Dyken Pond Summer Camp Scholarships
Give your child the gift of connecting to nature this summer. As of June 16th, 2017 camp scholarships are still available for the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center’s Outdoor Adventure Camp. Games, hikes, and hands-on discoveries will give campers a lifetime of memories. Camps run from mid-July to mid-August depending on age. FROM DYKEN POND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER <more>
Better Access to Healthy, Local Foods for
Thousands in Massachusetts
Recycle Your Old Fridge For $50
Eversource can help you take advantage of another great Mass Save program! Recycle your fridge or freezer before July 15 and get $50 PLUS a chance to win tickets to a Boston home baseball game! FROM MASSSAVE.COM <more>
The Standing Rock Sioux Claim ‘Victory and Vindication’ in Court
A federal judge ruled in favor of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Wednesday, handing the tribe its first legal victory in its year-long battle against the Dakota Access pipeline. James Boasberg, who sits on D.C. district court, said that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to perform an adequate study of the pipeline’s environmental consequences when it first approved its construction. FROM THE ATLANTIC <more>
Jobs (click here for full job listings below)
Program and Development Assistant – Schumacher Center for New Economics – Egremont, MA
2017-18 Position Openings with TerraCorps – Various locations
Various Positions – The Manice Education Center (MEC) – Florida, MA
Housatonic Valley Association / River Stewards of Tomorrow – 2017 Internship Positions Available – South Lee, MA or Cornwall Bridge, CT
Sierra Club – Temporary Boston Online Organizer – Boston, MA
Volunteer Opportunities in the Berkshires w/The Trustees – Stockbridge & Cummington, MA
Mass Audubon – Berkshire Nature Camp Educators @ Pleasant Valley – Lenox, MA
Dyken Pond Summer Camp Scholarships
FROM DYKEN POND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
Give your child the gift of connecting to nature this summer. As of June 16th, 2017 camp scholarships are still available for the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center’s Outdoor Adventure Camp. This week-long day camp provides age appropriate activities in ecology, wildlife, archery, kayaking and outdoor living skills. Games, hikes, and hands-on discoveries will give campers a lifetime of memories. Camps run from mid-July to mid-August depending on age. Scholarship applications, camp schedules and details can be downloaded at www.dykenpond.org or by contacting the Center at (518) 658-2055 or dykenpond@gmail.com.
Better Access to Healthy, Local Foods for
Thousands in Massachusetts
Recycle Your Old Fridge For $50
Eversource can help you take advantage of another great Mass Save program! Recycle your fridge or freezer before July 15 and get $50 PLUS a chance to win tickets to a Boston home baseball game! Have an old, inefficient fridge sitting around? Here’s a chance to get rid of it without leaving the comfort of your own home! Eversource makes it easy for you to recycle an old fridge through the Mass Save refrigerator recycling program in a few easy steps:
1. Schedule a pickup online or by phone
2. Meet the recyclers at your home on the specified date and time
3. Receive your $50 Visa gift card in the mail within 4-6 weeks
4. Relax knowing that your old refrigerator will be safely recycled.
I’m looking to replace my old fridge OR I just want to recycle an old fridge.
Are you a baseball fan? Everyone who participates before July 15 will be automatically entered into a drawing for ten (10) pairs of tickets to a Boston home game, with one (1) grand prize winner getting four loge box seats, a radio booth tour, and batting practice viewing!
Sweepstakes runs through July 15, 2017. Open to current, residential electric customers of Eversource in Massachusetts, age 18 or older. Some restrictions apply. Click here to view official rules.
The Standing Rock Sioux Claim ‘Victory and Vindication’ in Court
A federal judge rules that the Dakota Access pipeline
did not receive an adequate environmental vetting.
June 14, 2017
BY ROBINSON MEYER | THE ATLANTIC
A federal judge ruled in favor of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Wednesday, handing the tribe its first legal victory in its year-long battle against the Dakota Access pipeline.
James Boasberg, who sits on D.C. district court, said that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to perform an adequate study of the pipeline’s environmental consequences when it first approved its construction. In a 91-page decision, the judge cited the Corps’ study of “the impacts of an oil spill on fishing rights, hunting rights, or environmental justice” as particularly deficient, and he ordered it to prepare a new report on its risks.
The court did not, however, order the pipeline to be shut off until a new environmental study is completed—a common remedy when a federal permit is found lacking. Instead, Boasberg asked attorneys to appear before him again and make a new set of arguments about whether the pipeline should operate.
The tribe faces a mixed result: The ruling may establish some important precedents, particularly around environmental justice and treaty rights. But there’s no indication that the requirement to perform a new study will alter the outcome of the case—or even get the pipeline switched off in the interim.
“This is a a very significant victory and vindication of the tribe’s opinion,” said Jan Hasselman, the lead attorney for the case and an employee of Earthjustice, an environmental-advocacy group that represented the Standing Rock Sioux. “The court slices things pretty thin, but there were three major areas that he found deficient, and they’re not insignificant. They’re central to the problems that we’ve been highlighting the whole time,” Hasselman told me.
Energy Transfer Partners, which owns and operates the pipeline, did not respond to a request for comment before publication. A representative for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could not be reached.
The Dakota Access pipeline runs 1,100 miles across much of the Great Plains, connecting the Bakken oil formation in North Dakota to a refinery and second pipeline in Illinois. Oil began flowing through the pipeline earlier this month. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE.
Jobs
Program and Development Assistant – Schumacher Center for New Economics – Egremont, MA
The Schumacher Center is looking for an exceptional individual to join our team and support other program staff and the executive director in representing the organization and furthering its goals. A successful candidate will be a detail-oriented team player with proven writing, speaking, and event coordination skills. Full details and how to apply here.
2017-18 Position Openings with TerraCorps – Various locations
TerraCorps, formerly MassLIFT-AmeriCorps, is an innovative national service program helping communities conserve and secure land for the health and well-being of people and nature. This year we are looking for 36 members to serve in full-time, 11 month positions. Members will carry out capacity building projects; educate or train individuals; recruit, train, manage, and support community volunteers engaged in land-based activities; and identify new individuals and groups to participate in education, recreation, or service opportunities centered around land access and conservation.
Members serve as: Land Stewardship Coordinators, Regional Conservation Coordinators, Youth Education Coordinators, or Community Engagement Coordinators.
These 1,700 hour AmeriCorps positions receive a living allowance, education award, and additional AmeriCorps benefits. The 2017-2018 program will run from 8/28/17 – 7/27/18.
Application specifics, position descriptions, and information about organizations hosting TerraCorps members can be found at here.
Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Interviews begin mid-April, and we aim to fill all positions by the end of June.
AmeriCorps programs provide equal service opportunities. TerraCorps will recruit and select persons in all positions to ensure a diverse and inclusive climate without regard to any particular status. We encourage applications from individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations for interviews and service upon request. TerraCorps is a grant program of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Various Positions – The Manice Education Center (MEC) – Florida, MA
The Manice Education Center (MEC) is intentionally located in a unique outdoor setting within the heart of the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. MEC operates several distinctly different seasonal programs that are experientially focused in high-quality environmental education, wilderness camping, and leadership training.
Summer Outdoor educators will lead wilderness expeditions for campers & can expect to guide an average of 6 backpacking and/or canoeing trips, ranging from 2 to 5 days in length. Expedition locations inlude the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, Savoy Mountain State Forest, Taconic Trail, Battenkill River, Deerfield River, & Connecticut River. Educators receive training in backpacking and wilderness navigation, participate in a 2 day professional canoe clinic, & can earn free certifications in Wildernes First Aid and/or Waterfront Lifeguarding.
APPLY TODAY – SEND US A COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO EMPLOYMENT@CHRISTODORA.ORG
For more details please visit our Jobs page (click here).
Please share this opportunity with your friends and colleagues! If you have any questions about employment in Christodora programs, please contact Matthew Scholl, Programs Director at 413.663.8463 or email us at employment@christodora.org
Housatonic Valley Association – River Stewards of Tomorrow
2017 Internship Positions Available
The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) is seeking applications for our River Stewards of Tomorrow Environmental Internship positions, available for summer 2017. The River Stewards will work on a variety of projects related to water quality and habitat conservation. River Stewards will either be assigned to our Berkshire field office in South Lee, MA and work primarily in the Massachusetts portion of the watershed; or to our main office in Cornwall Bridge, CT and work primarily in the Connecticut and New York portions of the watershed. Each River Steward will be expected to complete at least 280 hours of work from June – August (at least 35 hours/week over 8 weeks). There is the potential to extend the internship to 12 weeks- with a proportional increase in stipend- depending on available funding. Full information and application details are here.
Sierra Club – Temporary Boston Online Organizer
The Online Organizing team furthers Sierra Club’s goals by using online tools and tactics to engage members and activists at the local and national level. The team focuses on providing timely, engaging actions that Club activists can use to influence policy decision-making processes, as well as further develop and grow Sierra Club’s activist and volunteer leadership bases. This is a temporary position running June – September 2017. Visit the Sierra Club’s website for all the details.
Volunteer Opportunities in the Berkshires w/The Trustees
“Time travel” with The Trustees, and take our visitors on the voyage with you! Become a National Historic Landmark Greeter at Mission House (Stockbridge) or Tour Guide at the William Cullen Bryant Homestead (Cummington) and share the stories and magic of these special places. No experience necessary. Training provided. Fridays through Sundays. Flexible. Fun. Social. Rewarding.
Visit www.thetrustees.org/volunteer or contact tbeasley@thetrustees.org or413.532.1631 ext. 3119 for more information.