Berkshire Green Drinks: All About Bats

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Jennifer Longsdorf, the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Coordinator at MassWildlife, will speak at the September during an online only Berkshire Green Drinks event on Wednesday, Sept. 11. 
 
This free event will take place online via Zoom. The Zoom meeting will start at 6:00 PM. 
 
According to a press release:
 
Bats are fascinating and unique creatures that play a critical role in many environments around the world. However, dramatic population declines have put bats in the spotlight. Discover how human activity and White-nose Syndrome have decimated bat populations. Join BEAT and Jennifer Longsdorf to learn the general facts and help dispel common myths and fears about the most underappreciated and misunderstood mammal on Earth. Jennifer will end with some tips on how to help conserve and protect these ecosystem superheroes.
 
 
A graduate of the University of New England in Maine, Jennifer Longsdorf has been with MassWildlife for nearly 13 years as the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Coordinator. During this time, Jennifer has been involved with a variety of conservation and restoration projects, aiding northern red-bellied cooters, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and coastal waterbirds, among other species. For the past several years, Jennifer has mainly served as MassWildlife’s bat conservation program coordinator and wildlife rehabilitation program manager.
 
Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month that is free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. A guest speaker talks about an environmentally related topic for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM; the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. 
 
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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Berkshire Mall Owners Press for Road District Dissolution

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Berkshire Mall owner JMJ RE Holdings says without a dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District, the potential sale and redevelopment with the mall would fall through.
 
The Select Board last week authorized two of its members to work on a compromise between the JMJ and the road district. The two entities have been at loggerheads over assessments to the district — and the district's purpose.
 
Tim Grogan, development consultant for JMJ RE Holdings, recently responded to iBerkshires' coverage of the meeting, during which the board discussed mediation but took no comments from the public or the mall owners. 
 
Grogan said JMJ has been under purchase contract with real estate developer Cypress Equities since May and has an intention to close in the fall.
 
"We are contractually obligated to deliver the property with the BHRD dissolved. If that does not happen, the mall will not get redeveloped. If the BHRD is not dissolved, the transaction with Cypress cannot close," said Grogan over email. "That is not a position JMJ adopted as leverage. It is the express term of a fully executed purchase and sale agreement. Should the town proceed in a manner that departs from the existing settlement framework, JMJ will evaluate all available claims to protect its contractual rights."
 
The town had initially agreed to seek the dissolution of the district through the Legislature based on JMJ paying $1.1 million to resolve all tax disputes. But that article was pulled from the annual town meeting when town officials said the mall's owners failed to make payment by the deadline. 
 
The road district was established 40 years ago to maintain the Connector Road between Routes 7 and 8 and assess the mall for fire and police protection. The mall closed in 2019 and its various owners since then have sought to redevelop the property. 
 
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