The future of Pioneer Valley farmland is in our hands

If you're a Pioneer Valley native, you may not realize what a unique region surrounds you. As a recent transplant from upstate New York, I have observed how nature, culture, education and agriculture come together here in a rich, productive tapestry that few other areas in the northeast can claim. Because of this tapestry, locally grown foods are plentiful and accessible today. But what will happen in the future?

Ways to help

-- Buy local products at farmers markets, CSA farms, or at individual farm stands.

-- Encourage your grocery store to carry local foods.

-- Support your town's Community Preservation Act (CPA) Fund. It provides a critical source of funding for land protection.

-- Support your town's efforts to permanently preserve farmland.

Educator learns valuable lessons from a hawk

On a bird trip I once led for the Hitchcock Center for the Environment I noticed a northern harrier (also known as marsh hawk) hunting over a field in Hadley. This lovely raptor, found over the fields and marshes of the northern hemisphere, rarely breeds in western Massachusetts but occurs here regularly as a migrant and in small numbers as a winter resident.

Brush piles: A backyard bonanza for wildlife

By Joshua Rose Gazette Contributing Writer

Bears, bees and others settle in for a long winter's nap

As far as I can tell, there are three ways to survive a New England winter. One, you take up winter sports and learn to love the slippery ground and nose-biting cold. (This one's not for me - I am too clumsy for skates or snowboards.) Two, you escape to warmer climes. (As a tropical biologist early in my career, I opted for this, and spent many winter months knee-deep in mangrove mud in Belize; not glamorous, perhaps, but warm!) Or three, sleep through it. Many animals and plants choose option three: it's cheaper than airfare or new skis.