Berkshire Agricultural Groups Receive Over $124K in State Grants| 10:46AM / Thursday, May 08, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Healey-Driscoll Administration has announced significant grant funding to support agricultural initiatives across Massachusetts, with several organizations in Berkshire County receiving awards. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will manage these grants through three programs: the Agricultural Fairs Infrastructure Grant Program, Farmers Market Sustainability Grant Program, and Buy Local Grant Program. "Agricultural fairs are an important part of Massachusetts' farming history and traditions," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "These fairs, along with farmers markets, >> Read More |
GE Plans for PCB Removal Gets OK| 03:46PM / Wednesday, April 30, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved, with several conditions, the General Electric Company's Revised On-Site and Off-Site Transportation and Disposal Plan. GE's revised plan maximizes the use of rail and hydraulic pumping for the transport of sediments and soils in and along the Housatonic River that are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls. Approximately 75 percent to 80 percent of the material to be removed from the river will be transported hydraulically without the need for any trucks. Approximately 17 percent of the material can be transported by rail (combined with trucking). As little as approximately 5 percent of the material >> Read More |
Dalton Green Committee to Present Climate Action Plan Draft April 12By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:11AM / Tuesday, April 01, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee will present its draft of the Climate Action Plan on For the past nine months, the committee has been working with the town's consultant, Blue Strike Environmental, in the development of this document. The goal of the climate action plan is to aid the town in achieving net zero by 2050 by seeking strategies to decrease the town's dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. Committee members said the CAP presentation will kick off a vital discussion on climate change within town. "This is an ongoing process, with this presentation being the initiation of a >> Read More |
Leah Penniman to Speak at BCC Earthseed Series.| 08:00AM / Sunday, March 30, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host Leah Penniman as part of its Earthseed Speaker Series & Skillshare on Thursday, April 10, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event, which is open to the public, will take place in the Koussevitzky Arts Center, Room K111. Registration is available at www.berkshirecc.edu/earthseed. Penniman, co-founder and co-executive director of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, NY, will speak about her work in food justice and sustainable agriculture. Soul Fire Farm, established in 2010, focuses on addressing racial disparities within the food system and promoting land access for Black and Brown communities. >> Read More |
Berkshire Green Drinks to Feature Presentation on Rare Butterfly Species| 11:35AM / Monday, March 10, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Jessica Duffy will present "A Tale of Two Butterflies: Two Rare Pierid Butterflies of the Berkshires and Combined Threats" at the March Berkshire Green Drinks event on Wednesday, March 12. The event will be held online via Zoom and in person at Hot Plate Brewing Co. in Pittsfield, MA. The in-person gathering begins at 5:15 PM, with the presentation starting at 6:00 PM. Duffy will discuss the Veined White and West Virginia White butterflies, their natural history, and the threats they face from parasitoid wasps and invasive garlic mustard. Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will conduct butterfly surveys and garlic mustard >> Read More |
Pontoosuc Lake Park Improvements Starting SoonBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:36PM / Monday, February 24, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The first phase of improvements to Pontoosuc Lake Park will begin as soon as the ground defrosts.
Work on the south side bordering Hancock Road will kick off in March and run through the summer. This will enhance the accessibility of the 23-acre parcel and add a boardwalk along the shore.
"We are in an Arctic freeze moment here in the Berkshires. We really can't get in there and do anything with the ground up at the park but it'll be a very active March, April, May, June into July," Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath told the Parks Commission on Tuesday.
"It will take about four or five months for
>> Read More |
Volunteers Say Springside Park Has Gotten CleanerBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Friday, February 21, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Volunteers say Springside Park has generally gotten cleaner over the years.
On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved the Springside Park Conservancy and the Friends of Springside Park's annual cleanups on April 19 and Sept. 20. Longtime members Bernard Mack and Esther Anderson gave a positive report about the park's upkeep.
"The park has been getting cleaner and cleaner every year, which is very exciting to see that people are taking more interest in keeping it that way," Mack said.
"And a lot of other things have been happening at the park, which we're happy about as well, improvements and such."
He reported that 25 years ago,
>> Read More |
Centuries Old Pittsfield Dam Eyed for RemovalBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:19PM / Tuesday, February 04, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state is looking into removing a West Pittsfield dam that dates back to the early 1800s.
The Healey-Driscoll administration last week announced $400,000 from the Department of Fish and Game's Division of Ecological Restoration for preliminary design studies on dam removals. Pittsfield was one of eight municipalities to receive funding, which will allocated near-evenly resulting in about $50,000 for the project. The privately owned Shaker Grist Mill Dam, located nearest to 321 Lebanon Ave., is the first dam on the Southwest Branch of the Housatonic River. Its removal would reportedly benefit cold water species in a core aquatic habitat and
>> Read More |
Drinking Water Advocates Applaud Well Water Bill| 05:54PM / Monday, January 27, 2025 | |
WORCESTER, Mass. — The Coalition for Safe Drinking Water is applauding legislation filed this month that would enable Massachusetts to develop minimum statewide water quality standards for private wells and expand a financial assistance program to remediate wells affected by PFAS ("forever chemicals") and other harmful contaminants in drinking water supplies. The filing of bills SD.847 by state Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Marlborough and HD.3597 by state Reps. Natalie Blais of Sunderland, Meghan K. Kilcoyne of Clintoin and Danillo A. Sena of Acton, is not only suppported by the coalition, a grassroots group led by RCAP Solutions, but also the Health Foundation of Central >> Read More |
BNRC Names Nick Pitel as Director of Conservation | 04:20PM / Monday, January 27, 2025 | |
 LENOX, Mass. — Nick Pitel has been promoted to director of conservation, effective January 2025, by the Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Pitel succeeds Beth Mills, who retired at the end of 2024 after three years of service to land conservation at BNRC. Pitel will lead the organization's conservation efforts across Berkshire County. A lifelong explorer of nature, Pitel grew up in Otego, N.Y., where he developed a deep connection to the outdoors. He holds a bachelor of science in field biology from Paul Smith's College and a master's degree in forest ecology and management from the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and >> Read More |
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