According to a report made by DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden and Western District Fish & Wildlife Board Member Stephen Sears at the October Meeting of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, fiscal Year 2019 (July 2018-June 2019) was another good year for the MassWildlife/Department of Fish and Game Land Protection Program.
Statewide they protected more than 2,400 acres. They completed 15 projects in the Western District alone, accounting for 1,078 acres, which is almost half of the statewide total. The annual budget for land acquisition is approximately $5.5 million.
They both highly complimented DFW Western District Land Agent Peter Milanesi for the superb job that he does every year. The list of the Western District projects is as follows:
Town Acres Description
Otis 29 Abuts Long Mountain WMA on Stebbins Road.
Plainfield 1.57 Small Inholding at Swift River WMA
Windsor 18.4 Along the East Branch of the Westfield
Dalton 100 Abuts the Chalet WMA on three sides.
Sheffield 70 Guilder Hollow Road. Abuts Dolomite Ledges WMA
Chester 100 Builds on the Western side of Fox Den WMA
Worthington 13 Improves access to Fox Den WMA.
Middlefield 90 Abuts the Fox Den WMA. Protects upper portion of the Westfield watershed
Chester 55 Part of the Fox Den WMA.
West Stockbridge 26 Extensive Frontage along the Williams River
West Stockbridge 48 Wetlands along Williams River. Part of Maple Hill WMA
Cummington 86 Stage Road. Part of the Cummington WMA
Worthington 315 Part of Fox Den WMA along the Middle Branch of the Westfield River
Chester 75 Abuts the JJ Kelly WMA.
Worthington 51 Provides access to Fox Den WMA from the East
Do those land acquisitions make you happy? Well wait until you get out and enjoy them.
I hope you read the article in the October 21, 2019 issue of the Berkshire Eagle entitled “Study: Want to be happier? GET OUTDOORS”, written by Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post. According to scientific studies, people who got in two to three hours in nature were about 20% more likely to report high overall satisfaction with their lives than those who spent no time outdoors at all. They were 60% more likely to report being in good health than their cooped-in counterparts.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out these new acquisitions!
2019 Youth Deer Hunt Day results
On September 28, 950 young adults participated in this year’s Youth Deer Hunt Day. The statewide preliminary harvest total was 77 deer reported through the online MassFishHunt system.
MassWildlife created the Youth Deer Hunt Day to allow young hunters to hunt deer with their own permit. The hunt occurs on a special one-day season before the state’s annual deer hunting seasons. Shotgun deer season regulations apply during the hunt. Licensed hunters who hunt other animals on this date must follow special restrictions.
Fifth Annual Berkshire Natural History Conference
Next Saturday, at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Williams College will host the 5th Annual Berkshire Natural History Conference. It will run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You are invited to celebrate the incredible diversity of Berkshire County.
The Conference brings together residents and visitors to celebrate the remarkable biological diversity of Berkshire County and the efforts to preserve, restore, and learn more about species, landscapes, and the myriad interactions among all of them. An impressive list of speakers, exhibitors, and displays will cover such wide-ranging topics as historic naturalists, native brook trout, unknown organisms, and local forests.
Birds, Bogs, Little Snakes, Trout, and Slime Mold Highlight This Year’s Conference
• Botanists/historians Maida Goodwin and Allison Bell retracing the steps of the remarkable, prolific, (and somewhat erratic) late 19th century naturalist Grace Greylock Niles.
• Evolutionary biology student Jenks Hehmeyer introduces the world of incredible organisms, including the Berkshires Giant Amoeba Slime Mold.
• Author Lauren Stephens illuminating Thoreau’s decision to spend the night atop Mt. Greylock.
• Dr. Ron Bassar detailing the plight of native brook trout in light of the Climate crisis.
• Biologist, Pete Hazelton will introduce MassWildlife’s new Citizen Science initiative – the use of the cell phone app, iNaturalist, to record everything on state Wildlife Management Areas.
• Other speakers introduce the incredible density of little snakes, local efforts to restore Cliff Swallows, how the new technology, Lidar, can tell a great story, and more. Ending the day is Williams College ecologist Hank Art on the changing landscape of Western New England.
You can also check out a wide array of displays by more than a dozen local and regional natural history organizations. Purchase new and historic books and join in a Silent Auction that helps support student attendees. A Natural History quiz, where participants can test their knowledge of the Taconic/Berkshire environment, is ever popular.
It is sponsored by the Hoffmann Bird Club, BCC, MCLA, Green Berkshires, BEAT, Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Sanctuaries, Hoosic River Watershed and others.
Pre-registration is required ($25 per person; $15 per students) at: www.berkshirecc.edu/bnhc. Contact Tom Tyning for details at ttyning@berkshirecc.edu
Community Conversation: Love/Hate Relationship with Mother Nature?
This Thursday evening beginning at 7:00 pm, the Lenox Land Trust will hold its Annual Meeting at the Lenox Community Center, 65 Walker Street, Lenox. They are featuring two noted local environmentalists to help homeowners understand their own properties as part of larger landscapes and habitat.
Fighting the Good Fight – Presenter Jess Toro, of Native Habitat Restoration, will offer advice and guidance on identifying and controlling those pesky, persistent Invasive Plants in our yards and neighborhoods: knotweed, bittersweet, and barberry, among the most common of the dirty dozen species.
Where the Wild Things Are– Tom Tyning, Professor of Environmental Science at Berkshire Community College, literally “wrote the book” (A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles), highlighting the indispensable role of Vernal Pools to biodiversity. Discover and protect the Vernal Pools in your neighborhoods and woods – they’re an essential habitat for the life cycles of many species, including the protected Spotted and Jefferson Salamanders, and an incredible landscape feature – half land, half water.
(In 2017, the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen awarded Tom its Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in this area).
The program is open to the public — to any homeowner or property-owner in Lenox or elsewhere! And dessert is on them!
Help needed in planting trees and shrubs along the Housatonic riverbank
In Great Barrington, the Housatonic River access on Division Street has been improved and a new parking lot installed thanks to a great partnership with the property owners, Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) and funding from the Great Barrington Community Preservation Council.
The area was heavily infested with invasive plants which have been treated by Native Habitat Restoration. Now it’s time to plant.
On Tuesday, November 12 from 1:30 to 4:00 pm (Rain Date/Extra Date is November 20) you are invited to help plant native trees and shrubs along the riverbank. The Housatonic Valley Association will supply the tools, but if you have a favorite digging implement, bring it along.
The event is in partnership with BNRC.
If you think you can help, contact Alison Dixon at 413-298-7024 or adixon@hvatoday.org
Directions: Please note, the bridge on Division Street is closed so the access and parking area can only be accessed from Rte.183.
Dam Removals in Massachusetts
The Department of Environmental Restoration (DER) is presenting a six-part film series entitled River Run – A Story of Dam Removal in Massachusetts. It was created in partnership with UMASS Amherst’s Science Media Collaborative. Each short video highlights the efforts of DER and partners to advance river restoration projects across the Commonwealth. These films highlight the benefits, challenges, and local perspectives of dam removal across Massachusetts. One film addresses the Tel-Electric Dam on Mill Street in Pittsfield.
To see the films, click onto:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/river-run-a-story-of-dam-removal-in-massachusetts.
Veteran’s Day
What are you going to do on Veteran’s Day? It is a day off from work/school so maybe you will watch a parade. Will you visit some veterans in nursing homes or assisted living facilities? They would love to see you.
Perhaps you’ll go hunting, preferring to spend some quiet time in a tree stand or a duck blind or just taking a break and sitting on a stump near a stone wall. Whatever you do, you might want to take a moment to remember and thank our living and deceased veterans for their service to our country.