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Please send items of interest to kristen@thebeatnews.org
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Rally for the Highland Communities: A Call to Action with Tom Wessels.
Saturday, September 17, 2011 | 9AM-2PM | TTOR Members and Children under 12: FREE. Nonmembers: Adult $5
Bullitt Reservation, 332 Bullitt Rd. Ashfield, MA 413.628.4485
Find your strength. Find your role. We invite you to come and celebrate this special region, deepen your community connections, and learn new ways of protecting the places that you care about! Noted ecologist Tom Wessels' keynote address will illuminate the lessons the natural world contains for creating resilient communities and economies. Fun, family-friendly activities and demonstrations will follow, with opportunities to enjoy and explore the vibrant farm landscape at the Bullitt Reservation. You’ll also have lots of opportunities to meet new dynamic people and get involved in shaping a positive future for the region and your own town.
For more information about events, or to pre-register, contact mwamsley@ttor.org or call 413.628.4485.
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HCI & The Trustees of Reservations
A program of The Trustees of Reservations, the Highland Communities Initiative is a group of neighbors and volunteers working to enhance the quality of life and rural character of our communities. In 2000, Highland residents worked with the Trustees of Reservations to form HCI in order to protect one of New England’s quintessential rural landscapes as it braced for the tide of unplanned development sweeping across Massachusetts. Now, HCI connects people, towns, and organizations, giving them the tools and support they need to advocate for conservation and community preservation in their own communities and across the region. To find out more, please visit us at www.highlandcommunities.org
Founded in 1891, The Trustees of Reservations is the nation's oldest regional land trust and nonprofit conservation organization. The Trustees of Reservations welcomes the public to enjoy and experience our nine beautiful properties in the Pioneer Valley and our 100 special places across Massachusetts. The Trustees rely on dedicated staff, volunteers, members and donors to raise community awareness around the importance of preserving exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological landscapes; to interpret the stories that emerge from our local history and define our community character; to sustain local farms and natural resources; and to offer our visitors top notch outdoor experiences. To learn more, please visit www.thetrustees.org or call the Pioneer Valley office at 413.532.1631
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Ashfield Sawmill’s Plans to Convert to Wood Chip Fueled Gasifier Concerns Neighbors
from Massachusetts Forest Update
The plans of Roberts Brothers Lumber to invest $3 million to convert its diesel generators to a gas produced by heating wood chips has raised concerns from some local residents, according to a story in the Greenfield Recorder. The sawmill plans to build install two gasifiers to heat wood chips at 1,300 degrees to create a synthetic gas which would then be used to run electric generators to power the sawmill’s operations. The system would replace two existing diesel generators that burn 500 gallons of fuel per week. The project would not be built before next year.
The proposed system is based on gasifier systems now used in Italy. Residents have expressed concerns about whether tar would be produced as a waste product and how much water would be needed to cool the gasifiers.
The proposed gasifier system is exempt from local zoning due to the town’s Right to Farm bylaw because farmers have a right to make a product from their harvests for their own use, officials said. The project would be required to meet state standards for emissions and get a building permit.
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New York Toughens Ban on Movement of Firewood and Logs
Seeking to keep invasive insects from spreading to uninfested areas, the state of New York has been checking for forbidden movement of firewood and issuing fines to violators.
New York has imposed a ban on the movement of untreated firewood more than 50 miles and imposed $250 fines for violations as part of an effort to stem the spread of invasive pests like the emerald ash borer. EABs have been discovered in both eastern and southwestern New York in recent years, the most recent discovery at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the Hudson Valley. EABs have killed more than 50 million ash trees in Michigan and Ohio since 2002.
Besides doing stepped up enforcement of the ban on firewood movement, New York has also been checking to make sure that loggers don’t move ash logs outside of areas quarantined due to the presence of EABs. The quarantines affect movement of wood from Greene, Ulster & now Orange counties in New York, and violations of the quarantines carry penalties of up to 60 days in jail and fines of $1,000 or more. Stepped up enforcement efforts by the Department of Environmental Conservation and other agencies on enforcing the quarantines have resulted in at least 3 companies, two loggers and a trucker, being charged with violating the quarantine on the movement of ash logs and materials.
Timber products are a major industry in New York state generating multibillion dollars in revenues and employing about 26,000 people statewide.
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Great Barrington Butcher Shop to Source Locally
By Ned Oliver, Berkshire Eagle Staff,
Last week, the display case at Jeremy Stanton’s soon-to-open butcher shop was still empty, save for two pig heads.
When the Meat Market opens this week and the case is fully stocked, Stanton says it will be stuffed with all-local hand-cut steaks, homemade sausages, liverwurst, lamb, veal -- and yes, probably a pig head or two, which he swears are delicious.
But beyond just offering mouth-watering cuts of meat and hard-to-find specialty items, Stanton said his new shop will provide a much-needed retail outlet for beef, pork and lamb raised by the region’s farmers.
"This is going to give people direct access to those animals they see grazing in fields," said Stanton.
Stanton said that currently, the majority of cattle raised in the Berkshires are sold at auction and taken to far-away feed lots, where they’re stuffed with hormones and antibiotics before they’re eventually processed.<MORE>
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Two weeks left to comment on DCR's proposed Landscape Designations
If you haven’t had the chance and would like to comment on DCR’s Landscape Designations, which were the subject of several public meetings this past spring, you are welcome to do so until August 26, 2011 at designation.comments@state.me.us. Please consider reviewing the material posted on the website to help inform and focus your response. A great deal of information has been organized there regarding the Landscape Designation process including:
You can access all of these and more at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/ld/landscapedesignations.htm. All comments will be reviewed and considered, and all comments submitted directly to designation.comments@state.ma.us will be posted online at the Landscape Designations page after the comment period closes.
Thank you again for your time!
Tim Rayworth
Internal Working Group for the Landscape Designation Process
MA Department on Conservation and Recreation
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Egremont Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyProject
In October of 2008, a small group of Egremont residents went before their Board of Selectmen to request the formation of a committee to explore ways both the town and its residents could address climate change and other environmental concerns. Thus the Egremont Green Committee (EGC) was formed, and the timing could not have been more fortuitous. Less than a year later, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) federal stimulus grant program offered up to $150,000 to pay for energy efficiency and renewable energy installation projects for municipalities. The EGC members dove right in. “We knew putting the grant application together would be a lot of work, but we realized that opportunities like these where there is no request for matching funds from the community don’t come along every day. So with the town’s permission, we went full steam ahead,” said Juliette Haas, chairman of the EGC.
The EGC applied for funding to replace an old, inefficient heating system at the highway garage building with a more efficient one. Then, because the building was close to the town’s transfer station and had high visibility, it was a perfect place for photovoltaic solar panels. “In some small towns, the transfer station is a community gathering spot where neighbors stop and chat and catch up on things,” added Ms. Haas, “and we hoped that people would notice and be reminded not only of the benefits of solar power but of how small projects and community involvement can have big impacts.”
Now, almost two years later, the project is complete. A new radiant heating system adorns the ceiling of the highway garage building, and there are new wall heaters in the employee break room. Footing insulation installed around the building makes the building tighter, adding to the benefits of the new heating system. The 15-kilowatt PV solar array harnesses power, and credits accrue to the town’s electric bill through net-metering. As a result, the town will save approximately $3000 per year on electricity costs. Furthermore, the town will reduce its carbon footprint by eliminating 11 tons of harmful CO2 gases annually.
Next on the energy front for the Town of Egremont ? “Currently we’re working with the EPA, DEP, Department of Energy Resources, and National Grid, hoping to come up with something similar for the Egremont Water Department. There are many good programs out there which may make our dream a reality,” added Ms. Haas. The EGC is hosting a project-completion ceremony on Friday, September 9, at 1:00 pm, at the Egremont highway garage, to acknowledge the many people involved in the project and to demonstrate the benefits to the community.
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70-Year-Old ‘House’ Changes Name
WILLIAMSTOWN – The House of Local History has been re-named the Williamstown Historical Museum.
“We’re much more than a ‘house’,” said Carl Westerdahl, president of the museum’s board of trustees. “We are a museum with exhibits both permanent and temporary. We’re a valuable resource for research and we offer educational programs for all ages. Our new name clearly reflects our mission.”
Founded in 1941, the museum has been located in the David and Joyce Milne Public Library since 1994. It conserves and protects historic items related to Williamstown’s past. Westerdahl noted that the museum is a valuable resource for genealogical researchers. It also offers an extensive collection of artifacts, photographs and documents of local historical interest.
“Our staff, our board and our volunteers are looking forward to serving the public and our generous members in new and creative ways,” he said.
The museum has more than 200 contributing members. It is free and open to the public Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. or by appointment arranged by calling (413) 458-2160.
Additional information is available on the museum’s website www.williamstownhistory.com.
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EPA New England’s Youth and the Environment Program 2011
(Boston—August 17, 2011) Four high school students in Lowell were able to learn firsthand about where our wastewater goes, how to protect our environment and what jobs are available in the field of the environment, thanks to the hard work of a few individuals and organizations. These groups, that made the Youth and the Environment Program possible, will be honored at a ceremony today at Lowell City Hall.
Mark Young, executive director of the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility, as well as his staff, will join City Manager Bernie Lynch and the staff at the Lowell Career Center as they are honored for the time and effort they put into working with students interested in the environment through the Youth and the Environment Program of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Since it began in 1990, the Youth and the Environment Program has focused on introducing low income city youth to career opportunities in the environmental field. The program promotes environmental education and teaches high school students the importance of protecting the environment in their own communities.
The program at the Lowell, Mass. Regional Wastewater Utility, focused on giving environment- related job experience to low income youth, has been supported for the past two summers by a grant from EPA’s National Environmental Justice Program grant. The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) received $15,000 in funding that allowed it to oversee the program for the past two summers, working with the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility and the Career Center of Lowell. NEIWPCC has administered this program over the past 20 years.
The four local students worked at several “stations” at the wastewater plant, including the laboratory, the pretreatment area, maintenance, and collection system, and were able to rotate between areas so they were exposed to different facets of the wastewater treatment plant operation. The students also went on field trips related to science and water quality, and participated in college and career counseling.
After the first Youth and the Environment Program in 1990, the program continued for 18 summers until 2007, when funding cuts put it to a halt. In 2010, EPA worked with NEIWPCC to jump start the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility Program after a two-year hiatus.
“EPA’s Youth and Environment Program is essential in promoting the importance of water quality and environmental protection to future generations by having water and wastewater professionals help educate and interact with interested youth in the community”, said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.
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An Act for Green Energy Career Development
Representative Gail Ann Carridi and Senator Benjamin Downing are both co -sponsors of House Bill HO1004 An Act for Green Energy Career Development. The bill is meant to promote clarity in Massachusetts so licensed, competent, experienced solar technicians are not excluded from their own trade. A solar system contractor license provides a clear career goal for those entering and employed by the growing solar industry in Massachusetts, and the bill recognizes state and federal funded training programs for solar energy in state schools. The bill also identifies the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulation and Standards (BBRS) as the agency to develop the solar license classification because of its clear jurisdiction over all types of Construction Supervisor Licenses and all specialized codes.
This legislation was proposed because, according to Mass Solar Laws.com, the electircian trade has declared all solar electric work as their own, including the structural, mechanical and waterproofing work. In early 2009, the State Board of Electrical Examiners (BSEE) promulgated an advisory ruling which effectively states that any and all aspects of Photovoltaic work must be done by licensed electricians. This ruling was made without consulting solar industry trade groups or any of their numerous firms registered and licensed in state. These firms have previously installed fully permitted solar electric installations by subcontracting the services of multiple licensed trades, including electricians. Despite a 30 year history of successful installations under the existing regulations, this new ruling hinders the installation of solar in Massachusetts by nearly all of these successful companies and prevents experienced solar technicians from performing field work.
Please go to www.masolarlaws.com to read more about this issue.
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Job Opening: Wildlands and Woodlands Campaign Manager
- NEW ENGLAND FORESTRY FOUNDATION
Deadline: September 31, 2011
Position: The Wildlands and Woodlands Campaign Manager will manage all aspects of fundraising and administrative support involved in completing this exciting and innovative land conservation pilot project. This position would be based in the Amherst/Orange area.
Responsibilities: Develop and execute the Wildlands and Woodlands Western Mass Campaign plan; Establish and support the Campaign Cabinet; Partner closely with staff and board members of participating land trusts
Conduct research, prospecting, and application to multiple donor sources including individuals, foundations and corporations; Develop and nurture relationships with potential donors; Coordinate and manage campaign related special events; Develop and track proposals and reports for all foundation and corporate fundraising; Manage data entry and gift processing; Other administrative duties as required
Qualifications: BA (required); 3 plus years experience in development; Demonstrated excellence in organizational, managerial, and communication skills; Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and Common Ground or similar fundraising software; Passion for conservation and the natural environment a definite plus
Send resume with cover letter and salary requirements to: Lynn Lyford, Executive Director, New England Forestry Foundation at llyford@newenglandforestry.org.
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Regional Conservation Internships - Highstead, Ct
Apply now! Deadline is Sept 1
Highstead's Regional Conservation interns provide project-based support to conservationists from across New England working to achieve elements of the Wildlands and Woodlands Vision. Interns will work with groups of conservationists to develop regional greenway plans and conservation assessments, track and communicate conservation success, support New England policy efforts, and assist in the coordination of regional partnership events and trainings.
Recent college graduates are encouraged to apply for this exciting,12-week hands-on experiential educational program. A generous stipend and furnished housing are included. Applications are due by September 1.
More information available here.
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