BEAT Welcomes Volunteers to Housatonic River Cleanups

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PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) and the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) are inviting volunteers to take part in this year's Housatonic River West Branch Cleanups.

Over the years, volunteers have helped make a visible difference. The piles of trash collected each year have steadily shrunk, reflecting cleaner riverbanks and the ongoing commitment of community members who care about the river.

The West Branch of the Housatonic River flows south from Pontoosuc and Onota Lakes before joining the East Branch in Pittsfield. This stretch of the river supports wildlife and offers opportunities for fishing, paddling, and enjoying the outdoors. Removing litter from the river and its banks helps keep this important community resource healthy, clean, and safer. 

BEAT will host river cleanups on Saturday, June 27 and Saturday, July 25, with a rain date of August 22. Volunteers will meet at Westside Riverway Park, 181 Dewey Ave., Pittsfield, MA, at 9:00 AM before heading to cleanup sites along the river. Participants will return to Riverway Park at 12:00 PM, where lunch will be provided for all volunteers. Cleanup supplies will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear and clothing appropriate for outdoor conditions.

Volunteers are required to register for one or both cleanup days at:

https://tinyurl.com/Housatonic-River-Cleanups-2026

 


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Dalton Air Quality Report Links Dust to Digsite

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — For more than a year, neighbors of Berkshire Concrete's unauthorized dig site have complained that sand drifting into their neighborhood is affecting their air quality.
 
A five-month study is providing data that may support these claims.
 
Air Partners Collaborative of Needham monitored the air quality over five months — from October to April — using a network of monitoring sensors at strategic locations surrounding the site. 
 
Sensors were positioned west and southeast of the site at four locations: Raymond Drive, Off Prospect Street, Renee Drive, and the shooting range 80 meters northwest of the site to provide background measurements for the northwesterly winds. 
 
During the observation period, it was determined that Dalton is experiencing "extreme events of coarse particulate matter, with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometers (PM10)
 
The National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10 is 150 micrograms per cubic meter within a 24-hour period, the report says. But Dalton is seeing concentrations reaching 1,000 to 10,000 micrograms per cubic meter during individual events. This is seven to 67 times the national standards.
 
The wind direction analysis indicates that 10 of the 12 exceedance events, or 83 percent, suggest the digsite may be contributing to the issue, but this cannot be proved with certainty.
 
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