There's snow this weekend! It might be slushy but there's enough to pull out those sleds you got over the holidays. Head for the hills before it disappears again. Here is our list of sledding destinations:
Clapp Park
Pittsfield
Every year Berkshire County residents can be seen flocking to Clapp Park, sleds in hand, to experience the thrill of sliding down the hill.
It’s no surprise children drift to this park in the winter and many can be seen sliding down the hill with cardboard during the other seasons.
The packing snow adds the perfect amount of slippery to slide down the bumpy hill and the right amount of soft to catch riders when they inevitably roll into the snow.
The hill has a few sliding areas varying in bumpiness and height so it is a great destination for parents looking for a place to take their youngsters.
After spending an hour or so sledding, warm up and have a cup of hot chocolate at one of the money restaurants in downtown Pittsfield.
Sheep's Hill
Williamstown
Enjoy a ride down a hill while overlooking Mount Greylock. Sheep's Hill at Williamstown Rural Lands is one of Williamstown's most spectacular properties open for passive recreation and has community programming on natural history and rural heritage.
The entrance is on Cold Spring Road, about 1.2 miles south of Williamstown center. Parking is available off Route 7.
Monument Mountain Regional High School
Great Barrington
Berkshire County has many mountains and hills, it is no surprise that even our schools have magnificent hills to sled down. One of the most noteworthy hills is Monument Mountain Regional High School.
Trails made by eager children and teens can be seen in the hill in front of the schools and as soon as those schools bells ring students can be seen racing for a chance to experience the hill's thrill.
Reid Middle School
Pittsfield
Reid Middle School mimics this joyous scene with the tracks from the sleds being seen on the side of the school greeting the children.
The hill is mildly steep and open making it an amazing sledding destination. Students bundle up head to toe and release their stress with joyful screams as they speed down the hill.
Osceola Park
Pittsfield
The weather is lovely for a sleigh ride together through the steep hill at Osceola Park, located at 41 Osceola St. Children can be heard yelling woohoo as they zoom down with their friends and family.
Wahconah Country Club
Dalton
Wahconah Country Club is used for golf in the spring and fall but in the winter the landscape is perfect for sledding.
The bright screen grass becomes a winter wonderland filled with screams and laughter as kids and their families slide down the hills, some brave enough to make jumps.
Bas Ridge Golf Course is a family run public golf course in the heart of the Berkshires with some of the best views of the Berkshire Mountains.
In the winter the 18-hole course becomes a winter wonderland of snow. The hills of the grounds makes it one of the best destinations in the area to make lasting memories with your family this winter season.
Forest Park Country Club is yet another golf course that is transformed into a land of joyous screams and snowy trails for the excited children eager for a thrill.
The nine hole golf course is located at the base of Mount Greylock provides a scenic view of the mountains as you bolt down the hill.
The Trustees of Reservations serene vista William Cullen Bryant Homestead is a wonderful sledding destination that has pastures, fields, and woodlands to explore.
The two-story-farmhouse-turned-three-story Victorian cottage served as lifelong inspiration for editor and publisher of the New York Evening Post William Cullen Bryant who summered there during his childhood.
From its iconic red barn to an elegant allée of maples, this lovely home is testament to the celebrated poet's ideal of living mindfully on the land.
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Letter: Save Notch Forest
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
I am writing to express deep concern over the proposed logging project near Notch Reservoir and the Bellows Pipe Trailhead. This plan poses a significant threat to both the environment and our community's well-being.
Notch Road has already seen the effects of large logging projects. A private logging project from a few years ago (approved by the City) causes flooding during heavy rains, pouring into driveways and basements. Our area regularly faces power outages and property damage due to increasing wind gusts. Without the forests as a buffer, I fear these issues will worsen.
While the city proposes installing culverts as part of the "reconstruction" of the forest. With wetter seasons due to climate change, how will they address future challenges? How many culverts are planned, and how is their effectiveness measured? How will the city manage the wind? Are they prepared for more power outages? Will road and electricity maintenance end up costing the city more?
As a resident of Notch Road, I'm also worried about noise, air pollution, and increased traffic from logging trucks. The constant noise will disrupt the peaceful environment and harm local wildlife. Animals that depend on these forests for food and shelter will be displaced, pushing them into our backyards and upsetting the balance of our ecosystem. The forest is their home.
Lastly, there were misleading statements at last week's town meeting. Mass Audubon's Andrew Randazzo claimed that younger trees sequester more carbon. This idea is based on comparisons between old tropical forests and young temperate or boreal forests, which are very different. Temperate forests, in fact, have some of the highest CO2 removal rates. The idea that young trees growing rapidly sequester more carbon does not account for the 100-plus years of carbon already stored in a mature tree. Cutting down the tree releases that carbon that then has to be sequestered again. Many studies show that old-growth forests sequester more carbon over their lifetimes.
The Adirondack Council's Robert T. Leverett, chair of the Forest Reserves Science Advisory Committee, noted that "[d]uring this crucial period of getting our carbon emissions under control, the public forests should basically be left alone to accumulate carbon as rapidly as possible. Where management in public forests is continued, the priority should be to increase the rate of carbon storage beyond what would happen through natural processes. There are management strategies to increase sequestration in forests, but they do not include removing the star performers, the big trees."
I find it shameful that experts, not tied to logging companies, have not been consulted. North Adams deserves more than to be considered an "experiment." We should respect ourselves enough to remember that.
The children will sing popular children's music, traditional spiritual songs and African cultural pieces. Performances are free and open to the public though attendees are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. click for more
Superintendent James Brosnan led the School Committee through the new HVAC shop building that the state Department of Education will inspect on Sept. 19. click for more
Supporters and beneficiaries celebrated the 10th anniversary of the organization's work as an economic catalyst for the region at a dinner at Studio 9 at Porches Inn on Thursday.
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But residents continue to be concerned about erosion, water quality and logging, and the effects on wildlife and the popular Bellows Pipe Trail.
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