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Berkshire Botanical Garden, Project Native Move Toward Merger

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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — The trustees of the Berkshire Botanical Garden and Project Native have been discussing for some time the benefits of joining forces, and last week both boards unanimously approved motions to pursue a combination.

Both nonprofit groups are still working out details but are optimistic that a final agreement can be reached and that the deal will close by the end of the year.

"Our missions are in complete alignment," said Matt Larkin, chairman of the board of BBG. "The importance to the well-being of our environment of preserving the native elements of our habitat has never been better understood or more at risk. This has been a major subject of our educational programming and field trips for many years, and combining with the resources of Project Native will make a huge difference to the quality and effectiveness of the service we provide to our community."


"This will be a great partnership," said Project Native Board Chair Erik Bruun. "Our very different resources and capacities will advance our common mission of environmental education and promoting native habitats. Adding the garden's powerful educational and marketing know-how will draw attention to our work better than we could alone."

The Berkshire Botanical Garden has grown significantly in recent years in terms of its revenue and programs. Its Education Department has been strengthened by recent hires and has expanded its reach into local schools and its Farm in The Garden Camp, as well as added more field trips to its schedule.

Project Native was founded in 2000 as part of the Railroad Street Youth Project. Project Native became its own organization in 2004, transforming a former 54-acre farm on North Plain Road in Housatonic into a wildlife sanctuary and native-plant nursery with excellent propagation facilities and a native butterfly house. Project Native is less than 10 minutes by car from the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge.

 


Tags: botanical garden,   gardens,   

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Tickets On Sale for Berkshire Flyer

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), announced tickets are now on sale for the Berkshire Flyer.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is a seasonal summer passenger rail service that operates between New York City from Moynihan Train Hall and Pittsfield. The service, which began as a successful pilot in 2022, is scheduled to resume on Friday, June 21 through Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day weekend. Trains depart New York City Friday nights and return at the end of the weekend, leaving Pittsfield Sunday afternoon.
 
In addition, for the first time this year, the Berkshire Flyer service now includes a train from New York City to Pittsfield on Sunday mornings.
 
"We're thrilled to announce this season's Berkshire Flyer service," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "The Berkshire Flyer makes visiting Western Massachusetts on weekends convenient, relaxing, and easy. We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation and CSX."
 
The Berkshire Flyer departs from Moynihan Train Hall at 3:16 p.m. on Fridays and arrives at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:27 p.m. The train will make all intermediate station stops as the scheduled Amtrak Empire Service train does in New York State on Fridays, which include Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany-Rensselaer Station. 
 
The Sunday return trip, making all the same station stops, will depart Pittsfield at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:55 p.m. The new Sunday Berkshire Flyer train from New York City to Pittsfield will depart Moynihan Train Hall at 10:50 a.m. and arrive in Pittsfield at 3:15 p.m.
 
The Berkshire Flyer is building upon two successful seasons where some of the Pittsfield-bound trains were sold out well in advance. Based on that experience, passengers planning a trip are encouraged to purchase tickets early by visiting Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.
 
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