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Environment

State donates six acres of land to Northampton for conservation, future nature trail

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — The state is giving the city more than six acres off Pomeroy Terrace near College Church, a move that may pave the way for a long-desired nature trail in the Meadows Conservation Area. While the land is primarily being acquired for conservation purposes, Ward 3 residents and the Cutchins Programs for Children & Families, at 78 Pomeroy Terrace, are interested in building a trail in that part of … 1

Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, right, speaks to a crowd of college students and supporters at a rally to support fossil fuel divestment outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Thursday, May 2, 2013. Hayden Higgins, left, rides a Rock The Bike "One Bike/One Speaker," a bicycle that generated power for the sound system at the rally. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Students push fossil-fuel divestment

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

SWARTHMORE, Pa. — Student activists at more than 200 colleges are trying a new tactic in hopes of slowing the pace of climate change: They are asking their schools to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. The Fossil Free campaign argues that if it’s wrong to pour pollution into the air and contribute … 0

Dr. Ernest Moniz speaks after being sworn in as Energy Secretary, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, during a ceremony at the Energy Department in Washington. Moniz, 68, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, replaces Steven Chu, who served as energy secretary in President Barack Obama's first term. Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

New energy secretary puts LNG exports on hold for now

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Tuesday he will delay final decisions on about 20 applications to export liquefied natural gas until he reviews studies by the Energy Department and others on what impact the exports would have on domestic natural gas supplies and prices. Moniz, who was sworn in Tuesday as … 0

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Local Photography »
Rafael Cottom, left, and Connor Paradis rehearse for Northampton High School's production of "Fahrenheit 451" Tuesday at the school. JERREY ROBERTS 'Fahrenheit 451' at Northampton High School 
Gregory Stone talks about his show of new works, "Journey of the Thumbnail", at A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton through May 25. KEVIN GUTTING Painter Gregory Stone seeks to turn bad news into beauty
Dan Drollette Jr., at his Northampton home, visited Vietnam twice to do research for his book, "Gold Rush in the Jungle." CAROL LOLLIS Science writer Dan Drollette Jr. pens book about the race to discover and protect the exotic animals of Vietnam
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Painter Gregory Stone seeks to turn bad news into beauty
From Arts & Entertainment »
Science writer Dan Drollette Jr. pens book about the race to discover and protect the exotic animals of Vietnam
From Arts & Entertainment »
Carrie Hague said she was surprised to see a moose walk through her neighbor's yard on Mount Tom Avenue Saturday afternoon. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARRIE HAGUE.

Young moose trots through downtown Easthampton

Sunday, May 19, 2013

EASTHAMPTON — Jaws dropped and heads turned Saturday when a young moose trotted through backyards and down sidestreets in the area of Holyoke and Clark streets for about half an hour just after noon. Though police and neighbors … 0

This April 28, 2013 photo released by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows a robotic device being deployed to detect red tide in the Gulf of Maine. Red tide monitoring is going high-tech with a robotic “laboratory in a can.” A garbage can-sized canister was deployed in late April in the ocean waters off southern Maine to collect and transmit data about toxin-producing algae blooms, known as red tides, that show up in the Gulf of Maine each spring.(AP Photo/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution & Northeastern University, Isaac Rosenthal)

Red tide monitor set adrift in Gulf of Maine

Sunday, May 19, 2013

PORTLAND, Maine — Red tide monitoring is going high-tech with a robotic “laboratory in a can.” A garbage can-size canister was deployed in late April in the ocean waters off southern Maine to collect and transmit data about … 0

These solar shingles are from Dow Powerhouse. PHOTO BY TAI VIINIKKA/FLICKR

Earth Talk: Considering solar shingles in the Northeast

Friday, May 17, 2013

Dear EarthTalk: I’m getting my roof redone and have heard about solar shingles. Are they practical for the Northeast? — John Denson, Glastonbury, Conn. Solar shingles are photovoltaic cells designed to look like and integrate with conventional asphalt … 0

A least sandpiper U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Bird Sightings: Some birds staying, others heading north

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Audubon Society has reported a variety of recent bird sightings in western Massachusetts. Less common nesting species reported in small numbers this week were American bitterns, green herons, Virginia rails, whip-poor-wills, fish crows, brown thrashers, northern waterthrushes, … 0

Heading Outdoors

Friday, May 17, 2013

∎  Cycling for Seniors — All Out Adventures and Mass. Dept of Conservation and Recreation offer program on the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Hadley for ages 60 and up Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Fee: $5. For information call 584-2052, or email info@alloutadventures. ∎ e_STnS Washington Mountain Meadow Trail … 0

_DSC0920 wild columbine.jpg

Valley Views: Local photographers aim their cameras outdoors

Sunday, May 19, 2013

WILD COLUMBINE Quabbin Reservoir, Belchertown Photograph and text by Anne E. Ely of South Hadley Last spring, there was a nice patch of wild columbine right on the side of the road near the spillway at Quabbin. Combined … 0

Along the low-lying Delaware Bay shore, erosion and storm damage problems are striking. Three towns in Downe Township are, in effect, disappearing: Fortescue, Gandy's Beach and Money Island. Here, Bob Campbell, Mayor of Downe Township, stands by homes in Fortescue, New Jersey, March 12, 2012, that were destroyed by super storm Sandy. (Charles Fox/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)

Along N.J. bay, rising sea draws ever closer

Friday, May 17, 2013

PHILADELPHIA — The night Meghan Wren got stranded by floodwaters and had to sleep in her car, she knew it was time for a reckoning. She had been driving to her waterfront home along the Delaware Bay in … 0

Amherst residents asked to remove bird feeders to avoid unwanted visits by other wildlife

Friday, May 17, 2013

AMHERST — Residents are being asked to take down their bird feeders or else risk bringing unwanted wildlife onto their properties. Animal Welfare Officer Carol Hepburn said she is putting out an advisory for people to remove their bird feeders, watch what they are putting in their compost … 0

In this April 18, 2013, photo, a golden eagle is seen flying over a wind turbine on Duke energy's top of the world windfarm in Converse County Wyo. The company has reported 10 golden eagle deaths since it started operation in 2009. It's the not-so-green secret of the nation's wind-energy boom: Spinning turbines are killing thousands of federally protected birds, including eagles, each year. (AP Photo/Dina Cappiello)

US protects wind industry from eagle death penalties

Thursday, May 16, 2013

CONVERSE COUNTY, Wyo. — It happens about once a month here, on the barren foothills of one of America’s green-energy boomtowns: A soaring golden eagle slams into a wind farm’s spinning turbine and falls, mangled and lifeless, to … 1

FILE - In this March 7, 2013 file photo, then-Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration is proposing a rule that would require companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The new "fracking" rule replaces a draft proposed last year that was withdrawn amid industry complaints that federal regulation could hinder an ongoing boom in natural gas production. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Interior resets rule for drilling on public land

Sunday, May 19, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Thursday it will require companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The new “fracking” rule replaces a draft proposed … 0

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