Several Berkshires projects win state grants to contend with our changing climate

Scott Strafford | The Berkshire Eagle

"Several projects in the Berkshires to handle heavier rains brought on by the changing climate will advance with new backing from the state.

The $4.6 million in overall grant funding for 31 projects statewide, announced this week, includes $367,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for construction work on a culvert replacement project along the Savery Brook at Frost Road in Washington. [...] Another grant of $26,500 will go to Egremont to conduct engineering, design, and permitting work on a culvert replacement project along a tributary to Karner Brook at Blunt Road. Replacing the degraded structure will improve stream connectivity and decrease barriers to wildlife passage. In the town of Mount Washington, the Nature Conservancy will get $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money to remove the Becker Pond Dam. [...] Also receiving a grant is the Housatonic Valley Association’s Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Restoration Partnership. The $220,375 grant will fund ecological restoration, such as road-stream crossing replacements. [...] The money comes from the Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. Climate specialists say climate change in New England will result in more humidity and fewer rain episodes — but when there is rain, it will come with greater wind severity and heavier rainfall, resulting in the need for higher-capacity culverts and drains." Read More

Northeastern researchers have a plan to protect Boston from rising sea levels: floating vegetation mats they call the 'Emerald Tutu'

Travis Andersen | The Boston Globe

"Researchers at Northeastern University have developed a system of interconnected circular mats of floating vegetation dubbed the 'Emerald Tutu,' which they believe could help protect Boston Harbor from the perils of rising sea levels. In a statement, Northeastern said the Emerald Tutu project, a play on Boston’s famed Emerald Necklace of parkways and waterways stretching from Boston to Brookline, currently has one mat in the water in Salem, with a second set slated for launch in Boston Harbor. A date for the harbor launch hasn’t been set. [...] Northeastern said the circular mats that comprise the 'tutu' are each about 7 feet in diameter and designed to have marsh grasses growing on top and seaweed below. In addition, the tutu is meant to feature walkways to allow pedestrians to experience nature, the statement said. [...] The mats are composed of biodegradable material, such as coconut fiber, wood chip byproduct, burlap canvas, and marine-grade rope, and they won’t pollute the environment if they break loose and get lost at sea, according to the statement. The university said the mats absorb wave energy and help mitigate the flooding that increasingly threatens to inundate Boston and other coastal cities. The more vegetation that grows on the mats when they’re in the water, the more wave energy they can absorb, thereby limiting flooding, the statement said. 'It functions as a marsh without being a marsh,' Hopkins said in the statement, adding that the 'basic idea takes some of the theory we have about how nature is supposed to be protecting shore and applying that to something we can use in urban environments. 'Plans are in place for 'a massive' Emerald Tutu pilot project next summer, with an exact location for the vegetation mats yet to be determined, the statement said." Read More

Biden will unveil new steps to confront extreme heat and boost wind power in remarks at Massachusetts plant

Kevin Liptak | CNN Politics

"President Joe Biden plans to announce new funding for communities facing extreme heat and steps to boost the offshore wind industry when he speaks Wednesday at a defunct coal power plant. A White House official said Biden would vow to take additional executive actions if Congress fails to act in his speech from Somerset, Massachusetts, where the former coal plant is being transformed into a factory producing cables for offshore wind farms." Read More

The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: The Top 100

The Editors | Audubon Magazine

"This year almost 2,500 photographers from across the United States and Canada submitted nearly 10,000 photographs and videos to Audubon's13th annual Audubon Photography Awards. Reviewing anonymous image and video files, three panels of expert judges selected eight stunning winners and five honorable mentions. (Spoiler alert: It was a great year for grouse). We couldn't stop there, with so many more exceptional shots—and exceptional birds—worth sharing. So we’ve selected 100 additional photos to feature. Displayed in no particular order, these photos give just a taste of birds' glorious variety. They also showcase a wide array of techniques used by wildlife photographers, as captured in entertaining and thoughtful 'behind the shot' stories that accompany each image." See More Photos & Read More

Identify summer wildflowers in Vermont

Liz Thompson | Vermont Land Trust

"Summers [...] are ablaze with gorgeous wildflowers! You can find them along roadsides, in wetlands, in the woods, and on mountaintops. From towering Great Angelica lining wet roadsides to tiny mountain cranberry clinging to the very highest peaks…. Let us help you identify summer wildflowers native to Vermont and the northeast." Read More

Williamstown Farmers Market to accept SNAP/EBT

Harris Center for Conservation Education

"The Williamstown Farmers Market, Inc. (WFM) is pleased to announce its certification by the USDA to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and EBT cards at its weekly farmers market. Beginning on July 23, SNAP/EBT recipients will be able to swipe their cards at the market booth and receive tokens which can be used to purchase eligible items from market vendors. Leslie Reed-Evans, Board President, says “the market is very pleased to be able to expand access to fresh healthy produce and farm products to a larger audience. By implementing acceptance of the SNAP/EBT cards we are also expanding our existing food access programs which include produce donations to local food pantries and doubling of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program’s WIC and Senior coupons.” In the future, the WFM hopes to be able to also match SNAP dollars and add other federal food access programs to its capabilities. The WFM is grateful to Wild Oats Community Market through its Round Up for Change program, Farm Credit East, MarketLink, and individuals who have generously supported the WFM’s food access efforts. The WFM takes place in the Spring Street parking lot in Williamstown every Saturday through October from 9AM – 1PM." Learn More

California just passesd an ambitious bill to tackle plastic pollution. Here's what you need to know.

Jenn Engstrom | CALPIRG

"...Let's look at some of the highlights of what the new law does: Require all single-use plastic packaging and foodware be actually recyclable or compostable by 2032. Under this new law, producers of single-use plastic packaging and foodware will be required to design their products to actually be recyclable or compostable, meaning you could throw these products into the blue bin, knowing that they will be recycled or composted. [...] Require that all single-use plastics meet a 65% recycling rate by 2032. Under this new law, producers of single-use plastics have to hit a minimum recycling rate of 65% for their products by 2032. And recycling does not include incineration or other harmful forms of disposal like 'chemical recycling.' [...] Require producers to reduce single-use plastic packaging and foodware by 25%, both by weight and unit, by 2032. [...] Require that producers of plastic packaging take financial responsibility for the full lifecycle of their products through a producer responsibility program, with strong oversight and enforcement by CalRecycle. [...] Require plastics producers and plastic resin manufacturers to pay $500 million a year towards environmental cleanup. [...] Ban expanded polystyrene foodware by January 1, 2025 unless industry is able to demonstrate a 25% recycling rate for the prior year, as determined by CalRecycle." Read More

Albany Pine Bush: Gift of the Glaciers

Cheryl Lyn Dybas | Northern Woodlands

"...To understand the special qualities of this landscape, one has to start from the ground up, and events from the last ice age. As the Wisconsin glacier melted and retreated from the region, its snowmelt formed a glacial lake, and in the process deposited a massive delta of small rocks and sand. As noted by Jeffrey Barnes in Natural History of the Albany Pine Bush, this glacial lake extended north 50 miles from today’s city of Albany to modern Glens Falls, New York. About 12,000 years ago, the lake began to drain, leaving the sand exposed to air. 'The remains of the ancient pine bush sand delta cover approximately 40 square miles,' wrote Barnes. Wind shaped the landscape, blowing sand into parabolic, longitudinal, and complex dunes 100 to 2,000 feet long. Over time, plants moved in and stabilized the dunes. Now 'the dunes appear as open, rolling slopes dotted with pitch pine and carpeted with numerous understory plants,' Barnes stated. These sandy, well-drained soils support a rare combination of frequently burned forests and shrublands. Pitch pine and scrub oak are common tree species, and rare plant species thrive in the sandy soil. Here, life pokes up its head in surprising ways. In June 2021, Jesse Hoffman, preserve steward and botanist at the Albany Pine Bush, discovered a rare plant that hadn’t been seen in the area since the Roaring ’20s – 1923, to be exact. The state endangered Virginia marbleseed (Lithospermum virginianum) isn’t showy, Hoffman says, 'but it definitely has a certain charm. The spiraling flower buds look unusual and make the plant stand out.' The name marbleseed comes from the hard, shiny, white seeds the plant produces; they resemble the stone. [...] The federally and state endangered Karner blue butterfly is one of the preserve’s most celebrated species, and a symbol of its biodiversity. Decades ago, the tiny butterfly’s declining numbers mobilized conservationists and state and local officials to protect the pine bush. In 1988, New York Environmental Conservation Law Article 46 created the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. In 2014, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve was designated a U.S. National Natural Landmark. The Karner blue was instrumental in preserving the pine bush for chestnut-sided warblers, lupines, and countless other species that live in this ecosystem. But butterfly and owl, warbler and lupine face continued challenges. Development on all sides is ever encroaching..." Read More

Why this European heat wave is so scary

Jason Samenow | The Washington Post

"For two weeks, computer models teased the possibility of Britain reaching 40 Celsius (104 degrees) this week, a level unsurpassed since at least 1850 — and probably in more than 6,000 years. Meteorologists gazed at these model forecasts in disbelief, skeptical that such predictions would come true. Six days ago, the U.K. Met Office put the odds of hitting 40 Celsius at only 10 percent. But the seemingly unlikely model forecasts proved correct. London Heathrow was among five locations in the United Kingdom to top 40 Celsius on Tuesday, shattering Britain’s all-time temperature record. This is the latest example of how human-caused climate change is pushing temperatures to levels previously considered unfathomable — faster than many can imagine. In 2020, the Met Office issued projections suggesting that the type of heat seen in Britain on Tuesday might occur somewhat routinely by 2050. But to see it happen in 2022 struck scientists as both premature and an ominous preview of what’s to come. [...] Another factor that startled scientists: It wasn’t just that Britain’s temperature record was eclipsed, it was beaten by 1.6 Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit). The previous mark was 38.7 Celsius, set in Cambridge two summers ago. 'For meteorologists, exceeding records by a margin of 2 or 3 degrees is a staggering thought when, historically, records were only broken by fractions of a degree,' said Simon King, a meteorologist for BBC. [...] Meteorologists also marveled at how far north temperatures skyrocketed in this week’s European heat wave. London is farther north than any location in the Lower 48 states and sits at a latitude just north of Calgary. Its high of 104 was hotter than Houston and Miami. [...] 'Models, if anything, are underestimating the potential for future increases in various types of extreme [summer weather] events,' Michael Mann, a professor at Penn State, told the Guardian." Read More