2019 February Enews

In this issue:

Reflections on Climate Change • Willamstown Rural Lands Foundation & BNRC Conserve 82 Acres • Richmond Land Trust: Protecting Perry’s Peak • Timber Harvest • Job Opening: Trails Coordinator Position • Owl Prowl, Sunset Hike & More • A Volunteer with an Eye for Trails & Wildlife • Share nature: Make it your family’s second home  

A group of hardy hikers took to the trail at 
Community Health Programs in Great Barrington on a frigid January day. 

We hope you’ll join us on an upcoming free guided hike!

 Photo by Gabrielle K. Murphy

Reflections on Climate Change and an Opportunity to Learn More

By Jenny Hansell, President of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council

A few weeks ago, I attended a Hampshire Bird Club meeting, at which members were reporting on their Christmas Bird Count results. Several people mentioned that their overall bird counts were way down, and the national CBC director at the National Audubon Society, Geoff LeBaron, who was in attendance, said he’d heard similar reports from around the country.  

These reports are anecdotes—they don’t really tell us anything about changes in bird populations or whether the trends observed this year have anything to do with changes in the climate. (However, Audubon has been doing these counts for over 100 years and in aggregate they provide a very valuable picture of the shifts in species ranges and much more.)  

Nonetheless, we know that the climate is changing, with the increasing likelihood of more extreme weather events. (As I write this in late January, my daughter can’t leave her dorm in Chicago because it’s 20 below zero, while Australia is experiencing record-breaking heat.) We know that it’s going to affect us here in the Berkshires, one way or another. We may have more flooding rains, or more prolonged dry spells and less snow. The populations of pollinator species may shift.  

I came to work at BNRC in part because I wanted to make a difference in the fight against climate change. Conserving land is incredibly important: forests sequester carbon and moderate the local climate. Large swaths of contiguous land protect the corridors that species (both plants and animals) use to move around, and they can move and shift more easily in response to changing conditions. Whenever we evaluate a potential parcel for conservation, we look closely at whether the land in question is valuable to threatened or endangered species, among other criteria.

If you are interested in exploring this topic, on February 23 we are co-sponsoring a talk about how climate change will affect the large mammals of the north, led by master wildlife tracker, Sue Morse. The complete description and all the details are here and Sue promises not to overwhelm you with bad news. She’s also leading tracking workshops in Great Barrington and Windsor that weekend—a great opportunity to learn to identify wildlife tracks and signs from the master.

We hope to see you there!

In Partnership, Willamstown Rural Lands Foundation & BNRC conserve 82 acres in Williamstown

Beautiful unspoiled mountain views, open fields, and a large stretch of the Green River are now conserved through a partnership of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) and the Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Together with landowners Deborah Menaker Rothschild and David Rothschild, the conservation organizations protected the legacy of the Oleson and Brookman families which cared for the land on Old Mill Road since the 1920s.

Click here to keep reading. 

Protecting Perry’s Peak

By John Keenum, President of the Richmond Land Trust

The Richmond Land Trust (RLT) recently announced a campaign to permanently protect a 340-acre tract of land in the northwest comer of town that includes Perry’s Peak. RLT has long recognized the importance of protecting Perry’s Peak and its surrounding landscape. Together with generous landowners and supporters, the RLT has partnered with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) to conserve and open this land to the public. Protecting this landscape is a worthy goal; it is rich with cultural features, contains the headwaters of Scace Brook and Sleepy Hollow Brook, and protects a newly connected wildlife and recreation corridor. The Richmond Land Trust will embark on a capital campaign in 2019 to purchase and protect one of the last large parcels of land in this area.

Click here to keep reading.

Photo by Gabrielle K. Murphy

Constitution Hill Timber Harvest

Trails Remain Open, Please Use Caution

Timber harvesting will take place on neighboring land and BNRC property from late January 2019 into 2020. BNRC is working with our neighbors to provide access for a skid-trail and log landing for their timber harvest. In addition, BNRC will also be harvesting diseased and declining ash trees along the skid corridor.

The upper parking area and sections of the lower (west) trail will be used as a log landing and skid-trail. Machinery will not be operating along the upper ridge trail. Trails will remain open, but PLEASE USE CAUTION as large machinery will be on-site. Equipment operators will be cautious of hikers.

During winter, please park in the designated lower lot. Parking signage is posted there. 

Thank you for your patience with this project. If you have any questions please contact, Nicole Pyser at 413-499-0596 or nypser@bnrc.org.

Job Opening: Trails Coordinator 

BNRC is looking to fill an opening in its Stewardship Department

Please help spread the word!

This position is intended to support BNRC’s mission to ensure “public benefit and enjoyment” of natural lands. The Trails Coordinator is expected to execute some of these responsibilities individually, but in many cases will serve as a project manager, delegating tasks and managing contractors, interns, volunteers and professional work crews. The Trails Coordinator will be expected to exercise skills of delegation, prioritization and problem-solving, and to relate in a warm and welcoming way to the public.

Click here for more information. 

Photo by Ken Kelly