“The retreat brings people together, builds community in the forest, gets participants outside and off their screens, and uses nature sustainably to heal and inspire minds and souls,” stated Great Mountain Forest Executive Director Michael Zafros. Retreat registration closes on July 30.
In his letter to the editor Will Conklin writes: “Greenagers has worked since 2009 to engage teens and young adults in meaningful work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, and natural resource management.”
The Hoosac Tunnel, which opened for rail traffic in 1875, took over 25 years to build, cost millions of dollars to construct, and claimed more than 100 lives.
“Song of the Forest,” taught by educators from Mass Audubon and Flying Deer Nature Center, will explore the world of bird language through storytelling, lectures, slideshows, outdoor activities, field exercises, and more.
As Flying Cloud’s founder and first executive director, Jane Burke has overseen the organization’s growth from an inventive experiment on a family farm in New Marlborough to an effective educational force reaching more than 3,500 young people.
The Deborah Reich Trail, dedicated to long-time Land Trust board member and president Deborah Reich, is located on the former Cosgriff property off of Salisbury Road near the junction with Barnum Sreet (just east of the cemetery).
At the Muddy Brook Elementary "Mud Day" there will also, of course, be lots and lots of mud: kids can play muddy tug-o-war, build mud castles, and get all-around messy in a giant mud field.
Will Conklin, executive director of Greenagers, is being honored for his leadership of the organization’s outdoor jobs and environmental education program for youth.
The online auction is the Muddy Brook PTA’s main fundraiser and supports a wide range of enrichment programming including artist residency programs and field trips.
It is “disappointing” that while there will be some drainage improvements to Great Barrington’s Main Street from the reconstruction project, there aren’t more significant changes. He expressed concern about a large stormwater pipe that releases into the river, near the skateboard park off Bridge Street.
---Landscape designer Craig Okerstrom-Lang
In a time when too many teenagers seem to spend an inordinate amount of time exercising only their fingers — playing video games — it’s good to see a funded jobs program for teens that demands physical fitness, and leaves the participants with a healthy tiredness at the end of the day.
The idea is to have a year round source of fresh food. Greenagers comes back in the fall, does a seasonal planting, and puts up hoops and plastic, turning it into a greenhouse.
"Their creative journey turning discarded tin into works of art demonstrated that exploring the artistic possibilities and learning how to joyfully and creatively move outside boundaries is as essential to life as food shelter and health care. "
-- Phil Pryjma, owner of the St. Francis Gallery in South Lee, Mass., referring to the art work of Kenyan children
