The BEAT News January 8, 2014

News Headlines

EPA Proposes Updates to Air Standards for Newly Manufactured Woodstoves and Heaters

Updates would make the next generation of woodstoves and heaters significantly cleaner and more efficient

– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing standards for the amount of air pollution that can be emitted by new woodstoves and heaters, beginning in 2015. The agency’s proposal would make the next generation of stoves and heaters an estimated 80 percent cleaner than those manufactured today, leading to important air quality and public health improvements in communities across the country. The proposal would affect a variety of wood heaters manufactured beginning in 2015 and will not affect heaters and stoves already in use in homes or currently for sale today.

Smoke from residential wood heaters, which are used around the clock in some communities, can increase toxic air pollution, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and soot, also known as particle pollution, to levels that pose serious health concerns. Particle pollution is linked to a wide range of serious health effects, including heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks. In some areas, residential wood smoke makes up a significant portion of the fine particle pollution problem. EPA’s proposal would work in concert with state and local programs to improve air quality in these communities.

The agency’s proposal covers several types of new wood-fired heaters, including: woodstoves, fireplace inserts, indoor and outdoor wood boilers (also called hydronic heaters), forced air furnaces and masonry heaters. Many residential wood heaters already meet the first set of proposed standards, which would be phased in over five years to allow manufacturers time to adapt emission control technologies to their particular model lines.   Today’s proposal does not cover fireplaces, fire pits, pizza ovens, barbecues and chimineas.

When these standards are fully implemented, EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to comply with these standards, the American public will see between $118 and $267 in health benefits. Consumers will also see a monetary benefit from efficiency improvements in the new woodstoves, which use less wood to heat homes. The total health and economic benefits of the proposed standards are estimated to be at $1.8 to $2.4 billion annually.

EPA will take comment on the proposal for 90 days after it is published in the Federal Register. The agency will hold a public hearing Feb. 26, 2014 in Boston. EPA expects to issue a final rule in 2015.
For more information, visit:

http://www2.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters

Berkshire Museum presents An Infinite Odyssey

The series of illustrated talks by photographers Dan Mead and Sally Eagle continues with striking images of wildlife around the globe

[PITTSFIELD, MA] ― On Saturday, January 11, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. at Berkshire Museum, embark on a visual journey to some of the most majestic and breathtaking locations in the world as international photographers Dan Mead and Sally Eagle of MeadEagle Photos share their stunning images of wildlife, nature, and foreign cultures along with fascinating tales of their extensive travels. The Museum is presenting An Infinite Odyssey, a four-part series of talks by Mead and Eagle, as part of the new BeMuse program of monthly curator talks, artist discussions, and special film screenings.

The upcoming talk is the second in the series. Untamed: Wild and Endangered Animals will include images of silverback gorillas in Rwanda, big cats in Kenya, majestic grizzly bears in Alaska, and much more. Each talk will begin at 10:30 a.m. and light refreshments will be served. The event is free with Museum admission, but seating is limited so reservations are requested by calling 413.443.7171 ext. 10. Unclaimed reservations will be released 5 minutes before the start of the lecture and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Upcoming topics are India, Myanmar, and Bhutan – Three Unique Cultures on March 8, 2014; and Landscapes Around the World on May 17, 2014.

Dan Mead and Sally Eagle have been traveling the world and taking extraordinary photographs since the late 1970s. They have a store of anecdotal tales of their extensive travels, and when accompanied by their magnificent photographs, they provide a unique perspective for those curious about the world around them. Based in Great Barrington, their mission is to provide high-impact visual images of wildlife, landscapes, and cultures around the world to students throughout the Northeast. They exhibit their images to encourage a dialogue, whether about photography, the environment, or cultures around the globe. For more information on their work, visit www.meadeaglephotos.com

About the Berkshire Museum

Located in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at 39 South St., Berkshire Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $13 adult, $6 child, free for members and children 3 and under. For more information, visit www.berkshiremuseum.org or call 413.443.7171.

Berkshire Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. In association with the Smithsonian since 2013, Berkshire Museum is part of a select group of museums, cultural, educational, and arts organizations that share the Smithsonian’s resources with the nation.

Established by Zenas Crane in 1903, Berkshire Museum integrates art, history, and natural science in a wide range of programs and exhibitions that inspire educational connections between the disciplines. Objectify: A Look into the Permanent Collection is currently on view. Little Cinema is open year-round. Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, Worlds in Miniature, Aquarium, and other exhibits are ongoing.

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SCA Massachusetts Americorps is Pleased to Announce a Reduced Cost Share for Partner Organizations AND The 2014 SCA Trail Award, Totaling Five Free Days of Crew Time for Your Organization. See below to learn more!

The SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps program provides the agencies and communities of Massachusetts with skilled and motivated work crews to complete vital conservation projects throughout the state. We send crews of five trained AmeriCorps members, ages 18-25, to complete five- and ten-day conservation service projects from April through August each year. SCA staff provides technical consulting, crew supervision and project oversight. Partnering organizations provide conservation service projects, rustic housing or camping options for the crew, permits, and all necessary materials for project completion. For more information about what we do, please read the 2014 Trail Award Application attached.

2014 Cost Share Information

SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps is committed to providing quality and accessible services to our partner organizations. In 2014, we are excited to be able to provide a significant reduction in cost share to partners.

SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps crew for five days (reduced by 36% from 2013) = $3,500

SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps crew for ten days (reduced by 26% from 2013) = $7,000

Additional time may be requested. Contact SCA staff for more information.

2014 SCA Trail Award Opportunity

New this year, SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps is excited to offer five free days of crew time within a ten-day project. Recipients of this award will get ten days of crew time for the price of five days. We will award this crew time to one land management agency statewide to take place during the 2014 summer season.

If you are interested in applying for this award, please fill out the attached 2014 Trail Award application. All applications will be scored using the criteria listed under the 2014 SCA Trail Award Selection Process section of the application. Applications received by February 7, 2014 will be considered for the award. Application received after this date will be eligible for receiving crew time at the cost share described above in 2014 Cost Share Information.

Please return completed 2014 SCA Trail Award Applications via email to Melissa Patterson, SCA Massachusetts Program Director at mpatterson@thesca.org. Please write SCA Trail Award in the subject line. Feel free to contact SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps with questions via email or phone at 413.339.6631.

Please forward this message on to other agencies you think may benefit from an SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps crew.

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from BNRC’s January News & Events

Conservation update

With the New Year’s Eve signing of the Konstam Conservation Restriction agreement (Sandisfield), BNRC conserved 543 acres in 2013.  Parcels in Alford, Lanesborough, North Adams, Richmond, and Tyringham were added to BNRC reserves last year.  Very, very soon you’ll be able to learn more about all of these projects.  Stay tuned!

Thanks to the Konstams, our partners, our donors, and you, we’re keeping the Berkshires green and healthy.


News You Can Use – Frostbite Tips and Info


This time of year, frostbite can be a danger when you spend time outside, even in the Berkshires.  Frostbite is when the skin and underlying layers freeze.  Frostbite can happen in less than an hour especially if there is exposed, wet skin.  Symptoms include skin that turns turn white or greyish-yellow, is very cold to the touch, or has a hard-waxy feel.  Lower-level frostbite can cause red blisters and can take up to two weeks to heal.  The best way to prevent frostbite is to keep skin covered and dry.  If you start experiencing any of the above symptoms, get out of the cold and slowly warm up the affected areas.

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Hilltown Winter Book/Study Group

It’s not too late to join our seed saving Winter Book/Study Group!  We are reading Carol Deppe: Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties.  We have just started the book, so you haven’t missed too much.

Our next two meetings will be on Thursday, January 9th from 6 to 8pm; and Thursday, January 23rd from 7 to 8pm.  We will continue to meet on the second and fourth Thursdays through February and early March.  All meetings will take place in the Sustainability Library upstairs at the Creamery.

For our next meeting, we will be reading the first five chapters, through page 76.  For more information, please contact Sadie at 634-5013, or Michael at 413-358-6919 or alterman@speakeasy.net.  We hope to see you there.

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NOFA/Mass Winter Conference: Challenging Annual Agriculture

January 11, Worcester State University

WORCESTER – On January 11th, the Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter (NOFA/Mass) will hold its 27th annual Winter Conference at Worcester State University (WSU). Mark Shepard, Restoration Agriculture author, offers this year’s keynote and all-day seminar.

Originally from Lancaster, MA, Shepard is a dynamic leader in permaculture and agroforestry design. He and his family have transformed a typical 140-acre annual row-crop farm, in Viola, WI, into a commercial-scale, perennial-agricultural ecosystem. The result is one of the first farm-scale models of permaculture in the United States. In addition to Restoration Agriculture techniques, Shepard will be discussing sustainability within agriculture. “If you have to plant your crops again next year, that’s not very sustainable. Perennial crops should have 10s of 1000s of years’ worth of a lifespan. We should never have to plant them again,” says Shepard.

This year’s diverse Winter Conference line-up includes more than 60 workshops, with topics ranging from crop production, farm management & infrastructure, health & nutrition, healthy food access, homesteading, livestock & beekeeping, pest management, policy, skill building, soil, and urban and backyard gardening. Presenter Suzy Konecky had this to say about her experience: “Anyone in attendance will be inspired to learn more, grow more, and make more connections.”

In 2013 the conference attracted over 1000 individuals from the state and region. The children’s conference, for ages 3-12, provides a lively educational experience for kids. Numerous regional vendors will exhibit throughout the day. An optional all-organic lunch is available for purchase. The NOFA/Mass Organic Land Care program will hold their annual Lawn and Turf Course at this year’s Winter Conference. Veteran instructors will offer practical, applicable information about organic lawn and turf management techniques.

Immediately following the Winter Conference, 9 am – 5:30 pm, conference attendees and the public can enjoy a seasonal, locally sourced, organic dinner with keynoter Mark Shepard. The delicious dinner, crafted by innovative WSU Chef Rich Perna, will be held at 6 pm.

Press passes and pre-conference interviews available by request.

For more information, visit nofamass.org/winterconference.

Sign up by January 10th to save $10.

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Year-Round Food: Backyard Bioshelter Greenhouse Workshop – March 8, 2014

With Jonathan Bates of Food Forest Farm

Forget the cold! Come learn with us in the sub-tropics of Western Massachusetts! That’s right we have a piece of Florida in our backyard and we’d love to share it with you.

During the October 2011 snow storm, a tree fell on our greenhouse. Instead of mourning the loss, we realized an opportunity to build a bigger better BIOSHELTER!

Bioshelters are passive solar greenhouses, which produce year-round food, and incorporate whole ecologies into their design. Well-insulated from the cold, they grow subtropical plants like guavas, figs and citrus. A thousand gallons of water supports thriving aquaponics systems with fish, shrimp, clams, aquatic plants and vegetables. Hardy greens sweeten up during the winter months to supplement an early Spring diet. All powered by the sun.

The focus of the day will be a presentation by Jonathan Bates, who will share his story of the garden and bioshelter he’s built in Holyoke, MA

We will be touring the bioshelter’s internal systems like fish tanks, solar electric, worm composting, black soldiar flies, rain catchment, ventilation system, climate battery, and our planting design.

Come join us for an exciting and inspirational day of learning and fun !

We will be learning in Holyoke, MA – March 8, 2014

COST: $95, 10am to 4pm (does not include meals or accommodations)

Click Here for Registration(If that doesn’t work try the website.)

The Backyard Bioshelter is part of an internationally recognized urban food paradise the Holyoke edible forest garden, aka “Paradise Lot”, designed by nurseryman Jonathan Bates of FoodForestFarm.com, and author Eric Toensmeier, of PerennialSolutions.org. The garden is a highlighted case study in the award winning two volume book set, “Edible Forest Gardens”, and is the focus of the Amazon.com best-selling book “Paradise Lot”. Jonathan and Eric and their families have been living and eating in this garden for 8 years and currently own and operate profitable eco-businesses from their home and garden.

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2014 International Conference on Engineering & Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

The 2014 International Conference on Engineering & Ecohydrology for Fish Passage (Fish Passage 2014) will be held at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 9-11, 2014. Fish Passage 2014 builds upon the Fish Passage 2013 conference held at Oregon State University and the 2011 and 2012 conferences held at UMass Amherst.  Details about the previous Fish Passage conference talks, including downloadable PDF’s for many of the presentations, can be found here.

Fish Passage 2014 promises to be an important international forum to exchange findings and experiences on the topic of fish passage. Fish Passage 2014 will be of interest to researchers, educators, practitioners, funders, and regulators who have an interest in advancements in technical fishways, nature-like fishways, stream restoration and stabilization, dam removal, road ecology, and the myriad of funding, safety, invasive species, climate change, and other social issues surrounding watershed connectivity projects. Because of its location in the Midwestern US, this year’s conference will include a special track on fish passage issues in inland waters, including the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi River Basin.

This is a three-day conference with concurrent sessions in engineering, biology, and management and social issues. The conference will also feature plenary talks, professional networking opportunities, and a poster session. Independently offered short courses and workshops will be available immediately before the conference (TBA). In addition, tours of nearby fish passage facilities will be offered (TBA).

Important Dates:

  •   Call for Abstracts Opens January 1, 2014
  •   Registration Opens January 1, 2014
  •   Session Proposal Deadline is February 3, 2014
  •   Notification of Session Proposal Acceptance is February 14, 2014
  •   Oral Presentation Abstracts Deadline is February 28, 2014
  •   Notification of Oral Presentation Acceptance is March 31, 2014
  •   Fish Passage Career Award Nomination Deadline is March 31, 2014
  •   Distinguished Project in Fisheries Engineering and Ecohydrology Award Nomination Deadline is March 31, 2014
  •   Early Registration Deadline is April 14, 2014
  •   Poster Presentation Abstracts Deadline is April 14, 2014
  •   Notification of Poster Presentations is May 2, 2014
  •   Fish Passage 2014 International Conference at University of Wisconsin – Madison is June 9-11, 2014

More information and updates can be found at the Conference Web Site: www.fishpassageconference.com

Hope to see you there,

The Fish Passage 2014 Organizing Committee

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Mass. Sierra Club is Accepting Applications for Chapter Director

We are searching for a new Chapter Director. This position implements policies and programs adopted by the Chapter’s Executive Committee, develops and advocates legislation and governmental policies, and manages the Chapter’s budget and many programs. He/she carries out the policies, priorities and objectives of the Chapter and is responsible for managing staff and financial resources. Click here for details.

Internship Opportunities

Spring semester applications are now being accepted. The Sierra Club has openings for three internships for students with a passion for protecting the environment and the ambition to make a difference. Our internships are part Boston-office-based and home-based and include advocacy, organizing, and research. Our internships are unpaid; however, they are great resume builders and provide a path to gain valuable workplace experience. We will work with students to get school credit when applicable. Click here for more.

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Berkshire South Regional Community Center Is Looking to Fill an Outdoor Leader Position As Soon As Possible, details below.

Winter Outdoor Adventures

Saturdays 1-4 p.m.

Ages 12-14. Hike or snowshoe local trails, learn outdoor skills like shelter- and fire-building, map and compass use, and nature lore such as winter birding, animal tracks and signs. Wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather and bring a snack and water to drink. Please pre-register one week ahead for each class.

Each class: Members $24 Guests $34 (snowshoe rental, if needed, would be extra)

Series of three classes: Members $60 Guests $84

Jan 18 141YT57A

Feb 22 141YT57B

Mar 29 141YT57C

I’m hiring two instructors: one lead and one assistant.  I think I have the assistant lined up, though you can never be sure, but really need a competent leader and soon – the first scheduled session is January 18.  The leader needs to have outdoor education skills and experience as well as CPR / First Aid certification.  If you feel it’s appropriate, it would be great if you could forward it to the GB Trails group in the event any of our contacts is interested or knows someone who would be.  Anyone interested should please contact me ASAP.

Thanks,

 John

John J. Parker

Director of Adult and Community Programs

BERKSHIRE SOUTH REGIONAL COMMUNITY CENTER

15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230

(413) 528-2810 x 31  Fax (413) 528-5260 www.berkshiresouth.org

Our mission is to build a sense of community and common purpose throughout the region, and to enhance the recreational, educational, cultural, health and social well-being of the residents of the Southern Berkshires. Berkshire South Regional Community Center is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization open to all, regardless of ability to pay.

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Society for Ecological Restoration is looking for a Managing Editor at Washington, DC.

– Posted by TheScienceJobs.com

Vacancy details:

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of ecological restoration, is seeking a Managing Editor for its journal, Restoration Ecology, the leading peer-reviewed science journal in this field. The journal is overseen by an Editor-in-Chief (EIC) and a board of Associate Editors who are responsible for selecting content for the journal. The Managing Editor will primarily be responsible for the day-to-day management of Restoration Ecology and will work with the EIC, Associate Editors, and the journal’s publisher to assure timely production of a high-quality publication. The Managing Editor will guide the processing of manuscripts to assure rapid publication and to maintain the high standards of Restoration Ecology. The Managing Editor will receive manuscripts through an online service, direct them to the appropriate Associate Editor, track the manuscripts through the review process, copy-edit accepted manuscripts as necessary, and coordinate the preparation of manuscripts for production, online publication, and print-on-demand production. For more details, please visit http://www.thesciencejobs.com/jobs/158039

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