Renowned author and ecologist Tom Wessels, who has spent a lifetime walking the woods and learning to interpret meaning in stone walls, misshapen trees, old stumps, and scars, will lead a walk/talk program titled "Reading the Forested Landscape" on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Hopkins Memorial Forest in Williamstown. The event is free and open to the public.
This two-part program will begin with a slide-show highlighting Wessels' book "Reading the Forested Landscape." A guided hike will follow and participants will be introduced to the science of interpreting the landscape by taking a closer look at the arrangements of plants, landforms, and historical relicts that lie within. This process could easily be called forest forensics, since it is quite similar to interpreting a crime scene.
The program will begin at 1 p.m. with the presentation at the Rosenburg Center and follow with a guided hike at 2:30 p.m.
Spaces for the hike are limited, so please contact the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College in advance to make a reservation for this part of the program (no reservations are necessary to attend only the talk).
Wessels is a professor of ecology and founding director of the Masters Degree Program in conservation biology in the department of environmental studies at Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, N.H. He has conducted workshops on the natural history of landscapes throughout the United States for more than 25 years. When not traveling or teaching, Tom spends his time with his family in Vermont exploring the woods around their home.
In addition to "Reading the Forested Landscape," Wessels is author of "The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite" and, most recently, "The Myth of Progress: Towards a Sustainable Future."
Hopkins Memorial Forest is a natural preserve owned and operated by the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College. It is located at the intersection of Bulkley Street and Northwest Hill Road in Williamstown. To make a reservation for the hike please call (413) 597-2346 or e-mail szepka@williams.edu.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
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