Berkshire Green Drinks: Darkness at Night

Print Story | Email Story
SHEFFIELD, Mass. — James Lowenthal, a professor at Mary Elizabeth Moses and the Chair of Astronomy at Smith College, will speak at the July Berkshire Green Drinks event on Wednesday, July 10. 
 
This free hybrid event will take place online via Zoom and in person at Big Elm Brewing's Sheffield Taproom, 65 Silver Street, Sheffield. The in-person social gathering will begin around 5:15 PM; the presentation and Zoom meeting will start at 6:00 PM. 
 
Lowenthal will lead attendees on a virtual tour of the night—how the natural world comes alive, how humans and other diurnal creatures need darkness to thrive, how artificial light at night upsets ecosystems, and how the growing international Dark Sky movement is working to rein in light pollution and protect and bring back natural darkness at night, according to a press release.
 
Learn more and RSVP at:  tinyurl.com/July2024-Berks-Green-Drinks
 
James Lowenthal, Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor and Chair of Astronomy at Smith College, uses large telescopes in space and on the ground to study the formation of galaxies in the early Universe and also uses Smith’s rooftop telescope with a team of students to study exoplanets orbiting stars in our Milky Way galaxy. He works locally, nationally, and internationally to protect the night sky from light pollution and satellite constellations.
 
Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month that is free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. A guest speaker talks about an environmentally related topic for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM; the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A.
 
Berkshire Green Drinks is sponsored and organized by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT).
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

MassDOT: South County Road Work

LEE, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing crews will be conducting nighttime and daytime bridge work, pavement milling, and guardrail work at various locations and times on I-90 eastbound and westbound during the week of Monday, July 8.

Lane closures will be in place during the construction operations, and traffic will be able to travel through the work zones. The schedule for the work and lane closures is as follows:

Montgomery/Russell

  • Bridge work will be conducted from mile marker 35.5 to 36.5 from Monday night, July 8, through Thursday night, July 11, from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the next morning. The work is expected to conclude by 5:00 a.m. on Friday, July 12.

Otis/Blandford

  • Pavement milling operations will be conducted on I-90 westbound from mile marker 21.0 to 24.0 from Monday night, July 8, through Tuesday night, July 9, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next morning. The work is expected to conclude by 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 10.
  • Pavement milling operations will be conducted on I-90 eastbound from mile marker 21.0 to 23.0 from Wednesday night, July 10, through Thursday night, July 11, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next morning. The work is expected to conclude by 6:00 a.m. on Friday, July 12.
  • Guardrail work will be conducted on I-90 eastbound from mile marker 23.0 to 27.0 from Monday night, July 8, through Thursday night, July 11, from 7:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. the next morning. The work is expected to conclude by 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 12.

Stockbridge/West Stockbridge

  • Guardrail and bridge repair work will be conducted on I-90 westbound from mile marker 1.2 to 6.5 from Monday night, July 8, through Thursday night, July 11, from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the next morning. The work is expected to conclude by 5:00 a.m. on Friday, July 12.

Lee

  • Bridge repair work will be conducted on I-90 westbound from mile marker 10.0 to 11.0 from Monday night, July 8, through Thursday night, July 11, from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the next morning. The work is expected to conclude by 5:00 a.m. on Friday, July 12.

Stockbridge

  • Bridge repair work will be conducted on I-90 eastbound and westbound at mile marker 7.5 from Monday, July 8, through Thursday, July 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. each day.

Appropriate signage, law enforcement details, and messaging will be in place to guide drivers through the work area.

Drivers traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution.

All scheduled work is weather dependent and subject to change without notice.

View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories