In the News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators) DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire return to top |
Beat Presents Vernal Pools - Ecology and Conservation Date: Saturday, April 18, 2009 This workshop will provide an in depth look into the science and policy of vernal pools. It is recommended for conservation commissioners, teachers, city planners, foresters, educators, and anyone else whose profession brings them into contact with these natural wonders. Tom Tyning has been an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Berkshire Community College since 1999. Before this he was a field biologist and master naturalist with the Massachusetts Audubon Society for 24 years. He also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at Antioch New England Graduate School (Amphibian Biology, Ornithology, Field Entomology, and Reptile Biology) and at Springfield College (Ornithology). A member of several professional natural history societies, he is currently Managing Editor of the Scientific Journal, Herpetological Review. Tom received both his Bachelor’s (Wildlife Biology) and Master’s degrees (Organismic and Evolutionary Biology) from the University of Massachusetts. Agenda:
Pre-registration is required. To register or to receive more information please contact: |
Upper Housatonic River ACEC Designated No exclusions, no exemptions, the state's Secretary of Energy & The designation was released yesterday and announced officially today. It quotes the state's Division of Fisheries & Wildlife as writing that And it notes that 93% of the ACEC is delineated as an area representing |
Safe Drinking Water Needs Assessed A recent drinking water needs survey will help EPA determine the distribution formula for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) grants for the fiscal years 2010 through 2013 budgets. The assessment documents anticipated costs for repairs and replacement of transmission and distribution pipes, storage and treatment equipment, and projects that are necessary to deliver safe supplies of drinking water. return to top |
EPA Acts to Reduce Harmful Impacts from Coal Mining The United States Environmental Protection Agency has sent two letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality caused by certain types of coal mining practices, such as mountaintop mining. The letters specifically addressed two new surface coal mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky. EPA also intends to review other requests for mining permits. “The two letters reflect EPA’s considerable concern regarding the environmental impact these projects would have on fragile habitats and streams,” said Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “I have directed the agency to review other mining permit requests. EPA will use the best science and follow the letter of the law in ensuring we are protecting our environment.” EPA’s letters, sent to the Corps office in Huntington, West Virginia, stated that the coal mines would likely cause water quality problems in streams below the mines, would cause significant degradation to streams buried by mining activities, and that proposed steps to offset these impacts are inadequate. EPA has recommended specific actions be taken to further avoid and reduce these harmful impacts and to improve mitigation. The letters were sent to the Corps by EPA senior officials in the agency’s Atlanta and Philadelphia offices. Permit applications for such projects are required by the Clean Water Act. EPA also requested the opportunity to meet with the Corps and the mining companies seeking the new permits to discuss alternatives that would better protect streams, wetlands and rivers. The Corps is responsible for issuing Clean Water Act permits for proposed surface coal mining operations that impact streams, wetlands, and other waters. EPA is required by the act to review proposed permits and provides comments to the Corps where necessary to ensure that proposed permits fully protect water quality. Because of active litigation in the 4th Circuit challenging the issuance of Corps permits for coal mining, the Corps has been issuing far fewer permits in West Virginia since the litigation began in 2007. As a result, there is a significant backlog of permits under review by the Corps. EPA expects to be actively involved in the review of these permits following issuance of the 4th Circuit decision last month. EPA is coordinating its action with the White House Council on Environmental Quality and with other agencies including the Corps. For more information on wetlands and the letters: http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ return to top |
EPA Seeks Proposals to Support State Ground Water Programs |
CONSERVATION CONNECTION e-blast...the latest news from NRCS Massachusetts. Sign-up period extended for Massachusetts landowners to restore and protect flood-prone lands with Economic Recovery funds AMHERST, Mass. (March 27, 2009) – The deadline has been extended for Massachusetts landowners with land in flood-prone areas to apply for assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Eligible landowners can sign up for floodplain easements through April 10, 2009 at their local USDA Service Center. NRCS will provide up to $145 million nationwide to eligible landowners through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. The funds will be used to restore an estimated 60,000 acres of frequently flooded land in the U.S. to its natural state and create jobs. 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. For information about EWP Program floodplain easements, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/Floodplain/index.html. |
News from the Appalachian Mountain Club: Also included in the bill is $49 million for the Forest Legacy Program. These funds will go toward a number of great projects, including*: Machias River (Maine), Southern Monadnock Plateau II (Mass.), Crotched Mountain (N.H.), Green Acre Woodlands (N.H.), Metacomet-Monadnock Forest (Mass.), Tree Farm #1 (Penn.), and Green Horizons (Del.). The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is also funded in the bill at $152 million (federal-side) and $20 million (state-side). Some of the LWCF (federal-side) projects receiving funding include: Acadia National Park (Maine), Appalachian National Scenic Trail (N.H.), Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge (N.H.), Silvio Conte National Wildlife Refuge (Mass., Vt., N.H., Conn.), Cape Cod National Seashore (Mass.), Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex (R.I.), Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (N.J.), Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (N.J.), Supawna Meadows NWR (N.J.), and Gettysburg National Park (Penn.). Thank you to all who wrote letters to your members of Congress in support of this important funding! *Thanks to the Trust for Public Land for providing project information. |
Results of Third Auction for RGGI CO2 Allowances |
Fundraiser for BCC’s Conservation Club |
6th Annual Water Resources Conference - Amherst Konstantine P. Georgakakos, Director of the Hydrologic Research Center and Adjunct Professor, Scripps Oceanographic Institute will give the Keynote Address on Science-Based Water Management: Prediction and Decision Support Under Climate Variability and Change.
We invite you to join us for this full day of conference presentations, poster session, and an array of networking opportunities. Conference presentations include speakers from MassDEP, EEOEA, colleges and universities throughout New England, environmental engineering and consulting companies, non-profit organizations and others. Please visit www.WRRCconference.com for conference details, registration and the conference program as well as presentation abstracts. Gain access to over 200 water resources researchers and professionals while supporting the valuable educational programs that are part of the event. Exhibits will be located with research posters near the refreshment station in the Auditorium, which is open for the entire duration of the conference. Please visit our website at http://www.umass.edu/tei/wrrc/WRRC2004/Conference2009/Exhibitors.htm for more information. We hope you will consider becoming a part of this year’s conference by becoming an exhibitor.
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EPA Issues Guidance for Water Funds Under the Recovery Act On March 2, EPA issued guidance on the award of Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund Capitalization Grants under the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (ARRA). The ARRA provides $2 billion to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and $4 billion to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). On March 12, EPA issued new guidance for the administration of Water Quality Management Planning (WQMP) Grants funded under the ARRA. According to Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act, 1% of each state’s CWSRF allotment is reserved for WQMP activities. This means that nearly $40 million will be available nationally to support a broad range of planning activities. Examples of these activities might include: addressing nutrient pollution from cities and agriculture on a watershed basis, protecting undeveloped areas through "green infrastructure" techniques, creating low impact development programs that will protect water quality in developing areas, developing watershed plans and total maximum daily loads, analyzing trends in water availability and use, and developing response plans to adapt to climate change. For a copy of the guidance documents, please visit http://www.epa.gov/water/eparecovery/ return to top |
Video Contest to Educate the Public about Water Quality The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW) is sponsoring a video contest to engage the public on water quality issues and to inspire stewardship for the nation’s waters. OWOW is soliciting short videos to help educate the public about water pollution and simple steps that individuals and communities can take to improve and protect water quality. Videos are being accepted on a wide variety of topics including: low impact development, wetlands, marine debris, watershed management, water quality monitoring, polluted runoff, and other water-related topics. The videos should convey to the public easy, low-cost steps that individuals and communities can take to improve and protect the nation’s streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and oceans. The contest will run until Earth Day, April 22, 2009. Videos will be judged by a panel of experts on the basis of creativity and originality, quality, technical accuracy, and content of message. Two winners will be chosen for 1) a short, 30 or 60 second video that is useable as a public service announcement, and 2) a longer 1 to 3 minute video. Each winner will receive a $2,500 cash award and their videos will be featured on EPA’s Web site. For more information on the video contest please go to: http://www.epa.gov/owow/videocontest.html return to top |
2009 National Beach Conference The 2009 National Beach Conference will be held April 20-22 in Huntington Beach, California. This 3-day conference, “Riding the Wave of Emerging Science,” is sponsored by EPA's Office of Water and will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to discuss water quality at beaches. It will provide a national framework for discussion of beach water quality issues, exchange of information, and coordination of efforts in research and decision-making. The conference format will consist of presentations, panel discussions, and a debate between prestigious universities. World-class waterman and big wave surfer, Laird Hamilton, will be one of the keynote speakers. Registration is open to all and attending the conference is free. For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/meetings/2009/ .We look forward to seeing you there! return to top |
EPA Releases “Watershed Central” Web Site and a "Watershed Wiki” Water Headlines is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of WaterEPA recently posted a new Web site called "Watershed Central" to help watershed organizations and others find key information they need to implement watershed management projects. The primary purpose of the new Watershed Central Web site is to make it easy for organizations to find the information that they need to help protect and restore their water resources. Watershed Central helps users find environmental data, watershed models, nearby local organizations, guidance documents and other information depending on the task at hand. Watershed Central also contains links to watershed technical resources, funding sources, mapping applications and information specific to named watersheds. The site includes a “Watershed Central Wiki” for collaboration and information sharing. We encourage all watershed practitioners to use this new Watershed Wiki to share tools, scientific findings, expertise, and local approaches to watershed management. Watershed Central not only links to EPA Web resources, but also links to other valuable funding, guidance and tools on Web sites of state, tribal, and federal partners, universities, and nonprofit organizations. EPA’s new site is located at: http://www.epa.gov/watershedcentral On April 15, 2009, EPA's Watershed Academy will present a Webcast entitled, "Watershed Central: A New Gateway to Watershed Information.” This Webcast will provide an opportunity to learn about the information and tools available on Watershed Central, including the new Watershed Wiki. Please visit our Web site at http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts to learn more about this Webcast. Registration will open in early April. Also, at this URL you can find archives of 39 past Webcasts on a variety of watershed management topics. return to top |
New Climate Change and Water E-Newsletter |
New Group for Conservation Commissioners |
Greetings Outdoor clubs, members and enthusiasts! You are invited to join Eastern Mountain Sports at the Berkshire mall in our bi-annual outdoor club day event April 17 & 18, 2009 from 10am-9pm each day. This special event will feature local outdoor clubs, health and well being organizations and public service organizations. As well, EMS will be donating 1% of all sales during this event to the conservation alliance. The Berkshire store will have tables set up in front that will be available for clubs to showcase their organization, solicit new members, and to sell fundraiser items such as girls scout cookies and boy scout popcorn. If you or your club are interested in participating, please email me your name, organization name, contact info (email and phone) and the day and time you wish to reserve table space. Times are on a first come first serve basis. Please sign up for a minimum 2 hour tim slot. If you would like to participate, please respond to me by Wednesday April 1st so we can put your organizations name into our promotional materials. Aimee Gelinas & Tamarack Hollow |
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Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust wants to inform you of new funding opportunities through the 2008 Farm Bill. Two programs are of particular interest to local landowners : the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). WHIP helps to improve fish and wildlife habitat and restore natural ecosystems. Practices covered include restoration of grasslands for bird habitat, creation of shrublands and early successional habitat for ruffed grouse and extensive plantings of native wildflowers for pollinator habitat. Money is also available for forest management plans and fish and wildlife management plans. Programs such as EQIP require forest landowners to have a forest stewardship plan in order to obtain funds for forestry practices. Having a conservation restriction on your property increases your chances for funding. The ceilings on the payments are $300,000 in a six year period for EQIP and $50,000 per year for WHIP. If you are unsure of whether these opportunities would work for you, contact your local NRCS office or forester. The application for the Farm Bill money can be a lengthy process so start your planning now. Applications are taken anytime. The cutoff date for the first round of funding is May 1, 2009. Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust can assist you with identifying conservation practices but only you can apply. The links below, to specific brochures and fact sheets on the NRCS website further outline the projects that may be eligible for funding under the two programs. |
Federal Stimulus Funding |
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