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Editor | The Berkshire Eagle | January 1, 2020 https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/get-out-really-first-week-hikes-encouraged-at-state-parks/article_a3db9d82-4ab5-11eb-ba33-5782499ef55d.html The Baker-Polito administration is offering residents and visitors a chance to explore outdoors through the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's First Week Hikes program in celebration of the new year. “Taking a stroll in your local park for First Week Hikes is a great way to kick-off the new year, build tradition, and discover the stunning natural and recreational resources that Massachusetts has to offer,” DCR Commissioner Jim Montgomery said in a release. “For the 30th year, the state parks system has provided hiking opportunities on January 1st, and while this year may look a little different, DCR still encourages people to get outdoors safely.” The DCR has implemented a few changes because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-day tradition now will last a week, in order to prevent crowds from forming. In addition, to encourage social distancing, self-guided adventures have been introduced.  To read the full article, please click here....

Matt Berg | The Boston Globe | December 31, 2020 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/31/metro/looking-get-some-fresh-air-new-year-state-park-officials-announce-first-week-hikes/ After months of being cooped up due to the pandemic, people deserve more than one head-clearing Near Year's hike, state officials say. To read the full Boston Globe story, click here. To read the Mass. DCR Press Release, click here....

Matthew Brown | Associated Press | November 20, 2020 https://apnews.com/article/wildlife-steve-daines-david-bernhardt-parks-national-parks-942796730dec2f00de2a371c8a91141c BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Proposed land conservation purchases in dozens of states would preserve more natural areas within tourist destinations, U.S. officials announced Friday, as lawmakers from both parties pushed back on Trump administration restrictions on how the money can be spent. The $125 million in congressionally authorized spending would buy up private property inside the boundaries of places including Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, Kentucky’s Green River National Wildlife Refuge and Florida’s Everglades region. Details on which parks and refuges would benefit comes as some senators objected to an order last week from U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt that empowered local and state officials to block the purchases. Bernhardt’s order also limits land acquisitions to property inside the existing boundaries of parks and refuges, rather than expanding their footprint. Notable among critics of the order is Sen. Steve Daines. The Montana Republican helped barter a bipartisan agreement that authorized the conservation fund purchases under the...

Initiative could help growers, ecosystem, and coastal communities Joseph Gordon, Aaron Kornbluth & Zack Greenberg | The Pew Charitable Trusts | October 21, 2020 https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/10/21/oyster-restoration-offers-new-market-for-shellfish-farmers This year has been hard on shellfish farmers, with sales to restaurants way down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That has left many farmers holding oysters even as they grew beyond the ideal size for the half-shell market, and has created a major dilemma over what to do with those oversized bivalves. Now, there’s a new option on the table. Under a partnership called Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR), eligible growers in seven states—Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Washington—can sell their overgrown oysters for use in reef restoration projects. How oyster reefs help coastal ecosystems Oyster reefs help protect shorelines, filter water, and provide habitat for wildlife. Sadly, U.S. native oyster populations have declined to a fraction of their historic levels because of over harvesting, pollution, and habitat destruction. But rebuilding shellfish habitats is one...

Nancy Eve Cohen | New England Public Radio | September 30, 2020 https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2020/09/30/dam-removal-pittsfield-housatonic Over the past two decades more than 60 dams have been torn down in Massachusetts with the goal of restoring river habitats and improving safety. One came down this year on the West Branch of the Housatonic River with yet another, more neighborhood-focused goal. The Housatonic River takes many twists and turns from the Massachusetts Berkshires to Long Island Sound. One way to picture it is to imagine a squiggly letter Y. The right or East Branch is where toxic PCBs from the former General Electric plant have been dug up. The tail of the Y includes the stretch that GE has yet to clean up. The left or West Branch, the site of the former dam, winds through a Pittsfield neighborhood known as the West Side. "It was a neighborhood hangout for all the neighborhood kids," said 59-year-old Tony Jackson. To read the full article, please click here....

Richard J. Dolesh, Editor at Large for Parks & Recreation magazine | National Recreation and Park Association | July 23, 2020 https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2020/august/how-parks-and-recreation-will-change-forever/ Just six months ago, our entire world was turned upside down by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nationwide, most businesses, schools, churches, parks and recreation facilities shut down. Many believed it would just be a short time to “flatten the curve” of the rate of infections and get back to normal. Yet, now in the heat of summer, we find that coronavirus infection positivity rates have surged, and more than half of U.S. states are facing increasing rates of infections. And, this is all before a second wave of infections that epidemiologists predict is virtually certain to strike America this fall. In addition to the pandemic and the resulting economic recession that has profoundly affected hundreds of millions of people, there are also momentous changes taking place across the country in support of racial equality and social justice that are embodied in...