Hi Friend,
Our event with Northeast Wildlife Trackers is coming up soon, and the deadline to submit your photos is this week! If you've come across anything in the woods lately and thought, "What is THAT and HOW did it happen?!" And then, promplty took a photo with hopes of figuring it out — well, we might be able to help you with that!
Send us your photos by January 28 if you'd like them to be part of our evening of track & sign identification. You can find the submission details below. And even if you don't have any photos to submit, you can still take part in this lively evening! RSVP here.
Thanks for all you do to protect the environment,
Jane, Rose, Jake, Noah, and Chelsey
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*TRACK & SIGN PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES*
- PLEASE have some sort of gauge in the photo so there is a sense of size. This could be a ruler (ideal), a pencil, your hand, or boot—something with a known length.
- Check that the picture is in focus; take several and pick the best.
- Perhaps the individual track does not have good detail; if so, take long view photo(s) of the trail as well.
- It can be helpful to have both closeup and long view photos.
- Time of day and temperature information is appreciated.
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Send to [email protected] with the subject “Tracks”
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Submissions should be sent no later than January 28.
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***We can't guarantee that all photos will be shown; it depends on the amount submitted, quality of photo, and discussion time. |
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Photo taken from Art of Bluebird Farm's Facebook Page, where Cara Patricca - the farm owner - sales her artwork to help fund the operation.
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Bluebird Farm Sanctuary in Cheshire Working Overtime to Help Rescued Animals
Scott Strafford | The Berkshire Eagle
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"Bluebird Farm serves a niche spot in the Northern Berkshires because there are no other nearby shelters or sanctuaries that will take the animals Petricca can work with. She is duly licensed by the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to rehabilitate a number of wild and farm species. [...] With about 65 animals on site, Petricca is trying to get some of them back into the wild because springtime is mating time — the busy season for rehabbers. Even with 11 heated out-buildings helping to house the critters, she is running low on room, especially on cold days when everyone wants to stay inside. [...] In the spring, Petricca will start seeing newborn litters of skunks, porcupines, squirrels, ducks, groundhogs and even some peacocks. [...] In order to try to make ends meet, Bluebird has a GoFundMe page where people can donate money to the effort to heal and release troubled wildlife and place abused farm animals. Petricca, who devotes some of her limited free time to her art [...] sells her works online to help fund the operation." See Photos & Read More.
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With Report of High Levels of Haloacetic Acid, Housatonic Residents' Frustrations with Water Company Escalate
Felix Carroll | The Berkshire Eagle
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"A letter from Housatonic Water Works notifying customers that the system violated a drinking water standard for levels of haloacetic acid compounds, known as HAA5, came as a surprise to users — and town officials as well. [...] The letter, which was mailed to users last week, indicated that it was just informational, and there was no action necessary for users. 'You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours,' it stated. 'If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.'" Read More.
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Department of Defense Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Species Profile Video Series - Episode 10: Timber Rattlesnake
DoD PARC
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"The Department of Defense Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (DoD PARC) network is happy to announce the release of Episode 10: Timber Rattlesnake of their Species Profile Video Series. The purpose of this video is to inform and educate military natural resource personnel and other land managers about this species' ecology, life history, threats, and conservation actions." Watch the Video.
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Trash is a Burning Question with Mixed Answers in Some Mass. Towns
Hannah Chanatry | WBUR
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"The Haverhill incinerator is one of seven operating in Massachusetts. The state has a limited amount of landfill space, so most of our trash is either burned locally or shipped to landfills out of state. [...] According to Covanta, the company that owns the incinerator, the facility processes enough garbage each year to fill 276 miles worth of dump trucks. [...] Massachusetts categorizes trash incineration as renewable energy. In fact, it's almost always one of the leading sources of renewable energy in the region, according to ISO New England's real-time analysis of energy use, usually beating out solar and wind. The designation as renewable is a critical problem for the Conservation Law Foundation. 'It's really just a greenwashing campaign,' said Kirstie Pecci, and environmental attorney with the organization." See Photo & Read More.
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Fungi May Kill Winter Ticks - and Help Moose Survive
Rachel Sargent Mirus | The Outside Story
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"Winter ticks are a one-host parasite, meaning all three active stages – larvae, nymphs, and adults – feed on a single host animal. This species prefers to feast on ungulates and is often called the “moose tick” because – unlike deer – moose are unable to remove the ticks through grooming, leaving them particularly vulnerable to large tick loads. Average tick counts on a single moose can hover around 47,000, with high counts toping 96,000.That many ticks can drain the blood of a calf in two to three weeks. From 2017 to 2019, researchers with the Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Vermont noted a 91 percent mortality of moose calves in Vermont. And from 2014 through 2016, researchers from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of New Hampshire saw 70 percent mortality in northern New Hampshire and western Maine due to winter ticks. [...] Entomopathogenic fungi are found naturally in soils worldwide and infect hosts through aerial spores. When a spore lands on a tick, it germinates, puncturing the tick’s outer shell, then spreads its hyphae – the threads that comprise the fungi’s mycelium network – through the tick’s body." Read More.
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Road Salt Works. But It's Also Bad for the Environment.
Jenny Gross | The New York Times
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"...while pouring tons of salt on roads makes winter driving safer, it also has damaging environmental and health consequences, according to a growing body of research. As snow and ice melt on roads, the salt washes into soil, lakes and streams, in some cases contaminating drinking water reservoirs and wells. It has killed or endangered wildlife in freshwater ecosystems, with high chloride levels toxic to fish, bugs and amphibians, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 'It’s an issue that requires attention now,' said Bill Hintz...'There’s plenty of scientific evidence to suggest that freshwater ecosystems are being contaminated by salt from the use of things like road salt beyond the concentration which is safe for freshwater organisms and for human consumption,' Dr. Hintz said." Read More.
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Giant Marine Reptile Skull Discovery Reveals New
Evolutionary Theories
Hannah Ryan | CNN
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"The discovery of a giant marine reptile skull in the United States has revealed new theories about the speed of evolution and how quickly the process can produce diversity. The giant ichthyosaur fossil — with a skull measuring almost two meters (6.6 feet) in length, an estimated body length of more than 17 meters (55.7 feet) and a weight of 45 tonnes — was found in Nevada. [...] 'What this fossil discovery shows is that, if ecological conditions are just right and there's a certain amount of environmental stability, evolution can proceed remarkably quickly.'" See Photos & Read More.
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Will Congress be able to pass a climate bill in the coming months?
David Leonhardt | The New York Times
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"In the U.S. today, only one of the two major political parties is worried about climate change — the Democratic Party. Republicans in Congress have opposed almost every major effort to combat change in the 21st century. So have the last two Republican presidents, George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Some Republicans say they support certain climate policies, like a carbon tax, but they tend to do so only when the policies are theoretical, not when they are up for a vote. This opposition is different from the approach taken by many other conservative parties around the world. But there is no sign that Republicans will change their stance anytime soon. If the U.S. is going to act on the climate in the foreseeable future, it will almost certainly need to be through a Democratic bill, passed along partisan lines in Congress and signed by a Democratic president. [...] More broadly, the Democratic Party has been losing working-class votes for years and does not seem focused on reversing the trend. Many Democratic politicians continue to favor a socially liberal agenda, with positions that are at least somewhat to the left of public opinion on religion, guns, crime, abortion, immigration, affirmative action and American history, among other issues." Read More.
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~OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT BEAT~
Tommy's Compost is a local composting service that offers residential and commercial compost pick-up services year-round and currently serving the Pittsfield, Hinsdale, Dalton, Windsor, Lenox, Cheshire, and surrounding areas.
By signing up for Tommy's Compost not only will you reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to sustainability, but you will also support a local small business AND support BEAT! Because whenever you sign up for Tommy's Compost and use the code 1FORBEAT at checkout, BEAT receives $1.
Interested in using Tommy’s but located outside of their service area? When three people sign up from an out-of-area location in the Berkshires, Tommy’s is able to begin servicing that new area.
If you'd like to sign up for Tommy's Compost or learn more, you can check out their website or contact them through email.
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
We list events from a variety of local and regional organizations and individuals.
Events with BEAT:
Community Calendar:
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30
MONDAY, JANUARY 31
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2
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JOBS
We list jobs related to the environment from a variety of organizations.
***Are you a non-profit environmental organization looking for willing, capable, and *free* summer interns?
The Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College provides funding to students to pursue unpaid environmental summer internships with non-profit organizations and governmental agencies, supervised research, and creative endeavors. Learn more about this summer program and how you can get involved here.
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Environmental Monitor
January 7, 2022
The Environmental Monitor provides information on projects under review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office, recent MEPA decisions of the Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs, and public notices from environmental agencies.
Berkshire Index:
Pioneer Valley Index:
Statewide Index:
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Public Notices
Public Notices listed here are from a variety of sources, from town conservation commissions and select boards to state and federal agencies. These listings are for Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin counties. Listings are only posted if they are environmental in nature. You can find all public notices for Massachusetts here.
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Berkshire Environmental Action Team
20 Chapel St., Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 464-9402
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