Healthy lawn and garden workshops

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Four free workshops on how to cultivate healthy lawns and gardens will be offered this spring by the Center for Ecological Technology (CET). During the workshops, the seasoned and beginner gardener alike will be introduced to simple, preventive measures that help create beautiful, diverse landscapes that will thrive without the excessive use of harmful chemicals.

Dates and locations for the workshops are as follows:

* Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. at Ward’s Nursery in Great Barrington
To register, call Ward’s at 528-0166, or register online at www.wardsnursery.com

* Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. at Holiday Farm in Dalton
To pre-register, call CET at 445-4556 ext. 17 or email amandad@cetonline.org

* Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. at Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation
To pre-register, call CET at 445-4556 ext. 17 or email amandad@cetonline.org


* Saturday, May 3, Green Living Fair, Lenox High School
To pre-register, call CET at 445-4556 ext. 17 or email amandad@cetonline.org

These workshops provide an opportunity to learn an approach to garden and lawn care called Integrated Pest Management, which focuses on ways to promote plant health that will make lawns and gardens less susceptible to drought, weeds and pests.

Landscape designer Sarah Shepard will be the featured speaker at the workshops. She has operated Sarah Shepard Designs since 1990, specializing in environmentally sound residential landscape designs in the Berkshires and southern Vermont. She is a member of the Ecological Landscaping Association and has a degree in landscape architecture.

For more information, visit www.cetonline.org or contact Jamie Cahillane at jamiec@cetonline.org or call 413-445-4556, ext 14.

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Administration. CET is a non-profit organization working in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management and environmental education. CET provides practical solutions that make sense for our community, economy and environment. CET is an equal opportunity service provider and is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Multiple Departments Respond to Lanesborough Structure Fire

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Multiple fire departments responded to a structure fire off Narragansett Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Fire Department received a call from the owner of 6 Bangor St. reporting smoke and flames at around 1:44 p.m.

Firefighters arriving on scene reported heavy smoke emanating from the 1940s single-family ranch home in the thickly settled neighborhood.

The blaze was brought under control in less than an hour and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries. 

"The homeowner was outside doing some work, evidently, opened the door when she came back in the house, and there were flames and smoke, so she backed out and called us, and that's all we know right now," Deputy Fire Chief Glen Storie said around 2:35 p.m. 

The fire was out at that time, and first responders observed "quite a bit of damage" to the home. The cause is still under investigation. 

Lanesborough, Cheshire, and Pittsfield departments responded to the scene, and Hancock covered the station during the call. 

"The first crew in knocked the fire right down with the first engine," Storie said. 

Smoke could be seen coming from the back of the home. Part of Narragansett Avenue and Bangor Avenue were blocked off while firefighters battled the blaze. 

 

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