BEAT Staying Connected Initiative Coordinator Mikael Cejtin, left, and Executive Director Jane Winn show off their locally-made stewardship awards, presented by Patricia Cramer, director of the Wildlife Connectivity Institute.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team received a stewardship award for its work protecting and re-connecting wildlife habitats in the Berkshire Wildlife Linkage area.
The award was presented June at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation.
The local environmental organization's habitat effort is part of a larger Staying Connected Initiative: a partnership of many conservation organizations that work together to maintain landscape connectivity across the Northern Appalachians in the Acadian Region of the United States and Canada.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Dalton Budget 'Worse-Case Scenario' Could Mean Staffing Cuts
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — In the worst-case scenario, the town could be forced to reduce staff if projected increases in the school budget, health insurance, and other uncontrollable costs occur.
Town Manager Eric Anderson presented the "grim" budget to the Select Board on Monday, showcasing the anticipated major driver in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
"The first thing I want to say is the first cut of the budget always looks hopeless. I mean it always does. This is, in many ways, what we should probably think of as the worst case scenario," Anderson said.
"The goal here has got to be to make this budget better and more reasonable overall because this one talks about doing some fairly drastic things."
Currently, the town estimates an operating budget of $12,015,278, a $1,121,684 or 10.3 percent increase, but a lot of data is still unavailable, so this is expected to decrease.
The town's single-family tax bill is significantly higher than the rest of the Berkshires but lower than the state. The tax bill as a percentage of household income is also significantly higher than the rest of the Berkshires on average, Anderson said.
"About 14 percent of the average, the median household's income in Dalton is going to pay town taxes. So that's a pretty significant number. In Berkshire County as a whole, it's about 12 percent," he said.
In the worst-case scenario, the town could be forced to reduce staff if projected increases in the school budget, health insurance, and other uncontrollable costs occur. click for more
The Planning Board will review a proposed amendment to the earth-removal bylaw at a future meeting that will include provisions for dealing with dust and debris. click for more
