Pittsfield – Ten northern red-bellied cooters, an endangered species of turtle, raised at the Berkshire Museum over the winter will soon return to the wild. The Museum returned the turtles to the Mass Wildlife headquarters in Westborough today; they will be released into their natural habitat in the towns of Plymouth and Palmer over the next few weeks.
The turtles were brought to the Museum’s aquarium as hatchlings in October 2004 as part of a “Head Start†program in partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife. Interns from Miss Hall’s School aided Berkshire Museum aquarist Scott Jervas in caring for the hatchling turtles over the winter.
“By providing a warm, predator-free environment and a constant supply of food, we gives the hatchling red-bellied cooters a head start in life that is critical to the efforts to restore this endangered species,†said Jervas.
The northern red-bellied cooter (rubriventis bangsi) is found only in southeastern Massachusetts, mostly in Plymouth and Carver. The second largest freshwater turtle in the state, adult red-bellied turtles weigh as much as ten pounds. However, when they are newly hatched, the turtles weigh only five to eight grams and are only 1.25 inches long, making them easy prey for birds, fish, and bullfrogs. The young turtles sometimes freeze to death if an early fall keeps them in the nest and the winter is harsh.
At the Berkshire Museum, the hatchling turtles are weighed and measured weekly, and observed for signs of stress. They are kept in a 125-gallon stock tank at a temperature between 82 and 86 degrees farenheit. The cooters receive a constant—and large—supply of Romaine and red-leaf lettuce while in captivity.
Sophomores Cat Bunker, Beth Anne Degiorgis, and Kasey Cocivera of Miss Hall’s School were this year’s interns in the turtle program. The students work in the aquarium three hours each week throughout the school year, performing a variety of task. The turtle program is also highlighted in the Berkshire Museum’s many educational programs for a variety of age groups. A closed-circuit monitor allows visitors to the Aquarium to watch the red-bellied cooters in their temporary home. The weekly program for young children, “Aquarium Adventures,†features the turtles, as does the new “Junior Naturalists†program.
To preserve the red-bellied cooter population, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Section started the head start program in 1985. Though still on the endangered species list, the population of red-bellied cooters has seen documented increases since the onset of the head start program. The Berkshire Museum was one of the first participants and has the highest success rate. Adult turtles raised as hatchlings at the museum have been located in the wild, and the aquarium has seen its second generation of cooters—caring for the young of a female who had overwintered at the Museum.
The Berkshire Museum is located at 39 South Street on Route 7 in Downtown Pittsfield. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the Berkshire Museum at (413) 499-7171, or visit berkshiremuseum.org .
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Use of Slurs Sparks Community Conversation in Pittsfield
The discussion will be held Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Conte Community School in partnership with the public schools, Westside Legends and the Berkshire chapter of the NAACP.
On Thursday, interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said the district recognizes the seriousness of concerns from students, families, and staff members in a statement to the school community.
"As interim Superintendent, I have a broad view across our school system and am hearing experiences and concerns from many corners of our community. From my 26 years in education, I know these challenges are not unique to our district. That said, this is our opportunity to do this work within our own schools and strengthen our public education system and culture," she wrote over Parent Square, which was posted on social media and the district website.
"I want to be clear that there is no place for derogatory or discriminatory language in our schools, whether in classrooms, hallways, on athletic fields, buses, or anywhere in our learning environments. We must address individual situations thoughtfully, fairly, and with care for everyone involved, while also committing to the long-term work of shaping school environments where every student experiences dignity, belonging, safety, and respect."
At this meeting, they will discuss how to best move forward together.
"Our students are watching how we respond," Phillips wrote.
"We have an opportunity to model what it looks like to address difficult issues with fairness, dignity, honesty, and care, and in doing so, strengthen our schools for the long term."
Last week, the Pittsfield Public Schools Human Resources Department confirmed that an 8th-grade teacher at the middle school was placed on leave. The teacher was reportedly describing a classroom incident when the slurs were repeated.
The complaint was publicly made by parent Brett Random, who is the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start.
On her personal Facebook page, she said her daughter reported that her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (N word) and a homophobic slur (F word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."
Mount Greylock Regional School seventh-grader Scarlett Foley Sunday beat two opponents from Division 2 Longmeadow to capture the Western Mass Tennis Individuals Championship. click for more
Qwanell Bradley scored 33 points, and Adan Wicks added 29 as the Hoosac Valley boys basketball team won a Division 5 State Championship on Sunday. click for more
Adan Wicks scored 38 points, and the eighth-seeded Hoosac Valley basketball team Saturday rallied from a nine-point first-half deficit to earn a 76-67 win over top-seeded Drury in the Division 5 State Quarter-Finals. click for more
Caprese Conyers scored 22 points, and Kyana Summers had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go with eight assists as Pittsfield got back to the state semi-finals for the second year in a row. click for more
