BEAT to Host Sixth Annual Berkshire Biodiversity Day

08:00AM / Thursday, September 11, 2025Print Story | Email Story

ADAMS, Mass. — The 16th annual Berkshire Biodiversity Day, also known as Berkshire BioBlitz, invites nature lovers of all ages to join scientists, naturalists, and environmental educators in identifying as many species as possible—plants, animals, fungi, and more—over the course of 24 hours.

The Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) hosted event will take place from noon on Saturday, Sept. 13 to noon on Sunday, Sept. 14 at the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center in Adams. Participation is free and open to everyone, regardless of age or experience.

Attendees are invited to drop in at any point during the event to join scheduled guided walks, attend hands-on demonstrations, and learn from expert-led presentations.

This year's lineup includes two nature walks led by well-known naturalist Tom Tyning, one focusing on amphibians and reptiles and the other on butterflies. Rene Wendell from the Hoffmann Bird Club and The Nature Conservancy will lead a nighttime owl prowl, as well as an early morning bird walk with Jonathan Pierce, also from the Hoffmann Bird Club.

Matthew Rymkiewicz will demonstrate how to attract and observe moths using lightsheeting techniques, and Ben Nickley of Berkshire Bird Observatory will conduct a live bird banding session. Laura Hancock from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will give a presentation on bats and surveying techniques, as well as lead a demonstration in plant preservation and specimen mounting. Nicaela Haig of Mass Audubon will lead a hawk watch, and Sonia Szala-Krotkov will lead a bee walk.

Visit thebeatnews.org to find a detailed schedule of the 24-hour program.

All activities and presentations will be based at the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center at 135 Gould Road, Adams, where attendees must register upon arrival. Participants may stop by anytime to take part in the scheduled guided walks, live demonstrations of surveying techniques, and educational presentations, or contribute their own observations to the species survey across the Glen's diverse landscape.

Berkshire Biodiversity Day is organized by Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). This year's program is co-sponsored by Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Mass Audubon, and BEAT.

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Adams Street & Sidewalk Improvement Project to Resume in Spring

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
11:34AM / Friday, November 06, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — Work on the paving and sidewalk improvement project along Smith, Randall, and Cherry streets was underway and is expected to continue in the spring.

The town awarded the project to Warner Bros. LLC, the lowest responsive bidder out of the four bids, with a base bid of $491,595, which included repaving a 1.5 inch mill and overlay and a five-and-a-half foot monolithic sidewalks on both sides of Cherry and Smith Street.

The town also accepted three bid alternates, bringing the total project cost to $664,546.75, funded entirely through the state's Chapter 90 program.

The three bid alternates includes crosswalk improvements at Summer and Cherry streets, milling and repaving of Randall Street, and constructing new sidewalks along the south side of Randall Street.

"The concrete work is pretty significant. They'll tear up all the old concrete, and they'll frame out new concrete, and they'll pour wet cement for curing. So, it takes a little bit of time, and then sometimes with these public works, they're kind of up against weather conditions," Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo said.

"If the temperature starts to drop too quickly, the materials don't hold as well. So, they often will exercise a little bit of caution. They did review with the town last week that they're going to wait to do the rest of the project in the springtime."

The town identified the streets as priorities in part because of its proximity to Winter Street, where officials have applied for a Community Development Block Grant to fund paving and stormwater improvements, he said.

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