LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Park Superintendent Travis Clairmont said the melting snow has unveiled a disappointing amount of trash throughout the state reservation.
"With the rapid snowmelt this year an amount of trash magically appeared over a two-week period," Clairmont said in his report Thursday to the Mount Greylock Advisory Council. "It is demoralizing to our staff ... and it is absolutely disgusting."
Clairmont said trash and dog poop can be found at essentially every trailhead and parking area in and around the reservation.
"Some parking lots you can't even walk through with all of the trash and dog feces," he said. "It is embarrassing, and I don't know what to do about it."
Council members agreed and Scott Lewis said he can't make it a mile up Greylock Road without filling a five-gallon bucket with trash and having to empty it.
Council member Joe Rogge said he too has noticed an influx of trash, not only around the mountain but in his own community, Adams.
"This year has been the year of trash ... people just dump it out all over," he said. "Maybe everyone thinks because it is a pandemic they don't have to follow the rules."
Mark Jester, of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said with the good snowpack this year the mountain just received a lot of visitors.
"We did have a lot of visitors this winter ... it is a sad situation because the staff work so hard to keep it clean," he said. "We want more commitment from our visitors."
He said DCR used to provide plastic dog poop bags but he was not confident this was the answer. He felt signage could help matters.
Clairmont felt outreach and education was the answer but was not sure how to go about it.
Clairmont continued with his report and said he plans to open the mountain roads on May 22, weather permitted. He said Bascom lodge will also reopen.
He said seasonal staff has switched from winter to summer and work continues on the mountain. He said they continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines.
"The pandemic is still raging on so that makes it difficult in the workplace with more staff coming on," he said.
He said backcountry campsites remain closed although staff has received many calls inquiring about them.
There were a few rescues on the mountain this winter and Clairmont said they were mostly skiers and snowmobilers.
The mountain was busy this winter season, he said. "It was a tremendous winter and we have seen amazing snowfall up there through February and March."
Clairmont said the beacon on the memorial tower was malfunctioning but has been repaired. He said the light is controlled by a solar cell and a timed clock that is difficult to get to, especially in the winter.
"There was a lot of chiseling and shoveling over a few days," he said. "It took a few days to melt the lock on the door but we got in and updated to a digital one. So now I don't have to go up there for something like this anymore."
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Mt Greylock is the centerpiece of outdoor recreation and conservation in the region. It's disgusting that those who benefit from the very existence of such a resource don't treat it (and the people who take care of it) with respect.
ADAMS, Mass. — Award-winning pastel artist Gregory Maichack will present three separate pastel painting workshops for adults and teens 16+, to be hosted by the Adams Free Library.
Wednesday, April 24 The Sunflower; Wednesday, May 8 Jimson Weed; and Thursday, May 23 Calla Turned Away from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
Registration is required for each event. Library events are free and open to the public.
These programs are funded by a Festivals and Projects grant of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
This workshop is designed for participants of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Attendees will create a personalized, original pastel painting based on Georgia O’Keefe’s beautiful pastel renditions of The Sunflower, Jimson Weed and Calla Turned Away. All materials will be supplied. Seating may fill quickly, so please call 413-743-8345 to register for these free classes.
Maichack is an award-winning portraitist and painter working primarily in pastels living in the Berkshires. He has taught as a member of the faculty of the Museum School in Springfield, as well as at Greenfield and Holyoke Community College, Westfield State, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more
Desroches graduated from the Police Academy on March 22 in the top tier in his class. He's currently in the field training program and assigned to Sgt. Curtis Crane.
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Michael Wynn, who was selected in January to run the center, submitted a level operating budget of $57,500 but said he could pull funding from different lines to ensure there was money for advertising this fall.
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