On Friday, October 4, state and local leaders, friends, family, and community members gathered at the Goose Pond Boat Ramp in Tyringham for the dedication of new accessible improvements there. The improvements include an accessible concrete sidewalk and floating dock to improve access for people of all abilities to fishing and boating. A granite stone and plaque were erected to honor the late Evan Scott Colbert and his passion for the outdoors, being on the water, and fishing and boating at Goose Pond.
These improvements were made possible through local community fundraising efforts from the Cole’s Memorial Hard Water Fishing Derby with the generous donations to Office of Fishing & Boating Access (OFBA) Trust Fund. In January, 2020, a new ice fishing derby was established dedicated in Evan’s memory who passed away in July, 2019 at the age of 29.
He loved the outdoors and spent his leisure time fishing and boating. He could often be seen enjoying the waters of Goose Pond casting his reel while watching the eagles fly above.
All proceeds of the ensuing derbies went towards a donation to the Goose Pond Boat Ramp in Evan’s name. Last year, they donated $5,000 to OFBA to help fund the improvements
Among those attending were MA Fish & Game Commissioner Thomas O’Shea, MA House Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli, State Senator Paul Mark, Tyringham Selectman James Consolati and Terrance W. Smith, Deputy Chief Engineer & Constructor.
“The dedication of this public access point to Evan Colbert is a fitting tribute to a young man whose great love of the outdoors and passion for fishing and boating has inspired his family and friends to give back,” said Tom O’Shea. “We greatly appreciate the support that has allowed us to increase access to Goose Pond, a cherished great pond in the Berkshires. The new accessible walkway and floating dock will greatly improve the experience for boaters and anglers like Evan who appreciate nothing more than a day out on the water.”
“The many years of successfully raising funds through events, donations, and visibility are now culminating with the dedication of the Goose Pond Boat Ramp in honor of Evan ‘Cole’ Colbert. This is an amazing example of the sense of community that makes the Berkshires so special,” said Mark “The improvements that have been made and this dedication ceremony is a testament to how important Evan was to so many and that his memory continues to bring people together and bring out the very best in all of us.”
“Evan Colbert was an exceptional young man who loved to fish with friends and family on Goose Pond. He was taken too soon, leaving a void in all our hearts. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of recognition for this wonderful enhancement to the pond he loved to spend time on,” said Pignatelli.
“The construction and dedication of the Goose Pond Boat Ramp is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when the state, town and private citizens work together. We now have a great new facility, which makes boating on Goose Pond safer, much more convenient, and more enjoyable. At the same time, we have established a lasting memorial for Evan Colbert, who is loved and missed by all who knew him,” said Consolati.
Inscribed on the plaque were the following words, “Evan had a passion for the outdoors, fishing, boating, being on the water and making the most of his time with family and friends.”
Throughout the ceremony, people kept searching the sky for the bald eagle which frequently flies over Goose Pond. It never showed up, at least not during the ceremony. Perhaps it didn’t want to upstage the wonderful event honoring Cole which was going on down below.
A buck at the end of the rainbow
On Tuesday afternoon, October 13, Kevin Troiano of Housatonic was on the phone discussing the possibility of going out bow hunting for deer with his dad Andy. Hail and rain was coming down where Kevin was but it was sunny where Andy was. For a while, they didn’t think they would be going out. But then, Andy saw a beautiful double rainbow came out and suggested that they go. He felt that it was a good luck charm and there might be something nice at the end of that rainbow.
They did go out and from his tree stand in Housatonic, Kevin spotted two large bucks about the same size, one with a tall rack of antlers and the other with a wide rack. They were about 30 yards away. Kevin couldn’t take a shot at the buck with the tall rack as it was partially blocked by the other deer. So, he let his arrow fly at the one that provided a clear shot and hit it, but it ran off. He called his father to help him track it down. Because it was wet and rainy, there was not a good blood trail to follow. It was getting late and they really didn’t want to leave the deer there over night to resume tracking the next morning as coyotes would surely find it and eat it up overnight.
They made one more circle and found it just before dark. It took a total of 45 minutes of tracking to find that deer. It was a 10-point buck. They had to drag it about 150 years to get it out of the woods.
The deer weighed 210 lbs. dressed according to Fishery & Wildlife scales. (Its live weight was estimated to be around 280 lbs.) They estimated the deer to be 4 ½ years old.
Kevin is going to have the head and shoulder mounted by Wild Arts Taxidermy out of Connecticut.
New gun law confusion persists
There still remains much confusion regarding the new gun law which took effect this month (Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024). What is understood to be the law this week could very well be changed or re-clarified the next. At the October 5th Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s meeting, MassWildlife Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden distributed MassWildlife’s most recent information on this subject. Hunters are encouraged to click onto the MassWildlife website entitled “Hunting with a firearm in Massachusetts”). https://www.mass.gov/info-details/hunting-with-a-firearm-in-massachusetts) for their most recent data. He stressed that the website will more than likely be updated as they get new information.
He noted that his district office is getting a lot of calls from out of state hunters.
Incidentally, according to Toby Leary, leader of The Civil Rights Coalition, more than 90,000 people signed petitions to delay enactment of the law and request that it be brought up for statewide vote in 2026. That was well above the 37,287 required to put a repeal question before voters. Leary said the group did not use paid signature-gatherers and relied entirely on volunteers.
Hunters and Anglers recognized
On September 1, 2024 Governor Maura Healey gave a proclamation recognizing September 28, 2024 as National Hunting and Fishing Day and urged all citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance. The proclamation stated:
- To this day, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game is funded, in part, by sportsmen and women, through the American System of Conservation Funding. In 2023, Massachusetts’ sportsmen and women generated more than $24 million to support the Department’s conservation efforts.
- More than 330,000 hunters and anglers support the state’s economy through their spending more than $600 million while engaged in their pursuits.
- This spending supports over 9,000 jobs in Massachusetts and generates $70 million in state and local taxes.
- Their license fees helped fund state efforts to provide for healthy and sustainable natural resources.
- Sportsmen and women supported self-imposed excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, fishing tackle and motorboat fuels to raise additional conservation funds.
Old Mill Trail
On Wednesday, October 23, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., you are invited to to celebrate the completion of accessibility improvements at the Old Mill Trail in Hinsdale. The improvements include a more accessible trailhead and parking lot, making this beautiful trail more inclusive for everyone, regardless of their mobility needs.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but requested.