Presentation on The Future of Wolves at MCLA's Green Living Seminar

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Carnivore Conservation Director Renee Seacor will give a presentation on the future of wolves on Feb. 26 as part of MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series.
 
Seacor, who directs Project Coyote at the Carnivore Conservation, will discuss the potential of wolf recovery in the Northeast, highlighting the history of wolves in the region, previous attempts at reintroduction in the Adirondack Park, the emerging science of wolf and coyote genetics, and the intersection of these issues with public policy.
 
Despite being federally protected as an endangered species, the wolf faces significant challenges as it attempts to reclaim its historical range in the region after decades of extirpation. Meanwhile, eastern coyotes—whose genetics reveal historical interbreeding with wolves and wolf-like traits—are hunted throughout the region with few restrictions.
 
This talk will explore the future of wolf recovery in the Northeast highlighting the urgent need for progressive policy changes that protect wild Canis species to facilitate their recovery.
 
In her role, Seacor works to advocate and advance policy solutions aimed at compassionately coexisting with our wild carnivore neighbors nationwide. She is an interdisciplinary environmental advocate with a background in wildlife ecology and environmental law and policy. She holds a bachelor's in Environmental Science from Rocky Mountain College in Montana and a JD with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Oregon School of Law.
 
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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Williamstown Looking at How to Enforce Smoking Ban for Apartments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health and town health inspector are consulting with town counsel on how best to enforce a ban on smoking in apartment buildings passed by town meeting in May.
 
Although the meeting overwhelmingly approved the new bylaw, the Attorney General's Office in Boston took until December to rule that the restriction, believed to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts, complied with state law and precedent.
 
On Tuesday, Health Inspector Ruth Russell told the board at its monthly meeting that the town's lawyer told her to work on an enforcement policy.
 
She indicated that counsel said some things need to be clarified in the smoking ban.
 
"Their understanding was the bylaw was very clear when it came to enforcement of common areas but very unclear when it came to non-common areas [i.e., residents apartment units]," Russell said.
 
"That would be the issue. If we got complaints about smoking in someone's own unit, town counsel had concerns about how it would go forward. … Could we even get a warrant to inspect, and how do we go down that road."
 
Russell said she would investigate as soon as practical after a complaint is lodged, but given the ephemeral nature of smoke from cigarettes and discharges from vaping products, it would be difficult to prove violations of the ordinance.
 
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