BEAT: Volunteer Fieldwork

08:07AM / Wednesday, April 24, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) has been working to survey road-stream crossings and culverts throughout Berkshire County using the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) protocol.

These surveys play a crucial role in identifying which culverts and crossings require immediate attention, helping prioritize replacements based on urgency. Thus, addressing these challenges not only supports the conservation of fish and wildlife but also enhances transportation infrastructure and promotes road safety.

This spring, BEAT is offering training to anyone interested in conducting volunteer fieldwork by surveying culverts and road-stream crossings. The first field day training is Tuesday, April 30. Space is limited. Anyone interested in getting trained and certified in the NAACC protocol through this BEAT-organized training should visit www.thebeatnews.org/BeatTeam/event/naacc-field-day-training/ to learn more or email team@thebeatnews.org with questions.

This opportunity for NAACC training and certification is organized by Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) and made possible by the Berkshire Cold, Clean, Connected (BCCC) partnership, a collaboration of organizations that develop ecological restoration projects in Berkshire rivers and streams that protect cold-water fisheries, remove barriers to aquatic connectivity, and enhance clean, healthy rivers throughout Berkshire County.

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Tina Packer, Founder of Shakespeare & Company, Dies at 87

Staff Reports 06:51PM / Saturday, January 10, 2026

LENOX, Mass. — The doyenne of Shakespeare's plays, Tina Packer, died Friday at the age of 87.

Shakespeare & Company, which Packer co-founded in 1978, made the announcement Saturday on its Facebook page.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Packer, Shakespeare & Company's founding artistic director and acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher," the company said on its post and in a press release.

Packer, who retired a the theater company's artistic director in 2009, had directed all of Shakespeare's plays, some several times, acted in eight of them, and taught the whole canon at more than 30 colleges, including Harvard. She continued to direct, teach, and advocate for the company until her passing.

At Columbia University, she taught in the master of business administration program for four years, resulting in the publication of "Power Plays: Shakespeare's Lessons in Leadership and Management with Deming Professor John Whitney" for Simon and Schuster. For Scholastic, she wrote "Tales from Shakespeare," a children's book and recipient of the Parent's Gold Medal Award.

Most recently her book "Women of Will" was published by Knopf and she had been performing "Women of Will" with Nigel Gore, in New York, Mexico, England, The Hague, China, and across the United States. She's the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the Commonwealth Award.

"Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Tina Packer, a fiery force of nature with an indomitable spirit," said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. "Tina affected everyone she encountered with her warmth, generosity, wit, and insatiable curiosity. She delighted in people's stories, and reached into their hearts with tender humanity. The world was her stage, and she furthered the Berkshires as a destination for the imagination.

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