Junior Rangers Program at Mount Greylock

Print Story | Email Story

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Mount Greylock State Reservation announced the Junior Ranger program for children ages 8-12.

The program is free and is held at Mount Greylock State Reservation, Pittsfield State Forest, Clarksburg State Park, Natural Bridge State Park, Savoy Mountain State Forest, and Mohawk Trail State Forest, on specific Thursdays in July and August from 10:00am to noon. 

Space is limited to fifteen participants. All participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  

Work toward earning a Junior Ranger Patch and Certificate by attending programs and completing the activities in the Junior Ranger Activity Guide. Each week, participants will explore different topics that promote outdoor recreation and appreciation of the natural world. Led by Park Interpreters, Junior Ranger activities may also include easy hikes that  explore the water, geology, climate, plants, and animals at the respective parks.  

Children must wear appropriate clothing for the weather. Sturdy walking shoes, water, a snack, sun screen and insect repellent are recommended. Parents, guardians and siblings are encouraged to participate.  

Program sessions take place during a seven-week period where participants will meet at alternate parks that offer a unique theme and activity. Participants are required to attend a minimum of two programs (first and last) and complete the Junior Ranger Activity Guide to qualify for the Junior Ranger patch and certificate.  

Session #1 on July 13th will be held at:                                                                                              

Pittsfield State Forest Ski Lodge 

1041 Cascade St., Pittsfield, MA 01201 

Phone: (413) 442-8992 - Please call for directions.                           

Robert.Rando@mass.gov

Session #2 on July 20th, and Session #7 on August 24th  will be held at:                            

Mount Greylock State Reservation Visitor Center 

30 Rockwell Road, Lanesborough, MA 01237 

Phone: (413) 499-4262 - Please call for directions. 

Michael.W.Whalen@mass.gov  

Session #3 on July 27th, will be held at: 

Savoy Mountain State Forest Nature Center  

260 Central Shaft Road, Florida, MA 01247 

Phone: (413) 663-8469 – Please call for directions. 

Alicia.Cellana@mass.gov

Session #4 on August 3rd,  will be held at: 

Natural Bridge State Park Visitor Center 

McAuley Road, North Adams, MA 01247 

Phone: (413) 663-6392 - Please call for directions. 

Geeg.Wiles@mass.gov  

Session #5 on August 10th, will be held at:                                                                                      

1199 Middle Road, Clarksburg, MA 01247

Clarksburg State Park Nature Center 

Phone: (413) 664-8345 - Please call for directions. 

Kristen.Maybe@mass.gov

Session #6 on August 17th, will be held at:  

Mohawk Trail State Forest 

P.O. Box 7, Route 2, Charlemont, MA 01339 

Phone: (413) 339-5504 – Please call for directions. 

Christian.Drake@mass.gov

Certificates and patches are awarded to those who attend at least two sessions, complete the Junior Ranger Activity Guide, and show outstanding participation. The Mount Greylock Visitor Center is located at 30 Rockwell Road, 1.5 miles from North Main Street and Route 7 in Lanesborough. Sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Registration forms are available at the Visitor Center in Lanesborough or call (413) 499-4262 for more information and session locations. 


Tags: Mount Greylock,   

Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Board Looks to Pontoosuc Island Safety and Cleanup

By Breanna Steele

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Friends of Pontoosuc cleaned up the two islands on the lake and shared concerns of what they saw.

Kevin McGinnis, Friends board member, spoke to the Select Board last week about how the cleanup went and erosion the group discovered.

"We particularly wanted to go out and take a peek at the islands and it was seven bags of garbage and a lot of refuse from geese that we actually removed from both islands," he said. "The Keeler Island, particularly in Lanesborough, that had a Sheetrock bucket full of nails that we actually removed from there, too, and that was from probably multiple years of pallet burning out there."

McGinnis added that there is significant erosion on the east side of the islands, facing the deepest part of the channel.

He said Lee Popovich, who knows horticulture, suggested plantings along the edges to hold the soil and filter runoff that may help with the E. coli outbreaks on the lake.

"These are things that we can discuss on trying to keep those islands in enjoyable shape, and for people to be able to enjoy," McGinnis said, by reducing risks such as geese deposits, and plantings that can help filter some of the debris.

"We can't control how hard our rain comes, but we can mitigate some of that filtering processes to keep bacteria count lower. Because if you notice, pretty much the E. coli breakouts that we do have are right after heavy rain."

He wants to help keep the islands safe and healthy. He introduced the cleanup group, saying the cleanup was enjoyable and those who volunteered help make a difference.

"Look forward to in the future bringing more information back, and with a lot of moving parts to talk about mitigating erosion and certain things," McGinnis said. "But it's something that we all need to be kind of aware of, and this body of water is so enjoyable, and we definitely want to try to keep it as healthy as possible, and keep control or keep an eye on certain things."

Select Board member Jason Breault asked about what the insurance is for the islands to which Town Administrator Gina Dario responded that the island is a public park, so it's covered the same way as other town land, like Glaston Park. There's no added liability.

Breault then asked from a patrol aspect what that means.

"Obviously, if we have an underage drinking party, we have no mechanism to address it, or if there's a medical emergency on that area, we would have to get a boat from Pittsfield, so obviously we have some sort of a delay there," Police Chief Rob Derksen said. "That's the only concern, I guess, is it's a park that we can't patrol and we can't regulate on a regular basis," 

Breault wondered if they could get funding for a boat down the line but Derksen said it would be difficult with his small force.

"That's pulling the thread on a sweater because then I have to have certified boat officers and, I mean, so that's training that's time away and then I would have to be able to actually put them on the boat, which again as you've heard me say a million times, most of the time I have one officer on duty so I can't split them in half and put half on a boat, half in a car, so it would be a challenge."

He added that the lake is patrolled by the state Environmental Police but with recent funding challenges, it's not that much.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories

Community News
image description

Pittsfield Park Getting Basketball Court Renovations

Community News
Community News
image description

Local Public-Access Stations Face Funding Challenges in Streaming...

Community News
Community News
image description

Pittsfield Airport Solar Panels to Generate Millions

Community News
Business
image description

Youth for the Future: Addison Lee

Business
Community News
image description

State Auditor DiZoglio Pushes for Beacon Hill Transparency

Community News
Sports
image description

Hoosac Valley Football Team to Resume Activities

Sports
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?