In the News
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EPA Seeks Public Comment on Strategic Plan to Move Forward on Agency Priorities: Draft plan will help advance Administrator Jackson’s seven priorities |
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MASSLAND E-NEWS To read any of these articles follow the link below http://www.massland.org/files/enews061810_JobsGrants.pdf |
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Find Out Where the Gubernatorial Candidates Stand on the Environment The outcome of this November's gubernatorial election could have profound effects on the Massachusetts environment, given the obvious importance of the state environmental agencies under the Governor's control. [NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION] and other environmental organizations are planning a gubernatorial forum for Tuesday, June 29, to ask the candidates about their views on environmental issues. Governor Patrick and Green Party candidate Jill Stein already have confirmed, and all candidates have been invited. This will be a fascinating event in an historic setting with opportunities for Q&A. When: Tuesday, June 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sponsored by: Appalachian Mountain Club, Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Charles River Conservancy, Charles River Watershed Association, Clean Water Action, Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Business Council, Environmental League of Mass. (ELM), Friends of the Blue Hills, Greater Worcester Land Trust, Green Decade/Cambridge, Groundwork Lawrence, Groundwork Somerville, Home Energy Efficiency Team, Mass. Association of Conservation Commissions, Mass Audubon, Mass. Energy Consumers Alliance, Mass. Interfaith Power and Light, Mass. Land Trust Coalition, Mass. League of Environmental Voters, Mass. Rivers Alliance, Neponset River Watershed Association, North & South Rivers Watershed Association, Old South Meeting House, Organization for the Assabet River, Safer Waters in Mass., Sudbury Valley Trustees, Taunton River Watershed Alliance, The Trustees of Reservations, Walk Boston; and ELM Corporate Council members: Aggregate Industries, Grossman Marketing, Legal Sea Foods, Millipore, The Saunders Hotel Group (The Lenox; Comfort Inn & Suites Revere; and Hampton Inn Norwood), and Shawmut Design & Construction. |
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Employment Opportunity: Be a part of an ecological gold rush We are looking for motivated individuals to join the Asian Longhorned Beetle Survey Team working around Worcester , MA . Candidates will be conducting ground-based tree surveys with the aid of binoculars and recording the resulting data in PDA’s. All related equipment and training will be provided. Field work is expected to start in mid-July 2010 and run until June 30, 2011. Interviews begin immediately.
Compensation: If interested please contact: Jonathan Parrott, Ph.D. |
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ONLINE PLANT IDENTIFIER READY TO GO |
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BP is burning endangered sea turtles alive Dear Friend, |
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Report on Gulf Oil Spill by Smith College Graduate Rachel Rock Blake is a recent Smith grad and worked/interned at the Berkshire Botanic Garden in many capacities. She is currently working and blogging from one of the barrier islands, Grand Isle, LA. Here is her message and a link to her blog. I am down here in Grand Isle, LA distributing money that we have raised to fishermen who are out of work due to the oil crisis. I have also been blogging about what I have seen. I would love it if you could take a look when you get a chance and send it out to your friends. People do not have a clue about what is going on down here. Thanks! Also, if you think you are getting the real story, here's a link to a video of a reporter trying to talk to people who are actually cleaning the beach. |
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Part-time GIS manager position opening - Housatonic Valley Association in Cornwall Bridge, CT The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seeks a skilled and motivated Geographic Informations Systems (GIS) professional with strong geospatial analytical skills and a natural resources background for the part-time (28 hrs) position of GIS manager. HVA has been dedicated since 1941 to the health and vitality of the Housatonic River, a nationally recognized, 1,245,000 acre watershed located in western Connecticut and Massachusetts and portions of eastern New York. GIS is an HVA core competency. It is essential to the work we and our partners undertake to set conservation priorities, conserve the natural character and environmental health of our communities, and protect and restore the lands and waters of the Housatonic Watershed for this and future generations. Position Description: The GIS Manager is responsible for the strategic leadership and day-to-day implementation of GIS technology and services at HVA. He or she shall collaborate with key staff to identify and implement GIS solutions to geospatially-related problems. He or she shall maintain and enhance a GIS database related to natural resource conservation and land use planning throughout the three state Housatonic Watershed in CT, MA and NY, with particular emphasis on the towns within Northwest Connecticut that are part of the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative that is sponsored and administered by HVA. He or she shall also provide high quality GIS maps and data and related services on a fee for service basis to strategic conservation partners, such as local municipalities, councils of elected officials, and conservation non-profits. The GIS Manager works closely with HVA colleagues and reports to the Executive Director. This is a part-time (28 hr) position with a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Qualifications: The successful candidate shall have a passion for land and water conservation. He or she shall be a solution-oriented problem solver comfortable working in interdisciplinary teams with diverse stakeholders and with limited supervision. He or she shall possess a minimum of 1 year professional experience in geospatial analysis with an advanced degree, or 4 years experience with a Bachelor’s degree related to geography, geographic information systems, remote sensing, or a physical/biological/environmental discipline with a strong emphasis in geospatial analysis and modeling. He or she shall have a strong background in the use of the ESRI ArcGIS Desktop Suite (9x) and all associated data types (vector, raster). He or she shall have demonstrated experience creating custom hardcopy and digital cartographic products. He or she shall have demonstrated experience with GIS applications for natural resource inventory, multi-criteria analysis, and familiarity with viewshed and impervious surface analysis. He or she shall be well organized, focused, and familiar with naming conventions and file storage. Familiarity with GIS data sources for CT, MA and NY preferred. Mail or email cover letter and resume to: Lynn Werner, Executive Director, HVA, PO Box 28, Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754, or lynnhva@hotmail.com. The position is open July 1, 2010 and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. |
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Two Massachusetts Companies Face Fines for Clean Water Act Violations (Boston, Mass. – June 22, 2010) – Discharges of muddy storm water from a construction site, in violation of the federal Clean Water Act, has prompted EPA to file an enforcement action seeking penalties against two companies constructing a residential development in Ayer, Mass. EPA’s New England regional office has issued a complaint under the federal Clean Water Act to Crabtree Development, LLC of Ayer, Mass. and R.A. Powell Construction Corp. of Lunenberg, Mass. for unauthorized storm water discharges from a construction site. Crabtree Development is the developer of a residential development called Pingry Hill in Ayer, and Powell is the general contractor. On two separate occasions in 2009, an EPA inspector observed that storm water contaminated with sand, dirt, sediment, suspended solids, residues of construction material and turbidity was running off the site into adjoining waters and wetlands. Because they are operators of a site disturbing more than one acre, the companies were required to apply for either an individual permit or a promulgated General Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Construction Activities. The permit requires the use of “best management practices” to prevent erosion and sedimentation of waterways that can result from construction activities. Though construction began in 2007, neither company had submitted a Notice of Intent for coverage under the NPDES Construction General Permit until Crabtree Development did so in January 2010 (following the EPA inspections). EPA’s complaint seeks a penalty of up to $177,500 for the violations. Rainwater running off construction sites can carry sediments, oil and other pollutants which contaminate nearby streams, ponds and rivers. Erosion from a one-acre construction site could discharge as much as 20 to 150 tons of sediment in one year if not properly managed. Sediments reduce the storage capacity of drains and waterways, causing flooding and adversely affecting water quality and fish habitat. Sediments and chemicals can also contribute to fish die-offs, toxic algae blooms, contaminated shellfish beds and closed swimming beaches. |
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The NOFA Organic Land Care Program Announces its Summer Courses The second annual Advanced Organic Land Care Workshop Series, created in response to the demand for more in-depth and hands-on education is sponsored by the Northeast Organic Farming Association's Organic Land Care Program (NOFA OLC). Workshops in this series are conducted in small groups in an outdoor setting and are led by organic land care professionals who are experts in the topic. These workshops provide a unique experience to work closely with highly experienced professionals.
This summer NOFA is offering four advanced workshops. Lee Reich's workshop on Edible Landscaping with Fruit and Todd Harrington's Intensive Workshop on Soil Testing and Interpretation are new this year! If you missed out on last year's workshops, we will be offering both Producing and Applying Actively Aerated Compost Tea with Peter Schmidt and Organic Invasive Removal with Mike Nadeau. The advanced workshop series will be extended into the winter with a February 2011 workshop on Turf Nutrition with Chip Osborne.
Edible Landscaping with Fruit: a workshop with Lee Reich
During the workshop students will learn sampling techniques and understand how analytical results in the soil test report fit together to describe the overall health of the soil. NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Course This is a one-day, intensive Organic Lawn and Turf Course. This course is specifically designed to meet the needs of professionals who are managing lawns and athletic turf in residential, commercial, or public settings such as schools and parks. We offer this course annually. Over the past five years we have trained over 700 students in organic turf management. The text book for this course is the NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Handbook, which is available to purchase in our book store. Advanced Course Cost (includes a local and organic lunch): To register contact Ashley Kremser, NOFA OLC Program Manager, at 203-888-5146or register online at organiclandcare.net |