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 Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.
Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.
Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.
All results are unofficial.
Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.
Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.
Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.
Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
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Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
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