Hopkins Forest will Close for Massachusetts Deer Hunting

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Hopkins Memorial Forest in Williamstown will be closed for Massachusetts deer hunting season Nov. 28 - Dec. 10
Williamstown – Hopkins Memorial Forest in Williamstown will be closed for Massachusetts deer hunting season Nov. 28 - Dec. 10, with exception of Sunday, Dec. 4, when hunting is prohibited. Hunting helps to control deer from exceeding population density goals. Overpopulation of deer can result in excessive property damage and increases in road collisions and Lyme disease. Hopkins Forest is managed by the Center for Environmental Studies and spans 2,500 acres across Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont. The preserve is a popular hiking destination for the college community and the public and offers stunning vistas of Mt. Greylock and the Green Mountains. Hopkins Forest is used by the college as a training ground for students of biology and environmental science. The rich floral and faunal diversity is an invaluable tool in helping students understand the workings of the natural ecosystem. Much of the forest, which extends from the Hoosic River to the crest of the Taconic Range, originally consisted of small farms, which were consolidated between 1887 and 1910 by Colonel Amos Lawrence Hopkins, for whom the forest is named. Col. Hopkins, a railroad manager and associate of Jay Gould, prospered in the era of industrial expansion following the Civil War. The son of Mark Hopkins, president of Williams, and an 1863 alumnus of the college, Col. Hopkins was familiar with Williamstown and its natural beauty. In the late 1880s he decided to take up gentleman farming and began buying abandoned and marginal farms in the northwestern corner of Williamstown. By 1910 he had assembled over 1600 acres. His Buxton Farms was considered the agricultural showplace of Williamstown. Hopkins managed the farm until his death in 1912. His widow, Maria-Theresa Burnham Dodge Hopkins, continued the farm operations until 1924. In 1934 she gave the land to Williams College as a memorial to her late husband. In 1935 Williams deeded the forest to the U.S. Forest Service for use as an experimental research facility. The Forest Service studied forestry, meteorology, hydrology and tree genetics until 1968, when their research activities were consolidated in Durham, N.H. Forest ownership then reverted to the college, which, since 1971, has purchased and received as gifts an additional 770 acres. Additional information about Hopkins Memorial Forest can be found at www.williams.edu/CES/hopkins.htm
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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