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Please send items of interest to kristen@thebeatnews.org
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Proposed Hot Asphalt Plant has Neighborhood Worried
Century Acquisitions (CA), and its parent company Bonded Concrete, two large New York-based corporations, plan to add hot mix asphalt (HMA) production to existing stone and concrete operations in Sheffield, MA/Canaan, CT by building an enormous new facility with a 55 foot smokestack. The health, environmental, and economic costs of this action will far outweigh the benefits to Berkshire and Housatonic Valley residents. Here is a one-page flyer about this project. Stay tuned for more information.
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Three Cities Selected as "Bicycle Friendly"
MassDOT congratulates Boston, Northampton and Somerville, which have been selected as the first cities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be recognized as Bicycle Friendly Communities by the League of American Bicyclists ! Boston gained a Silver designation, while Northampton and Somerville each garnered Bronze designations.
MassDOT has worked in partnership with each of these cities to advance bicycle transportation through improved bicycle infrastructure and programs that support bicycling. MassDOT looks forward to continuing to work with these and other municipalities to realize our GreenDOT policy goal of promoting the healthy transportation modes of walking, bicycling and public transit, which is part of our core business as your multi-modal DOT.
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Public Workshops on Draft Landscape Designations for DCR Properties
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is scheduling a series of seven regional workshops across the state this spring to seek public input on the application of landscape designations for DCR properties.
The landscape designation process involves categorizing 308,000 acres of DCR lands as either “parklands,” “reserves,” or “woodlands” to prioritize the services and values these lands provide to the public and the environment. The designations are a top recommendation of the Forest Futures Visioning process that the agency undertook in 2009-2010 to develop a renewed vision and long-term strategy for managing forest lands in the state park system.
Of the three new categories, “parklands” would be managed primarily for recreation, human experiences, and the protection of cultural and natural features. “Reserves” would be managed primarily for biological diversity based on natural processes and the protection of large, contiguous blocks of high-value ecosystems. “Woodlands” would be managed primarily for state-of-the-art sustainable forestry, forest products, and active carbon management.
The upcoming workshops will build upon the first round of workshops held last fall that elicited public input on the draft selection criteria and management guidelines for the three designations.
“The Patrick-Murray Administration has made a commitment to implement the landscape designation model to guide management of our facilities, the first time this agency has taken a system-wide approach to addressing land management,” said DCR Commissioner Edward M. Lambert Jr. “This effort, along with the recent hiring of our Director of Forest Stewardship, marks a new direction in forest stewardship for DCR.”
DCR is holding the workshops around the state to share maps showing the designations that have been applied to all properties and discuss them with the public. The workshops are scheduled in these communities:
Thursday, May 26
Berkshire Athenaeum
1 Wendell Ave.
Pittsfield
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 2
Frontier Regional High School
113 North Main St.
South Deerfield
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Monday, June 6
North Middle School
350 Southampton Rd.
Westfield
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
At each workshop, staff members will provide the statewide context for the draft designations, but the discussion will be focused on park land in that particular region of the Commonwealth. The public workshops are open to anyone interested in the future management of DCR park land. The designations will be finalized by fall 2011.
Further information about the Forest Futures Visioning Process, the draft Landscape Designation selection criteria and management guidelines, and the fall 2010 series of Landscape Designation public workshops is available on the DCR website at www.mass.gov/dcr.
BEAT Note: BEAT was a part of the Forest Visioning Process. We do appreciate that DCR is reaching out to the public. However, we do not agree with DCR's statement in this press release that "Woodlands" were to be managed primarily for forestry. In the Final Report (large pdf) it states on page 5 under "Key Elements of the Vision for Massachusetts Forests in 2110" that woodlands [would be]actively managed for a diverse set of ecosystem services". Ecosystem services! That is not the same thing as forestry. We asked that DCR hire a Director of Forest Stewardship with a strong background in conservation biology/ecology. We are unclear as to the new Director's credentials in this area. But certainly this press release indicates a lack of understanding that the primary concern should be health of the ecosystem on state lands. Everything else is secondary.
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Comment on New OHV Rules
from Mass Audubon's Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
Illegal riding of off-highway vehicles (OHVs - including ATVs, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles) can cause serious environmental damage. While some areas have appropriate, designated trails, illegal riding on areas not designed for motorized use is a widespread problem. Ruts and erosion caused by illegal OHV use can be severe, harming wetlands, wildlife, and endangered species. In response to these concerns, last year the Legislature passed An Act Regulating the Use of Off-Highway and Recreation Vehicles – a Mass Audubon legislative priority.
The new law strengthened requirements for registration of OHVs, increased penalties for illegal riding on public or private lands, and created new education requirements for young riders. It also established a dedicated fund for fees and fines to be applied to support enforcement and the acquisition and maintenance of legal riding trails.
To implement the new law, revisions to state regulations are being adopted. This is a positive step, but the proposed regulations need to be strengthened and clarified in order to fully achieve the intent of the law.
You can help by submitting comments during public hearings or in writing. Suggested points:
- Support strong enforcement against illegal riding, especially where sensitive areas such as wetlands, vernal pools, and rare species habitats are impacted.
- Request that the regulations be amended to clarify that riding in any wetland or vernal pool, at any time of year, is prohibited. The clause about wetlands being posted (in section 323 CMR 3.03(10)) should be deleted – the law prohibits riding in all wetlands, and does not require them to be posted.
- Support a system where riding is allowed only on designated, clearly marked trails.
Public hearings details:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
6:00 - 9:00 pm.
Massachusetts Environmental Police Headquarters
251 Causeway St.
Boston, MA 02114
Thursday, May 12, 2011
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Quinsigamond State Park
10 North Lake Ave.
Worcester, MA 01612
Written comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 13, 2011. Submit to:
Attn: OHV Regulation Comments, Suzette Pacheco
Massachusetts Environmental Police
251 Causeway St., Suite 100
Boston, MA 02114
Submit via Email to: OHVSafetyCourse@state.ma.us
Subject Line: OHV Regulation Comments
Via fax to (617) 626-1670
For more information see the public hearing notice: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dle/publicnoticeohvregs.pdf
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House Makes Progress on Environmental Funding
from Mass Audubon's Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
Earlier this week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to restore $3.9 million to the state environmental budget as originally proposed by the budget writing committee at Ways and Means. The House also brushed aside an amendment which would have gutted the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
The $3.9 million vote includes:
- $1.4 million added to the Department of Environmental Protection
- $700,000 for Department of Conservation and Recreation state and urban parks
- $150,000 for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program – that’s up from $0
- $60,000 for the Division of Ecological Restoration/Riverways
- $275,000 for recycling
- Specific language to ensure that the Toxics Use Reduction Institute receives its share of funding
- $300,000 for the Department of Agricultural Resources for its "buy local" programs
- $527,000 for DCR's Office of Water Resources
- $500,000 for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
This is a step forward for an overall budget that has shrunk by almost a quarter over the past two years.
The House also voted to restore $1 million to arts and cultural funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The House budget for fiscal 2012 would match the Governor's proposal to fund the arts, humanities, and sciences through MCC at $8.4 million. That would be a cut of roughly $700,000, or 7%, from the agency's current budget but is still a marked advance from the budget cut of nearly $1.7 million, or 18%, that was proposed last week by House Ways & Means. MCC has been a strong supporter of Mass Audubon programs for many years and their grants continue to enhance our ability to protect the nature of Massachusetts. Unrestricted support is needed now more than ever, and MCC is one of the very few funders in the state that provide us and many other organizations, both large and small, with this essential funding.
Despite initial progress this week, the House $158.3 million budget proposal for environmental programs is still down about $6.8 million, or 4%, from this fiscal year. The Departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Recreation are still in trouble, facing additional layoffs and program cuts. The next step in the budget process is for the Senate to release and debate their version of the budget, and then the House and Senate budgets are reconciled in conference committee and sent to Governor Patrick for his review.
We all have a lot of work to do in the Senate, so stay tuned!
Thank you to Chairman Brian Dempsey, Vice-Chair Stephen Kulik, Chairwoman Anne Gobi, Chairman Frank Smizik, Representative Cleon Turner, Representative Paul Donato, Representative Carolyn Dykema, and Representative George Peterson and the many members who cosponsored and supported these important amendments! And thanks to all of you who let your representative know that you care about parks, clean air and water, and endangered species!
Please take a moment to contact your state representative and thank them for their support. If you know your representative's name, you can call the House switchboard and be put through: 617-722-2000. If not, locate the name and contact information of your state representative by visiting:
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EPA Launches New Strategy to Promote Use of Green Infrastructure for Environmental and Economic Benefits
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new strategy to promote the use of green infrastructure by cities and towns to reduce stormwater runoff that pollutes our nation’s streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Green infrastructure decreases pollution to local waterways by treating rain where it falls and keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems. In addition to protecting Americans’ health by decreasing water pollution, green infrastructure provides many community benefits including increased economic activity and neighborhood revitalization, job creation, energy savings and increased recreational and green space.
“Through this agenda, we’ll help cities and towns across the nation clean up their waters and strengthen their communities by supporting and expanding green infrastructure,” said Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe, who announced the agenda at a Green Street, Green Jobs conference focused on fostering green infrastructure in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. “Green infrastructure changes improve the health of our waters while creating local jobs, saving communities money and making them healthier and more prosperous places to raise a family and start a business.”
Stormwater is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in the nation. Large volumes of polluted stormwater degrade our nation’s rivers, lakes and aquatic habitats and contribute to downstream flooding. Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting systems.
As part of the strategy, EPA will work with partners including local governments, watershed groups, tribes and others in 10 cities that have utilized green infrastructure and have plans for additional projects. EPA will encourage and support expanded use of green infrastructure in these cities and highlight them as models for other municipalities around the country. The 10 cities are: Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Puyallup, Wash.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Washington, DC and neighboring Anacostia Watershed communities.
Energy savings is one of the greatest benefits of green infrastructure. On and around buildings, green infrastructure can reduce heating and cooling costs. For example, green roofs reduce a building’s energy costs by 10 to 15 percent, and an additional 10 percent of urban tree canopy can provide 5 to 10 percent energy savings from shading and windblocking. Green infrastructure also conserves energy by reducing the amount of stormwater entering combined collection and treatment systems, which reduces the amount of wastewater processed at treatment plants.
EPA will continue to work with other federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, municipalities, and the private sector to identify opportunities for using green infrastructure and provide assistance to communities implementing green approaches to control stormwater. EPA will also provide additional tools to help states and communities leverage green infrastructure opportunities within other innovative environmental projects.
For more information on EPA’s green infrastructure agenda: http://epa.gov/greeninfrastructure
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.
View all news releases related to water
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FARMED + FORAGED SPONSORS
The dates, prices and menus for Farmed + Foraged vary. Some restaurants will be celebrating only on Saturday night or Sunday morning. Please contact participating restaurants directly for accurate information on when they will be offering Farmed + Foraged, their menu options and pricing.
The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge will present a special Farmed + Foraged three-course dinner menu crafted from foraged items, local dairy, eggs, greens and locally sourced meats.
Dinner will feature a first course of Smoked McEnroe Organic Tomato Soup with Bacon on the Side Bacon, Foraged Ramps and Equinox Farm Arugula or McEnroe Organic Asparagus with Sunny Side-Up Graceful Acre Bantam Egg and Shaved Berle Farm Bovinaburg.
The second course will include Braised Bacon on the Side Pork and Ramp Ragu with Zehr Farm Mushrooms and Scape Sprouts or Lila's Spicy Lamb Meatballs served with Minted Old Chatham Sheep's Milk Yogurt and Spring Herbs.
Dessert will feature Barrington Coffee Roasters Crème Brulee with Salted Caramel Biscotti and High Lawn Farm Cream or Ronnybrook Farm Vanilla Ice Cream and Ioka Valley Farm Maple Syrup Redux.
The prix fixe meal is $45 per person (not including tax or gratuity). Berkshire Grown will receive a contribution of $15 from each prix fixe dinner sold. In addition, several Farmed + Foraged items will be available a la carte. As has been the tradition for many years, The Red Lion Inn features sustainable dinner specials on Sundays and Mondays and a daily sustainable breakfast.
The Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington will feature a three-course Farmed + Foraged menu including House-made Local Ricotta Gnocchi with Asparagus, Zehr Farm Shiitakes, Pine Nuts and House-made Milk House Farm Bacon followed by Whey-braised Milk House Farm Pork Loin with Young Spring Carrots from Indian Line Farm and Rawson Brook Chevre Cheesecake. The dinner is $35 per person or $47 with wine or beer pairings.
Mezze Restaurant Group will spotlight locally grown items with Farmed + Foraged prix fixe menus at Allium Restaurant + Bar in Great Barrington and Mezze Bistro + Bar in Williamstown. The restaurants will feature foraged edibles including spring ramps, nettles and the first of spring greens from local farms.
Baba Louie's Sourdough Pizza in Great Barrington and Pittsfield will feature Equinox Farm Arugula Salad with Prosciutto, Campari Cantaloupe Caviar and Cricket Creek Farm Cheddar Profiteroles plus a special White Queen Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Pickled Ramps, Braised Chicken, Roasted Shallots and Parmesan, drizzled with Ramp Pesto.
Guido's Fresh Marketplace will spotlight free samples of Farmed + Foraged-inspired dishes from the Guido's Kitchen at both Pittsfield and Great Barrington locations on Friday, May 20 from 1 pm to 6 pm. In both store locations, customers can shop for the freshest local farmed and foraged edibles to try out recipes of local seasonal foods in their own kitchens.
Guido's will also present their Renovation Celebration on May 19th through the 21st from 9 am to 7 pm at both store locations. Foodies will enjoy great savings, many samples, special guests, daily $100 Guido's Gift Card raffles and more. Complete event details at guidosfreshmarketplace.com.
The Berkshire Co-op Market in Great Barrington will present their hot food and salad bar peppered with local spring greens, fiddleheads and leeks along with local produce from area farms. Saturday, May 21 will also feature a Farmed + Foraged special demo from 1 pm to 3 pm.
More details here
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