In the News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Advocacy News (Includes how to reach your legislators) DEP Enforcement Actions In The Berkshire return to top |
||||||
|
||||||
1st Annual MUD DAY - Saturday, May 15, 10am to 3pm. Muddy Brook Elementary School in Great Barrington, MA. The First Annual Mud Day will be held Saturday, May 15th from 10am to 3pm at Muddy Brook Elementary School in Great Barrington. Mud Day is a community-wide celebration of spring and green living and will include myriad environmentally friendly activities and events. A highlight will be a performance by David Grover at 12 noon. Other activities include tours of the geothermal and solar units at the middle school, the first graders’ farmers market, beekeeping demonstrations, pruning workshop, and mud-pie creations. This event coincides with the MMRHS weekend Tag Sale and a Bike Rodeo & Ramble at the Monument Valley Middle School. Rain date for Mud Day is May 16th. Muddy Brook Elementary is at 318 Monument Valley Road in Great Barrington. All events are FREE and open to the public. For more information, see the Muddy Brook website at www.bhrsd.org |
||||||
2010 Secretary's Awards for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Congratulations to the local winners, all of whom also received an Official Senate Citation in recognition of their achievements from Senator Downing!
Click here to learn more about this year's winners. |
||||||
Fisheries and Wildlife Land Acquisition Increased The House authorized an increase of $500,000 for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife for their land acquisition fund which will result in the protection of land for open spaces and recreation throughout the Commonwealth. This funding will come entirely from a voluntary fee on licenses for hunting and fishing. This initiative was supported by sportsman associations across the state. BEAT Note: Over all the environmental budget for Massachusetts is less than one penny of every dollar! BEAT advocates for at least two cents for the environment. |
||||||
Celebrate American Wetlands Month 2010! This May will mark the 20th anniversary of American Wetlands Month, a time when EPA and its partners in federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, and private sector organizations celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to the Nation's ecological, economic, and social health. It is also a great opportunity to discover and teach others about the important role that wetlands play in our environment and the significant benefits they provide - improved water quality, increased water storage and supply, reduced flood and storm surge risk, and critical habitat for plants, fish, and wildlife. Once again, EPA encourages all Americans to consider doing the following to help celebrate the month, wherever they reside:
|
||||||
MassAcorn Monthly Highlight: Exploring New Ways to Help Woodland Owners |
||||||
Kids-Made Crafts to debut at Hilltown Spring Festival, May 15th, 2010 http://hilltownfami lies.wordpress. com/2010/ 04/16/hcdc- 16/ The 4th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival is on May 15th at the Cummington Fairgrounds, produced by the Hilltown CDC. New this year is a Kids-Made Craft area for children up to the age of 13 to sell their hand-made crafts and art. The Hilltown CDC’s goals are to allow children to participate directly in the Festival, to reward them for their creativity, and to give them some real-world experience showing and selling their work. The Kids-Made Crafts area will be highlighted in a central covered area on the fairground, and all crafts and art must be hand-made predominantly by children. The Hilltown Spring Festival is a family-friendly event. It features two music stages (Charles Neville, The Primate Fiasco, Swing Caravan and much more); a Focus on Sustainability, including demonstrations of solar heat, hot water, and electricity, and information about local agriculture and home energy solutions; food from local hilltown eateries, including local brews; displays by adult artists and crafters, and children’s activities all day long, including a kids show with The Primate Fiasco! This year children will participate directly in the Festival as vendors allowing for hands-on experience in showing and selling their crafts. Participants must be pre-registered and able to bring their own tables and chairs. The fee for child artists and crafters is $5 per table (siblings may share a table). Registration forms must be filled out and returned with registration fee to the Hilltown CDC: Only a certain number of children can be accommodated, so register early. Vendors will not be charged the $10 parking fee. If there are questions, call Seth Isman at 413-296-4536 x12 or email sethi@hilltowncdc. org. More information is available at www.hilltowncdc. org. Kids-Made Crafts Application - http://hilltownfami lies.files. wordpress. com/2010/ 04/kids-made- crafts.pdf |
||||||
The Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) is seeking applicants for a Special Projects Coordinator to work on a wide range of progressive estuarine protection and restoration initiatives throughout Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bay. The Special Projects Coordinator will manage diverse habitat protection and stormwater mitigation projects, develop outreach initiatives related to core program areas, and cultivates relationships with key partners. The coordinator will also assist the MBP Director in many additional aspects of program administration including the facilitation of management committee meetings, responding to program inquiries and requests, and managing the MBP Municipal Grant Program. Applications are due by May 14. ___________________________________ |
      |
|
- Home
- Agencies & Regulations
- News
- Issues
- Volunteers in Action
- Donate or Volunteer
from State Senator Ben Downing's Press Pass
Landowners in Massachusetts come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse interests. But what many of you share is a similar goal; that is, to keep your land. With the rising cost of property taxes, health care, and education, and with the added challenge of the troubled economy, many landowners are struggling to find ways to hold onto their land.