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BEAT Will Continue to Protest Against Tar Sands Keystone XL Pipeline
Thousands of people from across the country will join together on Sunday, November 6th at the White House for the largest protest ever staged against the tar sands oil exploitation and the Keystone XL pipeline. Staff and friends of BEAT will be there. Will you?
Together we will circle the White House and stand with one voice demanding that President Obama reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal.
The proposed 1,700 mile Keystone XL pipeline would carry dirty, tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. A rupture in the pipeline could cause a BP style oil spill in America’s heartland, over the source of fresh drinking water for 20 million people. NASA’s top climate scientist says that fully developing the tar sands in Canada would be a climate disaster.
After an historic two-week sit-in at the White House this August that led to the arrest of 1,252 Americans and Canadians, the group behind the protests, Tar Sands Action, has taken its fight against Keystone XL pipeline nationwide.
Campaign volunteers (many of whom were arrested at the White House themselves) have organized demonstrations at every one of President Obama’s public events this September, as well as confronted Obama campaign director Jim Messina and Vice-President Joe Biden. These events will continue throughout the fall: wherever the President goes, the pipeline protestors will be there.
Groups of 20-50 volunteers around the country are also visiting Obama for America campaign offices to tell staffers that while they supported the President in 2008, they will only volunteer or donate during this election cycle of President Obama stands up to Big Oil and denies the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.
Invitation
This call to action was issued by a diverse group of movement leaders to bring together a massive rally on November 6th in Washington DC. To join the rally, sign up here: http://www.tarsandsaction.org/sign-up
Dear friends—
Once again, we’re sending you another long letter to ask for your help.
It’s been several weeks since the last people got out of jail in Washington DC, at the end of two weeks of civil disobedience that led to 1253 brave people ending up in handcuffs to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. It was the largest such action in decades, and because of their leadership lots has begun to happen.
#The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu along with seven other Nobel Peace Prize winners wrote a letter to the president asking that he block the pipeline. They acknowledged the actions of those of us in DC, saying: “These brave individuals have spoken movingly about experiencing the power of nonviolence in that time. They represent millions of people whose lives and livelihoods will be affected by construction and operation of the pipeline.”
#At President Obama’s first public speech since the sit-ins ended, a hardy bunch of University of Richmond students unfurled a huge banner demanding that the president veto the pipeline – followed by similar actions in Columbus, Ohio, Raleigh North Carolina, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Wilmington, Delaware and many many others.
#Meeting on the Rosebud Sioux reservation last week, Native tribal leaders from both sides of the border and private land owners from South Dakota and Nebraska signed a ‘Mother Earth Accord’ opposing Keystone XL and the tar sands. These are the people who started this fight; and they’re being joined by everyone right down to Nebraska Cornhusker football fans who booed lustily when a Keystone ad showed up on the Jumbotron at a recent game. The next day the university ended their sponsorship deal with Trans-Canada Pipeline
# Even as we issue this letter, Canadian activists by the hundreds are risking arrest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and brave protesters are trying to block shipments of heavy equipment to Alberta from Idaho and Montana–these are remarkable signs of continent-wide protest.
#And on the not-so-good-side: huge wildfires driven by the worst drought in Texas history have destroyed towns and killed good people; the biggest rainfalls ever recorded have done similar damage in New Jersey, New York, and Vermont.
So—there’s real momentum for action, and real need. We have less than 90 days to convince the President not to approve the pipeline. So here’s the thing: we need your help again. We need you to keep using your creativity and bodies as a part of this struggle—to fight this fight even though there’s no guarantee of victory.
Here’s the plan, in three stages
1) Most important of all: On Sunday November 6 we will return to Washington. Exactly one year before the election, we want to encircle the whole White House in an act of solemn protest. We need to remind President Obama of the power of the movement that he rode to the White House in 2008. This issue is much bigger than any individual person, President or not, and that we will carry on, with or without him.
We’re not certain this is the right plan. We don’t know if there are the thousands of people that it will take to encircle the White House—we’ve never tried something this ambitious before. And we worry that it’s too earnest and idealistic—that maybe we should be going back to jail. But unlike last time, this time we’re working from a position of strength, and we can firmly but peacefully remind the president that we were the real power behind his campaign. We’re not expecting any arrests at this action, but we are expecting to send an unmistakable, unavoidable message.
2) But we have to start building momentum now with action in our communities. Between now and October 7, the State Department is holding a series of hearings on its flimsy report on Keystone XL. Our colleagues in the environmental movement are doing a good job of organizing for those meetings, including the final one in DC—and we’ll be supporting a rally at the final hearing.
But starting on October 8, we’ll begin a rolling series of actions at key Obama campaign offices around the country. We want these to be a bit bigger and more serious than what’s come before, so we’ll be doing training and providing materials to folks in those communities. We need to make sure that the message gets through to headquarters that people remember the promises from the 2008 campaign and want them kept.
3) We need to keep showing up at the president’s public appearances – just like what’s already been happening on campus after campus, town after town. (We especially like the chant that goes: “Yes We Can…Stop the Pipeline.”). Our organizing team is tracking the president’s every appearance to look for opportunities to act. If the President is coming to your neighborhood, we need you to get his attention. (We’ll help you do that).
We’ve already shown we have the courage and the fortitude for civil disobedience.Now we need to mix it up and show a different side of the campaign. Many of us were sincerely moved by Barack Obama’s campaign for president. We’re not yet ready to concede that his promises were simply the empty talk of politicians. We’re not going to be cynics until we absolutely have no choice.
It will be a beautiful and brave sight, the White House enclosed by the kind of people that put President Obama there. Since he’s said he’ll make up his mind by the end of the year, now’s the time. We know it’s hard to get to Washington, but if you can: this is the moment.
Thank you. A lot.
Tim DeChristopher, inmate, Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong California
Tom Goldtooth, Indigenous Environmental Network
Courtney Hight and Maura Cowley, Energy Action Coalition
Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska
Bill McKibben, tarsandsaction.org
Gus Speth, former chair, president’s Council on Environmental Quality
Becky Tarbotton, Rainforest Action Network
Lennox Yearwood, Hip Hop Caucus
Here are some resources to learn more about the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project:
DirtyOilSands.org
Canada and Its Tar Sands: What the Country Can Learn From Brazil About Protecting the Environment
Friends of the Earth factsheet
Solve Climate article on recent spills and approval process
Natural Resources Defense Council factsheet on Keystone XL
U.S. Climate Protests Shift to Blocking Keystone XL Pipeline Approval
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How Clean Air Standards Affect You, and What You Can Do About It
Presentation and Q&A by The National Wildlife Federation and the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen Wednesday, November 2nd at 6:30pm at Berkshire Community College, K111. Organized by BEAT. (We are looking for co-sponsors to help get the word out - email jane@thebeatnews.org)
Fall is here and is a perfect time to get outside and breathe the clean crisp air, right? Not if some in Congress have their way! Clean air affects everyone’s life more than you realize. From asthma attacks to ozone days to mercury warnings for our fish, we feel the impacts right here in Massachusetts of decisions made in Washington. Our elected representatives need to hear from you about clean air.
Right now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to reduce airborne toxins that cause mercury contamination and limit carbon pollution, but the Clean Air Act faces new threats in Congress. The Clean Air Act requires EPA to issue air quality standards for pollutants that harm human health and wildlife by limiting pollutants from industrial facilities, power plants and vehicle tailpipes. Several U.S. senators and representatives have recently introduced bills to block or delay EPA efforts to reduce mercury, carbon dioxide, methane and coal ash.
Mercury emitted from power plants settles from the air into our waterways where it’s converted into methylmercury, a highly toxic form of mercury. As contaminated organisms in the water are eaten by larger organisms and accumulated up the food chain, many large and long-lived predators accumulate high levels of methylmercury contamination. When we eat these species, such as walleye, salmon and tuna, we are exposed to the mercury, which can cause damage to the brain, nervous system, kidneys, and liver. Children and women of child-bearing age are particularly at risk because the exposure can interfere with brain and nervous system development in fetuses, infants and young children.
These long overdue and critically important updates to Clean Air Act standards are important public health safeguards that are widely supported by Americans of all parties. According to EPA, each year they will prevent as many as:
- 17,000 premature deaths,
- 11,000 heart attacks,
- 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and
- approximately 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children.
Even in small amounts these extremely harmful air pollutants are linked to health problems such as cancer, heart disease, neurological damage, birth defects, asthma attacks and even premature death.
The good news is if we enact strong air pollution controls now we can reduce the mercury and other pollution in our air and start seeing the effects right away!
Join us November 2nd and to find out how air pollution impacts you and what you can do about it.
Presentation and Q&A by The National Wildlife Federation and the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen Wednesday, November 2nd at 6:30pm at Berkshire Community College, K111. Organized by BEAT. (We are looking for co-sponsors to help get the word out - email jane@thebeatnews.org)
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Nature recycles everything. We should too! But how?
by Jane Winn, BEAT
Nature recycles everything. We should too! But how? Let's all aim at producing Zero Waste.
Let's start with the Rs. Reduce - buy only what you really need and will use. When you buy something, pick the kind that is made in the least toxic, most recyclable way, and has the least packaging. Avoid Styrofoam! Repair - when something breaks, fix it; don't just throw it away and buy a new one if you can repair the original. Reuse - if you don't want to reuse something, give it away, sell it, pass it on. Buy things used - you are not being cheap; you are helping to recycle. Recycle - when things are no longer useable, recycle them. Keep them out of the landfill or incinerator.
Take a look at your week's trash. What is in there? Is there a way you can stop using what ever is producing that trash? Or can you find a different way to get rid of it? Compost what can be composted. Don't buy food packaged in Styrofoam. Take compact florescent light bulbs back to the store for recycling. See the flyer that was created for Pittsfield for more helpful ideas on how to get rid of items you no longer want.
Support legislation to extend producer responsibility. Manufactures should design products keeping in mind what will happen at the end of its useful life. All products that can't just be recycled or composted should be able to be broken down and the pieces reused, recycled, or remade into other useful products.
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Tools and the Power to Use Them
One town in Oregon has an official Tool Library. The North Portland Tool Library (NPTL) is a community resource dedicated to building community and fostering sustainability by providing residents with tools and the power to use them. We loan a wide variety of tools to community members free of charge. The NPTL benefits North Portland residents by reducing the costs of maintaining and improving the places in which we live, work, and play. The NTPL helps support diverse, livable neighborhoods and fosters community pride. Registration with the Library is free to all residents of North Portland and there are no costs aside from late fees and replacement charges.
Who is up for doing this in the Berkshires?
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Top 5 Uses for Fall Leaves
by Mass Audubon
Oh, leaves. There’s so much we love about you. The first sight of your flowers in the spring; the sound you make when you blow in the breeze during summer; your brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange come fall. And then you drop to the ground and become another thing on our to-do list.
If this sounds familiar, don’t fret—we can help. Before you break out the rake, check out Mass Audubon's top 5 uses for fall leaves.
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Seal Deaths Rise to 128; Scientist Cites Toxins Such as PCBs
October 19, 2011
The number of dead seals washed up on the New England coast is not the only thing expanding, a spokeswoman from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. The area in which the seals are showing up is also increasing.
Maggie Mooney-Seus, a public affairs official for NOAA's Northeast Region, said the number of dead seals found along the shoreline since Sept. 1 is now at 128. Last Friday, the figure was 94.
Seals were first found on shores from northern Massachusetts to southern Maine. But Mooney-Seus said more seals are now being found in southern Massachusetts. All are considered to be "young of the year," she said.
Mooney-Seus continued to emphasize the importance of leaving the carcasses alone. She said people should not approach or touch any marine animals, dead or alive. Disturbing a seal, or the carcass of a seal, is a federal violation and can lead to a hefty fine or jail time, she said.
The cause of the surge in seal deaths has not yet been named. Mooney-Seus said results won't be known until test results on blood, tissue samples and the contents of the seals' stomachs come back.
At least one expert said the cause of the seal deaths has less to do with pathogens in the animals and more to do with contaminants in the water. Dr. Susan Shaw, director and senior scientist at The Marine Environmental Research Institute in Maine, has been investigating Gulf of Maine harbor seals and their exposure to toxic contaminants for almost two decades. Shaw said her findings have shown that polychlorinated biphenyls, flame retardants, dioxins and other persistent pollutants found in seal tissue could be compromising their immune systems.
Having done her own tests on harbor seals over the years, Shaw said the ones found off the New England coast are the most contaminated in the world. Shaw is not involved in the current testing and said she compared her past results with testing done on the West Coast and in Europe.
"These seals are loaded with hundreds of toxic compounds," Shaw said.
The contaminants are man-made and often find ways of seeping into the ground and into rivers and streams, eventually finding a way into the ocean, she said.
Shaw said there have been many "die-offs" over the years. She said they go unexplained often because the proper testing for contaminants is not done.
"I believe that contaminants need to have a role in these studies," Shaw said
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New Wildlife Management Area in West Stockbridge
Map of the Flat Brook Wildlife Management Area
WEST STOCKBRIDGE – October 12, 2011 – State and local officials today joined conservation partners to celebrate the opening of the Flat Brook Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a new conservation area that will protect wildlife habitat and provide numerous recreational opportunities.
“The dedication of this wildlife management area gives Massachusetts residents and visitors access to a new venue for great outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, canoeing and bird watching. It is yet another example of the Patrick- Murray Administration’s commitment to land conservation,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr.
The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and its Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) acquired the 273-acre parcel of land in June for $1.1 million. At the same time, it acquired a separate seventeen acres to augment the nearby Maple Hill WMA, which now encompasses 220 acres.
“Most of the acreage we purchased is core habitat for several state-listed species of rare plants and animals, and it is superb habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife,” said DFG Commissioner Mary Griffin. “We are extremely grateful for the vital assistance provided by the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) and other private partners that helped make this project possible.”
In addition to open space bond funds, the Commonwealth purchased the land using Land Stamp revenue derived from the sale of fishing and hunting license fees. The BNRC, which privately raised an additional $237,200 for the land acquisition, facilitated the sale for the Commonwealth and the site's multiple landowners. Funds include $53,200 as part of a wetland and floodplain restoration project funded by the Massachusetts SubCouncil of the Houstonic River Trustee Council, which is comprised of the EEA, as represented by the Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“This is a great day for land protection in Massachusetts. In one outstanding moment, the collective efforts of state government, private landowners and the nonprofit community have conserved a landscape having phenomenal natural resources – a pristine pond and wetland complex, a healthy cold-water stream, extensive habitat for rare and endangered species, and the opportunity to connect to other lands of environmental significance,” said George Darey, Chairman of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, which approves DFG agency land purchases.
MassWildlife oversees more than 190,000 acres of conservation land in Massachusetts – open to the public for hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking and nature observation. The most recent acquisition provides public access to fishing at Crane Lake, Flat Brook, and Cranberry Pond. The Flat Brook WMA is an important habitat for protected species, such as the American bittern, bridle shiner, harpoon clubtail (dragonfly) and many species of aquatic plants.
“Any project of this scale and significance is complex. This was no exception with nine entities working patiently and efficiently together to make this tremendous investment in the Berkshires a reality,” said BNRC Director of Land Conservation Narain Schroeder. “This project is an example of forward-looking partnership at its very best.”
Landowners involved in the sale were the H. George Wilde 1989 Trust, Heirs of Arthur P. Gennari, Sr., Balgen Machine, Inc., and JDL Nominee Trust. The project’s private funders include the Open Space Institute, Saving New England Wildlife Fund, the Nion Robert Thieriot Foundation, Pamela B. Weatherbee, and the Trustees of the Natural Resources Damages Fund for the Housatonic River.
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is responsible for promoting the conservation and enjoyment of the Commonwealth's natural resources. DFG carries out this mission through land protection and wildlife habitat management, management of inland and marine fish and wildlife species, and ecological restoration of fresh water, salt water, and terrestrial habitats. DFG promotes enjoyment of the Massachusetts environment through outdoor skills workshops, fishing festivals and other educational programs, and by enhancing access to the Commonwealth's rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.
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Environmental Chemicals Including PCBs May Be Obstacle For Infertile Couples
Kira Testin knew that something was wrong before she and her husband ever saw the fertility specialist. “We weren’t naïve, but it still was devastating to hear that we would be unable to conceive naturally,” she said. For the Testins and millions of other couples, in vitro fertilization is their only chance at pregnancy. And their chances are low at that. More often than not, IVF takes repeated, costly attempts. Now scientists have found another potential obstacle for would-be parents. New research has turned up evidence of a link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment and poor IVF outcomes.
By Lindsey Konkel
Environmental Health News
October 12, 2011
Kira Testin knew that something was wrong before she and her husband ever saw the fertility specialist. “We had been trying for a year to get pregnant,” recalls Testin, who was 27 at the time. “We weren’t naïve, but it still was devastating to hear that we would be unable to conceive naturally.”
For the Testins, in vitro fertilization (IVF) – when a woman’s eggs are retrieved, fertilized and grown to embryo-stage in a petri dish, then implanted back in her uterus – was their only chance at pregnancy.
And their chances were low at that. More often than not, IVF takes repeated, costly and heart-wrenching attempts.
Now scientists have found another potential obstacle for would-be parents. New research has turned up evidence of a link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment and poor IVF outcomes.
Some chemicals in food and consumer products may disrupt a woman’s estrogen, which interferes with her ability to get pregnant. Higher blood levels of pollutants such as bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) have been found in mothers with failed IVF attempts, according to a handful of recent studies.
The Testins, from a small town near Milwaukee, Wis., are among an estimated 9 million U.S. couples – one out of every eight – who are infertile, according to the American Fertility Association.
Causes of infertility are numerous, ranging from hormonal imbalances, to defects of the uterus, to misshapen sperm, low sperm count or low sperm motility in men.
Some scientists now theorize that endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment also can reduce fertility. Endocrine disruptors are a class of more than 1,200 chemicals that can mimic or block hormones, including estrogen, the primary female sex hormone involved in pregnancy.
“These chemicals may affect the way hormones regulate many aspects of our bodies, potentially even the ability to get pregnant,” said Laura Vandenberg, a reproductive scientist at Tufts University.
In one studyof 765 women who underwent a total of 827 IVF cycles at Boston area clinics, researchers found an association between blood PCB concentrations and the rate at which embryos successfully attached or implanted to the uterine wall. The study was published in July in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment may affect the way hormones regulate many aspects of our bodies, potentially even the ability to get pregnant, say scientists. The odds of failed implantation doubled among women with the highest blood level of PCB-153 (the form of the chemical, on average, present in the highest concentration) compared to women with the lowest levels. Women with the highest levels were also 41 percent less likely to give birth to a live infant than women with the lowest blood levels.
Perhaps the most surprising finding – even low levels of PCBs, the same as those found in the general U.S. population, were associated with adverse early pregnancy outcomes in IVF, said Dr. Russ Hauser, professor of environmental and occupational epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the study.
The same researchers also reported a link between another long-banned pollutant, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and implantation failure, in a paper published online in Environmental Health Perspectives in August.
PCBs and HCB are both long-lived pollutants that accumulate in food chains and take decades to break down. Animal studies have shown that both types of compounds can mimic or block hormones. Hauser said there is evidence that HCB suppresses a hormone called luteal progesterone, which is important for egg implantation.
<MORE>
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REPORT: 30 Year Research Trial- Organic vs Conventional Farming
from the Rodale Institute
After 30 years of side-by-side research in our Farming Systems Trial (FST)®, Rodale Institute has demonstrated that organic farming is better equipped to feed us now and well into the ever changing future. Read our full report on the impacts organic farming can have on our health, our water, our economy and more. Read the REPORT: 30 Years of the Farming Systems Trial
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Obama Yields to Pressure, Lisa Jackson Focused On Harm From Smog
By Corbin Hiar, The Center for Public Integrity
President Barack Obama’s recent spiking of a new ozone rule has been widely viewed as a political act. But the proposed standard likely wouldn’t have been severely detrimental to business or Obama’s reelection, according to an analysis of the draft rule obtained by iWatch News.
When President Obama retreated from a tougher stance on smog last month, his Environmental Protection Agency chief had formally concluded that the existing standard endangered thousands of Americans, including children and people with respiratory ailments.
The Bush-era limit on ozone was “not adequate to protect public health,” and failed to take into account "newly available evidence," EPA administrator Lisa Jackson concluded, according to recently released documents detailing the agency’s justification for a tougher standard.
Jackson, whose son has severe asthma, has been a passionate advocate for a stricter rule. She grew convinced the agency could save thousands of lives each year if Washington imposed a 70 parts per billion limit on smog-causing ozone.
That standard was the least stringent and inexpensive option recommended by an independent EPA advisory panel of scientists.
Obama, under pressure from business groups and Republicans, abruptly shelved the planned rule on Sept. 2. He cited “the importance of reducing regulatory burdens” and relieving businesses of “needless uncertainty” in a struggling economy.
But Jackson said the more stringent requirement is “necessary to provide requisite protection for children and other ‘at risk’ populations against an array of [ozone]-related adverse health effects.”
Among those effects, she said: Decreased lung function and potentially life-threatening respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.
Jackson’s conclusions, contained in a 381-page document that would have accompanied publication of a new standard, differed sharply from the three-sentence statement the EPA Administrator issued when Obama reversed course.
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1st Annual Massachusetts Trails Conference, “Building Connections”
November 12, 2011
Doyle Center
Leominster, MA
The Massachusetts Recreational Trail Advisory Board (MARTAB) in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) presents the 1st Annual Massachusetts Trails Conference to be held on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at the Doyle Center in Leominster. The conference is funded through the Recreational Trails Program, a federal grant program which offers funding for trails and trail-related facilities to communities across the state and among all recreational trail user groups.
The goal of this one-day conference is to build a statewide-based coalition of trail advocates in Massachusetts by focusing on strengthening capacity and community across the spectrum of trails enthusiasts and supporters. Concurrent sessions in the morning focus on building capacity through education and discussion of issues like funding, permitting and economic impacts. The afternoon’s more participatory workshops will focus on strengthening community, as we celebrate, share and plan for the future of trails in Massachusetts.
This conference aims to offer the following:
- A forum to address the evolving needs of the Massachusetts trails community
- Opportunities to network with other trail advocates to build support for local and statewide trail systems
- Educational/informative sessions specific to various trail user groups or volunteers
- Collaborative planning on a statewide level to offer input for future trails initiatives and programs.
Trail planners, advocates, land managers, members of trail organizations, land trusts, conservation commissions, friends groups and volunteers are all encouraged to participate. Please keep in mind that the format for this conference is to foster a collaborative, participatory environment for furthering the goals of the entire trails community, both motorized and non-motorized recreational trail users. Please plan on coming to this conference with your ideas to share and questions to ask, and hopefully you will leave with much more!
This Massachusetts Trails Conference will launch an annual series of MARTAB-sponsored trails conferences designed to strengthen the trails community and provide increased opportunities for education and the sharing of ideas and experiences. Through improved communication, cooperation, and partnerships, MARTAB aims to complete the visioning and implementation process for creating a trail network in Massachusetts which will benefit all recreational user groups and preferences.
Conference Registration – NOW!
There is no fee to register for this conference, although a $10, or more, donation to your local trail group is encouraged in lieu of the registration fee. Participants must register in advance to attend. Registration will be limited, so please register now if you would like to attend.
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 4, 2011
Contact: Amanda Lewis, Recreational Trails Program Coordinator (DCR)
413-586-8706 ext. 19
amanda.lewis@state.ma.us
What to do: Please call or email Amanda Lewis to register. Indicate your full name, affiliation (or specific trail interests), address, phone number and email address. If you are no longer able to attend the workshop but have already registered, please contact Amanda as soon as possible, as potential participants may be waiting for openings. If the registration limit of 100 people is met, a wait list will be started and you will be informed as soon as possible if any openings become available.
Conference Agenda
The Massachusetts Trails Conference will be held at the Doyle Center from 7:30am to 4pm, with an optional refreshment and meet-and-greet hour from 4-5pm. Morning and afternoon refreshments, as well as lunch will be provided. The conference agenda and session descriptions are provided below:
7:30 Registration
8:30 Welcome and Introductions
Dick O’Brien, MARTAB
8:40 Keynote Address: Economic Benefits of Trails
David Lindahl, Morton Trails, LLC.
9:20 1st Concurrent Workshops/Presentations Slot
See descriptions below
10:40 2nd Concurrent Workshops/Presentation Slot
See descriptions below
12pm LUNCH (provided)
12:45 MARTAB Introductions and Overview
1:00 Checking In: The Massachusetts Statewide Trail Plan and Celebration of Exceptional Trail Success Stories
2:00 Participatory Planning Session in Break-out groups
3:00 Full Group Discussion and Conference Follow-Up
4:00 Refreshment Hour (Optional)
5:00 Conference Ends
Morning Workshops
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to participate in two of the eight concurrent morning workshops offered. Participants will not be required to sign up for the sessions before the conference but will be asked to indicate their preference upon registration in the morning. Descriptions of each session are provided below, though changes may be made before the conference date.
1st Concurrent Workshops/Presentations 9:20 - 10:30 am
Economics and Trails
David Lindahl: Morton Trails
This workshop will focus specifically on a number of issues and methods associated with the economic and financial benefits and impacts of trails, including:
- Understanding and conducting an economic impact analysis that captures all of the quantifiable and unquantifiable impacts of community trail systems;
- Strategies for undertaking surveys associated with trail user expenditures, business revenues, and real estate impacts as a result of trails;
- Planning for events, including planning and designing the trail system or course, financial management, and event management;
- Organizational structures for planning, developing, operating, and maintaining a trail system including public, non-profit, for-profit, and quasi-public entities.
Accessibility Guidelines and DOJ Ruling
Gary Briere: Chief of Recreation, MA DCR
This workshop will focus on current ADA Guidelines and their role related to trails in the state, as well as questions and discussion on the recent Department of Justice (DOJ) ruling regarding “Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices” and requirements related to trails on public lands.
Working with Conservation Commissions and the Wetland Protection Act
Mark Stinson: Wetlands Circuit Rider, MA Department of Environmental Protection
Sarah LaValley: Planner, City of Northampton & Conservation Commission
This session will discuss the Wetland Protection Act and how trails advocates can most efficiently and cost-effectively navigate through the regulations and requirements. Participants will leave the session with a solid sense of when they need to file, how to have a good relationship with the town Conservation Commissions, and how to avoid negative impacts on wetlands and complications in the filing process.
Funding Opportunities for Trails
Dick O’Brien: Winding Trail Designs, MARTAB
This workshop will discuss the various opportunities for funding for trails that currently exist and are available in Massachusetts. In addition, the group will discuss the future of these funds as well as other possible sources of funding for trails.
2nd Concurrent Workshops/Presentations 10:40 – 11:50 am
Trails and Resource Protection
Ale Echandi: Natural Resource Specialist, MA DCR
This session will focus on the protection of natural and cultural resources when constructing and maintaining trails. The presenters will explain and discuss working with MESA and Natural Heritage as well as working for the preservation of historic/cultural resources and working with MHC.
Developing Trails on State Land and Working with the Massachusetts DCR
Gary Briere: Chief of Recreation, MA DCR
Becky Barnes: Regional Trail Coordinator, MA DCR
Paul Jahnige: Director of Greenways and Trails, MA DCR
This session will discuss DCR policy regarding trail development and volunteer work on state lands. The DCR Volunteer Policy, Trail Proposal and Evaluation Form and DCR’s Trail Guidelines and Best Practices Manual will all be discussed.
Rail Trails: Getting Started, Challenges, and Future Training Opportunities
Dick Williamson: Friends of Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Mass Central Rail Trail Coalition, MARTAB
Robert Weidknecht: Town of Holliston Conservation Commission
Colleen Abrams: Wachusett Greenways
Kate Day: Town of Danvers
This session will allow the shared use path/rail trail community an opportunity to come together and discuss challenges, issues and past success in developing these trails. The MassDOT process and requirements, community-based development, working with Iron Horse Preservation and the acquisition of rail trail corridors will all be discussed. There will also be a discussion about the possibility of a future “Rail Trail Conference” sponsored by MARTAB and funded by RTP.
Trail Corridor Protection Planning for Regional and Multi-Community Trail Systems
Charlie Tracy: National Park Service, New England Trail Administrator
Clare Cain: Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Director of Trail Stewardship
This workshop will discuss strategies for integrating public and private lands into a multi-community trail corridor and the options available for trail protection.
About MARTAB
MARTAB is a unique group, comprised of representatives from each recreational trail user group in Massachusetts. Although their primary role has been to oversee the Recreational Trails Grant Program, with this conference and in the future, they are looking to establish a leadership role as a core coalition which will address broader trail issues facing Massachusetts and the nation as a whole. In this time of economic uncertainty and across-the-board budget cuts, it is imperative that the development of recreational trails does not wane, especially given the benefits that trails can offer to all interests, from recreationists to business owners to populations who simply need and depend on the existence of trails. Promoting advocacy, education and training initiatives, information sharing and trail planning are chief among MARTAB’s goals which will aim to create a truly sustainable, all-encompassing, high-quality trail system across the state.
DCR Greenways
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WRLF Announces Pie Contest Winners
More than a dozen delectable pies were entered in the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation’s 8th annual Williamstown Pie Contest held on Saturday October 15 at Sheep Hill. The pie contest brings the community together in celebration of the harvest season and ingredients grown and produced in the Berkshire region.
Five local food aficionados; WRLF’s own Cathy Talarico, Amy Wood, Ken Gietz, Janet Curran and Mary Ellen Cangelosi, judged a variety of pies in the categories Youth (under 16), Home Baker, and Commercial. Judging criteria included the overall appeal of each pie, the quality and taste of the crust and the filling, and the number of local ingredients used.
The highlight of the evening was the sampling of the pies by the discerning public and the choosing of their favorite pie for the People’s Choice Award, won this year by Jack Cangelosi and his Mom, Sarah Brill, for their Chocolate Pumpkin Tart, which also won top award in the home baker category. Venetia Greenhalgh’s rich S’mores Pie was the second prize winner. The first place in the Commercial Bakers’ contest was Wild Oats, for a Butternut Strapple Pie with Honey Oat Crumb Topping, baked by Justin Rice.
In the Youth division, first-time entrants Genevieve and Haley Syrett were the winners, earning the most points for their beautifully decorated Berry Apple Custard Pie. Second place winner for her Black-bottom Cream Pie was Cate Cangelosi. Leslie Reed-Evans, WRLF Executive Director, states “we are excited that our local youth look forward to competing in the annual event and feel that the Pie Contest is a wonderful way to excite them about home baking and cooking, and interest them in learning about local products.”
The WRLF is a member-supported non-profit land conservation trust dedicated to preserving the rural New England character of Williamstown and celebrating 25 years in 2o11. Its headquarters are located at Sheep Hill, a conservation property and former historic dairy farm. For more information on the WRLF and upcoming events, visit www.wrlf.org.
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Bathroom “Mini-Makeovers” Save Water, Energy, and Money
In honor of National Kitchen and Bath Month this October, WaterSense partners across the country are promoting water-saving bathroom “mini-makeovers.”
From Water Headlines for the week of October 17, 2011
Giving a home’s main bathroom a mini-makeover by installing a WaterSense labeled toilet, faucet, and showerhead can save a household more than $80 annually and 7,000 gallons of water per year—enough water to wash six months’ worth of laundry. In addition to saving water, a mini-makeover saves energy by reducing the amount of water that needs to be heated—enough to power a refrigerator for two months. The combined utility savings can pay for the new fixtures in as little as two years.
Bathrooms are the biggest water users in homes, accounting for more than half of all indoor water use. With water utility costs on the rise—now averaging more than $700 per household per year across the United States—Americans can save by giving their bathrooms a mini-makeover with a WaterSense labeled toilet, faucet, and showerhead.
For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/bathroom.html
For information on EPA’s WaterSense program: www.epa.gov/watersense
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Water Quality Management Planning Grants
Administered by the MassDEP, the Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grants Program provides funding for watershed- or sub-watershed-based non-point source assessment activities that support MassDEP’s assessment efforts, including data needs that are identified in the Massachusetts Watershed-based plans, the EOEEA Watershed Action Plans, the Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Management Plan, MassDEP’s watershed water quality assessment reports, theMassachusetts Estuaries Project, TMDL development, and water supply source protection planning. Mass DEP encourages respondents to propose other suitable water quality assessment/planning projects that will lead to direct actions by municipalities and others to implement water quality improvements. MassDEP is seeking project proposals that will identify water quality problems and provide preliminary or final designs for BMPs to address these problems. A Request for Responses (RFR) for the next (2012) §604(b) grant round is expected to be issued later this fall.
Click here or contact Gary Gonyea at (617) 556-1152 or Gary.Gonyea@state.ma.us for more info. [N.B.: Gary is happy to discuss possible project ideas with potential applicants, including factors that might affect the likelihood of getting a §604(b) grant, but only until the RFR is issued.]
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Grants for Youth Service-Learning Programs in New England
KIDS Consortium: Dara Jeanne Kaufman Fund
The Dara Jeanne Kaufman Fund (http://www.kidsconsortium.org/darafund.php), administered by KIDS (Kids Involved in Doing Service-Learning) Consortium, offers a mini-grant program for K-12 service-learning projects that strive to solve problems and improve communities throughout New England. This program, inspired by Dara Kaufman’s life, is intended to encourage young people to take action to make their schools and communities caring, supportive, and environmentally sustainable places. K-12 classrooms, after-school programs, and community-based programs are eligible to apply for mini-grants of up to $350. Funded projects must focus on specific themes identified at each grade level. The next application deadline is October 28, 2011. Information on the eligible themes and the online application process is available on the KIDS Consortium website.
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Housatonic Heritage Announces Its Grants Program
The theme this year is trail projects -- both physical and interpretive trails
The program will support trail projects that provide residents and visitors with expanded opportunities for outdoor enjoyment, an enhanced heritage experience through walking, bicycling or hiking, and / or a more complete understanding and enjoyment of the area's history, cultural heritage, or natural resources. The maximum grant amount is $5,000.
The deadline for applications is Nov. 15, and a pre-application discussion is strongly recommended. If, after reading the guidelines and themes at www.housatonicheritage.org you would like to apply, send an e-mail to history@housatonicheritage.org to set up a pre-application telephone appointment.
Eligible trails: Physical or Interpretive
Existing or proposed physical trail projects will be considered for grant funding, provided that the trails are open to the public, offer a meaningful heritage experience to visitors, and have been or are planned to be routinely maintained. Grants may be used for the purpose of planning, design, routine maintenance and repair, non-construction enhancements of physical trails, and / or researching, inventorying and creating thematic trails - including interpretive brochures, maps, website, etc. - and / or promoting both physical and interpretive trails within the 29 communities of the Upper Housatonic Valley region. Please Note: Trail construction of any sort is not eligible under this grant program.
Proposed projects for physical trails must clearly pose no adverse effects to environmental or historic resources and projects are encouraged to include a community service element. Any ground-disturbing activities will ineligible under this grant program.
Trails that qualify:
- Physical trails - hiking, biking, walking.
- Interpretive Trails - thematic trails that weave a compelling story by knitting together ideas or organizations.
The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area includes nine towns in Connecticut and 20 in Massachusetts. The Connecticut towns are Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, and Warren. The Massachusetts towns are Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlboro, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and West Stockbridge.
Grant information and further details can be found at the Housatonic Heritage website: www.housatonicheritage.org, under Partnership Grants.
For more information: history@housatonicheritage.org
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