Letter: Stop the Notch Reservoir logging project

To the Editor:

As a lifelong resident of the Berkshires and current MCLA student, I have come to possess a great fondness for the nature intertwined within our towns and cities. Even as a person who generally gravitates towards the indoor side of life, I believe we strike a fine balance between natural land and industry here in Western Massachusetts. One needs little more than to look around at wonderful mountain forests that surround us to realize the beauty at hand. It saddens me greatly, then, to see our governing bodies propose plans to disrupt this balance, and tear away our beautiful scenic views.

Currently, there is a proposed logging project that will target nature trails surrounding the Notch reservoir, destroying a middle and old growth forest with the intent to replace it with one that will promote better long-term water quality. However, this seems not to take into account the immediate effects such a project will have on our current water supply; more importantly, the destruction of such a long-standing and untouched pocket of natural land will be a detrimental blow to both the many animals that inhabit the space, as well as the people who enjoy it as a hiking trail. Spending time in nature has great benefits to the emotional well-being of people, and it would be a shame to take that from our fellow North Adams residents.

The solution is quite simple: We do not want this logging project to proceed. Mayor Macksey has already postponed the project due to community efforts by the "Friends of the Notch Forest" group, but it can be reinstated at any time. Our mayor has demonstrated she is willing to listen, so in order to ensure our voices continue to be heard, we should write Mayor Macksey and urge her to stop the project altogether.

If you want to protect our beloved forest, you can contact Mayor Macksey at mayormacksey@northadams-ma.gov.

Julian Rocca Killela
North Adams, Mass.

North Adams, Pittsfield Mark King Day With Calls for Activism

By Tammy Daniels & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Monday, January 19, 2026

Alÿcia Bacon, community engagement officer for the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, speaks at the MLK service held Price Memorial AME Church in Pittsfield. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Wendy Penner can be found pretty much everywhere: leading local initiatives to address climate change and sustainability, championing public health approaches for substance abuse, and motivating citizens to defend their rights and the rights of others. 

 

That's all when she's not working her day job in public health, or being co-president of Congregation Beth Israel, or chairing the Williamstown COOL Committee, or volunteering on a local board. 

 

"Wendy is deeply committed to the Northern Berkshire community and to the idea of think globally, act locally," said Gabrielle Glasier, master of ceremonies for Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's annual Day of Service. 

 

Her community recognized her efforts with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations who have substantially contributed to the Northern Berkshires. The award has been presented by the MLK Committee for 30 years, several times a year at first and at the MLK Day of Service over the past 20 years. 

 

"This event is at heart a celebration of our national and local striving to live up to the ideals of Dr. King and his committed work for racial equality, economic justice, nonviolence and anti-militarism," said Penner. "There is so much I want to say about this community that I love, about how we show up for each other, how we demonstrate community care for those who are struggling, how we support and and celebrate the natural environment that we love and how we understand how important it is that every community member feels deserves to feel valued, seen and uplifted."

 

King's legacy is in peril "as I never could have imagined," she said, noting the accumulation of vast wealth at the top while the bottom 50 percent share only 2.5 percent the country's assets. Even in "safe" Massachusetts, there are people struggling with food and housing, others afraid to leave their homes. 

 

In response, the community has risen to organize and make themselves visible and vocal through groups such as Greylock Together, supporting mutual aid networks, calling representatives, writing cards and letters, and using their privilege to protect vulnerable community members.