BEAT: Bringing Pollinators Home

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Join Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) for an enlightening evening dedicated to exploring ways to promote sustainable biodiversity through intentional gardening and the cultivation of native plants that support native pollinators and wildlife.
 
This free and open-to-the-public event will be held on Wednesday, April 17, from 6 PM to 8 PM, on the lower floor of the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's Public Library, 1 Wendell Ave.
 
Starting with a social gathering and a chance to review the available prizes that will be given away at the end of the night, the event will feature a recorded presentation by Doug Tallamy, an entomologist, ecologist, and author, where he discusses his book "Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens." 
 
Following the viewing of Tallamy's talk, Jim McGrath, the Open Space and Natural Resource Program Manager of Pittsfield's Parks, will outline plans for native plantings in downtown Pittsfield.
 
Bruce Winn, a Berkshire Community College (BCC) Professor and BEAT board member, will discuss ongoing efforts to transform BCC into a "pollinator campus," while Terri Stiffler, also a BEAT board member, will lead a discussion on "No Mow May." The evening will conclude with a giveaway of prizes, which include gift certificates from local businesses.
 
RSVP for this event through Eventbrite; register here: www.tinyurl.com/Native-Plants-Pollinators
 
This event is sponsored and organized by Berkshire Environmental Action Team, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Pittsfield. Learn more at www.thebeatnews.org.

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Dalton Town Meeting May 6 Preview

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Voters at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 6, will decide 22 articles, including articles on sidewalks and the authorization of a number of spending articles, including an approximate $22 million budget. 
 
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School. Town meeting documents can be found here.
 
A little more than a dozen voters attended the nearly two-hour town meeting information session on Monday. 
 
"That budget is going up about 8 percent from what it was last year. Sounds like a lot, it is a lot, the majority of that is coming from increases in insurance, and schools, and other things the town does not have direct control over," Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
 
"So, the actual town increase is a little under 4 percent. Everything else we're at the mercy of outside forces."
 
Of the $22 million budget, $10,537,044 is the assessment for the Central Berkshire Regional School District and about $10 million is the town operating budget.
 
"Last year, that part of the budget went up 10 percent. So, we're going in the right direction. It's not as low as we'd necessarily like to see, but I think both the Select Board and the Finance Committee did a great job this year of trimming away where they could," Hutcheson said. 
 
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