Northeast Wilderness Trust President and CEO to Present at MCLA's Green Living Seminar

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Jon Leibowitz, president and CEO of the Northeast Wilderness Trust, will give a presentation titled "Rewilding in an Unlikely Landscape: The Recovery of the Northern Forest of the Northeastern United States" on Feb. 19 as part of MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series.
 
Leibowitz's presentation will focus on protecting wilderness across the Northeast and how it's increasingly being recognized as a vital strategy to reverse the extinction crisis and mitigate climate change. He will also address common myths about wilderness and explain why rewilding the Northeast by dramatically expanding wildlands across the region is essential.
 
Leibowitz has served in his current role at the trust since 2017 and began his career as a transaction specialist at Montezuma Land Conservancy in Colorado in 2012, where he later became executive director. He is also a co-owner of WildEdge Brewing Collective in Cortez, Colo.
 
He earned a juris doctor and a master's in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Leibowitz contributes to various state, regional, and national committees. His roles include serving on the Steering Committee of Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities, the Leadership Council of The Rewilding Institute, and the National Land Trust Alliance Leadership Council.
 
In his free time, Leibowitz enjoys gardening and exploring the forests of the Northeast, particularly those near his home in Middlesex, Vt., at the southern edge of the Worcester Range. He lives there with his wife, two sons, a border collie, chickens, and an abundance of wildlife. Among his favorite wild neighbors are Hermit Thrushes, fishers, and red efts.
Presentations occur every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation (FCSI) Room 121. Each presentation is free and open to the public. Podcasts will be posted online following each presentation. 
 
All lectures will be recorded and can be replayed on the MCLA ENVI Youtube Channel and broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel (NBCTC) 1302 at the following times: 
  • Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
  • Fridays at 4 p.m.
  • Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.
  • Sundays at 11:30 p.m.
  • Mondays at 5:30 p.m. 
Community members can find up-to-date information about the schedule at mcla.edu/greenliving.

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Letter: CDBG Funding for Housing Fix-Up, Purchase Assistance, and Affordable Housing Trust

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

At the public hearing (03/25/26) on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Application submitted by North Adams, the presentation indicated that no funding was allocated to assisting residents with housing fix-up and housing purchase.

North Adams remains the only jurisdiction in Berkshire County that does not include these types of programs in their CDBG application. The grant application also misses an opportunity to fund the newly created Affordable Housing Trust which receives CDBG funds in other jurisdictions.

North Adams funded housing fix-up and housing purchase assistance in the past and these programs helped many residents with home upkeep and purchases. The need for these programs has only increased since they were abandoned by North Adams.

For the median income resident of North Adams the median home price is $40,000 more than they can afford. Over 27 percent of homeowners spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing and 12.5 percent of homeowners spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing. Over 20 percent of properties in North Adams are rated as below average condition by the North Adams assessor.

There should be no doubt that North Adams needs both fix-up and home purchase assistance programs and a well supported Affordable Housing Trust. I urge North Adams residents to advocate for funding for these programs during the upcoming budget review meetings.

Virginia Riehl
North Adams, Mass. 

Riehl is co-founder of the North Adams Community Housing Organization (NACHO)

 

 

 

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