April Berkshire Green Drinks: Follow the Forest

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Julia Rogers, the Senior Land Protection Manager at the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), will present at the April Berkshire Green Drinks gathering on Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 PM in person at Barrington Brewery, 420 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, and online via Zoom. 
 
Julia will talk about Follow the Forest, a nationally significant conservation initiative led by HVA. 
 
The Housatonic Valley Association and partners across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont are working together to connect and protect a forested, climate-resilient wildlife corridor stretching from the Bear Mountain Bridge through the Hudson Highlands, the Taconics, Litchfield and Berkshire Hills, the Rensselaer Plateau, Green Mountains and Adirondacks to Canada.  
 
The in-person gathering begins at 5:00 PM at Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington. The presentation will start at 6:00 PM. If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP at this link: https://April2023-Berks-Green-Drinks.eventbrite.com
 
Pre-registration is required to attend the virtual presentation. Register at tinyurl.com/April2023-Berks-Green-Drinks
 
According to a press release:
 
Two aspects of Follow the Forest have created a "catch-fire" momentum: resonance across diverse audiences—from high-level academia to people of all ages—and scalability to a hyper-localized level while demonstrating impact at a monumental scale. Follow the Forest makes GIS models relatable and easily understandable by land use decision-makers and the public. Julia's presentation will describe the Follow the Forest Initiative, how individuals and organizations can be involved, and how their work integrates with that of others, such as the Staying Connected Initiative and Berkshire Wildlife Linkage. To learn more, visit followtheforest.org.
 
Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month. A guest speaker talks for about 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM, and the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. 
 
Berkshire Green Drinks is sponsored and organized by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). For more information regarding Berkshire Green Drinks, contact Chelsey Simmons, chelsey@thebeatnews.org, (413) 464-9402

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State Closes Brookside Road Bridge

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— Brookside Road bridge was closed today following a routine inspection by the MA Department of Transportation.
 
Town Public Works Superintendent Joe Aberdale said the DOT inspection report now requires further state review and that there is no information yet on a timeline for reopening. Brookside Road is located south of town and runs east to Brush Hill Road and Boardman Street.
    
Aberdale said load limits on the older, trestle bridge have been disregarded for some years by heavy vehicles. He said that usage has likely taken a toll on the span over the Housatonic River.
 
Southbound drivers heading to Brush Hill and the north end of Boardman Street will need to travel further south on Route 7 to Kellogg Road and then onto Boardman Street, heading north.
 
"We will keep residents informed as we learn more from the state DOT," said Aberdale.
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