The BEAT News July 11, 2012

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Please send items of interest to Kristen.

Citizen Scientists–Masswildlife Needs Your Help on Bats, Turkeys, and Rabbits

Bats — Because Massachusetts and other northeastern states have lost thousands of bats due to White-Nose Syndrome, a fungal infection, MassWildlife is continuing its annual appeal for bat colony reports from property owners who may have a summer colony of 10 or more bats. Please provide the location (street address), type of structure where the bats reside, number of bats in the colony, and your contact information by calling (508) 389-6360 or emailing mass.wildlife@state.ma.us.

Turkeys — You can help MassWildlife count turkey broods (families) between now and the end of August. Fill out a brood survey format www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/facts/birds/turkey/turkey_brood_survey.htm indicating the number hens, number of poults, their size compared to the adult hens and the town where you saw the flock. Mail that information to Turkey Brood Survey, DFW Field Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.

Rabbits — MassWildlife is still in need of rabbit carcass samples for the New England cottontail survey effort especially from locations in central and western Massachusetts. The location where the carcass was collected is the single most important piece of data used to assess the cottontails’ distribution. Please make every effort to record as specific a location as possible. A marked topographic map, Google map, or GPS coordinates are ideal, but any detailed information will greatly aid biologists. Carcasses in any condition can be donated to facilitate the survey effort. Road-killed carcasses or cottontail heads should be placed in a plastic bag and frozen until they can be dropped off at a MassWildlife District Office, MassWildlife Hatchery, or MassWildlife’s Field Headquarters in Westborough. Facility locations can be found at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/facilities/contact_us.htm.

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Bottle Bill on Tour

from MassPIRG

The Massachusetts legislative session wraps up at the end of this month — which means we just have a little over three weeks to bring the Updated Bottle Bill to a vote.

Between now and then, we’re keeping the pressure on lawmakers to make sure that the Bottle Bill gets a vote. Right now, “Bottle Bill,” our seven-foot inflatable bottle, is on tour across the commonwealth rallying supporters and helping to generate media attention.

Here’s where Bottle Bill will be in the coming week:

Tuesday, July 10 in Newton: We’ll be taking Bottle Bill to a farmers market in Newton, at 1:30 p.m. The farmers market is located in Cold Spring Park at 1200 Beacon Street.

Thursday, July 12 in Falmouth: Bottle Bill will help the Falmouth Climate Action Team install recycling bins on Main Street and Hamlin Avenue at 12:30 p.m. We’d love to see you there!

Saturday, July 14 in Winchester: Bottle Bill will visit the Winchester farmers market. The farmers market will be set up on the town common between Laraway Road, Church Street and Waterfield Road (street address is 29 Waterfield Road).

If you are interested in any of these events, just email me and let me know. We’d love to have you attend.

Already, you’ve sent more than 2,000 emails to state legislators in the last few weeks, calling for immediate action on the Updated Bottle Bill. It’s critical that we keep up the pressure.

Thank you for everything,

Janet S. Domenitz
MASSPIRG Executive Director

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Governor’s Staff Available 4th Tuesdays in Pittsfield

Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray today announced staff will be available to meet with constituents once a month beginning Tuesday, July 24.  Walk-in hours will be from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. every fourth Tuesday of the month in the Pittsfield State Office Building, Room 102, 333 East Street in Pittsfield. The program is a pilot and will be adjusted in the coming months depending on demand.

In January 2008, Governor Patrick re-opened the Governor’s Western Massachusetts Office in Springfield. Open on a full-time basis, the office addresses constituent concerns and provides a vital link between the State House and the western part of the state. The Pittsfield office hours will provide increased access for constituents in Berkshire County.

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MassDOT Hosts GreenDOT Open Houses

MassDOT is hosting Open Houses in Worcester, New Bedford, Lowell and Amherst during the weeks of July 16 and July 23 to talk with the public and other stakeholders about efforts at MassDOT to build sustainability into our transportation services. The Draft GreenDOT Implementation Plan is posted on MassDOT’s website, and MassDOT invites the public to comment on the plan using the GreenDOT comment form at the bottom of the page. Comments on the draft implementation plan are requested by August 2, 2012.

MassDOT staff members, regional transportation partners and advocates will participate in a series of Open Houses to discuss the initiative. Participants are invited to stop by, learn more about GreenDOT and share their ideas and concerns.

Worcester – Monday, July 16, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Union Station, CMRPC Meeting Room
2 Washington Square, 2nd floor

Union Station can be reached by public transportation via Amtrak, MBTA Commuter Rail and WRTA Bus Routes 15, 16, 33 and 42.

New Bedford – Tuesday, July 17, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
National Park Service Building
Corson Maritime Learning Center
33 William Street

The National Park Service Building can be reached by public transportation via SRTA Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 4 5 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (serving the SRTA Terminal).

Lowell – Wednesday, July 25, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Rogers School
43 Highland Street, Room 54

The Rogers School is served by public transportation via MBTA Commuter Rail (Gallagher Terminal) and LRTA Bus Routes 3 and 9.

Amherst – Thursday, July 26, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Bangs Community Center, Activity Room
70 Boltwood Walk

The Bangs Community Center is served by public transportation via PVTA Bus Routes Gold 30, Pink 31, G32, Blue 43, G45 and G46.

All locations are accessible to people with disabilities. To request language assistance, American Sign Language interpreters, assistive listening devices, handouts in alternate formats, or information on the meeting, please contact Kerri Chace at 617-357-5772 x16 or kchace@reginavilla.com.

The GreenDOT Implementation Plan will help MassDOT achieve its sustainability goals. GreenDOT builds on existing policies and innovation and challenges all of us at the agency to do more. It includes measurable goals and short, medium and long-term policy targets. GreenDOT has three objectives:

  • Reduce greenhouse gases
  • Promote healthy transportation options
  • Support smart growth development

The implementation plan includes seven themes and 15 broad sets of goals. MassDOT will work to implement three to five tasks or projects for each goal over the next eight years.

Thank you,
Catherine Cagle, LEED AP, AICP, RLA
Manager of Sustainable Transportation
Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning
Catherine.Cagle@state.ma.us
www.massdot.state.ma.us/wemove

For transportation news and updates visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot, blog: www.mass.gov/blog/transportation, or follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot.

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RGGI States Initiate Bidding Process for Auction 17

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) States Initiate Bidding Process for Auction 17

Auction to be held: September 5, 2012 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern

 

Auction Notice now available at:

http://www.rggi.org/market/co2_auctions/information

 

Webinar Information now available at:

20120709 Auction17 Webinar Instructions

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Nutrient Pollution Educational Materials Online

from Water Headlines for the week of July 9, 2012
To help raise awareness about nutrient pollution, which is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water, EPA has developed new educational materials, including:

  • Community Outreach Toolkit—designed to assist watershed groups, NGOs, states, and federal partners with messaging and outreach to the media about nutrient pollution.
  • Nutrient Pollution Video—aims to raise awareness about nutrient problem, the first step in addressing and reducing the problem.
  • Postcard/Poster—shows a before and after photo of Lake Erie to illustrate the impacts of nutrient pollution.
  • Future Farmers of America Curriculum—EPA worked with several other federal agencies on lesson plans for young farmers about source water protection and management practices that can help control runoff to protect surface and groundwater.

You can access the first three and other materials at http://water.epa.gov//polwaste/nutrientoutreach.cfm. Use the “share this” button under the postcard to share it on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The curriculum can be directly found at https://www.ffa.org/FFAResources/ffalearn/sourcesofdrinkingwater/Pages/nosolicit.html.

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Five School Garden Resources from Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom  Now On-Line

The first five of our new How-to-Guides for Getting Started in the School Garden are now on-line.  Learn about Siting the School Garden, Building the Garden Beds, Plants for the School Garden, Gardening in Containers and Composting in the School Garden.  Additional Guides are now being developed and will be posted over the summer.

Read Our Garden Guides

MAC is working to compile a list of school gardens across the state.  Fill out an on-line form to tell us about your school garden.   On-line School Garden form

If you provide gardening workshops, seminars, lessons, mentoring, or other resources that would be useful to school garden educators we would also like to hear from you. On-line Garden Resource form

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August 4th: 350 Massachusetts Day of Action

On August 4th communities across Massachusetts will engage in a day of action to call for an end to taxpayer support of deadly energy like coal, natural gas, and oil that wreak havoc on our health, environment, and climate. Subsidies that impede community based solutions at the time when we need them most. How could ending fossil fuel subsidies support your local work? Join us in taking action on August 4th to demonstrate how ending subsidies to deadly energy will improve our communities. Whether it’s shutting down coal plants, installing solar panels, fighting corruption, or weatherizing a house, we will voice our opposition to funding the richest companies at the expense of our health and wellbeing. Learn more, or Sign up to host or participate in an event in your community.

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Support for Sustainable Initiatives in VT

High Meadows Fund
The High Meadows Fund promotes a healthy natural environment while encouraging long-term economic vitality in the state of Vermont. The Fund supports leadership and innovation through grantmaking in three primary areas: reduction of reliance on fossil fuels by encouraging energy efficiency and renewable energy, improvement of the sustainability and viability of agricultural enterprise and food security and affordability, and the encouragement of vibrant compact settlements surrounded by working farms and forests. The Fund is particularly interested in initiatives where innovation, private market forces, and social entrepreneurship contribute to a project’s success and its broad impact. Organizations that are interested in introducing their work to the Fund should check the Fund’s website in mid-July to learn more about the online inquiry process.

http://www.highmeadowsfund.org/

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Applications Invited for National Wildlife Refuge Friends Group Grant Program

In recognition of the important role refuge friends organizations play in building critical community support for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, along with its partners, is requesting grant proposals for projects that help these organizations be effective co-stewards of important natural resources within the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The Friends Group grant program provides competitive seed grants for creative and innovative proposals that aim to increase the number and effectiveness of organizations interested in assisting the refuge system nationwide. The primary purpose of the program is to provide assistance to new and existing friends organizations. For the fall 2012 grant cycle, friends organizations are invited to submit proposals that focus on start-up and capacity-building projects.

Grants will be provided to support proposals that fall within the following areas:

1) Start-up grants — Funds will be provided to assist starting refuge friends organizations with formative and/or initial operational support. For example, funds may be requested for such things as membership drives, tuition for nonprofit training programs, brochure and newsletter development, logo design, office equipment, or consultant fees for planning a mission and strategic plan.

2) Capacity-building grants — Funds will be provided to strengthen the capacity of existing refuge friends organizations. Capacity building refers to projects that enhance an organization’s abilities while allowing them to achieve measurable and sustainable results. For example, projects may include outreach programs aimed at increasing organizational capacity to serve the public; business plan development or other strategic planning costs; membership program development; board/ leadership development such as trainings; development of exhibits to expand community outreach efforts; tuition for skill-building training programs; and nature or book store start-up expenses.

Eligible applicants are official refuge friends organizations. Applicants must either be tax-exempt under section 501(c), or be in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status and submit with their grant application a copy of the letter from the IRS confirming their application has been filed.

Grants will range from $1,500 to $5,000.

The complete Request for Proposals and application instructions are available at the NFWF Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP


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Grants to Support Environmental Education

The vision of environmental literacy in New England is about to get a major boost. With a $150,000 grant from the U.S. EPA, the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) is soliciting proposals from non-profits, schools, and local or state agencies for sub-grants of up to $5,000. These grants will support projects that strengthen environmental education through capacity building on a state-wide level or that advance educational achievement by implementing the goals of state Environmental Literacy Plans. Acknowledging the importance of an environmentally literate citizenry, the EPA states, “environmental challenges require a population that is diverse, informed, and environmentally literate, willing and able to translate their knowledge and skills into decisions and actions that protect the environment in their communities.”

NEEEA, in close partnership with MEES and the other five professional environmental education associations that comprise NEEEA, will award at least 19 grants of up to $5,000 (three in each state) to projects that implement regional priorities such as:

  • Implementing one or more objectives of a state’s Environmental Literacy Plan
  • Designing, implementing, and linking environmental education programs and leadership across a state or states to promote long-term sustainability of the programs
  • Developing replicable and sustainable professional development programs for teachers and trainers

In Massachusetts, examples of strategic EE objectives that can be realized within the scope of this sub-grant program include:

  • Designing and conducting environmental literacy professional development programs for teachers
    and non-formal educators.
  • Creating and implementing a research tool that measures environmental literacy among students in
    our state.
  • Incorporating environmental education into the school day through innovative collaborations.
  • Implementing a program to align school buildings, grounds, and gardens with curriculum.

With a total project budget of $232,000 (with matching funds) for the region, this sub-grant program dramatically increases MEES’s capacity, enabling diverse organizations to support environmental literacy efforts, while fostering a more cohesive and collaborative EE community within Massachusetts.

 Download the Request-for-Proposals and application package at www.neeea.org. Proposal deadline is August 31, 2012.

The Massachusetts Environmental Education Society is dedicated to the promotion, preservation and improvement of environmental education in the State of Massachusetts.

For more information write admin@massmees.org

 

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