Berkshire Green Drinks: Tracking: Out-of-Sight, Out-of-Mind

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Daniel Hansche, the founder of Spur Wander and an evaluator with Tracker Certification North America, will speak at the October Berkshire Green Drinks event on Wednesday, Oct. 9. 
 
This free hybrid event will take place online via Zoom and in person at The Barn of the Williams Inn, 101 Spring Street, Pittsfield. The in-person social gathering will begin around 5:30 PM; the presentation and Zoom meeting will start at 6:00 PM. 
 
According to a press release:
 
Wildlife tracking has contributed significantly to our awareness of the species cohabitating in the Berkshires alongside our human population. Especially valuable to the conservation and management of the more nocturnal and crepuscular mammals, tracking allows us to identify or verify those species present on the landscape when they would otherwise be imperceptible. Behaviors and habits that would be virtually impossible to see become part of our everyday awareness. What information can we glean from our backyards or favorite conservation property that would otherwise remain out of sight and out of mind?
 
 
Daniel Hansche, founder of Spur Wander and an evaluator with Tracker Certification, brings a unique perspective to the practice of wildlife tracking. From over 25 years of experience in various forms, including education, field research, and certification, Daniel will offer insights, reflection, and inspiration. Whether your interest is of sheer curiosity or that of the hobbyist, naturalist, or professional, our exploration of tracking will be dynamic and engaging for all.
 
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). 
 

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Williamstown Community Preservation Panel Weighs Hike in Tax Surcharge

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Community Preservation Committee is considering whether to ask town meeting to increase the property tax surcharge that property owners currently pay under the provisions of the Community Preservation Act.
 
Members of the committee have argued that by raising the surcharge to the maximum allowed under the CPA, the town would be eligible for significantly more "matching" funds from the commonwealth to support CPA-eligible projects in community housing, historic preservation and open space and recreation.
 
When the town adopted the provisions of the CPA in 2002 and ever since, it set the surcharge at 2 percent of a property's tax with $100,000 of the property's valuation exempted.
 
For example, the median-priced single-family home in the current fiscal year has a value of $453,500 and a tax bill of $6,440, before factoring the assessment from the fire district, a separate taxing authority.
 
For the purposes of the CPA, that same median-priced home would be valued at $353,500, and its theoretical tax bill would be $5,020.
 
That home's CPA surcharge would be about $100 (2 percent of $5,020).
 
If the CPA surcharge was 3 percent in FY26, that median-priced home's surcharge would be about $151 (3 percent of $5,020).
 
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