Environment

A common nighthawk

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Migrants in area, nesting birds settle in

Friday, May 24, 2013

The Audubon Society has reported a variety of recent bird sightings in western Massachusetts. Some uncommon migrants found in the region over the weekend were common nighthawk, olive-sided flycatcher, Swainson’s thrush, Cape May warbler, Tennessee warbler, bay-breasted warbler, Wilson’s warbler, Lincoln’s sparrow, white-crowned sparrow and pine siskin. Uncommon nesting birds reported were American bittern, upland sandpiper, black-billed cuckoo, alder flycatcher, … 0

A copperhead snake

GREG HUME/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Earth Matters The pleasures of nature: To share or not to share

Friday, May 24, 2013

At a meeting of the Hampshire Bird Club last June, a friend shared with me some pictures of snakes and offered to show me where she had seen them. The snakes were northern copperheads, a locally uncommon species I had never seen, so I was eager to take her up on the invitation. … 0

Valley Views Local photographers aim their cameras outdoors

Friday, May 24, 2013

RAINBOW MORNING Mount Pollux, Middle Street, Amherst Photograph and text by Karen Lemoine of Amherst By mid-April last year, spring buds were beginning to show lots of color, so I decided to hike to Mount Pollux to capture the beautiful morning light as it fell across the Holyoke Range. On the way there … 0

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Northampton Center for the Arts.
KEVIN GUTTING

Photo Gallery: Old friend

Your Time: The 30th annual Kids’ Junior Trout Fishing Derby, Easthampton

Toni Hochstadt of Northampton.
KEVIN GUTTING

Style Stop: Toni Hochstadt

Other Local News

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

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

Forestland preserved in Belchertown

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

BELCHERTOWN — An 88-acre parcel of forestland that provides a key link to a wildlife corridor and serves as a popular hiking area will be preserved as the Meads Corner Conservation Area. The Kestrel Land Trust and Belchertown Conservation Commission announced Tuesday the creation of the conservation area … 0

Lower natural gas prices help drive down New England electricity costs

Thursday, May 16, 2013

BOSTON (AP) — Falling natural gas prices helped drive down New England’s electricity prices by nearly a quarter last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the region’s power grid operator. The 2012 Annual Markets Report by the ISO New England said natural gas-fired power plants generated … 0

Northeast Power Coordinating Council forecasts lower demand

Thursday, May 16, 2013

HARTFORD, Conn. — Improved energy efficiency and conservation are expected to help reduce demand this summer in the northeastern United States and several Canadian provinces even if the season is oppressively hot and humid, a group that promotes power reliability said in an annual assessment released Tuesday. The … 0

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