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Photos by Gabrielle K. Murphy
LANDKEEPERS NEWS
IN THIS ISSUE #BeKindBerkshires • Improved Staircase on the Brothers Trail • Hunting Season Awareness • Alford Springs Temporary Trailhead Closure in Late October • Summer Wildlife Montage! • Berkshires as Living Laboratory • Hikes & Events • New Open Space Handbook • News From Our Partners and Friends
#BeKindBerkshires We are thrilled to join the #BeKindBerkshires Kindness Campaign by 1Berkshire and the Norman Rockwell Museum. Kindness can create a chain reaction that has long-term impacts for good. AmericanTrails shares that “No matter our differences in backgrounds or how we choose to enjoy the great outdoors, trails create common ground that connects us. Access to trails is a privilege we acknowledge and can only safeguard through our actions toward one another.” Kindness on trails can take many forms including interactions with other outdoor enthusiasts and being mindful of carrying out your trash and food waste. What ways do you show kindness outside? Share your thoughts with frontdesk@bnrc.org.
Improved Staircase on the Brothers Trail Our dedicated trail crew just wrapped up a beautiful, new-and-improved set of stairs leading to the Brothers Trail on the Yokun Ridge South Reserve. They used local hemlock for a portion of the remodel! Below are after, in-process, and before shots. Thanks, team!
After descending the stairs, hikers wind through engineered stone steps under the towering hemlocks of the gorge described by onetime Lenox resident Nathaniel Hawthorne as a “shady nook where summer had cooled herself.”
2021-2022 Hunting Season Need to Know Info and Tips The 2021-2022 hunting season has begun. Hunting is permitted on most BNRC reserves and all are welcome on BNRC reserves, so please be respectful of each other. For visitor safety we request that hikers:
Nationally, in 2020, the sale of hunting licenses yielded over $900 million in revenue for conservation and conservation-related activities. In Massachusetts, approximately 57,000 hunters created about $2.4 million for conservation and conservation-related activities in license purchases alone—taxes on the sale of hunting equipment significantly increase this total. BNRC regularly collaborates on conservation projects with the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife, and wishes all hunters a safe and enjoyable hunt.
Alford Springs Temporary Trailhead Closures in Late October The Mother and Father Loop Trailheads will be closed for a short period for road regrading. Please visit bnrc.org or call 413-499-0596 for updates.
Summer Wildlife Montage! This summer we installed one of our wildlife trail cameras and captured quite a few charming visitors in the off-trail area where the motion-triggered camera was recording. Above are some of the highlights of the footage recorded from June through August. You’ll notice the second half is a little off-kilter after a rambunctious visit from one particularly bumbling, curious goofball . . .
Berkshires as Living Laboratory Interested in the diverse stories that can be seen in the Outdoors? Join us for artist/scientist WALKS at the Boulders & Old Mill Trail Hike at The Boulders, Pittsfield Hike at the Old Mill Trail, Hinsdale Berkshires as Living Laboratory aims to increase inclusion and accessibility to natural and cultural resources. Please join these artist- and scientist-led programs to experience new perspectives on the histories, current conditions, and barriers to inclusion. Imagine possible futures along BNRC trails. BNRC is partnering with CALL/City as Living Laboratory, the Berkshire Museum, and several community stakeholders: Living the Change, Word X Word, NAACP, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Manos Unidas, to launch Berkshires as Living Laboratory. education, and outdoor recreation initiatives. Click here for more information.
October Hikes & Events
Family Hike to Sunset Rock, North Adams Saturday, October 2, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm What trees turn red? How about yellow or orange? Join Berkshire Family Hikes for a morning of exploration and an interactive activity about trees and fall colors. Click here for more information. Family Self-Guided StoryWalk at The Boulders, Pittsfield Berkshires as Living Laboratory Hike at The Boulders, Pittsfield Interested in the diverse stories that can be seen in the Outdoors? Join us for artist/scientist walks. Guided After-School StoryWalk Event at The Boulders, Pittsfield Snacks and water will be provided! Also, participants will get a copy of The Hike, a nature book for kids, by Alison Farrell. Hoosac Range Fall Foliage Hike, North Adams Enjoy the fall colors along this winding ridgeline trail. Saturday, October 9, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Click here for more information. Berkshires as Living Laboratory Hike at the Old Mill Trail, Hinsdale Interested in the diverse stories that can be seen in the Outdoors? Join us for artist/scientist walks. 2021 Volunteer Appreciation Event, Wild Acres Conservation Area, Pittsfield Alford Springs Fall Foliage Hike, Alford Tuesday, October 19, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Enjoy the fall colors and expansive view on the Father Loop! Click here for more information. Family Fall Hike at Alford Springs, Alford Thursday, October 21, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm What trees turn red? How about yellow or orange? Join Berkshire Family Hikes for an afternoon of exploration along the 2.4-mile Mother Loop.
Upcoming Hikes & Events
Hike to The Boulders, Pittsfield Enjoy the large rocky outcrops known as “The Boulders.” Bob’s Way Hike, Monterey Observe the beautiful wetland and seasonal changes. Family Woodland Discovery Hike at The Boulders, Dalton
New Handbook Offers Resources for Community Conservation The Open Space Handbook is targeted towards Open Space Committees, Conservation Commissions, land trusts, and volunteers working on conservation in their local communities. It covers land protection tools, finding funding, stewarding conserved lands, and planning for conservation—all from a community volunteer perspective. With the help of case studies, it offers ways in which conservation can help meet the needs of your specific community, though it is not meant as a one-size-fits-all tool. The handbook is authored by Kate Sutcliffe of Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust; Paul Catanzaro of UMass Amherst; and Sarah Wells, North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership.
News From Our Partners and Friends
Southern Berkshire Indigenous People’s Day Event Series By The Alliance for a Viable Future Indigenous Voices Panel Discussion | Oct 1st Indigenous Peoples’ Day | Oct 11th Moving Forward Together: Integration & Next Steps | Oct 17th Click here for more information. .
ThinkFood Conference Field and Forest, October 1 – 2, 2021 ThinkFOOD 2021 will look to nature for sustainable ways of feeding ourselves and softening our impact on the planet. Our workshop themes include sustainable eating from home gardens, food entrepreneurship, urban gardening, ethical foraging, agroforestry, and Berkshire-local agricultural initiatives. Click here to learn more.
New England Forests Can Help Slow Climate Change. A New Report Shows Exactly How Much By Barbara Moran In the big scheme of things, the Bobryk forest is pretty small potatoes. It’s about 300 acres of birch, hemlock and other hardwood trees, sandwiched between two larger state forests in western Massachusetts. Click here to read more.
We know how much you count on BNRC reserves, especially now.
Donations to BNRC, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donors provide nearly all of BNRC’s funding—for trails, guided outings, wildlife habitat, local agriculture, and keeping the Berkshire outdoors open and free for every body.
To find out more about BNRC go to bnrc.org. Visit us on Facebook and Instagram and tag your photos with @berkshirelandkeepers, #landkeepers, and #bnrc. Download the FREE Berkshire Trails App to find new trails!
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