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.

Department of Environmental Protection enforcement actions in Valley

The following is a selection of state Department of Environmental Protection orders for the region for December and November, the most recent periods for which reports are available:

Green Tip

This Green Tip is provided by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission:

KNOWLEDGE CORRIDOR: Residents of the Pioneer Valley are part of New England's Sustainable Knowledge Corridor, an area defined by the Hartford-Springfield metropolitan region and home to 1.6 million residents. The Knowledge Corridor, a concept that has evolved over the last 10 years, has been recognized as a major economic unit tied together by a wide range of regional assets. There is a $4.2 million dollar initiative under way to create regional plans, focus resources, build capacity and implement projects to catalyze economic growth and position our unique region as a leader in sustainable community development.

Environmental briefs

CALIFORNIA'S DRIVE AGAINST SMOG: The head of California's air quality board is calling proposed rules that would require automakers to build less-polluting cars and trucks by 2025 a historic move for a cleaner environment.

Cost of rebuilding Vermont hatchery renews questions about Atlantic salmon

Damage to the Bethel, Vt., fish hatchery caused by Tropical Storm Irene last August - and the estimated $14 million pricetag for rebuilding it - have raised questions about the 45-year effort to return Atlantic salmon to the Connecticut River and its tributaries. The program has not succeeded in bringing back enough salmon to lure sport fishermen and the tourism dollars that accompany them. But defenders say the program has helped restore other species, such as American shad and river herring, and it has increased awareness of the river's environment while preserving the salmon's genetic material.

• Click here for Connecticut River Salmon Association

2011's wild weather: What does it mean?

NORTHAMPTON - It's tough not to look back at weather of 2011 and not think, at least for a second, "What's going on here? Are climate trends getting magnified?"