"Wasting disease" undetected in Bay State deer

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No evidence of the devestating chronic wasting disease was detected in Massachusetts deer this season(MassWildlife photo)
No evidence of chronic wasting disease was detected in Massachusetts deer based on data gathered during the 2005 hunting season. MassWildlife recently received results from a federally certified veterinary diagnostic laboratory that indicate that all the deer brain, lymph node, and tonsil samples taken during last fall's hunting season tested negative for the disease. During the fall 2005 deer hunting season, MassWildlife collected 577 samples from hunter-harvested, roadkilled and targeted deer across the state for CWD testing. This was the fourth year of sampling in Massachusetts as part of a nationwide CWD monitoring and surveillance program. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disorder known to affect white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The World Health Organization has concluded that there is no evidence that people can become infected with CWD. CWD was first identified in the late 1960's in Colorado and remained located in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska for over two decades. In the past decade, states in which CWD was more recently found include: Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin; plus Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada. In 2005, deer in New York and West Virginia tested positive for CWD. These were the first instances of the disease detected in the northeastern United States. As responsible stewards for all native wildlife in the state, MassWildlife has implemented strict regulations to prevent the disease from entering the Bay State and affecting the health of both wild and captive deer populations. It is unlawful to import all species of live deer including European red deer, sika deer, fallow deer and reindeer, all species commonly raised commercially. Last fall, in response to the presence of CWD in New York, regulations were passed by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board that make it illegal for anyone to import, process or possess whole carcasses or parts of deer or elk (from wild or captive deer herds) from states and Canadian provinces where CWD has been detected. The only exceptions to the regulation are: meat that is deboned, cleaned skull caps, hides and finished taxidermy mounts. By restricting importation to these specific deer parts, the importation of neurological tissue --which is where the disease-causing prions are located -- is prevented, yet sportsmen and sportswomen hunting in states with CWD can still safely use the deer they harvest. For more information regarding CWD and actions taken by MassWildlife, click on the Wildlife button at www.mass.gov/masswildlife . For national CWD information, visit the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website at www.cwd-info.org .
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Pittsfield Housing Project Adds 37 Supportive Units and Collective Hope

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A new chapter in local efforts to combat housing insecurity officially began as community leaders and residents gathered at The First on to celebrate a major expansion of supportive housing in the city.

The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street.  The Housing Resource Center, funded by Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, hosted a celebration for a project that is named for its rarity: The First. 

"What got us here today is the power of community working in partnership and with a shared purpose," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said. 

In addition to the 28 studio units at 111 West Housatonic Street and nine units in the rear of the church building, the Housing Resource Center will be open seven days a week with two lounges, a classroom, a laundry room, a bathroom, and lockers. 

Erin Forbush, ServiceNet's director of shelter and housing, challenged attendees to transform the space in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church into a community center.  It is planned to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round.

"I get calls from folks that want to help out, and our shelters just aren't the right spaces to be able to do that. The First will be that space that we can all come together and work for the betterment of our community," Forbush said. 

"…I am a true believer that things evolve, and things here will evolve with the people that are utilizing it." 

Earlier that day, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her team in Housatonic to announce $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, $5.45 million to Berkshire County. 

He said it was ambitious to take on these two projects at once, but it will move the needle.  The EOHLC contributed more than $7.8 million in subsidies and $3.4 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the West Housatonic Street build, and $1.6 million in ARPA funds for the First Street apartments.

"We're trying to get people out of shelter and off the streets, but we know there are a lot of people who are couch surfing, who are living in their cars, who are one paycheck away from being homeless themselves," Augustus said. 

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