The BEAT News October 24, 2007

• Two Pittsfield Municipal Airport Expansion meetings 10/25 & 11/1
• The Climate Crisis: Will the U.S. Respond In Time?
• "Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues"
• Law puts stopper in Nestle plans; Company had considered drawing water from
  Montague Plains
• An Important Request from the No Child Left Inside Coalition
• Grants Enhance Wildlife Refuge System
• Support for Grassroots Environmental Programs
• HABITAT IMPROVEMENT FUNDING AVAILABLE
• New Responsible Purchasing Guide: Breaking the Bottled Water Habit on a Large Scale
• Massachusetts Adopt-A-Stream Program Stream Team Implementation Awards
• SUPPORT FUNDING FOR CONSERVATION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE FARM BILL.
• Pittsfield Airport Expansion becoming more visible
• Citizens Coordinating Council meeting highlights
• Interesting Conversations at Pittsfield Green Drinks
• WRLF protects more of Pine Cobble
• NRCS announces accelerated sign-up for farm conservation program in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition’s Western Mass. Local Land Trust Grants – new info
• Grants Protect Hiking Trails

Two Pittsfield Municipal Airport Expansion meetings 10/25 & 11/1

The Pittsfield Municipal Airport is on the agenda of the Pittsfield Conservation Commission for first, a Certificate of Compliance for past work at the airport, then for a new Notice of Intent (request for a permit) Thursday, October 25th at 6 PM in the City Council Chambers (2nd floor at City Hall, Pittsfield).    At issue are wetlands impacts, tree cutting, and other environmental issues.  At this meeting there will be a presentation by the airport Commission.  There is a public comment period at the meeting, but please restrict your questions or comments to wetland/conservation issues. (Air quality impacts, noise, zoning are not appropriate at this meeting.)

Due to the limited ability of the public to ask question about the broader issues presented by the Pittsfield Airport Expansion project, Ward 5 City Councilor, Jonathan Lothrop, requested that the Airport Commission sponsor a more wide ranging meeting to allow the public to ask questions of the Airport Commission.  The meeting will be on Thursday, November 1st at 7 PM, in the Pittsfield City Council Chambers.   This meeting will start with an overview of the latest plans for the project.  It has been nearly two years since the last large scale meeting.   Many of the plans have been refined and more specifics are now available for review.   There will be a question and answer portion of the meeting which will allow residents to ask questions outside of the formality of a formal approval process. 

Please be aware that comments at these meeting will not be included in the formal review process.

return to top

The Climate Crisis: Will the U.S. Respond In Time? 11/3

On November 3, the South Lee-based Climate Crisis Coalition (CCC) and the Lenox Environmental Committee will be co-hosting a public forum "The Climate Crisis: Will the U.S. Respond In Time?”. (See the poster for the event .pdf)This Berkshire event — part of Step It Up 2007’s national day of Climate Action — is one of hundreds being held across the country as a call to action on global warming. It promises to offer citizens an opportunity to learn and share concerns about climate change with each other and their elected officials. The featured speaker will be Congressman John Olver, member of the House Climate Change Caucus and cosponsor of the House Climate Stewardship Act.  State Representative W. Smitty Pignatelli will introduce Congressman Olver.  Co-Sponsors of this forum are: Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Berkshire Grown, Center for Ecological Technology (CET), E.F. Schumacher Society, GreenAgers, Green Barrington, Green for A Change, Housatonic Valley Association, and the Orion Society. 

The forum will take place on Nov. 3rd at 10 am in the Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker Street, Lenox. 

Tom Stokes, CCC Coordinator, said, “Thanks to Al. Gore, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and many others there is now widespread awareness of the growing threat posed by ever increasing use of fossil fuel and emission greenhouse gasses. Measures must be taken without further delay. These measures must be governmental actions, technological advances, and personal — we must each change our consumption and development patterns. Congressmen Olver is in a position to play a critically important role. Please come and hear what he has to say.”

The Climate Crisis Coalition also announces plans for a second Berkshire county-wide event on climate change. December 8 will be marked as the International Day of Climate Action in countries around the world. (http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org/) It is timed to occur midway through the annual U.N. Climate Change conference, meeting this year in Bali, Indonesia. Details will be announced at the November 3rd event in Lenox.

For more information, call the Climate Crisis Coalition at 413-243-5665 or go to www.stepitup2007.org or www.climatecrisiscoaltion.org.

The mission of the Climate Crisis Coalition, founded in 2004 and coordinated by local environmentalist Thomas Stokes, is to connect global warming to human rights, labor, peace, faith, sustainable business practices, environmental justice and other issues.  Our mission is to build a broad based coalition that can become an effective, powerful agent for change: the development and unfolding of a national and visible action campaign that makes it impossible for citizens and governments to ignore the urgent demands of the climate crisis.

Climate Crisis Coalition
So. Lee, MA
Tel. 413-243-5665

return to top

A second edition of a popular publication called "Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues" was recently published by the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). This document revises an earlier 1994 edition and was prepared with support from EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management and the Nonpoint Source Control Branch in EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. The update is important because of the tremendous amount of new information available as well as the significant shift in stormwater program direction from the historic mitigation-based approach to a more source-based approach. Copies of the document are posted in pdf format at: http://www.nalms.org/

return to top

Law puts stopper in Nestle plans; Company had considered drawing water from
Montague Plains
By ARN ALBERTINI Recorder Staff

Published: Tuesday, October 16, 2007

MONTAGUE — A state law has clogged up Nestle Waters North America’s plans
to explore the Montague Plains as a potential source for its bottled spring
water.

‘It was basically a business decision,’ said Brian Flaherty, director of
public affairs for Nestle, on Monday afternoon. ‘It got more and more
complex as we looked into it.’

Nestle draws water off state land in Maine for Poland Springs water,
bringing in a revenue stream for the state and it had hoped to work out a
similar arrangement with the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and
Wildlife, which owns 1,500 acres of the plains, he said. (more)

return to top

An Important Request from the No Child Left Inside Coalition

In the next week, Senator Jack Reed (RI) will be adding co-sponsors to the No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI, S.1981). Please ask your organization’s members and affiliated organizations to contact their senators TODAY to ask them to join the growing list of bipartisan supporters of this critical legislation!

Please forward this email to everyone you know who is interested in outdoor environmental education being a part of students’ public school experience. Ask them to visit www.eenclb.org and click on "Contact Your Congressperson" to email a letter to their senators.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization bill is currently being written in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. A long list of co-sponsors of the NCLI Act will indicate strong support for including the NCLI Act’s language in the NCLB bill.

The House version of the NCLI Act (H.R.3036) has a growing list of bipartisan co-sponsors. Let’s make this happen in the Senate, too!

Thank you,
The No Child Left InsideSM Coalition (see http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_sub_actioncenter_federal_NCLB)

Note: “No Child Left Inside” is used with permission from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

See http://www.savebay.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?&pid=489&srcid=438 and http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_3036.html for related information.

return to top

Grants Enhance Wildlife Refuge System

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: National Wildlife Refuge System Preserve America Grant Program
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation provides support to help foster interpretive, education, and visitor initiatives that incorporate history and historic sites into the Refuge System’s mission. This program seeks to protect historic sites, integrate history into refuge programs, and build partnerships with communities and organizations interested in supporting the Refuge System. Special consideration will be given to proposals that begin new interpretive or educational programs on refuges that meet the President’s Preserve America’s objectives (www.preserveamerica.gov/) or that have the potential to reach new audiences. Grant proposals must demonstrate national, state, or local partnerships. The application deadline is November 1, 2007. Visit the website listed above to review the complete Request for Proposal.

return to top

Support for Grassroots Environmental Programs

Conservation Alliance
The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots citizen action groups in their efforts to protect wild and natural areas in North America. The Alliance supports the protection of rivers, trails, and wild lands — natural areas where outdoor enthusiasts spend their time. Funded programs should be focused primarily on direct action to protect specific threatened wild places and waterways. The Alliance is not looking for mainstream education or scientific research projects, but rather for active campaigns. Before applying for funding, an organization must first be nominated by one of the Alliance’s member companies. The next nomination deadline is November 1, 2007; proposals are due December 10, 2007. Interested applicants should carefully review the grant criteria and the “How to Apply” section of the Alliance’s website listed above.

return to top

From Mass Wildlife News:

HABITAT IMPROVEMENT FUNDING AVAILABLE

MassWildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) will be accepting grant applications October 26th through December 21 st, 2007 from private landowners, sportsmen’s clubs, land trusts and non-profit groups interested in improving wildlife habitat on their properties. LIP is designed to reimburse private landowners up to 75% of the cost of managing lands to improve habitat for declining wildlife species across the Commonwealth. The focus of these grants will be on maintaining grasslands and creation of young tree and shrubland habitats. Grant application criteria and other details will available at that time on MassWildlife’s webpage listed below. State and municipal agencies are not eligible for this funding, but can direct inquiries to other MassWildlife habitat programs.  

Since its first round of grants in 2005, 108 applicants have received funding from MassWildlife’s LIP on properties from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. A total of 7,100 acres of habitat improvement benefiting over 122 at-risk wildlife species has been funded. Habitat projects range from enhancing beaches for shorebird breeding habitat protection to grassland-bird breeding or rare turtle habitat maintenance.

The goals of the Landowner Incentive Program are:

– Identify and reclaim appropriate sites for management of declining habitats, particularly grasslands, old field and early-successional forests, wetlands, coastal habitats and pine barrens.

– Manage and control exotic and invasive plants – Enhance wildlife habitat for species-at-risk. A species-at-risk is defined for LIP as any fish or wildlife species that is federally or state listed as threatened or endangered, is a candidate for listing as threatened or endangered, or is listed on the MassWildlife Official State Rare Species List.

– Provide technical and financial assistance and guidance to landowners on how to manage their property for wildlife.

For more details, check the LIP web page: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/grants/lip/lip_home.htm

return to top

New Responsible Purchasing Guide: Breaking the Bottled Water Habit on a Large Scale

From New American Dream (http://www.newdream.org/) and the Responsible Purchasing Network (http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org)

The wave of bottled drinking water is awash in environmental impacts, from the energy used in production and delivery, to the tons of discarded plastic bottles.

• Do you know of an institutional purchaser of bottled water that might be convinced by the negative environmental impact of all that waste to adopt different purchasing habits?

• Want to learn about how some local governments are joining the effort by offering incentives to businesses that avoid bottled water?

• Ready to kick the bottled water habit in your own life? Take the Center for a New American Dream’s C3 (Carbon Concious Consumer) Pledge to switch from bottled water to tap water in a reusable container.

New American Dream’s new Responsible Purchasing Guide for Bottled Water is now online at http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org/purchasing_guides/bottled_water/. Visit the website to learn how San Francisco banned government procurement of bottled water; Salt Lake City is working with businesses to voluntarily kick the bottle; and New York City is promoting public awareness of tap water safety.

return to top

The Massachusetts Watershed Coalition  ....Creating a Network of Watershed Partners.

return to top

SUPPORT FUNDING FOR CONSERVATION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE FARM BILL.
From The Trustees of Reservations

Urge Senators Kennedy and Kerry to support House funding levels for agriculture conservation programs!

The Senate Finance Committee, of which Sen. Kerry is a member, has reported the new Farm Bill with small or no increases in funding for programs for conservation of farmland. The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program is an important source of funds for farmland protection in Massachusetts and other states. This funding is crucial to many rural land conservation projects spearheaded by The Trustees of Reservations and our conservation colleagues. It is vitally important that funding for these programs keeps pace with increased financial pressure on family farms and with increasing land values. The inadequate funding level of the 2002 Farm Bill, which expires this year, has created a backlog of farmers and ranchers ready to protect their land but for whom funding is not available.

Conservation advocates are urging the Senate to add $5 billion to the funding levels proposed by the Senate Finance Committee to match funding levels set in the House Farm Bill.

This legislation could come to the floor of the Senate as early as this week (the week of October 22)! Call Sen. Kennedy (202.224.4543) and Sen. Kerry (202.224.2742) and urge them to support Farm Bill funding for conservation at a level AT LEAST equal to that in the House bill. If you reach a staff member, be sure to leave a message. For more background information about the Farm Bill, click here.

Update on extension of conservation restriction tax benefit beyond December 31, 2007: The Senate Finance Committee has favorably reported legislation to make permanent the enhanced tax benefit for gifts of conservation restrictions, which was scheduled to expire December 31. Senate supporters of the legislation have expressed optimism for final passage, perhaps as a provision of the Farm Bill.

return to top

Pittsfield Airport Expansion becoming more visible

The Pittsfield Municipal Airport cut down many trees along Barker Road in the name of safety improvements. These are changes are mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the same way the FAA has mandated the Pittsfield Airport to have safety zones at the end of its runways. The Airport Commission interprets these mandates as needing to cut down trees and expand the main runway by more than 1000 feet. This will create a huge berm through much of what is now Wild Acres Sancturay – a conservation property that was donated to the City in 1964 by the Izaak Walton League which created Wild Acres Wildlife Sanctuary in 1930.

View the minutes of the September 5, 2007(pdf) meeting of the Pittsfield Municipal Airport Commission.

return to top

CCC meeting highlights available

The Citizens’ Coordinating Council (CCC – the group that meets with General Electric, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection) met September 19, 2007 at 5:30 pm at the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. The facilitator has prepared draft summary (.doc file) of the highlights from the meeting.

return to top

Interesting Conversations at Pittsfield Green Drinks

A group of about eight people met for Pittsfield Green Drinks at the Pittsfield Brew Works on the third Tuesday of October – the 16th. We had some really lively discussions – the environmental costs of bottled water and what action each of us can take. The toxic effects of chlorine on the environment. The effect of drawing out water in one location and then shipping it out of the watershed.

Another discussion we had included batting around the idea of having an environmental movie night three or four or more times a year. We all could think of movies that would be great to show. We could have lively discussions after the movies as well. We might have someone related to the movie – a star or producer or…. come speak. The one big hold up – who would be willing to put in the time and effort to pull this together?

If you would be interested in volunteering to organize an Environmental Movie Night, please email Jane or call her at BEAT’s phone: 413-230-7321.

Please take a look at our volunteer page for other interesting opportunities!

return to top

WRLF protects more of Pine Cobble

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation bought a 104-acre parcel on Pine Cobble bordering Clarksburg State Forest and a portion of the Appalachian Trail, for $40,000 from William "Bo" Peabody, the owner of the Sweet Farm Nominee Trust and a managing general partner at Village Ventures, a Williamstown-based venture capital firm.

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization that protects public properties such as Sheep Hill and the Hopper Trails, owned about 290 acres at Pine Cobble prior to Peabody’s sale; with the new acreage, it protects about 400 acres at the mountain.

Of the 592 acres owned by the WRLF, the parcel at Pine Cobble is the largest, but Reed-Evans would like more of the mountain to be publicly owned and protected by the organization.

"If we had a wish list, we would have another 200 to 300 acres from Pine Cobble," she said yesterday. "As land gets more developed, open parcels become harder to find."

The new Pine Cobble acreage is next to a 175-acre parcel that was donated by local conservationist and botanist Pam Weatherbee in 2005.

Reed-Evans also said that the new land "secures" a half mile of the ’98 Trail — which had originally run through privately owned land, and it also forms a link between the nearby 1.5-mile-long Chestnut Trail and the Appalachian Trail.

return to top

NRCS announces accelerated sign-up for farm conservation program in Massachusetts

AMHERST, MA (September 19, 2007) — Massachusetts farmers who would like technical and financial assistance in managing their natural resources are encouraged to apply now for the federal Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP – see http://www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip.html). The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been authorized to conduct an accelerated sign-up period for EQIP while work on the next federal Farm Bill continues.  

Applications must be received by Friday, November 12, 2007. Farmers should call or visit their local USDA Service Center as soon as possible to begin the conservation planning process and complete the necessary paperwork. 

USDA service center locations are listed on-line at http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture. General program information is available on the NRCS Massachusetts website at

EQIP helps farmers improve production while protecting environmental quality by addressing such concerns as soil quality, grazing land conservation, irrigation efficiency and comprehensive nutrient management. With financial and technical assistance from NRCS, farmers will promote environmental quality on farmland, address water quality and quantity challenges, and protect valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

“USDA is committed to providing conservation tools and resources to help Massachusetts farmers ensure that their land remains healthy and productive,” said State Conservationist Christine S. Clarke. “NRCS field staff are available to help farmers develop a conservation plan to address their resource concerns.” 

In fiscal year 2006, NRCS funded 113 EQIP contracts with Massachusetts farmers to implement $3.86 million in conservation practices on 7,894 acres of land.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment. NRCS has seven Massachusetts field offices in Greenfield, Hadley, Holden, Hyannis, Pittsfield, Westford, and West Wareham, which work with local conservation districts and other partners to serve farmers and landowners throughout the commonwealth.

Diane Baedeker Petit

Public Affairs Officer

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

451 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002

413-253-4371, fax 413-253-4375

www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov

Helping People Help the Land

return to top

Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition’s Western Mass. Local Land Trust Grants

The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition’s Western Mass. Local Land Trust Grants program is aimed at assisting local land trusts and other conservation groups in western and central Massachusetts strengthen their organizations and improve their land management and stewardship.  

The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition’s Central & Western MA Land Trust Grants program will now consider any 501(c)(3) applicant which has a budget of $250,000 or less.  Previously, only groups with budgets less than $100,000 were eligible.

In addition, the application deadline has been extended to Oct.31.

The program is aimed at assisting local land trusts and other conservation groups in western and central Massachusetts strengthen their organizations and improve their land management and stewardship.  Grants are available for up to $10,000 and will be awarded in 2008.

Application materials are at http://massland.org/pages/info/WMAGrants07.html.  Please call me for project guidance or with any other questions at 781-248-7045

Grants are available for up to $10,000 and will be awarded in 2008.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 31, 2007!  

I implore you to take advantage of this incredible opportunity!  The funder is eager to make this program work.  Attached you will find a letter of explanation and an application form.  

I have distributed this announcement to a wide variety of correspondents including land trusts, watershed associations, "Friends" groups, etc.  In particular, I have sent it to independent consultants and conservation practitioners, in the hopes that whey will contact local land trusts and other groups to develop significant projects which meet the grant guidelines, especially in the area of land management and stewardship.  I encourage you to distribute this announcement widely to groups who you believe may be interested and eligible.

This project is being coordinated with the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust and the Franklin Land Trust.  I’m looking forward to working with them and I’m very excited about the potential for this grant program.

Please call me for project guidance or with any other questions at 781-248-7045

Regards,

Bernie McHugh, Coordinator
Mass. Land Trust Coalition
18 Wolbach Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
bmchugh@massland.org
Tel: 978-443-5588
Cell: 781-248-7045
Fax: 978-443-2333
www.MassLand.org

return to top

Grants Protect Hiking Trails

American Hiking Society: National Trails Fund
The National Trails Fund, sponsored by American Hiking Society, provides funding to grassroots nonprofit organizations working toward establishing, protecting, and maintaining foot trails in America. Grants help give local organizations the resources they need to secure access, volunteers, tools, and materials to protect America’s public trails. The following types of projects will be considered: securing trail lands, including acquisition of trails and trail corridors; building and maintaining trails which will result in ease of access, improved hiker safety, and/or avoidance of environmental damage; and constituency-building surrounding specific trail projects. Preference is often given to projects with volunteer labor. Projects that have hikers as the primary constituency are preferred; however, all human-powered trail projects are eligible. The application deadline is November 1, 2007.  Click on  http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/fund.html for more information.

return to top