fertilizer manufacturer.
Many have already felt the pinch of unsustainable farming.
Wang Cuifen has been growing crops since 1997.
“The output increased year by year in the past decades, but the soil is getting harder and harder these years, and I had to use more chemical fertilizers to maintain a high yield, but I know it will not work long,” she told Xinhua.
In 2014, sponsored by the local government, Wang started to use organic fertilizers. “It worked really well and the soil is getting rich again,” she said.
The revival of manure has also created new business opportunities for Liu Shuchun, a pig breeder.
The disposal of the excrement of his 5,000 pigs used to be a big headache, but not now.
The price of a tonne of pig manure sold for 40 yuan in 2012, this year the price was double.
“It is very promising,” Liu said.
He has set up 19 biogas digesters to produce organic fertilizers out of pig manure. A tonne of the processed manure cost up to 750 yuan but still sells fast.
A dead-end in old farming and a shift in consumption habits has encouraged more farmers to engage in green agriculture.
To promote supply-side reform in agriculture, authorities are training more professional talent and offering favorable fiscal policies for business start-ups in rural area to encourage investment, increase farmers’ income and create safe food, which is good for both farmers and consumers.
“The success of agricultural supply-side reform depends on increase in farmers’ income as well as more quality farm products,” said Tang Renjian, deputy director of the central rural work leading group. “Efforts should be made to maintain a sustainable, green agriculture growth, rather than relying on resource consumption.”
Jobs
Conservation District Grant Administrator – Pittsfield, MA
January 27, 2017 – Pittsfield, MA – The Berkshire Conservation District is seeking a part-time Program Administrator to administer grant funds over a three-year period and implement a work plan to help improve basic operations and secure long-term stability to improve its sustainability as an organization. Berkshire Conservation District is a state-mandated agency whose mission is to support local agriculture and environmental sustainability in Berkshire County through education. The goals of this position are to:
-Develop work plans, budgets, and a 5-year strategic plan
-Plan and hold 1–3 events or workshops annually
-Recruit new supervisors (board members)
-Strengthen and expand current programs
Skills and experience required for the position include an ability to work independently, to multitask and stay organized, and meet deadlines. Experience writing grants, administering grant funds, and/or work with small non-profits is preferred. Candidate should have a strong interest in environmental conservation issues. A Berkshire County resident is preferred but not required. This position is based in Pittsfield and features a flexible schedule with some ability to work remotely.
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and three professional references to BerkshireConservationDistrict@
Caretaker – Cold Brook Wildlife Sanctuary – Otis, MA
Contact Person: Stephen Hutchinson
Contact Email: shutchinson@massaudubon.org
Job Description:The Resident Caretaker serves as a friendly and professional representative of Mass Audubon to wildlife sanctuary visitors, as well as within nearby communities of the property. The caretaker provides ongoing security and monitoring of the property and responds quickly to emergency issues as they arise. He/she performs facility and/or property management duties on the property for a specified number of hours each week, often in conjunction with Mass Audubon staff and/or volunteers. Residing in a Mass Audubon residence on the premises is a requirement, which includes signing and abiding by all the provisions of a housing license. Housing provided in exchange for 8 hours/week work. Caretaker responsible for utilities. This position runs from February 1, 2017 through July 31, 2017 with a possible extension after that initial time period.
Responsibilities: Property Management 1. Ensure the maintenance and security of the properties by regularly monitoring and patrolling the premises, as well as responding to emergencies as they arise. Arrange for alternative security if absent from property for more than 24 hours. 2. Maintain grounds, buildings, and property as needed by: assisting in developing and maintaining a schedule of tasks to be completed, keeping records and reporting monthly to supervisor on tasks planned and completed; supervising contracted services, as well as volunteers; assisting with purchasing supplies and equipment;assisting with equipment and building repair and maintenance; and providing support for ecological management activities. Work independently at times as well as identify and resolve facility and property maintenance issues. 3. Assist Mass Audubon staff and volunteers with tasks related to the sanctuary or other Mass Audubon properties as directed. Visitor and Community Relations Ensure positive visitor experiences; promote membership in Mass Audubon; assist visitors with orientation and admission; install and maintain interpretative signage and exhibits; and establish and maintain positive community relations.
Qualifications: Demonstrated interest and support for the mission and goals Mass Audubon. Mature, responsible, and organized; experience in buildings and grounds maintenance, including proficiency in using hand tools, operating power tools, vehicles, and landscaping equipment, Must be at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license. Must have at least two years related experience. Strong ability and willingness to communicate well with staff, volunteers. and thepublic.
Physical Demands: The physical demands listed are representative of those that must be met by the caretaker to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodation maybe made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. While performing the duties of this position, the caretaker is required to talk, hear, sit,stand, and walk. The caretaker is required to bend/stoop, crawl/kneel, carry, reach, push/pull,walk over uneven terrain, and operate power tools and equipment, climb ladders, and lift up to 50 lbs. The caretaker is required to apply limited manual dexterity in combination with eye-hand coordination, such as basic keyboarding, basic hand tools and equipment, filing, operating office equipment, and operating a motor vehicle. The caretaker must have good vision to read documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes. Occasionally, the caretaker is required to review non-written materials for general observation purposes and for analytical,detailed purposes. Occasionally it is necessary for the caretaker to differentiate between colors.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that the caretaker encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Routinely work is performed outdoors or in unheated building spaces.Work may require performing responsibilities on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Tools and Equipment Used: The employee is required to use a personal computer and general office equipment (e.g., telephone, calculator, adding machine, copier, facsimile, etc.) as well as hand tools, ladders, power equipment, and vehicles. May require the use of two-way radios for communication with staff. Requires a valid driver’s license.
Compensation and Benefits: Housing provided in exchange for 8 hours/week work. Caretaker responsible for utilities. This position runs from February 1, 2017 through July 31, 2017 with a possible extension after initial time period.
Streamflow Restoration Specialist (Environmental Analyst II) – Boston
Date of posting: 1/26/17
Closing: The position will remain open until filled. However, first consideration will be given to those candidates who apply within the first 14 days.
The Streamflow Restoration Specialist works with partners to gather and assess high quality data on streamflow and to promote and support restoration of more natural streamflow regimes and aquatic ecosystem health. This position will support the collection and analysis of streamflow data to inform sustainable water management and ecological restoration actions. Work will involve monitoring equipment installation and maintenance, field measurements, local outreach and education, volunteer coordination, technical and policy support, and data analysis and modeling. The Streamflow Restoration Specialist will also coordinate and manage holistic streamflow restoration projects, and provide technical assistance, such as monitoring support, to the Division of Ecological Restoration’s river and wetland restoration projects. This is anticipated to be a one-year contract position. Interested candidates can learn more about DER and view the full job announcement here: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/der/.
To apply online, please visit the MassCareers website at
https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=160008O5
For more information about the position, please contact Michelle Craddock at michelle.craddock@state.ma.us or 617-626-1544.
Michelle Craddock
Watershed Ecologist
Division of Ecological Restoration
Department of Fish and Game
251 Causeway Street Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1544
GIS Manager – Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) –
Cornwall Bridge, CT
Full-Time Position Opening. The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seeks a skilled and motivated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professional, with strong geospatial expertise with ERSI’s desktop and online platforms, a facility for problem-solving and a talent for creating maps that tell a compelling story. GIS is a core competency for HVA, a nationally recognized regional watershed organization and accredited land trust working across 1,250,000 acres in western New England and eastern New York.
Position Description: This is a full-time position with benefits and salary commensurate with experience. Working from our main office in Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut, the GIS manager is a core member of the leadership team. This person maintains and enhances natural resource and parcel-based GIS data for the entire Housatonic Valley Watershed across portions of three states and multiple jurisdictions. The GIS Manager will develop geospatial models to perform spatial and tabular analysis, and publish cartographic products as static paper maps and dynamic web-based applications.
Required Qualifications:
Proven capabilities with ArcGIS Desktop 10.4.1 and ArcGIS Online Proven Project Management Skills, both individually and in a team setting
Enthusiasm to remain current in GIS technologies
Passion for Environmental Protection and Land Conservation Strong cartographic instincts Positive, solution-oriented Willingness to assist with non-GIS related activities
Valid Driver’s License Valid Employment Status (Applicants with H-1B Visas must confirm they could work for HVA)
Desired Qualifications: Familiarity with GIS data sources for CT, MA and NY
Experience with GPS and mobile GIS data collection Familiarity with ArcGIS Story Maps Experience using Data Driven Pages, ModelBuilder
Experience managing ArcGIS Online Organization Account
Email cover letter, resume, examples of recent GIS work and references to tim.abbott@hvatoday.org. The position will remain vacant until filled.
Volunteer Ambassadors Needed at Notchview Reservation – Windsor, MA
Volunteers Needed: Help us Help Others enjoy the winter wonders of Notchview. Indoor Visitor Center & Outdoor trail opps. Assist for 2 hrs. on your ski days or join one day/wk. Fun. Social. Family opps. Free ski lesson. Notchview Reservation, 83 Old Route 9, Windsor, MA 01226. www.thetrustees.org/volunteer or 413.532.1631 ext. 3119
Visitor Services Internship – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Northeast Regional Office, Hadley, MA
The individual will serve as a visitor services and communications intern for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Northeast Regional Office. This will include assisting Service staff with a variety of projects related to public use of national wildlife refuges such as environmental education, environmental interpretation, hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, volunteers, Friends and community partnerships, the Urban Refuge Initiative, and connecting people with nature. On the job training will be provided and there is the potential opportunity for further training regionally or nationally. For more information & to apply, click here.
2017 SCA MA FORESTS & PARKS AMERICORPS POSITION DCR-WOMPATUCK – Hingham, MA
This position is part of the Student Conservation Association Massachusetts Forests & Parks AmeriCorps program. MA Parks is seeking 6 Preservation & Stewardship Crew Members to serve at the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)’s Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, MA. For more information and to apply, click here.
Trail Team Massachusetts Corps – SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps – Hawley, MA
SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps is a residential program based in the Kenneth Dubuque State Forest in Hawley, MA, an 8,000 acre forest located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.
During conservation service season, members get to travel the state of Massachusetts working and camping on public lands for 10 days at a time.
The SCA Massachusetts Corps is a partnership between SCA, AmeriCorps, The Massachusetts Service Alliance, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps members serve the lands and people of Massachusetts for five months through the completion of high priority conservation service projects on public lands. SCA Massachusetts Trail Team members will begin their service in March 2017, joining 18 other SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps members who will have been serving since October 2016.
The majority of the position is dedicated to hands-on, outdoor conservation projects ranging from trail construction and maintenance to habitat restoration and invasive plant species removal. Leadership development is an important component of the program. Each member will serve as a crew leader for at least one 10 day field project. A typical field project or “hitch” will consist of collaborating as part of a five or six-person crew for 10 days at a time, returning to Kenneth Dubuque State Forest for a three or four day break between hitches. A portion of the position is spent earning certifications and attending trainings such as Wilderness First Responder, leadership, chainsaw, rigging, carpentry, and general trail maintenance and construction. Members will also spend time developing teaching skills through presenting environmental education based lessons and engaging volunteers in service activities. Community based living is a large component of this program. The living conditions are simple, rustic, and community focused. The corps is made up of 18 – 25 year olds with diverse backgrounds from around the country.
For more information, click HERE.
Plant Conservation Volunteer – New England Wild Flower Society
New England Wild Flower Society is seeking enthusiastic people who have a commitment to plant conservation and protecting natural habitats to participate in their Plant Conservation Volunteer Program. Plant Conservation Volunteers (PCVs) puts the skills of citizens to work collecting information on rare plants and their habitats across all six New England states. The majority of the work focuses on rare plant monitoring, but there are also opportunities to assist with invasive species removal, habitat management projects and botanical surveys that benefit rare plants. The Society also offers free field trips and some learning opportunities to PCVs. It’s an excellent opportunity to develop your botanical skills and put them to work, learn more about the flora of New England, meet others with similar interests, and help preserve your state’s natural heritage.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Attend the annual 1-day training session held on a weekend in March/April for each of the New England states to review surveying protocols and PCV guidelines. The schedule is on our website for training sessions.
- Review available surveys and choose ones for your abilities and/or surveys that will excel the New England Plant Conservation Program.
- Complete at least one rare plant survey including research on plant/accessing location, coordinating with other volunteers to survey, conducting the survey and completing and submitting field forms digitally through a secure website.
- Conduct possible seed collections on rare plants following specific protocols.
- Represent the PCV program and conduct work in a professional manner.
- Keep ALL data on rare plant populations confidential.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Good candidates are motivated, independent workers; have some skill in plant identification, good observation skills and are adventurous.
- Ability to collect and organize scientific data and filing field forms in a timely manner.
- Some computer proficiency is required for communication and submitting field forms.
- The physical ability to hike in uneven terrain and varying weather conditions.
- The ability to work independently or with a team of other volunteers.
- Ability to travel some distance to survey sites and endure possible long days in the field.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply visit our website and fill out the electronic application by February 1st, 2017:
http://newenglandwild.org/conserve/saving-imperiled-plants/plant-conservation.html/
Interested applicants with botanical knowledge and are outside of Eastern Massachusetts are encouraged to apply. All who are interested must apply and be accepted into the program before attending a training session due to the sensitive nature of rare plant data and data security agreements we have with each state’s Natural Heritage.
Applications are reviewed during the winter (January – February) to be considered for that field season year. To be considered for the 2017 season, please submit your application via the online application by February 1st, 2017.
QUESTIONS? Contact: Laney Widener, Botanical Coordinator, New England Wild Flower Society, 508-877-7630 ext. 3204, lwidener@newenglandwild.org
If you would like a botanical adventure, join the PCV program. This is a great way to meet new friends, explore a wide range of habitats while contributing to the knowledge of our flora. I joined the PCV program the first year it was in Maine and love it as a way to help our environment. ~ B. G.
Hoosic River Revival – Executive Director
The Hoosic River Revival, based in North Adams, Massachusetts, seeks an Executive Director to lead our river restoration efforts. We are a community-based nonprofit working to contribute to North Adams’ urban renaissance by transforming an unattractive concrete-walled section of the Hoosic River into a beautiful, ecologically-sound and publicly-accessible riverscape. This full-time position provides an opportunity to live in the beautiful New England Berkshires and oversee a project that will benefit local ecosystems and economies. No previous experience with river ecology is required. Our ideal candidate will have strong experience with project management and working closely with a board, as well as navigating government processes. To read the full job description go to http://www.hoosicriverrevival.org/position-opening-executive-director.
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation –
Executive Director
The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF), a 30-year old land conservation trust and education organization in Williamstown Massachusetts, announces the retirement next year of its long-time executive director, Leslie Reed Evans, and the search for her replacement to lead WRLF during an exciting time in its history. Leslie’s tenure at WRLF has spanned 23 years of exemplary service to our community. She was hired in late 1993 as interim director and was offered the permanent position in 1995 at a time when the organization was completing several major land conservation projects under her dynamic leadership and was in the midst of its largest yet, the effort to preserve the south Williamstown farm and forest lands owned by Norris Phelps along Oblong Road and extending to the Taconic Ridge. At that time, WRLF had a 14-member Board of Directors, a supporting membership of about 200 families, and an annual budget of $39,000. There were 268 acres of private land under conservation restriction, and 66 acres in WRLF’s direct ownership.
Today, WRLF annually monitors 288 acres of conservation restriction land and has close to 600 acres under its own management, including its 55-acre Sheep Hill headquarters and 380 acres on Pine Cobble, its largest preserve. Its membership has more than doubled and its annual budget has grown nearly tenfold. It has established itself as a key resource in the community and an important contributor to the beauty and quality of life which Williamstown residents and visitors alike enjoy.
During Leslie’s tenure and with the active participation of an engaged, dedicated Board of Directors, WRLF undertook many innovative projects, including managing the Reynolds limited development/conservation project, making land available for the Williamstown’s first Habitat for Humanity home, and establishing Caretaker Farm as a Community Land Trust to make it affordable to a new generation of farmers. Perhaps what Leslie is most proud of and in addition to the land conservation projects she has overseen is the acquisition and preservation of Sheep Hill and its establishment as a community resource for outdoor education and recreation for families, school children and visitors.
The search for a new executive director will begin immediately. The job posting and explanation of the application requirements are described on WRLF’s website, wrlf.org, under “Job Opportunities” on the home page. For further information contact WRLF or call its headquarters at 413-458-2494.
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