PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) announces the launch of its campaign "Stop Non-Native Fish Stocking," a public education and advocacy effort urging the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to end the routine stocking of non-native fish in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds.
The campaign highlights the ecological consequences of current stocking practices and aligns with state commitments to biodiversity and climate resilience.
According to a press release:
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) spends millions of dollars to raise and stock waterways with non-native fish for recreational fishing. According to state information, stocked fish are generally unable to survive long-term, resulting in extremely high mortality rates shortly after stocking and potentially contributing to excess nutrients. Other independent research shows that stocking non-native fish disrupts aquatic ecosystems and negatively impacts native species. These outcomes run counter to the Massachusetts Biodiversity Mandate, which directs state agencies to protect native species and biodiversity across the Commonwealth. By advocating for an end to non-native stocking, BEAT seeks to modernize fisheries management in a way that prioritizes ecosystem health and public accountability.
BEAT will host a free public webinar on March 3, 2026, titled "The Harmful Practice of Fish Stocking in Massachusetts and What You Can Do to Help," to provide ecological context, review key findings, and offer space for discussion and questions, while also supporting informed public engagement around fisheries management decisions and providing practical guidance on how to push for policy change, including how to effectively contact MassWildlife and state officials.
This campaign is part of BEAT's broader mission to protect the natural systems that sustain wildlife and communities in the Berkshires and beyond. BEAT's work integrates science, advocacy, and community engagement to address emerging environmental challenges and ensure that public resources support resilient, biodiverse ecosystems.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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NAMI Raises Sugar With 10th Annual Cupcake Wars
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. To contact the Crisis Text Line, text HELLO to 741741. More information on crisis hotlines in Massachusetts can be found here.
Whitney's Farm baker Jenn Carchedi holds her awards for People's Choice and Best Tasting.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Berkshire County held its 10th annual cupcake wars fundraiser Thursday night at the Country Club of Pittsfield.
The event brought local bakeries and others together to raise money for the organization while enjoying a friendly competition of cupcake tasting.
Local bakeries Odd Bird Farm, Canyon Ranch, Whitney's Farm and Garden, and Monarch butterfly bakery each created a certain flavor of cupcake and presented their goods to the theme of "Backyard Barbecue." When Sweet Confections bakery had to drop out because to health reasons, NAMI introduced a mystery baker which turned out to be Big Y supermarket.
The funds raised Thursday night through auctions of donated items, the cupcakes, raffles, and more will go toward the youth mental health wellness fair, peer and family support groups, and more.
During the event, the board members mentioned the many ways the funds have been used, stating that they were able to host their first wellness fair that brought in more than 250 people because of the funds raised from last year and plan to again this year on July 11.
"We're really trying to gear towards the teen community, because there's such a stigma with mental illness, and they sometimes are hesitant to come forward and admit they have a problem, so they try to self medicate and then get themselves into a worse situation," said NAMI President Ruth Healy.
"We're really trying to focus on that group, and that's going to be the focus of our youth mental health wellness fair is more the teen community. So every penny that we raise helps us to do more programming, and the more we can do, the more people recognize that we're there to help and that there is hope."
They mentioned they are now able to host twice monthly peer and family support groups at no cost for individuals and families with local training facilitators. They also are now able to partner with Berkshire Medical Center to perform citizenship monitoring where they have volunteers go to different behavioral mental health units to listen to patients and staff to provide service suggestions to help make the unit more effective. Lastly, they also spoke of how they now have a physical office space, and that they were able to attend the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention as part of the panel discussion to help offer resources and have also been able to have gift bags for patients at BMC Jones 2 and 3.
Healy said they are also hoping to expand into the schools in the county and bring programming and resources to them.
She said the programs they raise money for are important in reaching someone with mental issues sooner.
"To share the importance of recognizing, maybe an emerging diagnosis of a mental health condition in their family member or themselves, that maybe they could get help before the situation becomes so dire that they're thinking about suicide as a solution, the sooner we can reach somebody, the better the outcome," she said.
The cupcakes were judged by Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Managing Director Rebecca Brien, Pittsfield High culinary teacher Todd Eddy, and Lindsay Cornwell, executive director Second Street Second Chances.
The 100 guests got miniature versions of the cupcakes to decide the Peoples' Choice award.
The winners were:
Best Tasting: Whitney's Farm (Honey buttermilk cornbread cupcakes)
Best Presentation: Odd Bird Farm Bakery (Blueberry lemon cupcakes)
Best Presentation of Theme: Canyon Ranch (Strawberry shortcake)
People's Choice: Whitney's Farm
Jenn Carchedi has been the baker at Whitney's for six years and this was her third time participating in an event she cares deeply about.
"It meant a lot. Because personally, for me, mental health awareness is really important. I feel like coming together as a community, and Whitney's Farm is more like a community kind of place," she said
The town election is less than a month away and, unlike recent ones, all open seats are uncontested, with even a vacancy remaining on the Planning Board.
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As rally participation has grown in recent years, city officials have had to navigate how to ensure safety to its residents and public spaces. click for more
