Berkshire Natural Resources Council Blog

Landkeeper's Blog

Join us in our mission to keep land open for everyone to visit and enjoy.
Scroll down to see what we're up to!
25 Feb 2020
Uncategorized Permalink

Conservation Associate Position

February 25, 2020

ConservationAssociateBNRC.pdf

Berkshire Natural Resources Council

Conservation Associate

Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) is a non-profit land trust working to protect and preserve the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Berkshires for public benefit and enjoyment. Starting in 1967, BNRC has protected over 20,000 acres of conservation land in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. BNRC maintains over 60 miles of public hiking trails throughout its properties. BNRC recently launched The High Road, a vision for connecting trails and conservation lands to communities throughout our region.

Position Overview:

BNRC seeks applicants for the position of Conservation Associate. This full-time, primarily office-based (80/20) position offers competitive salary and benefits. The Conservation Associate works within the Conservation Department and supports all conservation-related activities, with a primary focus on projects to advance The High Road, including acquisition of properties and easements, organizing and outreach, and planning.

The Conservation Associate will support the work of the Director of Land Conservation and Public Programs Director, preparing draft conservation restrictions, easements, maps and communication materials. The individual will help BNRC expand existing reserves and strengthen its conservation program as it pursues The High Road, an ambitious vision for connecting the Berkshires.

The ideal candidate will be a self-starting, motivated individual eager to launch a career in land conservation. The ideal candidate will have an understanding of real estate transactions, and the ability to pair interpersonal skills with conservation transactions, estate planning considerations and conservation biology. Background in legal studies, real estate, environmental studies and/or land use planning. Pay range is $40-45,000, depending on experience.

Responsibilities:

The Associate provides program support for the Land Conservation department:

  • Support and manage acquisition projects with landowners, prospective land donors, and partners
  • Navigate State and Federal conservation programs in the pursuit of resource-based acquisition projects
  • Prepare maps for possible conservation projects
  • Create draft conservation restrictions and trail easements
  • Prepare final maps and project materials for grant applications
  • Support and conduct engagement efforts with municipal, public, and other conservation entities in order to advance The High Road
  • Be an ambassador for BNRC with landowners, visitors, and stakeholders

Minimum qualifications include:

  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, varied projects and efforts at one time
  • Basic knowledge of real estate transactions
  • Empathetic and observant listener
  • Excellent verbal and written communication abilities
  • Detail oriented
  • Moderate-level GIS proficiency
  • Microsoft Office proficiency
  • Conversant with natural resources issues
  • Sufficient physical fitness to walk land, on and off trail
  • Experience communicating with public officials
  • Familiarity with the Berkshire landscape preferred

Education and work experience requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree required; study in field of environmental sciences a plus
  • Preferred applicant has 3-5 years of relevant professional post-college experience

Interviews to be scheduled after March 2, 2020; the position is opened until filled. Contact Mackenzie Greer with questions. Send cover letter, résumé, and writing sample (1-3 pages, any subject) to:

mgreer@bnrc.org (preferred)

Berkshire Natural Resources Council

20 Bank Row

Pittsfield, MA 01201

(413) 499-0596

www.BNRC.org

 

31 Jan 2020
Uncategorized Permalink

CONSERVATION NETWORKING RESOURCES

January 31, 2020

All Topics

Land Conservation Tools

Estate Planning

Conservation Restrictions

Open Space Planning

Land Management Tools

Publications

Programs for Land Owners

  • MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program: Improve habitat(s) for game species, manage habitat(s) for Species of Greatest Conservation Need, and/or promote public recreational opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other wildlife associated recreation on conserved lands. See “Eligible Entities” in link.
  • Forest Tax Law Program– assistance with the favorable tax treatment to forest landowners through MGL Chapter 61. Download booklet: Chapter 61 Programs Understanding the Massachusetts: Ch. 61 Current Use Tax Programs
  • Forest Stewardship Program & Green Certification: Recognizing the public benefits of good stewardship on private forest land, the Massachusetts Forest Stewardship Program (MFSP) supports and encourages private forest landowners’ efforts to manage, enjoy, and care for their land using a long-term approach
  • Foresters for the Birds: Provides landowners with information about bird habitat on their land, and recommendations about how to enhance it in conjunction with other forest management goals.
  • Working Forest Initiative: providing services such as free woodland evaluations
  • Environmental Quality Incentives Program: provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural and forestry producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, and improved or created wildlife habitat.
  • Pooled Timber Income Fund (PTIF): For a Pooled Timber Income Fund, landowners donate their land to the New England Forestry Foundation, and the timber on that land to a pooled income fund set up and run by NEFF. Landowners receive shares in the fund proportional to the value of their timber donation.

Professionals:

Land protection specialist in Berkshire County

A land trust is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that actively works to conserve land as a part of its mission.

Local Land Trusts

Regional Land Trusts

Public Conservation Agency

Service Foresters

A service forester is an employee of the state forestry agency who can speak with you and visit your land to provide free advice on management options and program opportunities.

  • Peter Grima (serving Washington, Lenox, Richmond and North)

Phone: (413) 442-8928 x 127

Email: peter.grima@state.ma.us

  • Tom Ryan (serving Stockbridge, Stockbridge, Lee, Becket South)

Phone: (413) 442-8928 x123

Email: tom.ryan@state.ma.us

Find Surveyors, Appraisers, Accountants, and Attorneys
by town here: http://massland.org/resources/list-of-service-providers

Trainings/Conferences

­­­­­­­­­Grants

08 Jan 2020
Landkeeper Notes, Uncategorized Permalink

Conservation Networking

January 8, 2020

In February BNRC will be hosting a series of Conservation Networks throughout Berkshire County. This effort is in partnership with UMass Cooperative Extension to implement the MA DCR’s Working Forests Initiative Estate Planning Outreach program, which aims to provide opportunities for those involved in conservation planning to meet each other, share information and experiences, provide training and resources, and meet land protection specialists working in communities. We hope participants from conservation commissions, green committees, conservation organizations, open space and recreation plan committees, etc. will be able to join the conversation.

Below you’ll find information on three upcoming meetings. As someone in your community interested in conservation, we hope you’ll join us! We’re anticipating a fourth event, in a central location to help address some of the common needs, with more experts brought in to share resources and information.

To RSVP please use the Eventbrite link below each event.

Central County

Wednesday, February 5th, 4:00 pm –  5:30 pm

Berkshire Athenaeum, The Athenaeum Room (1 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201)

Eventbrite link.

North County

Thursday, February 6th, 4:00 pm –  5:30 pm

North Adams Public Library (74 Church St, North Adams, MA 01247)

Eventbrite link.

South County

Wednesday, February 12th, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Saint James Place, East Room (352 Main Street / Great Barrington, MA  01230)

Eventbrite link.

For questions contact Mariah at mauman@bnrc.org or 413-499-0596.

06 Jan 2020
e-News, Landkeeper Notes Permalink

2020 January Enews

January 6, 2020

30 Dec 2019
Landkeeper Notes Permalink

Old Fears, New Strength

December 30, 2019

By Evan Johnson
TerraCorps Member with Berkshire Natural Resources Council

As a kid I spent a lot of time hiking the mountains and woods surrounding my home town of North Adams. While I got to see a lot of great sites on these treks, I also got to have a lot of great conversations with my father ranging in topic from the fantastical stories of web-slingers and rings of power, to the simple novelties and mysteries the mundane holds for a child, to the very serious changing climate and what it meant for me and these places. And with the appreciation for my natural environment and the fear of their loss these walks through the woods gave me, I grew up.

Many years later and a few months ago, I joined TerraCorps with a position at the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, a decision that’s likely rooted in those conversations long ago. With my service has come a multitude of experiences, but perhaps the most striking is getting to return to these old places in the woods that I haven’t been to since I was very young. With these revisits comes the memories I have playing with my younger sister, my childhood dog enjoying the woods right alongside me, and the conversations me and my father had when we were there. From my service with TerraCorps, I’ve gotten to reconnect with my appreciation for the natural environment in the places that I first learned it. I have also gained an appreciation for the feeling of having a history with the land, and the feeling of being rooted to it.

But with these recollections comes the memories of the fear I felt as a child. However, the fear has taken a different shape. Through my education I have tools and through BNRC and TerraCorps I have connections. With these I have some power to make a difference for the trees and hills of my childhood that made a difference to me.

10 Dec 2019
e-News Permalink

2019 December Enews

December 10, 2019

02 Dec 2019
Landkeeper Notes Permalink

A Land Trust’s Role in Expanding the Narrative in Mohican Homelands

December 2, 2019

Almost 40% of land in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, part of the homelands of the Mohican Nation, is currently conserved. This land is under private and public ownership and hosts numerous recreational trails that are open and widely used by the public. Along trails you’ll likely see stone walls or a stone foundation—evidence of European settlers clearing the land for agriculture during the 18th and 19th centuries. That landscape history is widely discussed and well known. Yet the history and current engagements of Indigenous Peoples to this land are more hidden and less known.

Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) has been working to “protect and preserve that natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Berkshires for public benefit and enjoyment” for over 50 years and has protected over 22,000 acres of land throughout the county. With over 55 miles of trails open to the public, BNRC is interested in helping those of all ages establish a connection to the land. That connection can be deepened by storytelling. The past and present story of the Mohican Nation is one that BNRC is eager to share with all who engage with their homeland.

BNRC recognizes that we can play an active role in helping to expand the public’s awareness of the narrative of Indigenous Peoples. We are very thankful for the partnership, support, and volunteered time of the Stockbridge-Munsee Language & Culture Committee for developing language for two interpretive signs and to Stockbridge Munsee Tribal Council for approving these signs. The signs are now standing at BNRC’s Hoosac Range Reserve in North Adams and Thomas & Palmer Brook Reserve in Great Barrington.

An excerpt from one interpretive sign says “The lands in the Berkshires continue to be of great significance to the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican people… [who] continue to value its history and promote public educational opportunities such as historical trips, walking tours, and history events that promote the Tribe’s presence and celebrate its heritage.”

Including these narratives on the lands we now care for promotes an understanding and acknowledgement of what was and what is. It also encourages the awakening of a wider social and ecological consciousness. BNRC looks forward to future partnerships and welcomes feedback and conversations on additional ways to contribute.

 

frontdesk@bnrc.org

(413) 499-0596

03 Oct 2019
e-News, Landkeeper Notes Permalink

2019 October Enews

October 3, 2019