Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Partnership Awarded $276K

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BOSTON—The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced over $700,000 in grants to support partnerships to restore rivers and wetlands. 
 
In the Berkshires, the Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Partnership was awarded $276,000 through the Housatonic Valley Association, the lead organization.
 
"The Berkshire Clean, Cold, and Connected Partnership is doing critical work to strengthen climate resilience and restore aquatic ecosystems across the Berkshires," said State Rep. Leigh Davis. "I'm grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for investing in these important partnerships that advance meaningful restoration projects throughout the Commonwealth." 
 
The Berkshire Clean, Cold, Connected Partnership unites organizations, agencies, and communities to strengthen aquatic health and climate resilience in the Hoosic, Housatonic, and Farmington River watersheds. This award will expand regional capacity to deliver nature-based climate solutions, accelerate the removal of aquatic barriers, and restore coldwater habitat for native fish species.  
 
This funding, provided by the Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), will support three established partnerships through DER's Regional Restoration Partnerships Program. These partnerships advance locally led projects that provide clean water, reduce flood risk, and restore healthy habitat for fish and wildlife. 
 
"Nature is our best defense against natural disasters. That's why the work of these local environmental leaders in the Berkshires, Merrimack Valley, and Buzzards Bay is so important," said Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "Removing aging dams, restoring wetlands and salt marshes, and expanding access to streams are some of our best strategies for preventing disastrous floods in our communities. By making progress through these partnerships, we'll be protecting people's livelihoods in the event of a storm." 
 
DER's Regional Restoration Partnerships Program helps build the capacity of regional organizations and regional planning agencies that work with cities, towns, and other local partners to lead watershed-scale ecological restoration within their regions. Pairing partners' strengths with state investments empowers local communities to restore rivers and wetlands and help people and nature adapt to climate change.
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Berkshire Art Center Announces Fall 2026 Classes & Workshops

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Berkshire Art Center (BAC) invites artists of all ages and experience levels to participate in  lineup of Fall 2026 classes and workshops.

With programs offered at Citizens' Hall in Stockbridge as well as partner locations including Berkshire Music School, WANDER Berkshires, and the Mass Audubon's Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, BAC's fall season celebrates creativity through ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, and more.

Ceramics students will find opportunities to develop their skills this fall. Faculty Artist Paula Shalan returns with Tableware: Creating with Soft Slabs, where students create functional pottery such as mugs, tumblers, and bowls, as well as Cut, Add, and Stretch: Creating with Soft Slabs, which explores more contemporary approaches to handbuilding. Jess Cropper-Alt teaches Timeless & Tactile: Handbuilding Traditions, while Donna Bernstein leads Wheel Throwing for All, an all-levels course featuring demonstrations, individualized instruction, and ample studio time.

For those looking to try clay for the first time, Lorimer Burns offers Try Your Hand at the Pottery Wheel, a welcoming two-hour introduction to wheel throwing. BAC also offers fun, social workshops including Wall Pocket Party, perfect for beginners, friends, couples, and families with children ages 10 and up, and Pottery Night: Beer Stein Social, an evening of creativity and community where participants craft their own handmade ceramic beer stein.

Mixed media and printmaking enthusiasts will find an inspiring variety of offerings throughout the season. Jody King Camarra teaches Color Theory Through Collage, Print Lab: Collagraph, Drypoint & Relief, Working in a Series: Creating Cohesive Collages, Monoprint Magic, and concludes the season with the festive workshop Handmade Holidays: Winter Layers in Gel Plate Printmaking.

Additional printmaking opportunities include Eco-Printing: Basics and Beyond with Mallorey Caron, where students create beautiful botanical prints using real flowers and leaves, Gelatin Plate Printmaking with Johanna Merfeld, an introduction to playful experimentation with layering, texture, stencils, and image transfers, and Image Transfers & Mixed Media, where Diane Firtell shares versatile techniques that can stand alone or enhance existing artwork.

Photographers can celebrate autumn alongside Thad Kubis, whose seasonal workshops include Photography of Daniel Chester French's Studio at Chesterwood in Stockbridge and Photographing Fall Colors in the Berkshires at Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield.

Painters and drawing enthusiasts will discover classes ranging from foundational techniques to expressive exploration. Jill McLean returns with Watercolor Foundations and Watercolor Landscapes at Berkshire Music School, along with shorter, 1-day workshops including Berkshire Polaroids in Watercolor and Handmade Holidays: Watercolor Bookmarks.

Wednesday Nelena Sorokin offers Creative Writing & Abstraction, where students use stream-of-consciousness writing to inspire expressive abstract paintings, along with Painting Basics, Two-Dimensional Composition Workshop, and the popular Abstract Painting: Color, Design and Spirit. Artists looking for a relaxed, supportive studio environment can also enjoy the return of Friday Painting Studio, featuring a new and more accessible tuition rate and experienced facilitators who provide encouragement, feedback, and creative community while participants work on independent projects.

BAC's monthly workshop series at WANDER Berkshires in Pittsfield also continues this fall. Held on the second Saturday of each month, these welcoming two-hour sessions invite participants to sketch, paint, journal, and experiment in a relaxed community setting—no long-term commitment required. The series begins September 12 with Commonplace Visual Journaling led by Kaily Ritz, followed by Mini Nature Assemblage Boxes with Johanna Merfeld on October 10, Indoor Urban Sketching with Jill McLean on November 14, and concludes December 12 with Watercolor Reset for the New Year, led by BAC Executive Director Laura Thompson.

For a complete schedule of classes and workshops or to register, visit www.berkshireartcenter.org/classes.

 

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