Berkshire's Hoffmann Bird Club to Celebrate 85th Anniversary

11:43AM / Thursday, September 04, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Hoffmann Bird Club (HBC) of Berkshire County was founded in Pittsfield in 1940, and on Monday, Sept. 8, the club will celebrate its 85th Anniversary at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West Street, Pittsfield.

Social hour will start at 6:00 PM, with the meeting and programs starting at 7:00 PM in Susan B. Anthony building, 1st Floor. The event will be complete with a birthday cake, and presentations from several HBC Members. The event is free and open to the public.

There will be a brief meeting, and mini programs to follow. On the roster are:

Dick Ferren, who will introduce us to his new book, "The Birds of Rhode Island."

Ferren is a former professor of Life Sciences at BCC, and recipient of the 2020 "Distinguished Naturalist" by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey. There will be a limited number of these books will be available for sale.

Zach Adams, who will discuss his new book, "The Birds of New England."

Throughout his career in conservation— working with National Audubon, Mass Audubon, and Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, and now Trout Unlimited— Adams' knowledge and enthusiasm have helped hundreds of people connect with birds.

Chip Blake, HBC's current president, who will tell us about "The History of Birding in Berkshire County."

Blake has lived in Berkshire County for almost three decades, exploring every corner of it as a naturalist and birdwatcher. He is the author of The Birds of Berkshire County, to be published later this year by the Nuttall Ornithological Club. Earlier, he served for 25 years as the editor of Orion magazine.

Steven Miller, HBC Vice President, Website and Social Media

Steven Miller will preview the new Hoffmann Bird Club archive, containing bird sightings, field trip reports, and other historical documents from the club's 85 years of birding the Berkshires. This physical archive will be housed at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield and a digital archive will be available on the website this fall.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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