Jobs
Hoosic River Revival – Executive Director – North Adams, MA
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation – Executive Director – Williamstown, MA
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Member Positions
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Operations & Communications Coordinator, full-time staff position, available Sept/Oct
EPA Issued their Final Permit Modification
BEAT is still combing through the so-called “Final Permit Modification” for the remediation of the Rest of the Housatonic River.
We are pleased that adaptive management approach was retained and that EPA is making sure Alternative Technologies can be used as they become available. We are especially pleased that EPA stood firm in their commitment to have all the toxic material sent to an existing, licensed toxic waste dump. It is crazy to create new dumps all over the place. We need to consolidate this material in TEMPORARY dumps that will be remediated as soon as the technology is available.
We do not believe the remediation goes far enough. It leaves in place areas of high level toxic waste (>50 ppm).
It calls for a “cap” in the river – anyone who has helped with one of our river cleanups knows what large, heavy items get moved by the river, digging DEEP into the river bed. Not only that, when a tree falls into the river, the water digs DEEP under the tree (creating a scary situation if you think you might flip your boat and get sucked under the tree!)
BEAT believes that the aim should be to remediate ALL the contaminated vernal pools. Vernal pool amphibians are especially sensitive to even very low concentrations of PCBs. GE has proven that they can successfully remediate one vernal pool. We would want them to use small equipment, recreate the microtopograhpy the way they did on the first vernal pool, and have very careful monitoring as they go. Start with one of two vernal pools, see if they work as well as the first – then proceed if all goes well.
Upcoming November 9, Citizens’ Coordinating
Council Meeting
Next Housatonic River CCC meeting with EPA to talk about the General Electric PCB cleanup of the Housatonic River is Wednesday November 9, 2016. Lenox Library Reading Room, located at 18 Main St, Lenox, MA 01240, from roughly 5:30-7:30pm. The public is strongly encouraged to attend!!!
For more information about the cleanup, PCBs, and the contamination of the Housatonic River, please visit the EPA website.
Conservation District Annual Meeting to Focus on Pollinator Ecology
The public is cordially invited to the Berkshire Conservation District’s Annual Meeting at 5:30pm, Thursday November 10th at Zucchini’s Restaurant in Pittsfield. A short business meeting and elections will be held, followed by a buffet dinner. An after-dinner presentation will feature two speakers who are experts in their respective fields of pollinator ecology and beekeeping.
Jarrod Fowler will talk on “Pollinator Ecology and Conservation.” Fowler is the Pollinator Conservation and Conservation Biological Control Specialist for New England and the Northeast Regions at The Xerces Society and a Technical Service Provider at the Massachusetts USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Fowler is leading extensive insect habitat restoration efforts with farmers and landowners in New England.
Dan Conlon, of Warm Colors Apiary, South Deerfield, MA, practices sustainable land and apiary management and is a member of the Massachusetts Beekeeping Association. Warm Colors Apiary is a family-owned and -operated honeybee farm producing and selling local and regional honeys, providing beekeeping education, and selling beekeeping equipment.
Tickets are $25 per person and include a buffet meal with meat, salad, rolls, coffee or tea, and dessert. Vegetarian meals are available upon request. Reservations may be made by mailing a check payable to Berkshire Conservation District, 78 Center Street, Suite 206, Pittsfield, MA 01201 by November 1st. Please include name, address, phone and email address, and number attending. For further information or questions, email berkshireconservationdistrict@gmail.com or call (413) 443-1776 ext. 102.
The Massachusetts Environmental Education Society (MEES) seeks presentation proposals for 2017 Annual Conference.
Join the 2017 MEES Conference as a Presenter!
As MEES celebrates its 40th anniversary, we look back at how the field of Environmental Education (EE) has transformed over the past century. In the first half of the century, EE was based on the premise that land must be conserved and wildlife protected. Then, in 1970, the field had a political coming out on the first Earth Day. In the 80s, a wave of progressive nature-based teachers and the environmental justice movement brought the field into classrooms and urban centers and in the 90s the focus shifted to waste, energy, and green communities. Like science, environmental education itself continues to evolve. In the early 2000s through today and into tomorrow, the EE community has been educating not only our students but ourselves, on climate change, sea level rise, green technologies, sustainable food systems, and renewable energy – professional arenas far afield from our nature-centered roots.
The 2017 MEES Conference will look to the past to help us shape the future of EE in Massachusetts:
- With the increase in technology, is there still value in teaching basic naturalist skills?
- Are we or should we be expanding the definition of an environmental educator?
- How do we engage more traditional classroom teachers to use the environment in teaching core subjects?
- How can we paint an accurate portrait of the people in the EE community in Massachusetts, and highlight the diversity in the field and the work already being accomplished?
- Can the EE field grow and attract new practitioners with current wages and time commitments?
In 2017 MEES hopes to both look back at our roots and look forward to where our outer branches are reaching and stretching.
If you have questions please email the Presenter Coordinator for the conference Carrie Hawthorne: carrie.hawthorne@newbedford-ma.gov
Find out more about the 2017 Conference.
Go Green: Repurposing your fallen leaves
The Berkshire Eagle
October 14, 2016
In this column, staff at the Center for EcoTechnology offer advice on easy ways for people — and businesses — to introduce green changes in their daily lives.
Q: Well, leaves are falling again. I always bag them up and bring them to the transfer station, but that’s a lot of work and I have to pay to get rid of them. Is there an easier way to handle fallen leaves? Maybe even a method that’s better for the environment?
A: Absolutely! Nature has had plenty of time to figure out how to deal with fallen leaves, and has become pretty adept at it by now. It’s entirely possible to not pay to dispose of your leaves and instead save money by turning them into fertilizer, compost and decorations. Here are our five favorite ways to do that:
• Add your fallen leaves to your compost pile. The carbon in leaves is essential to a healthy compost pile. You can pile them up next to your compost and add them in gradually all year. Don’t have a compost pile? Get started here at www.cetonline.org or check a local farm to see if you can donate your leaves to its compost pile.
• Use them in your potted plants. Put dried leaves directly into the bottom of your planting containers instead of buying potting soil — this will save you money and give your potted plants a healthy start
• Feed your lawn by just mowing over leaves. Instead of raking up the leaves, just go over your whole yard with your lawn mower; this will chop up the leaves, spread them out and allow them to decompose throughout the winter, helping your lawn grow better in the spring.
• Use leaves as a winter mulch. Keeping perennial plants safe through the winter can be tough. Piling leaves from your lawn around the base of your perennial plants can help to keep their roots warm during the colder months.
• Finally, if you have excess leaves after your reuse projects, make sure to divert your yard waste from the landfill and send it to an appropriate yard waste facility. Call your local city/town government office for more information about how to responsibly dispose of your yard waste.
Jobs
Hoosic River Revival – Executive Director
The Hoosic River Revival, based in North Adams, Massachusetts, seeks an Executive Director to lead our river restoration efforts. We are a community-based nonprofit working to contribute to North Adams’ urban renaissance by transforming an unattractive concrete-walled section of the Hoosic River into a beautiful, ecologically-sound and publicly-accessible riverscape. This full-time position provides an opportunity to live in the beautiful New England Berkshires and oversee a project that will benefit local ecosystems and economies. No previous experience with river ecology is required. Our ideal candidate will have strong experience with project management and working closely with a board, as well as navigating government processes. To read the full job description go to http://www.hoosicriverreviv
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation –
Executive Director
The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF), a 30-year old land conservation trust and education organization in Williamstown Massachusetts, announces the retirement next year of its long-time executive director, Leslie Reed Evans, and the search for her replacement to lead WRLF during an exciting time in its history. Leslie’s tenure at WRLF has spanned 23 years of exemplary service to our community. She was hired in late 1993 as interim director and was offered the permanent position in 1995 at a time when the organization was completing several major land conservation projects under her dynamic leadership and was in the midst of its largest yet, the effort to preserve the south Williamstown farm and forest lands owned by Norris Phelps along Oblong Road and extending to the Taconic Ridge. At that time, WRLF had a 14-member Board of Directors, a supporting membership of about 200 families, and an annual budget of $39,000. There were 268 acres of private land under conservation restriction, and 66 acres in WRLF’s direct ownership.
Today, WRLF annually monitors 288 acres of conservation restriction land and has close to 600 acres under its own management, including its 55-acre Sheep Hill headquarters and 380 acres on Pine Cobble, its largest preserve. Its membership has more than doubled and its annual budget has grown nearly tenfold. It has established itself as a key resource in the community and an important contributor to the beauty and quality of life which Williamstown residents and visitors alike enjoy.
During Leslie’s tenure and with the active participation of an engaged, dedicated Board of Directors, WRLF undertook many innovative projects, including managing the Reynolds limited development/conservation project, making land available for the Williamstown’s first Habitat for Humanity home, and establishing Caretaker Farm as a Community Land Trust to make it affordable to a new generation of farmers. Perhaps what Leslie is most proud of and in addition to the land conservation projects she has overseen is the acquisition and preservation of Sheep Hill and its establishment as a community resource for outdoor education and recreation for families, school children and visitors.
The search for a new executive director will begin immediately. The job posting and explanation of the application requirements are described on WRLF’s website, wrlf.org, under “Job Opportunities” on the home page. For further information contact WRLF or call its headquarters at 413-458-2494.
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Member Positions
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps was established in 2010 by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust as a collaboration of regional conservation organizations seeking to engage with more people and do more community conservation projects. The mission of the Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT-AmeriCorps) is to strengthen and grow the land conservation movement by developing the next generation of land trust leaders and mobilizing them in every MA community. Our vision is one where the benefits of land conservation reach every community and are meaningful for all people.
This year, 36 MassLIFT-AmeriCorps members will serve at 21 different host sites (including urban conservation and community gardening/food systems non-profits) across Massachusetts as Land Stewardship Coordinator, Regional Conservation Coordinator, Youth Education Coordinator, or Community Engagement Coordinator. Members create and accomplish projects that increase their host site’s capacity, educate people in environmental stewardship, engage people in volunteerism, and include new constituencies. Specific activities vary by host site.
People of color strongly encouraged to apply. AmeriCorps programs provide equal service opportunities. MassLIFT works 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. The program runs 8/29/16 – 7/28/17. More info at masslift.org.
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Operations & Communications Coordinator, full-time staff position, available Sept/Oct
MassLIFT-AmeriCorps was established in 2010 by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust as a collaboration of regional conservation organizations seeking to engage with more people and do more community conservation projects. The mission of the Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT-AmeriCorps) is to strengthen and grow the land conservation movement by developing the next generation of land trust leaders and mobilizing them in every MA community. Our vision is one where the benefits of land conservation reach every community and are meaningful for all people.
The Operations and Communications Coordinator (OCC) supports the MassLIFT-AmeriCorps program vision on a statewide scale. Reporting to the MassLIFT Program Director, the OCC manages member recruitment and onboarding, communications and marketing, and day-to-day administration of program operations.
We’re aiming to fill this position in September/October 2016. MassLIFT-AmeriCorps may spin off as a separate nonprofit between Fall 2016 and Summer 2017, in which case program headquarters would likely move to Lowell, MA. Applicants should be prepared and willing to relocate to be able to work out of a Lowell office. View the complete position description and application instructions at masslift.org.