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Please send items of interest to kristen@thebeatnews.org
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What Recreation Do You Think Should Be Allowed In Our State Forests and Parks?
Please come to the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) public meetings in Pittsfield and Amherst. These meetings are required by the National Park Service to write a SCORP every five years to remain eligible for Land and Water Conservation Fund money. The meeting attendees will be asked to share their opinions and experiences of their outdoor activities and will also be asked for suggestions on improvements needed to enhance their outdoor experience.
BEAT has just been out at Pittsfield State Forest looking at all the damage from Off Highway Vehicles / All Terrain Vehicles (OHV/ATV). The state is trying to "fix" these trails so OHV/ATVs can ride without damaging the environment - an impossible task in our opinion. Please come to this meeting and voice your opinion.
November 16, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Pittsfield City Council Chambers
70 Allen Street, Pittsfield
November 17, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Department of Agricultural Resources’ Amherst Office
101 University Drive, Suite C4, Amherst
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Rx Round Up Collected 500 Pounds of Meds in Berkshire County!
from the Pittsfield Prevention Partnership
Thanks to the many volunteers who staffed 13 sites around the county, we collected 500 pounds of prescription and non-prescription medications for safe disposal. This was truly a community effort, with support from the DEA, the DA, Berkshire Health Systems, the Berkshire Youth Development Project and many others. We had many volunteers from BCC’s nursing school and from the Lion’s Club. Berkshire Environmental Action Team also sent volunteers to educate the public about the dangers to our water that could arise if people flush their meds. We are a safer community, having cleared out some truly addictive medications from our medicine cabinets, where they could fall into the hands of teens. Thank you one and all for another successful round up!
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From Bill McKibben:
Um, we won. You won.
Not completely. The president didn’t outright reject the pipeline permit. My particular fantasy--that he would invite the 1253 people arrested on his doorstep in August inside the gates for a victory picnic by the vegetable garden--didn’t materialize.
But a few minutes ago the president sent the pipeline back to the State Department for a thorough re-review, which most analysts are saying will effectively kill the project. The president explicitly noted climate change, along with the pipeline route, as one of the factors that a new review would need to assess. There’s no way, with an honest review, that a pipeline that helps speed the tapping of the world’s second-largest pool of carbon can pass environmental muster.
And he has made clear that the environmental assessment won’t be carried out by cronies of the pipeline company--that it will be an expert and independent assessment. We will watch that process like hawks, making sure that it doesn’t succumb to more cronyism. Perhaps this effort will go some tiny way towards cleaning up the Washington culture of corporate dominance that came so dramatically to light here in emails and lobbyist disclosure forms.
It’s important to understand how unlikely this victory is. Six months ago, almost no one outside the pipeline route even knew about Keystone. One month ago, a secret poll of “energy insiders” by the National Journal found that “virtually all” expected easy approval of the pipeline by year’s end. As late as last week the CBC reported that Transcanada was moving huge quantities of pipe across the border and seizing land by eminent domain, certain that its permit would be granted. A done deal has come spectacularly undone.
The American people spoke loudly about climate change and the president responded. There have been few even partial victories about global warming in recent years so that makes this an important day.
The president deserves thanks for making this call--it’s not easy in the face of the fossil fuel industry and its endless reserves of cash. The deepest thanks, however, go to you: to our indigenous peoples who began the fight, to the folks in Nebraska who rallied so fiercely, to the scientists who explained the stakes, to the environmental groups who joined with passionate common purpose, to the campuses that lit up with activity, to the faith leaders that raised a moral cry, to the labor leaders who recognized where our economic future lies, to the Occupy movement that helped galvanize revulsion at insider dealing, and most of all to the people in every state and province who built the movement that made this decision inevitable.
Our fight, of course, is barely begun. Some in our movement will say that this decision is just politics as usual: that the president wants us off the streets - and off his front lawn - until after the election, at which point the administration can approve the pipeline, alienating its supporters without electoral consequence. The president should know that If this pipeline proposal somehow reemerges from the review process we will use every tool at our disposal to keep it from ever being built; if there’s a lesson of the last few months, both in our work and in the Occupy encampments around the world, it’s that sometimes we have to put our bodies on the line.
We need to let the president and oil companies know that we're ready to take action should they try to push this pipeline through in a couple of years. There's a pledge to take nonviolent action against the pipeline up on our site, and I'll be keeping your names an emails safely stored away so that you'll be the first to know about anything we need to do down the road. You can sign the pledge here: http://www.tarsandsaction.org/pledge
In the meantime, since federal action will be in abeyance for a long stretch, we need to figure out how best to support our Canadian brothers and sisters, who are effectively battling against proposed pipelines west from the tar sands to the Pacific. And we need to broaden our work to take on all the forms of ‘extreme energy’ now coming to the fore: mountaintop removal coal mining, deep-sea oil drilling, fracking for gas and oil. We’ll keep sending you updates from tarsandsaction.org; you keep letting us know what we need to do next.
Last week, scientists announced that the planet had poured a record amount of co2 into the atmosphere last year; that’s a sign of how desperate our battle is. But we take courage from today’s White House announcement; it gives us some clues about how to fight going forward.
And I simply can’t say thank you enough. I know, because of my own weariness, how hard so many of you have worked. It was good work, done in the right spirit, and it has secured an unlikely victory. You are the cause of that victory; you upended enormous odds.
I’m going to bed tired tonight. But I’ll get up in the morning ready for the next battle, more confident because I know you’re part of this fight too.
Bill McKibben, for tarsandsaction.org
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Help Shape Conservation and Recreation Priorities for the Berkshires!
What do we want the Berkshires to be like in 20 or 30 years? While we are still a relatively rural area, our landscape has changed in the last 30 years – some for the better, some for the worse. The actions we take now will help shape the land that we pass along to our children and grandchildren.
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) invites outdoor men and women to attend a workshop in which residents identify and prioritize actions that should be taken to protect our most treasured natural resources, open and scenic spaces, and recreational opportunities. Your input will help shape the goals and policies in these areas for the new regional sustainability plan for the Berkshires.
The workshop will be held two times for ease of attendance – at the Adams Community Center on November 29th at 6:30 and again at the Lenox Town Hall on December 14th at 6:30.
Lauren Gaherty, Senior Planner
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
1 Fenn St., Suite 201
Pittsfield, MA 01201
413-442-1521, ext 35 (P)
413-442-1523 (F)
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Pesticide Use Near U.S. Waters Falls Within NPDES Permitting Program
By Meline MacCurdy
November 16, 2011
After years of debate stemming from a 2009 court order, EPA has released a final general permit governing the use of pesticides in and near lakes, rivers, and other navigable waters. At least 365,000 pesticide applicators, including farmers, forestland owners, and public land managers, must now seek permit coverage. Approximately 10% of these entities can seek coverage under EPA’s permit,[1] with the rest reliant on state general or individual permits. Together, EPA estimates that the new permit requirements will more than double the total number of permittees under the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
Stakeholders have called the new permitting requirement impracticable, unnecessary, and prohibitively expensive, and have lobbied Congress to take action. To date, Congress has not done so. The requirement to obtain a permit took effect on October 31, 2011.
National Cotton and Development of Pesticide General Permit
In National Cotton Council v. EPA,[2] the Sixth Circuit invalidated EPA’s long-standing exemption, embodied in a 2006 EPA rule, from the CWA’s § 402 program for discharges of pesticides when those discharges occurred in compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the federal law governing labeling and use of pesticides.[3] The National Cotton decision, a consolidated case involving challenges in eleven circuit courts to EPA’s rule, vacated the rule, holding that the CWA unambiguously includes biological and some chemical pesticides within its definition of “pollutant,” and specified the circumstances where a permit would be necessary. See NPDES Permits Required to Spray Aquatic Pesticides, Marten Law Environmental News (Jan. 23, 2009).
In June 2009, shortly after issuing the National Cotton decision, the Sixth Circuit granted EPA’s request to stay the decision vacating the EPA rule until April 9, 2011. By issuing the stay, the Sixth Circuit allowed EPA and the states time to develop and issue appropriate general permits to authorize certain pesticide discharges to jurisdictional waters in accordance with CWA requirements. In March of this year, in response to a petition from EPA, the Sixth Circuit granted an additional extension on the deadline for compliance with the ruling to October 31, 2011.
In compliance with the National Cotton decision, EPA released a draft general permit in June 2010, which covered dischargers of biological pesticides and chemical pesticides that leave a residue in four categories of pesticide uses.[4] See M. MacCurdy, EPA Releases Draft General Permit for Pesticide Applications, Marten Law Environmental News (June 16, 2010). In April 2011, EPA released a pre-publication draft of the final general permit to allow states and the regulated community to familiarize themselves with the forthcoming requirements.
Congressional Action
Members of industry and other interested parties, including state water, agriculture, and other officials, have lobbied for a Congressional reversal of the Sixth Circuit’s decision, following unsuccessful petitions for rehearing en banc in August 2009 and certiorari to the Supreme Court in February 2010. Stakeholders have called on the need to avoid having pesticide discharge permits duplicative of protections under other authorities. The House of Representatives passed the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 (H.R. 872) by a 292 to 130 vote in March 2011. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Gibbs, would amend FIFRA and the CWA by exempting point source discharges of pesticides – or residue of pesticides resulting from the application – authorized for sale, distribution, or use under FIFRA, so long as the discharge does not result from a FIFRA violation.[5]
On June 21, 2011, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry passed H.R. 872, but the bill has been in stasis in the Senate since that time. In light of the impending deadline, members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture this summer and fall repeatedly urged a vote on H.R. 872 on the Senate floor and made efforts to file amendments on other bills to move the legislation forward.
As recently as the last week of October, Sens. Boxer (D-Cal.) and Cardin (D-Md.), who had put a hold on the bill, were working with the bill’s proponents, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Roberts (R-Kan.) and Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Stabenow (D-Mich.), to reach a compromise, but those efforts were unsuccessful. The nearly brokered deal would have placed a two-year moratorium on the requirement to obtain a permit, during which time a national survey of pesticide impacts in U.S. waters would be conducted. Sen. Roberts issued a statement regarding the failed compromise, explaining that “[a]ttempts to use a moratorium to leverage a controversial and overly broad study that threatens agriculture production will only increase confusion facing our farmers, ranchers and state and local health agencies,” and that the compromise would “simply kick[] the can down the road.”
EPA’s Final Permit for Pesticide Applications
In the absence of Congressional action, EPA released its final pesticide general permit on October 31, 2011. The permit generally tracks the draft permit issued in 2010, with some exceptions, covering discharges of pesticides (biological pesticides and chemical pesticides that leave a residue) to U.S. waters in four categories of use patterns. Although the National Cotton decision held that NPDES permits are not required for chemical pesticide applications that leave no residue, EPA’s permit presumes that chemical pesticides leave a residue, unless the applicant can show otherwise. In its fact sheet accompanying the permit, EPA provides guidance on the use patterns of chemical pesticides that are covered by the permit.
The permit refines the definition of “operators” beyond that included in the draft permit in a manner that EPA believes will capture the unique circumstances of pesticide applications where, for example, an owner will hire a contractor to apply pesticides on the owner’s property. As a result, the permit defines “operators” as (1) the “applicator,” who performs the application of pesticides or has day-to-day control over the pesticide applications that result in discharges to U.S. waters and (2) the “decision-maker,” who has actual control over the decision to apply pesticides that result in discharges to U.S. waters. The permit includes both of these classes of parties as “operators” that are required to obtain permit coverage and comply with the permit requirements, but attempts to assign particular roles for these parties under the permit conditions.
The four use categories that the permit applies to are: (1) control of mosquitoes and other flying insect pests that are present in or above standing or flowing water; (2) aquatic weed and algae control in water and at water’s edge, including ditches and/or canals; (3) control of aquatic nuisance animals, such as fish, lampreys, insects, pathogens, and mollusks; and (4) applications to forest canopies where a portion of the pesticide is unavoidably applied over and deposited to water, including, unlike the draft permit, some application activities performed from the ground. An explanation of the types of parties that are likely to fall into these use categories is available in EPA’s Federal Register notice of the final permit and in EPA’s fact sheet accompanying the permit. In a change from the draft permit, the final permit expands eligibility provisions to provide coverage for certain discharges of pesticides or their degradates to waters that are already impaired by the pesticides or degradates, or to outstanding national resource waters (so-called “Tier 3 waters”), if particular circumstances are met. The covered categories are generally consistent with those addressed in the National Cotton decision, and do not represent every pesticide application activity that will require NPDES permit coverage.
The permit also imposes technology-based effluent limitations, requiring permittees to minimize the amount of pesticide used and to perform regular maintenance to control unintended discharges, with specific tasks for the “applicators” and the “decision-makers” to perform. The permit also includes monitoring requirements, corrective action procedures, the development and upkeep of planning documents, recordkeeping requirements, and annual reports, with some of these obligations focused on larger dischargers or dischargers in specific designated circumstances. Additionally, as a result of consultations under the Endangered Species Act between EPA and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that took place after release of the draft permit, coverage under the permit is generally only available for discharges and discharge-related activities that are not likely to adversely affect listed species or critical habitat. The permit contains specific provisions tailored to this purpose, including eligibility criteria and permit conditions to ensure that potential adverse effects have been properly considered and addressed, and extended waiting periods between when a discharger seeks coverage under the permit and receives authorization to discharge.
The permit includes a scaled approach for both obtaining coverage under the permit and for compliance. Generally, entities that seek coverage under a general permit must submit a notice of intent (NOI) to EPA that includes information regarding the proposed discharge.[6] However, to streamline and focus the permitting process on larger dischargers, EPA is only requiring dischargers to submit an NOI, including a description of the target area and pesticide use patterns, when they exceed an annual treatment area threshold for the use category, or when they have land resource stewardship responsibilities that involve the routine control of pests, are discharging to Tier 3 waters, or are discharging to waters containing NMFS Listed Resources of Concern, as defined in Appendix A of the permit. Any discharger that is below the annual treatment area threshold for the use category and does not fall within the other listed exceptions is automatically covered by the permit, and exempt from some permitting requirements.
Additionally, for those parties that must submit an NOI to obtain coverage, EPA is delaying the date on which parties must do so. To allow time for covered parties to comprehend the permit requirements and comply with recordkeeping and reporting requirements, eligible discharges are automatically covered under the permit from October 31, 2011 until January 12, 2012, although covered parties must immediately begin implementing technology-based effluent limitations consistent with the permit. To continue coverage under the permit for discharges after January 12, 2012, covered entities will need to submit NOIs at least ten days (or thirty days for discharges to NMSF Listed Resources of Concern) before January 12, 2012. EPA has stated on its website that, for the first 120 days that the permit is in effect, EPA “will focus on providing compliance assistance and education of the permit requirements, rather than on enforcement actions.”
For more information regarding this article, please contact Meline MacCurdy or any member of Marten Law’s Water Quality practice group.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
[1] EPA’s general permit is applicable in areas where it is the permitting authority, such as tribal lands, federal facilities, territories, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Idaho.
[2] 553 F.3d 927 (6th Cir. 2009).
[3] 7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq.
[4] See Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit for Point Source Discharges From the Application of Pesticides, 75 Fed. Reg. 31,775 (June 4, 2010).
[5] H.R. 872 § 2-3.
[6] See 40 CFR 122.28(b)(2).
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Massachusetts Disposing of 17% Less Waste
Massachusetts has just released the 2010 Solid Waste Data Update (pdf).
The goals for waste reduction in Massachusetts were set forth in the Solid Waste Draft Master Plan, The primary quantitative goal is to reduce the amount of annual waste disposal by 30 percent from 2008 – 2020, from 6,550,000 tons of disposal in 2008 to 4,550,000 tons of disposal in 2020. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) also will continue to calculate recycling rates as a point of information, although Massachusetts does not have a recycling rate goal because they believe that disposal reduction is a simpler, more direct, and more effective metric for evaluating waste reduction and diversion progress, including source reduction, recycling, composting, and other forms of diversion.
Total disposal in 2010 was 5,430,000 tons, a decrease of 1,120,000 tons, or 17 percent, from 2008. This decrease was due to combination of increased recycling and reduced solid waste generation. Although MassDEP believes that the economic slowdown may have been a factor in the reduced waste generation from 2008 to 2010, it is not clear how much of the change was due to the slow economy versus source reduction activities, such as container or newspaper light weighting or changes in consumption practices. The Massachusetts real Gross Domestic Product increased approximately 4 percent from 2009 to 2010, and was at the highest level over the past four years in 2010.
In 2010 alone, Massachusetts prevented the disposal of more than 5 million tons of waste through recycling, composting and other diversion; eliminating the need for the equivalent of 12 landfills the size of the state’s largest (about 400,000 tons per year). In addition to saving landfill space, waste reduction conserves natural resources, saves energy, prevents pollution, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In 2010, Massachusetts is estimated to have:
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 1.9 million tons of carbon equivalent per year;
- Saved 80 trillion BTUs of energy, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of more than 14 million barrels of oil or nearly 650 million gallons of gasoline; and
- Avoided the use of 1.2 million tons of iron ore, coal, limestone and other natural resources.
Recycling also bolsters the state’s economy. Recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing directly support an estimated 14,000 jobs in Massachusetts, maintain a payroll of nearly $500 million, and bring in annual revenues of $3.2 billion.
For more information and references for the data above, please read the 2010 Solid Waste Data Update (pdf) full report.
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$1 million to Leverage Partner-Led Enhancements to Natural, Cultural and Recreational Resources in Massachusetts
Funds to be used for new capital and maintenance projects across the Commonwealth
BOSTON– Thursday, November 15, 2011 -- Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Edward M. Lambert Jr. today announced that through its Partnerships Matching Funds Program DCR will designate approximately $1 million in state capital funds to leverage private gifts from DCR partner organizations. Now in its seventh year, this program has leveraged over $11 million in partner-led improvements and enhancement to projects in state parks and other facilities across the Commonwealth. The funds, to be managed directly by DCR, will be allocated after a competitive process, which includes DCR staff review.
“We see these projects as an opportunity to provide our partners with opportunities to coordinate closely with DCR staff through a collaborative project management process,” said Commissioner Lambert. “Regardless of the project, private individuals and organizations earn the opportunity to invest in a part of its public community.”
The Partnerships Matching Funds Program accepts applications from park advocacy groups, civic and community organizations, institutions, businesses, non-state government partners and individuals with an interest in improving the Commonwealth’s natural, cultural and recreational resources. DCR considers applications that will provide a match of non-state funds for capital projects in state parks. DCR assigns a project manager to each approved project who will oversee implementation of the project in close consultation with the partners making the contributions.
The program received over 100 applications over the past three years. Approved projects included a shade structure at Salisbury Beach State Reservation, an updated usage of the Eliot Memorial on the Esplanade in Boston, restorations to the Monument to the Forefathers near Watertown Square, and work on the Schooner Ernestina, the Commonwealth’s official ship.
A 2:1 match will be provided to successful applications with contributions up to and including $25,000 and 1:1 will be provided for contributions above $25,000.
For details regarding the above schedule, a program application and answers to frequently asked questions, go to http://www.mass.gov/dcr/partner/partnerships_matching_fund.htm.
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until December 9, 2011. Applicants will be notified of project selection by January 13, 2012. Partner contributions in support of selected projects will be due 28 business days after DCR notification.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. Led by Commissioner Edward M. Lambert Jr., the agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit www.mass.gov/dcr. Contact us at mass.parks@state.ma.us.
Follow Secretary Sullivan on Twitter twitter.com/massEEA
View videos on You Tube.......................................... www.youtube.com/MassEEA
View downloadable photographs on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/masseea/sets/
Visit the Energy Smarts blog..................................... www.mass.gov/blog/energy
Visit The Great Outdoors blog.................................... www.mass.gov/blog/environment
Visit our website........................................................ www.mass.gov/dcr
251 Causeway Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114 — (617) 626-1250 office / (617) 626-1351 (fax)
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EPA Student Blog
Announcing EPA’s new student blog. Teachers, students, parents, tell us your favorite website about nature, plants, or water. We might write a blog about it. We can help you get started writing your own blog entry about an environmental service project. This blog is a place where you can read about what kids are doing to protect the environment. You will also read about contests and cool environmental sites. Comment on our posts and tell us about all the great things you are doing to help the environment. Teachers and parents visit the blog to find out about all the great things kids are doing for the environment and how you can help them become future environmentalists! From this blog you can check out our new students site which includes resources for both students and teachers. http://blog.epa.gov/students/
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Impact of Hurricane Irene on CT River Flowing into Long Island Sound
Nearly a week after Hurricane Irene drenched New England with rainfall in late August 2011, the Connecticut River was spewing muddy sediment into Long Island Sound and wrecking the region's farmland just before harvest. The Thematic Mapper on the Landsat 5 satellite acquired this true-color satellite image on September 2, 2011.
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What You Need To Know About Blackouts
Our current electricity system is likely to fail, but here's how we can make it more resilient
Electricity is the lifeblood of modern society. It runs practically everything — except when it doesn’t. The regional blackouts that roll across America and other industrial nations about once a decade are getting costlier. Each time, operators fix the specific causes. But a deeper fix is needed than building more and bigger power plants and lines — a habit as outdated as treating fever with bloodletting.
....
Most of America’s electricity is now wasted. Rocky Mountain Institute’s Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for a New Energy Era shows how a robustly growing economy can need less electricity — despite electrified autos, whose flexibility and storage also help the grid integrate solar and windpower. Those sources are easier to manage than coal or nuclear energy because their variations are smaller and less abrupt and can be forecasted.
Needing less electricity will ease and speed a big shift in how we make it. By 2050, today’s giant coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants will be mostly retired. At comparable cost but far less risk, we can replace them with generators the right size for the job, especially renewables. Half the world’s added capacity in the past three years was renewable, because it’s now competitive and swiftly getting even cheaper.
Already Denmark, with 36% of its electricity coming from renewables, has Europe’s most reliable power at about the lowest pretax prices. Portugal’s power rose from 17 to 45% renewable in 2005–10 (while the U.S. went from nine to 10%). Four German states last year were 43 to 52% windpowered — part of a strategy that’s helped Germany achieve fuller employment today than before 2008. America already has more solar-and-wind installation jobs than coal jobs.
With a smart portfolio of renewable generators, we can cost-effectively redesign a secure grid. Distributed generators are closer to customers and can make a grid more resilient, splitting it into myriad microgrids that normally interconnect but can stand alone at need and still serve key loads. My house high in the Colorado Rockies does this (I can’t even tell when the grid fails.) So do 20 microgrid experiments around the world. So does Denmark’s pilot “cellular” grid. So does Cuba’s grid, which cut serious blackout days from 224 in 2005 to zero in 2007, then in 2008 sustained vital services through two grid-shredding hurricanes in two weeks. <MORE>
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Community Resource Fair – Tabling Opportunity
Good Afternoon Community Partners:
It is my pleasure to invite you to a networking event at on Monday, November 28th from 1-3pm in the Susan B. Anthony Student Center at BCC. This is an opportunity to network, educate and share volunteer opportunities with BCC students and faculty. Hosted by BCC Service-Learning and Student Leaders.
Please RSVP to reserve a table to represent your organization from 1-2pm at the Community Resource Fair and stay to attend a "meet and greet"/networking session with BCC Service-learning faculty from 2-3pm.
The aim of the Community Resources Fair is to provide students with opportunities to network with local agencies, learn about your organization and how they can volunteer or work for your organization now or in the future.
The goals for the "Meet and Greet" are to introduce community partners and BCC Service-Learning faculty, brainstorm future service-learning projects addressing real community needs, and share your experiences hosting BCC students in the community.
Please RSVP by Monday, Nov. 21 to reserve a table at the Community Resource Fair and attend the "Meet and Greet" with faculty. Refreshments will be provided for both events.
Thank you,
Leehe
Leehe Shmueli
Massachusetts Campus Compact
AmeriCorps*VISTA
Community Engagement Coordinator
Berkshire Community College
1350 West Street
Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201
413-236-2177 |413-447-7840
lshmueli@berkshirecc.edu
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Beginning Farmer Scholarships
NOFA/Mass is offering a limited number of beginning farmer scholarships to our Winter Conference on January 14, 2012, at Worcester State University. Applicants must have fewer than 10 years farming experience and be members of (or join) NOFA/Mass. To learn more about the scholarships, visit http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/newfarmer.php. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php.
Apply now! Application deadline December 15.
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Job Opening: American Rivers Senior Vice President for Conservation, Washington, D.C.
TITLE: Senior Vice President for Conservation
REPORTS TO: President
LOCATION: Washington, DC
Download a PDF version of this job announcement
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS: American Rivers is the nation’s leading organization working to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and streams. Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Since 1973, American Rivers has fought to preserve these connections, helping protect and restore more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and the annual release of America’s Most Endangered Rivers™.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 100,000 supporters, members, and volunteers nationwide. American Rivers maintains a positive work environment with a culture of learning, support and balance. For more information please visit www.americanrivers.org, www.facebook.com/americanrivers and www.twitter.com/americanrivers.
JOB SUMMARY: The Senior Vice President for Conservation (SVP) serves in a leadership position within American Rivers. The SVP is responsible for the management of American Rivers’ Conservation Department, including personnel and the planning, implementation and evaluation of short and long term strategic goals and objectives. The SVP is an important spokesperson for American Rivers among elected officials and their staff, government agencies, American Rivers members, river advocates, national and local partners, river scientists and managers, funders and other key constituencies. The SVP is a member of the Executive Staff, charged with developing and executing organizational goals and objectives, and communicates regularly with the Board of Directors.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leadership and Management
- Raise the profile of the organization among key constituencies, using broad experience and strong professional relationships.
- Develop conservation programs in support of American Rivers’ strategic vision and goals. This includes developing overarching goals, plans, and strategies, working with national and field staff to implement conservation programs, integrating regional work with national goals, and developing programs that best leverage our fundraising abilities.
- Lead the organization’s cross-cutting conservation initiatives, working with the Executive Staff, Conservation, Government Relations, and Communications staff to identify and prioritize our goals and objectives and develop specific program strategies that are responsive to these goals.
- Maintain and advance American Rivers’ leadership role as an organization with technical expertise in river conservation and restoration. This includes interfacing with the organization’s Science and Technical Advisory Committee as well as others in the academic arena.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Supervise and mentor Program Directors and other senior conservation staff.
- Ensure that American Rivers hires and retains conservation department staff with the appropriate skill sets, experience and professionalism for our current and future needs.
- Provide leadership within the department and across the organization in upholding high standards of professional excellence and in promoting strong organizational morale.
- Ensure that department staff are working in an effective, collegial, and integrated fashion with other departments and regions.
- Promote strong inter- and intradepartmental communications
Budget Management and Fundraising
- Develop and manage department budget; allocate department resources to match annual priorities.
- Work with Development staff to set and achieve department and broader organizational fundraising goals.
- Serve as lead contact with many of the largest foundations.
- Participate in solicitation of major donors.
Communications
Work with communications staff to develop media and web-based strategies for specific conservation campaigns.
Engage in high profile public speaking and media opportunities to advance the mission and raise the visibility and credibility of the organization.
Other Responsibilties
- Maintain effective relations with the Board, informing members about key conservation issues and seeking the Board’s advice and guidance as appropriate.
- Serve as staff liaison to the Policy Committee of the Board and with the Science and Technical Advisory Committee.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Advanced degree in conservation, ecology, or natural resources management; law; government; public policy or related discipline and demonstrated scientific and/or policy credentials in issues relating to conservation of rivers or other freshwater ecosystems.
Experience: 8+ years of progressively responsible experience developing, implementing, managing, and directing both legislative and advocacy campaigns on a national level, including 5+ years of relevant management/supervisory experience. Political experience, sound judgment, and sensitivity, including a general understanding of lobbying, Congressional committees, and the federal legislative processes. Other relevant experience with legislative procedures, grassroots organizing, communications, editing, and/or development.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
Other:
- Working knowledge of federal agencies, laws, and policies dealing with use and conservation of natural resources, particularly the Clean Water Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and other conservation laws
- Excellent writing, media and verbal communications skills, with the ability to effectively communicate to a variety of stakeholders, including both technically expert audiences and general members of the interested public.
- Strong analytical and research skills in natural resources management, law, or science.
- Established network of scientific, fundraising, legal, policy, and political contacts.
- Well developed and tested leadership skills.
- Strong background in public policy, river management and science, the political process, and the demonstrated ability to use that knowledge effectively.
- Ability to represent American Rivers effectively before foundations and major donors.
- Excellent personnel management skills, including the ability to inspire excellence, clearly communicate expectations, mentor, build and maintain morale and recruit and retain talented people.
- Proven budget management skills.
- High degree of integrity.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills.
- Results-oriented, with demonstrated ability to implement effective performance-based management.
- Entrepreneurial, able to recognize and pursue targets of opportunity and adapt workplans and resources accordingly.
- Decisive, balanced, with an organization-wide perspective. Desire to work as a member of a team in a fast-paced, professional environment.
- Demonstrated skills working with teams and collaborating with other organizations.
- Ability to motivate professional colleagues and donors.
- Sense of humor.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Salary is commensurate with experience. Full-time employee benefits include health, dental and life insurance, retirement plan, and generous leave time.
APPLICATION: Applications will be considered immediately. Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and professional references to: American Rivers, Attn: SVP of Conservation Position, 1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20005; or to: jobs@amrivers.org, with “SVP of Conservation” in the subject line. No phone calls please.
American Rivers is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Water Resources Engineer/Hydrologist Job Description
The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA, http://www.crwa.org) is an environmental research and advocacy non-profit organization in Weston, Massachusetts that uses science, advocacy and the law to protect, preserve and enhance the Charles River and its watershed.
CRWA is seeking a full-time highly qualified employee with a strong education and experience in water resource engineering and hydrology. Strong GIS skills are essential. Position requires team work, creativity and initiative. The successful candidate will be a critical component of CRWA’s science staff, and will be expected to take the lead on several major projects as well as providing scientific and technical support for numerous programs.
Job Description / Activities:
The position offers a unique opportunity to undertake creative technical work on water-related issues in an influential environmental organization. CRWA’s work environment and small staff allow for creative and diverse assignments and the opportunity to work on meaningful environmental projects. The successful candidate will work with CRWA’s team using engineering and design to change how water functions in the urban and suburban environment.
Programs and activities include:
- Smart Sewering Program: CRWA is involved in several projects to evaluate alternatives models for wastewater management that will promote smart growth, restore water balance and protect water resources. The successful candidate will manage these projects, and be expected to perform significant data collection and analysis, plus work closely with municipal officials.
- Stormwater Trading Project: CRWA is developing a web-based trading program to help municipalities and private property owners comply with new stormwater regulations. The project team includes a web design firm. The successful candidate will manage this project, automate data acquisition, develop the databases, develop stormwater BMP design calculations, and provide an understanding to the regulated community of compliance with stormwater permits.
- Blue Cities Program: CRWA’s science team works to research, design, and implement innovative approaches to urban and suburban water infrastructure and land use, focused in particular on the use of green infrastructure. Projects range from site to watershed-scale, and include early planning analysis and conceptual design through final design. The successful candidate will support the Blue Cities team and will assess watershed conditions including hydrology, soils, land use, topography, and infrastructure; be familiar with stormwater models; assess and design stormwater BMPs; and be able to "speak the language" of design and watershed restoration.
Qualifications
- MS or PhD in water-related field (Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Hydrology, Water Resources Science/Management, or Watershed Science)
- Strong GIS skills, including the ability to generate and work with complex databases, and perform modeling and analysis within GIS
- Strong foundation in urban hydrology, especially water supply, wastewater, and stormwater management
- Proficiency in water quality/quantity modeling at the watershed or site scale
- Strong spreadsheet and database skills, ability to work with complex data, automation of data-related tasks.
- Strong scientific analysis, report writing and grant writing skills
- Project management experience; ability to manage budgets, staff, tasks, deliverables
- Flexibility, creativity and ability to meet deadlines
- Strong verbal presentation skills, and ability to translate complex concepts for a lay audience
- Experience with projects that require teamwork
- Ability to critically review permits for technical detail
- Ability to participate in stakeholder and community meetings outside of conventional work hours
Competitive salary and benefits. This position is among the most influential science/engineering positions in a water nonprofit in the United States.
To apply, please send a cover letter and resume by December 15, 2011 to:
Kate Bowditch, Director of Projects
kbowditch@crwa.org
CRWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of age, class, color, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, national origin, race, or sexual orientation.
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Ride for the Climate Summer Internships
Ride for the Climate Summer Internships |
Posted Nov 05 |
Better Future Project, Cambridge, MA (Gulf Coast & NE U.S.)
Climate Summer (New England):
Program Dates: June 13th - August 18th
- Learn community organizing!
- Become a stronger leader!
- Spend your summer on a bike, traveling across New England!
- Learn from and connect with community leaders!
- Inspire others to take action to live their values more deeply!
- Highlight what communities are doing to move beyond fossil fuels through the press, blogging, and our new Digital Movement Map!
Ride for the Future (Gulf Coast):
Program Dates: May 22nd - July 30th
- Learn community organizing!
- Become a stronger leader!
- Spend your summer on a bike, traveling across Louisiana and Texas!
- Learn from and connect with community leaders!
- Inspire others to take action to live their values more deeply!
- Highlight what communities are doing to move beyond fossil fuels through the press, blogging, and our new Digital Movement Map!
- Highlight the harms of the the fossil fuel industry in environmental justice communities and communities hit by oil spills, hurricanes, and wildfires.
- Bike to ExxonMobil’s headquarters and ask them to join the movement for a better future!
Riders may apply for both programs, or only apply for one program. The programs are open to all young adults ages 18-25. You do not need to be attending/have attended college to apply. Older applicants who are currently full-time students will be considered.
We encourage you to apply early, as the program will be filled as soon as we admit a sufficient number of diverse and qualified applicants. Food and housing are provided to all participants, and limited funds are available to help those who require further financial assistance in order to ride.
TO APPLY
Applications for both programs are available at http://www.climatesummer.net/get-involved/apply/
For more info, see: climatesummer.net and rideforthefuture.org
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