Citizen Scientists Needed To Monitor Turtle Crossings

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LENOX, Mass. — Turtles have existed for millions of years, but roadways are threatening the survival of local populations. A state coalition is seeking volunteers to help monitor the turtle vs. motor vehicle action.

Turtles often cross roadways from late spring to early fall and are vulnerable to car collisions. Ambitious citizen scientists, turtle enthusiasts, and conservation organizations are encouraged to join state wildlife and transportation personnel in collecting data for the Turtle Roadway Mortality Monitoring Program.

The state is especially looking for crossing "hot spots" at which multiple turtles are killed.

Linking Landscapes for Massachusetts Wildlife, a recent partnership between the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Department of Transportation Highway Division and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, trained volunteers to collect data in 2010. It is expanding its volunteer program this year by offering two citizen scientist information and training sessions in Amherst and Westborough.


These sessions are designed to train new volunteers, acknowledge current volunteer efforts, and share results from the first year of data collection. The information gathered through this volunteer effort will be used to coordinate local turtle conservation efforts.

There will also be an information and training session on Wednesday, May 16, at United Methodist Church, 6 Holmes Road, starting at 6:30 p.m. The event will be co-sponsored by Berkshire Environmental Action Team and Project Native. The sessions are free, but advance registration is required. Interested volunteers can register with Dave Paulson at David.Paulson@state.ma.us or call him at 508-389-6366.

Tags: monitoring,   turtles,   wild animals,   

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Triplex Special Screening 'A Book By Their Cover'

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema announces a special screening of local filmmaker John Tedeschi's fictional narrative film "A Book By Their Cover," inspired by local events in Berkshire County, as well as  events around the country including book bans connected with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) community. 
 
The film was shot entirely in the Berkshires.
 
The film will screen on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:00 pm and will be followed by a conversation with the director as well as members of the cast and crew. Tickets are available for purchase at the Triplex website, thetriplex.org.
 
According to a press release:
 
"A Book By Their Cover" tells the story of Samantha, a 12-year-old girl who discovers a book while staying at her grandparents' house. The book, a medical journal written in 1962, piques Samantha's curiosity about sexuality. After discussing it, Samantha's parents give her another book, "The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families," written in 2020 by Rachel Simon and illustrated by Noah Grigni. "The Every Body Book" is widely considered to be a valuable and groundbreaking resource for parents navigating early conversations with children about puberty, consent, sex and gender.
 
Samantha brings the book with her to school, where the school janitor sees the book, is upset, and confiscates it. The book is turned over by the school administration to the police and an investigation ensues. The film deals with the aftermath of these events, which play out during a town meeting where opinions about the book and the police investigation that followed are played out.
 
A similar situation occurred last year at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School over the well-known book "Gender Queer," an incident which serves as inspiration for the film. In a statement provided to the "Berkshire Edge" Tedeschi said, "the film is not a true story, it is not a film that uses the words ‘based on true and actual events,' and the characters are not intended to appear as any actual person. The film was inspired by many things, it is a mirror, as you say, of events but it is not the actual likeness."
 
 
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