PITTSFIELD, Mass. —  Do you know a kid who loves animals? You might want to register them for the 2010 Camp Humane Summer Program, which introduces children to the principles of kind and humane care of animals and what it means to be a responsible pet owner.

Animal professionals visit the camp, located at 214 Barker Road, to teach kids about nontraditional pets and other wildlife in Berkshire County. The children will be able to interact with various animals in a safe classroom environment, but not as volunteers in the kennels. A different curriculum is planned for each week and grade level, including arts and crafts projects with animal themes, demonstrations of dog agility training courses, and other outdoor activities.

Registration opens on Monday, April 5. To be eligible, children must be going into the third through the eighth grades this coming September. Class size is limited to 20 students most weeks, 10 for weeks D & T (see below).

The Summer Program schedule is as follows:
Week A:  July 5-9, for Grade 3;
Week B: July 12-16, for Grade 4;
Week C: July 19-23, for Grade 5;
Week D, July 26-30, for Grade 6;
Week E, August 2-6, for Grade 7;
Week T, August 9-13, for Grade 8 (new this year)

Camp tuition is $200 per child for the full-week program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parents provide lunch, snacks and beverages. There are a limited number of full and reduced tuition scholarships available, along with a payment plan for families in need. The scholarship form is available at the shelter.

Registration forms are available in the lobby of the shelter during their business hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 4, Thursday evenings from 5 to 8, and Sunday from 1 to 4; or visit www.berkshirehumane.org.

Tuition payment and a completed application form are needed to secure a child’s place in the desired session. A physician signed heath form is due by the first day of camp. Confirmation of a place at camp will be emailed to the parents. For current availability or any other questions, contact Karen Karlberg at 413-447-7878, ext 29 at kkarlberg@berkshirehumane.org.

We've been invited with other media guests to join TalkBerkshires radio host Sherman Baldwin on his afternoon show on WBRK on Friday to talk about his troubled past.

The press conference, as he describes it, is a pre-emptive strike ahead of a Sunday story he said is being written by Berkshire Eagle freelancer and former managing editor Clarence Fanto.

Baldwin said his biggest concern is the Berkshire Job Summit that TalkBerkshires and Berkshire Money Management is hosting on Feb. 19. (An arm of iBerkshires, Berkshirejobs.com, is participating in the summit.)

According to Chris Churchill of the Albany Times-Union, who talked with him last year, Baldwin spent time in federal prison for committing fraud to get 1994's "The Crow" produced. The movie's best known for star Brandon Lee's accidental death during filming.

The paper also noted Baldwin's peripheral involvement in the Michael Skakel trial, offering this link to a section of a lengthy record of the murder case.

Neither incident had been concealed.

Baldwin said he wants to clear the air. In his press release, he stated: