image description — 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.

BEAT Receives International Stewardship Award

05:17PM / Monday, July 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

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.

Tags: BEAT, recognition event,

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Pittsfield Conducting Housing Production Plan with BRPC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:20PM / Saturday, August 08, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will conduct a Housing Production Plan for the city.

Last week, the Affordable Housing Trust heard some points they are asked to consider in the infancy of this project. This includes the types of housing missing from Pittsfield, where insufficient housing affects other efforts, and housing wins.

A housing production plan helps create a pathway for municipalities to build housing through specific goals while contributing public input and a survey of community needs. It also sets targets for the amount of housing to be produced.

"We have worked with Berkshire Regional Planning before. I think you all remember where they did a housing needs assessment for us when we first convened," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reminded the board during its July 22 meeting.

BRPC will kick off the project this month with data gathering, meeting with city staff to see the metrics, capacity, and what Pittsfield has undertaken so far.

In December and January, additional chapters will be presented around demographics, housing conditions, and barriers to housing. In February, they will work on goal setting and setting forth an action plan.

A big part of this, Dodds explained, is community outreach and engagement, which will occur in the spring

A final plan will be submitted to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities in May.

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