In the News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators) DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire |
EPA Housatonic Citizens Coordinating Council (CCC) meeting |
Plant Conservation Volunteers The Conservation Department is well on its way in planning for the 2011 field season. Having lined up the rare plant populations to be monitored this year. The first events are the Spring Refresher Days for the Plant Conservation Volunteers. This is an annual event in each of the New England states where new PCVs are trained and veterans pick up a few tips about field forms, computers, and the characteristics of a challenging genus of plants. This is also a great opportunity to meet other PCVs, hear stories from the field, and sign up for surveys with new friends. It's the perfect way to kick off the field season and bring all those plant names back to the front burner. If you're interested in becoming a PCV, please contact John Burns, PCV Program Administrator, before February 15, at 508-877-7630 ext. 3204 or click here for the application. |
Rensselaer Land Trust Protects 30 Acre Robert Ingalls Preserve in Stephentown RLT has permanently protected a 30-acre property in Stephentown, and will open it to the public for fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, birding, and environmental education as the Robert Ingalls Preserve. We are naming the property in memory of Robert Ingalls, RLT Vice-President and long-time Board member, who passed away in November 2010. Black Brook, a native brook trout spawning stream, flows through a scenic ravine on the forested preserve. We plan to improve a parking area, lay out formal trails, and install a kiosk and interpretive trail signs. RLT will offer a guided snowshoe hike/ski at the Preserve in February – see details below/website. The opportunity to protect this property, located at the intersection of Horse Heaven and Garfield Roads, was brought to our attention by member and community resident Steve Pentak. We then negotiated a donation of the property, and costs associated with closing and cleanup are being donated by our members and the local community.“The successful protection of the Robert Ingalls Preserve is the result of the former landowner, community residents, and RLT working together. Establishment of the Robert Ingalls Preserve offers the public additional access to open space and additional opportunities for outdoor activities,” said Nick Conrad, RLT President. more |
LEADERSHIP & STAFF CHANGES AT ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES JACK MURRAY NEW ACTING COMMISSIONER OF DCR KENNETH KIMMELL APPOINTED AS DEP COMMISSIONER NEW MEMBERS OF ENERGY TEAM STAFF CHANGES AT EEA AND DEP Gary Davis was appointed General Counsel for EEA replacing Ken Kimmell. Mr. Davis previously served as General Counsel at the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Patricia Vantine was appointed the new EEA Chief of Staff. Formerly Deputy Commissioner for Administration and Finance at DCR, Ms. Vantine fills a vacancy left by former EEA Chief of Staff Jane Corr, who is now serving as Senior Advisor to Governor Patrick. |
PRESIDENT'S SIGNATURE EXTENDS INCENTIVE THROUGH 2011 President Obama signed a bill officially extending the enhanced easement incentive through December 31, 2011 and retroactive to January 1, 2010. Find complete details of what was extended at www.lta.org/easementincentive and www.lta.org/incentive-faqs With just 54 weeks before the incentive is slated to expire again, we need your help spreading the news to potential easement donors in your land trust's priority areas. We've updated the Grassroots Toolkit to help you reach out to key audiences in a timely, cost-effective way. Some highlights include:
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Reminder – the deadline for written comments on the DCR Landscape Designation process is next Friday, January 21st. Written comments can be sent to either: or to DCR The draft Selection Criteria and Management Guidelines report are available on the DCR website – if you misplaced your copy, or would like to share the link with others who may not have been able to attend one of our workshops, this report can be found at: Finally, notes taken by the breakout groups during the public workshops held on the Landscape Designations can be found at: Jessica A. Rowcroft |
WRLF to offer winter nature class for preschoolers sarting January 25 The Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation is offering weekly nature classes for preschoolers at its Sheep Hill property beginning Tuesday January 25. Winter is a fun time for children to get outside, and Sheep Hill, a conservation property and the headquarters of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, is the perfect place to experience and explore the natural world. This child-friendly conservation property offers room to roam, and indoor facilities for getting out of the weather. The classes will offer stories, crafts and activities to connect children to nature, and topics will include snow, animal tracks and adaptations, and weather. Naturalist and WRLF Director Leslie Reed-Evans will be leading the class. The hour sessions will run for four weeks (through February 15), and there is a morning and afternoon session; 10-11 AM and 1-2 PM. Cost is $60, $50 for WRLF members. A parent or guardian must accompany each child. For more information or to request a registration form, The WRLF is a member-supported non-profit land conservation trust dedicated to preserving the rural New England character of Williamstown, celebrating its 25th year in 2011. Sheep Hill, its headquarters, is located on Route 7 approximately a mile south of the Williamstown rotary. www.wrlf.org. Leslie Reed-Evans lre@wrlf.org www.wrlf.org |
Take Action on Mercury Pollution Anti-environment forces in Congress apparently want you to think mercury pollution is GOOD for you. How else do you explain that one of the first bills introduced in the new Congress would now and forever block new toxic emissions standards for cement plants – the third largest manmade source of mercury pollution in America? This is the first salvo in what's expected to be a continued assault on America's clean air and public health protections by this Congress. We need your help to beat them back, and make it clear that moving backwards on environmental health protections is the wrong direction for America. Mercury Pollution Is DANGEROUS! Mercury is one of the most toxic poisons known to science. Even trace amounts of it, once ingested, can cause a long list of serious health threats. Yet, over 12,000 pounds of mercury were emitted from America's top 100 cement plants in 2006 alone. Mercury pollution poses especially serious risks to pregnant women and their infants. Each year, over 400,000 newborns in the United States are exposed to mercury levels that can:
Adult exposure to mercury is associated with heart disease and other cardiovascular illnesses. The main source of mercury exposure is from eating contaminated fish. Once released into the environment, mercury pollution enters aquatic systems where it bioaccumulates up the food chain. Concentrations of mercury compounds in fish at the top of the food chain can be as much as a million times higher than the water they are found in. That is a main reason why pregnant women or women who want to have kids are warned to limit consumption of – or to avoid entirely – certain kinds of fish. New Standards Under Attack The new standards would cut mercury emissions from cement plants by 92% and reduce thousands of tons of other harmful emissions – saving up to 2,500 lives per year and preventing tens of thousands of serious illnesses and hospitalizations. And they'd save money. The EPA estimates the new standards would save between $6.7 and $18 billion in public health costs every year, dwarfing industry's costs of compliance. Even worse – if they succeed, this would permanently ban EPA from ever setting similar public health standards on mercury pollution and other toxic air pollution from cement plants. Please tell Congress that mercury pollution is DANGEROUS and that EPA's common sense standards will save lives and save money. Email your members of Congress today and demand to be protected from toxic mercury pollution. Urge them to oppose Rep. Carter's "Mercury Pollution Is Good for You" bill. |
EPA Halts Disposal of Mining Waste to Appalachian Waters at Proposed Spruce Mine
Additionally, during the permitting process there was a failure to consider cumulative watershed degradation resulting from past, present, and future mining in the area. |
Updated draft National Wetland Plant List available for review and comment DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 7, 2011. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on indicator status evaluations and general comments through the Web site identified below. Whenever possible, commenters should submit comments on-line at: http://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/*. For instructions on how to submit comments online, please go to the supplementary section below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Karen Mulligan, Headquarters, Regulatory Community of Practice, Washington, DC or Mr. Robert Lichvar, Director of the National Wetland Plant List, Engineer Research and Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Ms. Mulligan can be reached at (202) 761-4664 and Mr. Lichvar can be reached at (603) 646-4657. *In case you can't get that link to work, try this one: https://rsgis.crrel.usace.army.mil/apex/f?p=703:1:1614639959727508 |
Monadnock Conservancy (NH) Seeks Full-Time Conservation Project Manager Date posted: Wednesday, January 5, 2011 10:43 AM The Monadnock Conservancy, a regional land trust serving the Monadnock Region of southwestern New Hampshire, seeks an experienced full-time Conservation Project Manager to join a staff of seven in our Keene, NH office. One of the first accredited land trusts in the nation, we hold conservation easements and fee ownership on nearly 15,000 acres in 25 towns. Primary responsibilities include initiating, managing, and completing conservation easement and fee-land acquisition projects in our 35-town service area. The successful applicant will have 2+ years prior experience in conservation transactions and will demonstrate strong communication skills, attention to detail, motivation, intimate familiarity with private land conservation techniques, and applied GIS experience. See the attached file for a complete position description. The position is open until filled, with a target start date of March 1, 2011 or sooner. To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and three professional references by January 24, 2011 to Ryan Owens, Executive Director, at Ryan@monadnockconservancy.org or Monadnock Conservancy, PO Box 337, Keene, NH 03431. |
AMC Seeks Senior Marketing Manager Date posted: Friday, January 7, 2011 10:44 AM |
Tell EPA: Protect Consumers from Toxic Triclosan! Take a few seconds to imagine something. Imagine that big businesses are putting a chemical in our soap and telling us that it will keep us healthy. Imagine that they're lying to create a market for this unnecessary chemical. And imagine that this chemical actually ends up in our bodies, harms our health, pollutes our water, and doesn't even make the soap any more effective. If only we were making this nightmare up. Unfortunately, this is actually the true story of what's happening today with a chemical called triclosan. Triclosan, the antibacterial chemical many consumers look for in their soap, disrupts our hormones, lowers sperm production, harms our immune systems, and can turn into a potent carcinogen. And it doesn't protect us from germs any more effectively than regular soap. Worse yet, triclosan is put in many products besides soap. In fact, you’ll find it in so many everyday items – from toys to tissues to toothpaste – that it’s in most of our bodies today. So far the government has been unwilling to protect consumers from triclosan, so it's up to us to convince the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take decisive action. Tell EPA now: Protect consumers from toxic triclosan! |