The second annual Berkshire BioBlitz (a.k.a. Biodiversity Days) will take place June 10 and 11, 2011, on Mount Greylock in Adams, Massachusetts. Bioblitz is an action-packed day designed as part scientific endeavor, part contest, part environmental festival, and part educational program. During a Bioblitz, scientists come together in a race against time to count as many species as they can in a given area over a 24-hour period.
A BioBlitz increases the public’s awareness of the variety of life in their immediate area, and the importance of that diversity. The word “biodiversity” is often used to refer to rainforests with their vast number of species, while the diversity of life in our own backyards is phenomenal. We may take for granted clean water, fertile soil, and clean air to breathe. Yet these resources are the result of a healthy ecosystem supported by local plants and animals. What better way to address this topic than to experience the vast array of species that can found in just one day?
A BioBlitz is an excellent tool to excite both children and adults about science. During these events, biologists from many disciplines have the rare opportunity to share their passions with people of all ages who will work side-by-side toward a common goal.
The Berkshire Bioblitz is organized by the Berkshire Museum and is co-sponsored by the Berkshire MCLA STEM Pipeline, the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and Dr. Augie’s. Come join the fun. All events are free and held at DCR’s Mt Greylock Reservation. Programs are weather-permitting.
Come join us at the reservation!
DCR Releases Draft Map of Proposed Landscape Designations
As part of its upcoming series of public workshops to discuss proposed landscape designations on state properties, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is holding a series of seven regional workshops across the Commonwealth this spring to seek public input on the application of landscape designations for DCR properties.
At each workshop, DCR staff will provide the statewide context for the draft designations, but the discussion will be focused on park land in that particular region of the Commonwealth. The workshops are public and therefore open to anyone interested in the future management of DCR park land. The designations will be finalized by fall 2011.
The landscape designation process involves categorizing 308,000 acres of DCR lands as either “parklands,” “reserves,” or “woodlands” to prioritize the services and values these lands provide to the public and the environment. The designations are a top recommendation of the Forest Futures Visioning process that the agency undertook in 2009-2010 to develop a renewed vision and long-term strategy for managing forest lands in the state park system.
Of the three new categories, “parklands” would be managed primarily for recreation, human experiences, and the protection of cultural and natural features. “Reserves” would be managed primarily for biological diversity based on natural processes and the protection of large, contiguous blocks of high-value ecosystems. “Woodlands” would be managed primarily for state-of-the-art sustainable forestry, forest products, and active carbon management.
The upcoming workshops will build upon the first round of workshops held last fall that elicited public input on the draft selection criteria and management guidelines for the three designations.
DCR is holding the workshops around the state to share draft maps, such as the one released today, showing the designations that have been applied to all properties and discuss them with the public. The regional workshops will be held in the following communities:
Thursday, May 26
Berkshire Athenaeum
1 Wendell Ave.
Pittsfield
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 2
Frontier Regional High School
113 North Main St.
South Deerfield
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Monday, June 6
North Middle School
350 Southampton Rd.
Westfield
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Further information about the Forest Futures Visioning Process, the draft Landscape Designation selection criteria and management guidelines, and the fall 2010 series of Landscape Designation public workshops is available on DCR’s website, www.mass.gov/dcr.
Plan to Combat White-Nose Syndrome In Bats
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has unveiled a national management plan to address the threat posed by white-nose syndrome, which has killed more than a million hibernating bats in eastern North America since it was discovered near Albany, New York, in 2006.
Massachusetts Recreational Trails Program Grant Workshop
The Department of Conservation and Recreation will be holding a workshop to discuss the Recreational Trails Program and its upcoming grant round with applications due October 1, 2011. The date, time and location are as follows:
Wednesday, June 29th, 6-8pm, Berkshire Athenaeum (Pittsfield Public Library),One Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) provides funds to non-profit organizations, municipal, state, and federal land managers to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. RTP grants are 80-20 challenge grants. In other words, 80% of the project costs are reimbursed to grantees, but at least 20% of the total project value must come from other sources (local match). There is a minimum award amount $2,000 and a maximum of $50,000. More money may be available for multi-town, regional projects. The Recreational Trails Program allocates 30% of its funds to motorized use, 30% to non-motorized use, and 40% to diverse use projects.
The workshop will go over the program requirements for the RTP, discuss the scoring criteria, provide examples and presentations on successful grant projects and provide feedback and answer any questions that potential applicants may have about the program or about their specific projects and how they fall within the requirements of the program.
No registration is required. For specific directions (see next page for Chickatawbut directions) and any questions, please call or email Amanda Lewis.
Amanda Lewis
136 Damon Road
Northampton MA 01060
Greenagers Summer Work Crew
Applications are now available for the Greenagers Summer Work Crew. These are paid positions available to youth between the ages of 15 and 20. Work is on local trails, farms, and conservation land. For more information, or an application, call or email us: 413-644-9090 / office@greenagers.org. Applications are due back at Greenagers by May 27th.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sam
From: Samantha Halley <office@greenagers.org>