The BEAT News

July 27, 2011

In the News

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Environmental Monitor
Public Notices Alphabetically by town
The BEAT News Archives

Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators)

DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire

Please send items of interest to kristen@thebeatnews.org
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Volunteers Needed To Survey River.

Fluvial Geomorphic and Habitat Assessment of the South River Watershed

Volunteer are needed to help survey and map portions of the South River in Ashfield and Conway!
Field days planned through the end of July!

Volunteers can expect to:

  • spend a 6 to 8 hour day surveying;
  • scramble up stream banks, walk through shallow moving water, and spend a few hours on your feet;
  • Wear old sneakers or wading shoes to walk in the water and long pants that can get wet, for the poison ivy and prickly plants, and to bring sunscreen, bug spray, food and a water bottle. If we are going to be surveying it is helpful to wear bright colors (white is best) so you can be seen through the total station more easily.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Nic Miller from Field Geology Services at nicolas.miller1@gmail.com or by phone at 207-491-4002. Please pass along to anyone else you think might be interested. Stay tuned for details on other volunteer opportunities later this summer.

Project Summary:
The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), Deerfield River Watershed Association (DRWA) and Friends of the South River received a EPA 604(b)Water Quality Assessment grant to conduct a geomorphic assessment of the South River to provide information on the causes of erosion, channel instability and habitat degradation. Fish community and physical habitat surveys will be performed in the South River and its tributaries to characterize the current habitat conditions and provide data to the fluvial geomorphic study. This project will: 1) help fill significant water quality data gaps for the South River watershed, 2) provide conceptual restoration designs for 4 reaches, and 3) provide a final engineering design for the highest priority restoration site.
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The Center for Peace through Culture and Hancock Shaker Village Announce Details of
Peace Conference and Festival to be Held on September 17

The Center for Peace through Culture and Hancock Shaker Village will co-present Pathways to Peaceful Living: Tools and Explorations, a one-day peace conference and concurrent festival on Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 9:00am to 5:30pm at Hancock Shaker Village, with a concert by Grammy-winning composer Paul Winter titled “A Celebration of the Earth” that evening at 7:30pm. There will be 18 workshops addressing peace through the lens of the individual, relationships, community, and the world and Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio will give the closing keynote address. The goal of the event is to raise awareness and consciousness about diverse peaceful practices, from the past and the present, that inspire people to live more peaceful lives.

In conjunction with the Pathways to Peaceful Living conference, there will be a festival of participatory activities, exhibits, and entertainment stationed throughout Hancock Shaker Village, including Native American ceremonies, dances of universal peace, face painting, New Games, storytelling, Tai Chi, and a wide variety of music. Festival activities will be available to conference registrants and to the general public visiting Hancock Shaker Village on September 17.

The interactive workshops at the Pathways to Peaceful Living conference will be organized around five themes: 1) religion, spirituality, and philosophy; 2) arts and creativity; 3) science, wellness, health, and environment; 4) education, parents, youth, and family; and 5) economics, politics, and justice. The nationally known presenters include Daniel Entin from the Nicholas Roerich Museum, Donald W. Goodrich, whose son was killed on 9/11, Colin Goddard a Virginia Tech Survivor, Charles A. Pillsbury the executive director of Mediators Beyond Borders, and Nancy Roof from Kosmos Journal. Berkshire County workshop presenters are Yaqin Joseph Aubert, Mathew Breuer, Will Conklin from Greenagers, Margo and Lawrence Davis-Hollander, Rachel Fletcher, Ani Nadler Grosser, LICSW, Bryn and William Hogan, Nanette Hucknall, Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman, Deb Koffman, Dr. Susan Lord, Anealisa Vanegas-Farrara from Manos Unidas, Rev. Natalie Shiras, Pat Simon, JoAnne Spies, and Rosa Zubizarreta, MSW.

“We hope that visitors to the peace conference will leave with a heightened belief in their ability to make a difference, including some clear and perhaps simple ways to express peace in their lives,” said Barbara Boughton, executive director of the Center for Peace through Culture.

“Although there is a long tradition of working for peace among many religious and social justice groups, we believe that in the 21st century, there has emerged an unprecedented recognition of the urgency of the search for peace, not least because the consequences of not realizing peaceful coexistence are becoming ever more catastrophic,” added Peter Hansen, interim director of the Village. “The Shakers’ name for what we now call Hancock Shaker Village was the ‘City of Peace.’”

When people speak about the search for peace, they can mean anything from personal meditation practice, to politically challenging international work with governments in conflict. In between are a range of initiatives that explore peaceful relations at the personal, family, school, community, and societal levels. The Pathways to Peaceful Living conference recognizes that meaningful efforts toward peace can and should happen in all these ways, and respects that people will be drawn to work differently, some personally and some more publicly.

Paul Winter's unique music and wildlife odyssey has taken him, over the past three decades, to 48 countries on six continents. He has recorded 40 albums, six of which have won Grammy awards. His performance in Hancock Shaker Village’s Round Stone Barn will feature his soprano sax, along with the voices of wolf, whale, bull elk, whooping crane, woodthrush, and other members of what he calls “the greater symphony of the Earth.” The concert will be interwoven with stories of his adventures making music in the wilderness. Winter’s playing and singing, and the voices of the creatures, will be accompanied by the recorded sounds of his “two-legged musician colleagues” of the Paul Winter Consort. The program will also feature music from his 2007 album, “Crestone,” which includes the recording of Apache singer/drummer John-Carlos Perea.

Registration for Pathways to Peaceful Living is $90 prior to July 31, $105 between August 1 and September 16, and $120 on the day of the conference. Registration fees include attendance at three Peace Workshops and Kucinich’s keynote address, as well as festival activities throughout the day and general admission to Hancock Shaker Village. Tickets to the evening concert ($25 for conference attendees, $45 for general public, and $65 for VIP seating) will be sold separately. For the full conference schedule and to register and buy concert tickets, see www.hancockshakervillage.org.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR PEACE THROUGH CULTURE
The Center for Peace through Culture (CPC) envisions a world connected and enriched, rather than divided, by diversity. The CPC is dedicated to creating peace from the individual to the community to the world. The CPC also brings people together from various arts, sciences, and philosophies, and from diverse cultures to explore new ways of thinking and problem solving. Programs include Greenagers, Monterey Meets Ngalla, and educational workshops. This international non-profit educational organization is based in Great Barrington, Mass. For more information, visit www.centerforpeacethroughculture.org.

ABOUT HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE
Situated on a picturesque expanse of farm, field, and woodland in Pittsfield, Mass., Hancock Shaker Village is an outdoor living history museum and center for the study of principled living in the 21st century. The fully restored Village includes 18 historic buildings, heirloom medicinal and vegetable gardens, 22,000 examples of Shaker furniture, crafts, tools, and clothes that depict daily life at the Shakers’ City of Peace through its 220 years, as well as heritage breed farm animals and spectacular hiking trails. There are daily tours, craft and cooking demonstrations, lectures and workshops, and a variety of activities for children and families, as well as a Museum Store and Shaker-inspired cuisine at the Village Harvest Café. The Discovery Room offers hands-on opportunities for kids of all ages to try their hand at chair seat weaving, working at a loom, trying on Shaker-style clothing, or milking a life-sized replica of a cow. An interactive audio tour (free with admission) is available in English, French, Italian, and German. For more information, call 800.817.1137 or see www.hancockshakervillage.org.
Hancock Shaker Village is located on Route 20 in Pittsfield, Mass., just west of the junction of Routes 20 and 41. For GPS purposes, the Village is located at 34 Lebanon Mountain Rd., Hancock, Mass. 01237. Or, enter 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass. 01201 then proceed 1/2 mile further west on Rt. 20 to the parking lot.
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Going Local: Bill McKibben Kicks Off a Series on Local Economies.

We’ve heard you loud and clear: on just about every conference call we’ve hosted, you’ve told us that rebuilding local economies is a top priority for you and your communities.

So we’re thrilled to have Bill McKibben kick off our new Local Economies conference call series. He’ll lead a discussion about why we need to stop focusing on more, start focusing on better, and why going local is the best way to do that.

Next Call
Thursday, July 28, 2011
4-5 PM EDT


Featuring:

On the first call in our series, Bill will talk about the what and the why of local economies.
He’ll share the strong case he makes in Deep Economy for how our economic system is broken, and all the reasons (from carbon dioxide levels to the psychology of happiness) to move toward more durable, grounded local economies and more connected, resilient communities.
Then join us for three more calls that’ll teach you how to strengthen your local economy:

  • Local Finance and Currency – August 25, 2011
  • Fostering Entrepreneurship – September 22, 2011
  • Green Economies – October 27, 2011

Read more on our blog and register now!
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Don't Move Firewood

You can still cut firewood on your land and burn it at your house, but when you go camping don't take your wood with you. Buy it where you camp. And if you buy firewood to heat your house, know where it was cut and keep it as local as possible. The idea is to limit the spread of invasive insects (and other invasive wood pathogens).

New Hampshire Toughens Ban on Out-of-State Firewood
(from the Mass Forest Update)

Seeking to keep out invasive insects, the state of New Hampshire has stiffened a ban on the movement of out-of-state firewood coming into the state. The new ban, which went into effect Monday, prohibits firewood movement to all lands in New Hampshire unless is has been heat-treated, packaged and approved by the state, or it is subject to compliance agreements with bordering states.

Under the compliance agreements, firewood from all counties in Vermont may come into New Hampshire untreated, as well as firewood from Franklin, Oxford, Androscoggin, Cumberland and York counties in Maine and Essex, Middlesex and Franklin counties in Massachusetts. Firewood from other counties in Massachusetts must be heat-treated and packaged to be brought to New Hampshire.

Anyone caught violating the ban will be subject to fines.

The New Hampshire action follows increased enforcement of similar restrictions on out-of-state firewood by Maine since Memorial Day aimed at keeping potentially insect-carrying firewood out of Maine.
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Settlement at Superfund Site in Chicopee

EPA announced a settlement to end litigation and share in cost recovery on amounts owed for cleanup, security and back-taxes on the Facemate Superfund Site, located in Chicopee, Mass. As a part of a comprehensive settlement, EPA dismissed a federal lawsuit filed in April 2008 against the Facemate site property in order to enforce a federal lien that EPA holds on the property for cleanup costs incurred in connection with the site.

Under the settlement, EPA agreed to dismiss its federal lawsuit in exchange for the City of Chicopee agreeing to take title, advertise and sell 13.25 acres of the property, and then share with EPA the net proceeds from the sale. Each party’s share will be determined by its relative funding contribution to remediation and other efforts that are needed to protect public health and the environment, restore the property and prepare it for sale. As part of this settlement, EPA has also agreed to release its lien on the property. EPA and the city also concluded litigation related to the Facemate site in the Massachusetts state courts.

“This settlement helps clear the way for the site’s redevelopment, which means an expanding economic foundation for Chicopee,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “This cooperative, win-win solution is a good example of EPA and a municipality working together to clean up and rehabilitate a site when there are no responsible private parties left to do the work.”

Releasing the federal lien allows the City to move forward with clean title to the site. By agreeing to share any eventual sale proceeds, federal taxpayers benefit by helping to ensure that EPA is reimbursed for its past costs. Under the agreement, Chicopee will dedicate six acres of the site to a city-owned senior center to be constructed after cleanup. The Facemate site is a priority redevelopment site under Governor Patrick’s Massachusetts Brownfield Support Team Initiative.

From 2004 to 2005, EPA conducted a removal action at the site to address hazardous substances abandoned by the Facemate Corp., a textile manufacturer, after the company went bankrupt and dissolved in 2003. From 1975 to 2003, Facemate owned and operated a textile business at the site where it processed and finished cotton and synthetic fabrics from unfinished materials. The 19.25-acre site is located at 5 West Main Street, along the south bank of the Chicopee River and about one mile from downtown Chicopee. At present, EPA’s costs amount to $1.39 million.

# # #

Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland)
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Entergy Orders New Fuel for VT Yankee .
from the Conservation Law Foundation

The nuclear industry – and Entergy in particular – sure seems to have problems keeping promises. Back in the 70s, nuclear power was “too cheap to meter.” With Vermont Yankee, Entergy officials swore under oath there were no underground pipes. Then those pipes were found to be leaking. Last month, Entery told a federal court judge it needed an immediate court order to stay open to make the $65 million investment in new fuel. The Court didn’t buy Entergy’s bullying and last week declined to order a preliminary injunction. Today, Entergy announced it will purchase the fuel anyway.

Entergy’s fuel purchase decision is not surprising. The court’s order noted that refueling will cost between $60 and $65 million, and Vermont Yankee will generate $90 million in revenues by operating until March 2012. Vermont Yankee’s revenues will cover its fuel costs.

Still, this is a dubious and risky business decision for Entergy. Their Nuclear Regulatory Commission license is on appeal. CLF is representing the New England Coalition in this appeal. Also, Vermont Yankee does not have the needed permission to operate from Vermont past 2012. This is an old reactor with a long and troubled history. Retiring the facility as planned on March 2012 is the responsible thing to do.
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Recycling Revolution Grows in the United States

The Product Policy Institute (PPI) announced today it has hired Matt Prindiville as Associate Director to support citizens, public interest organizations and government officials in promoting the producer responsibility policy approach. Known as extended producer responsibility (EPR), these new policies give manufacturers physical and financial responsibility for recycling their products and packaging when consumers are done with them. The primary goals are to use market forces to capture, reuse and recycle materials that were formerly headed to landfills and waste incinerators, and create incentives for better design for the environment.

Prindiville spent the last eight years at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, most recently in the role of the Clean Production Project Director & Legislative Coordinator. He has been at the forefront of product stewardship and safer chemicals policy in Maine and the United States, working to pass cutting-edge EPR recycling programs for electronic waste, cell phones, mercury-containing thermostats, and fluorescent light bulbs. Prindiville has also worked to phase out the use of lead, mercury and toxic brominated flame retardants in consumer products and helped advance the nation’s first comprehensive chemicals assessment program at the state level.

When PPI started organizing local governments through Product Stewardship Councils in 2004, there were only a handful of state producer-responsibility recycling laws for discarded products. Today, seven states have local government Councils, including California, New York and Texas. There are more than 80 state producer responsibility laws in 33 states covering eight categories of products like electronics, bottles and cans, paint and batteries – and EPR policies are now being proposed for packaging and carpet waste.

“With the recent surge in producer responsibility recycling legislation, we felt it was critical to expand our resources to cover more ground,” said Bill Sheehan, Executive Director for PPI. “Matt has forged alliances with stakeholders from all sides to rack up an impressive string of legislative accomplishments. We’re very excited about having him on board as the organization begins this important next chapter.”

In 2010, Prindiville and Product Policy Institute worked together on Maine’s first-in-the-nation framework EPR legislation, which sets up a process to systematically develop producer responsibility programs for products and packaging. More recently, they worked together on founding and guiding a new national EPR coalition, CRADLE², which aims to create a grassroots political movement for producer responsibility nationwide.

“From decreasing our reliance on virgin natural resources, to reducing energy use and pollution, to growing recycling jobs right here in America, there are tremendous environmental and economic benefits from increasing our nation’s abysmal 34% recycling rate,” said Prindiville. “In order to move forward, we need manufacturers to team up with small businesses and solid waste officials to eliminate the concept of waste altogether.”

About Product Policy Institute:
The Product Policy Institute (PPI) is a non-partisan research, communication and educational organization promoting policies that advance sustainable production and consumption, and good governance in North America. Founded in 2003, PPI works with stakeholders from all sides to advocate for policies that establish cradle-to-cradle producer responsibility for products and packaging.

For more information, visit www.productpolicy.org, P.O. Box 48433, Athens, GA 30604 * Tel: 706-613-0710 * info@productpolicy.org

CONTACT
Bill Sheehan, Executive Director
706-247-2500
bill@productpolicy.org

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Open Spaces Sacred Places: The Healing Power of Nature
National Awards Initiative for Integrated Design and Research

In 2012, the TKF Foundation will begin the Open Spaces Sacred Places National Awards Initiative. This new award program will fund the creation of significant Open Spaces Sacred Places that are designed specifically with the intent to study and communicate the impact of a specific type of urban public greenspace on users. Grants will be awarded from a total funding pool of $5 million. Funding will be provided to cross-disciplinary teams that conceptualize, plan, design and implement a physical space, conduct associated research study(s) and disseminate findings. This Request for Proposal (RFP) launches the first phase of the national awards program and will provide funding for planning grants.

For more information and guidelines, please see the Request for Proposal.

The funding will be enacted in two sequential phases. As an optional first step in the Open Spaces Sacred Places Awards process, applicants may apply for a planning grant; deadline for application is September 1, 2011. Following the planning phase, applicants may apply for Open Spaces Sacred Places Awards beginning February, 2012.

Learn More

Click on this link to read a transcript of a Q&A webinar about the Awards Program: http://www.opensacred.org/wp-content/uploads/June-16_2011-Webinar-Questions-and-Answers.pdf
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Notice of Funding 2012-2013 AmeriCorps State Grants

The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) is pleased to release the 2012-2013 AmeriCorps State Request for Proposals (RFP). The application is now available on MSA's website: www.mass-service.org.

Intent to Apply Due: Friday, August 19, 2011
Application Due: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 by 12pm

For questions regarding the RFP or AmeriCorps, please contact Melissa Penney, Program Team Leader, at 617-542-2544, x203 or mpenney@mass-service.org.

Technical Assistance Sessions:
MSA will host optional Technical Assistance (TA) sessions to support interested organizations with the application process.

If you plan to attend a session, please contact Shana Lothrop at least 3 days prior to the scheduled training date to register. You may register by email slothrop@mass-service.org or phone (617.542.2544 ext. 214). Please specify which TA session you will attend and include:

Name
Organization
Contact Phone Number & Email
Number of People Attending
__________________________________________________
DATE TIME LOCATION

August 2 10:00am - 12:00pm Boston Public Library
700 Boylston St, Boston

August 10 10:30am - 12:30pm Forbes Library
20 West St. Northampton

August 11 11:00am - 12:30pm Webinar

This is a virtual training event which you can access from your own desk. To connect to the webinar, you will need a computer with Internet browser and a phone.

All TA Sessions are wheelchair accessible.

Please help us spread the word about this funding opportunity and upcoming technical assistance sessions by forwarding this email and posting this on your Facebook and Twitter pages.

Thank you,
Lindsay Snyder
Director of External Relations & Development
Massachusetts Service Alliance
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