Free Tree Identification Walk at The Clark in Williamstown

11:59AM / Wednesday, June 25, 2025Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will host a free tree identification walk at The Clark Art Institute's grounds and walking trails in Williamstown on Saturday, June 28, at 9:30 AM. (Rain Date: Sunday, June 29)

This walk will last approximately two hours and will feature slow-paced stops along the way. Participants will be outdoors for the entire duration of the walk, so appropriate footwear, clothing, and drinking water are recommended.

On this guided walk, participants will learn key characteristics of trees commonly found in Western Massachusetts. Led by a Berkshire naturalist and tree enthusiast, the walk will offer tips and tricks for recognizing tree species throughout the year, regardless of the presence of leaves. In addition to learning how to identify trees, participants will have the opportunity to view some of the artwork integrated into the natural landscape of The Clark.

This event is free and open to the public; however, space is limited, and registration is required. For more information or to register, email chelsey@thebeatnews.org.

This tree walk is part of a grant awarded by the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts to Berkshire Environmental Action Team. BEAT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pittsfield, MA. They work with the community to protect the environment for wildlife in support of the natural world that sustains us all. To learn more about BEAT, visit their website at www.thebeatnews.org or contact them at team@thebeatnews.org, (413) 464-9402.

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Mount Greylock School Committee Hears Budget Requests, Pressures

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:32AM / Wednesday, February 18, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee Thursday heard the final rounds of fiscal year 2027 budget requests and heard why those — or any — discretionary increases in spending will be difficult in the year that begins July 1.

Williamstown Elementary Principal Benjamin Torres and middle-high school Principal Jake Schutz each presented the spending priorities formulated by their respective school councils. The requests followed a presentation by Lanesborough Elementary Principal Nolan Pratt at the January meeting.

Superintendent Joseph Bergeron then told the School Committee that state and federal aid to the district is going to be slightly lower than FY26 and reminded the panel that the district spent the last two years spending down its reserve accounts, as requested by the member towns, to the point where those reserves — School Choice, tuition and excess and deficiency — cannot be applied to the operating budget.

"Spending the exact same amount of money from this year to next year — that alone will mean a 4 percent increase [in appropriations] to each of our towns," Bergeron said. "That's the baseline on top of which everything else will happen.

"We know we're seeing an 8.75 percent increase in health insurance, but we also have an increasing number of employees who are taking our health insurance, so that health insurance line is increasing substantially. When it comes to out-of-district tuition as well as transportation, both of those are seeing marked increases as well."

District staff and the School Committee will further refine its FY27 budget over the next five weeks, with a budget workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, and a public hearing and final budget vote on March 19.

The district's appropriations to Williamstown and Lanesborough, which each pay a proportional share of the prekindergarten-Grade 12 district's operating expenses, will face an up-or-down vote at each town's annual meeting, in May and June, respectively.

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