Save the Housatonic!

The proposed plan for PCB cleanup will end the Housatonic River’s life as a natural ecosystem while disrupting neighborhoods for years to come.

We must do better!

Please join us to put the Housatonic River on track for a healthier, more natural future.

Thursday, August 7th, 7p.m., Lenox Town Hall

Your voice matters—Let it be heard!

Berkshire County League of Sportsmen
Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Green Berkshires
Massachusetts Audubon Society

www.SaveTheHousatonic.org

Formal Process Begins for First RGGI CO2 Allowance Auction

The formal auction process for the first RGGI CO2  Allowance Auction, scheduled for September 25, 2008, began today with the release of the Auction Notice and application materials at 8:00 AM EDT on Thursday, July 24, 2008. All materials needed to participate in the upcoming auction and an online question window may be accessed through http://www.rggi.org/trading_auctions.htm .

Read the RGGI, Inc. press release at http://www.rggi.org/docs/press_release_7_24_08_final.pdf  

To learn more about how to participate in the first auction, you can log onto a conference call webinar TODAY, Thursday, July 24, 2008 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM EDT.  Important details about how to participate in the auction will be covered. No questions will be taken during the webinar; however, an online question window opens the same day. The slide presentation for the webinar will be available at http://www.rggi.org/trading_auctions.htm as of 8:00 AM EDT on Thursday, July 24, 2008. To view the slides online as the presenter goes through them, log onto http://www.infiniteconferencing.com/Events/worldenergy .  Select the participant option and then enter participant code 555661 and name, company, email address, and title. To hear the audio presentation, participants must dial in to the following teleconference number: 1.888.875.4624 and participant code 555661#. 

Also, the RGGI CO2 Allowance Tracking System (RGGI COATS) is now available and is accessible at http://www.rggi-coats.org .  The system can also be accessed through http://www.rggi.org/tracking.htm .  Please note that parties that wish to participate in the first RGGI CO2 Allowance Auction on September 25, 2008, must open a general account in RGGI COATS.

A Dirty Little Secret
(from Clean Water Action)

A recent investigation by the Associated Press unearthed low levels of prescription and non-prescription drugs in both treated tap-water and water from where tap-water is drawn. Now the problem of drugs in water is a bit less of a secret than it used to be.

Just how widespread is the problem? Unfortunately, the Bush administration has moved to slash funding for two leading government research programs needed to help get answers.

Over the past seven years, we've seen that common sense is in short supply with the Bush administration. That's why it's up to you and me to hold the administration accountable for its failure to act on this dirty little secret.

For more information visit Clean Water Action's website.

CITY MASTER PLAN DRAFT NOW ONLINE
(from Mike Ward's Ward-4 Newsletter)

The city is now asking for public comment on the draft version of the new master plan.

That document, now available on the city website is the product of a two year process that started with neighborhood meetings to identify values and concerns, quality of life issues, etc., and was followed by a series of working meetings by the following sub-committees:

-Land Use & Development
-Housing Quality & Affordability
-Economic & Cultural Development
-Transportation & Circulation
-Open Space & Recreation

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
The city master plan is intended to represent our values and goals as a community, in the aggregate at least. Most people should be able to read it and feel fairly well represented by it. If you don't, then speak up now.

I'll be honest, the 188 page document is not exactly a compelling read but it is important. The debates surrounding zoning and development initiatives for the next 5-10 years will make heavy use of the city's master plan. Even our rather old existing master plan was referenced several times in recent zoning debates. You will see language in the new plan that supports the 40R and Housing TIF initiatives, for example.

I encourage you to at least have a look at it, and weigh in if like by sending an email to masterplan@pittsfie ldch.com.

Mike Ward
City Councilor
Ward 4 Pittsfield, MA
ward4ward4.com
413-499-0462

ROAD FENCING PARTNERSHIP PROTECTS RARE TURTLES
(from MassWildlife)

A partnership among MassWildlife, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, MassHighways and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. to help restore the Commonwealth’s population of rare Blanding’s turtles got a boost with reported results of recent turtle surveys conducted by MassWildlife.  Lori Erb, MassWildlife Turtle Conservation Biologist, found that as a result of fencing and fence repairs along a busy state road in central Massachusetts bisecting Blanding’s turtle habitat, there was a drastic reduction in the number of rare and common turtles killed by cars.  In 2007, before any fencing was erected, surveys by Erb during the turtle nesting season showed 43 turtles had been killed by cars, 5 of them Blanding’s turtles.  In 2008, along the same stretch of highway, where fencing was erected and fence repairs made by Bristol-Myers Squibb employee volunteers, a total of 4 turtles were found killed, none of which were Blanding’s turtles.

Native to areas of eastern and central Massachusetts, Blanding’s turtles are imperiled by roads and vehicles across their range. The turtles typically travel to several wetlands throughout a single year – including migration by females crossing roads to nesting sites.  Essential to the protection of the Blanding’s turtle are the creation and improvement of wildlife corridors, protection of nesting habitat, and public education about the species’ conservation needs.

“Blanding’s turtles are particularly vulnerable because they travel long distances during their active season and do not reproduce until late in life (14-20 years). They also have low nest survival”, said Lori Erb. “These traits make them sensitive to even a 1 to 2 percent increase in adult mortality. I think it’s clear that this fencing has been a huge success. I would like thank everyone who was involved in informing us of the problem on this roadway, working to come up with a solution, installing fencing and patching fencing holes.”   

The fence project was part of a growing partnership between Bristol Myers-Squibb Co. and wildlife agencies to protect and restore Blanding’s turtles, listed in the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. Other restoration efforts included Bristol Myers-Squibb employees working with their partners in May to create new nesting habitat for Blanding’s turtles in Devens, where the company has recently relocated
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OVER 6,100 ACRES WILDLIFE LANDS PROTECTED IN FY 2008
(from MassWildlife)

6,197 acres of key fish and wildlife habitat in 41 towns were protected in the past fiscal year (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008) through the efforts of the Department of Fish and Game and MassWildlife.  These protected properties ranged in size from a .5-acre public recreation access point in Orange, to a 2,300-acre conservation easement (CE) in Montgomery and Westfield. These lands will be added to the list over 164,000 acres currently under the care and control of MassWildlife, most of which are Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). Most properties were purchased outright (in fee) but, on some properties, the agency purchased conservation easements (development rights), with the land held by the original landowner. A listing of the newly acquired FY 2008 properties is on the web at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/land/land_acquisitions.htm. With the exception of a gifted CE, all lands are open to fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife observation, hiking, and other passive wildlife related recreation.

The primary mission of the Department of Fish and Game and MassWildlife land acquisition program is to protect the ecological integrity of the Commonwealth. The agency seeks to ensure biological diversity by acquiring the most important fish and wildlife habitat and natural communities and to provide public access to the lands and waters of the Commonwealth. State WMAs include river corridors, wetlands, various type of forested upland, habitat for state listed endangered and threatened species and species of special concern, and high quality examples of other important habitat types. Maps for many state WMAs are posted on the agency website at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/habitat_home.htm.  Fishing and boating access information is found at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/pab/index.htm.

Support for the land acquisition program comes from several sources. The primary funding mechanism is the Commonwealth's open space bond authorization. Fishing, hunting and trapping license buyers also contribute a $5 fee to the Wildlands Fund for wildlife habitat acquisition as an additional revenue source. Some individuals and organizations make direct donations to the Wildlands Fund. A significant amount of funding is also leveraged or received through non-profit conservation organizations. Other organizations provided assistance with surveys, title searches, negotiations, and other administrative support activities.

“Together with our partners, DFG and MassWildlife permanently protected more acres of land in FY 2008 than it has in any of the last five years,” said DFG Commissioner Mary Griffin. “Our success can largely be attributed to Governor Deval Patrick and Secretary Ian Bowles’s commitment to land conservation and the hard work and dedication of our land acquisition team. The Governor and Secretary’s increased investment in land conservation today will benefit fish and wildlife communities and the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for generations to come.
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