Bird Observatory Director Speaking at Pittsfield Green Drinks

09:01AM / Friday, September 09, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The director of Berkshire Bird Observatory, Ben Nickley, will speak at the September Pittsfield Green Drinks hybrid event on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 6 p.m.

Nickley will discuss BBO's current research projects and will also show some of the many pictures of birds in hands captured this year and relate stories from BBO’s pilot spring, summer, and fall seasons at Jug End State Reservation. The in-person Pittsfield Green Drinks will start at 5 p.m. at Berkshire Environmental Action Team's Environmental Leadership & Education Center, 20 Chapel St.

Nickley is a researcher with a passion for birds and the natural landscapes that they are an integral part of. Over the past several years, Ben has traveled across North America to conduct field studies in many exceptional places and attended college and grad school along the way.

Nickley hopes to garner continued support from the Berkshire community to ensure the longevity of BBO as a social, scientific, and conservation institution.

Thanks to a donation, BEAT will offer one meal to each in-person attendee. If you plan to join the in-person event, stay for the presentation, and would like to reserve a free meal, you must RSVP at www.tinyurl.com/Sept22-Green-Drinks. If you plan to attend the virtual event, you must register at www.tinyurl.com/Zoom-Sept22-Green-Drinks.

Pittsfield Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the third Tuesday of the month. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren't green but the conversations are.

Pittsfield Green Drinks is sponsored by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team

For more information, contact Chelsey Simmons at chelsey@thebeatnews.org or (413) 464-9402.

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Pittsfield Wants People to Know Where Free Public Wifi Is

By Brittany PolitoiBerkhshires Staff
04:46AM / Friday, September 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city wants it to be clear where people can connect to free public wifi— which expands beyond downtown.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved "Free Wifi" signage at The Common, Riverway Park, and Durant Park. Community members can access the internet without charge in these locations, as well as in downtown areas.

Two years ago, Pittsfield received a $99,972 Digital Equity Implementation Grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. This allowed the city to take a comprehensive look at digital equity and determine where to focus attention.

"That was a lengthy process that we worked on, and there was a lot of public input. We did some surveying. We met with a lot of focus groups; [Berkshire Regional Planning Commission] was the group that spearheaded that for us, and one of the things that came up was the lack of accessible wifi," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported. "Particularly in the westside."

Throughout this process, residents also wanted to see connectivity at the nearby Westside Riverway Park.

In 2023, Pittsfield was selected to participate in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program launched by the state and MBI, focused on ensuring residents can use the internet to conduct day-to-day activities. A digital equity plan also qualifies Pittsfield for additional grant funding.

Around 16,000 city households qualified for the Federal Communications Commission's affordable internet program that ended in 2024.

Dodds said adding Wi-FI and signage to Durant and Riverway Parks is a small piece of the larger digital equity project. Signage is already downtown, and the city plans to hire the same designer for the expanded wayfinding so it is cohesive.

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