Harley Keisch

Along Beach Road

Dear Harley- As mentioned, I am sending photos and writing about a turtle casualty and some research supporting restoration of habitat, work to educate the public and at certain times of the year, installing signage along part of Town Beach Road. I have been looking for turtle species and nesting activity and found a crushed turtle at about 7 pm, on 06/16/2021, along Town Beach Road, a few inches into the roadbed, on the pond side of the road. The site was between the back entrance to Richmond Shores, and the boat ramp parking lot- closer to the Shores gate. It …

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Turtle crossings. Or “We care about turtles, but do turtles care about humans?”

Tessa, Hannah, and Ellie, three Richmond Consolidated School 8th grade social studies students are leading the way on an effort to protect Richmond’s turtles as they cross our roads. It’s part of their civics lessons and it is a great opportunity to learn the levers of local government and protect wildlife. The ConCom, the DPW, the Selectboard are all pitching in to make their project a success. Tomorrow, Suzie Fowle, one of Massachusetts’ leading experts on turtles will be leading a discussion at RCS, that our intrepid students and their teacher have organized. I’m excited to attend and hear all …

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Hollow arguments.

At the meeting, there are a number of other documents that have been submitted by attorney’s for each side. I’ll try to post those soon.   This evening, at 6:30pm there will be a site visit to the parking lot of the Hollow Fields BNRC preserve followed by a meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). A few of the neighbors ( Jeffrey and Linda Caligari, Jeffrey and Jennifer Morse, and Ira and Jami Grossman) regarding the use of land by the Berkshire Natural Resources, Inc. off of Perry’s Peak Road.) on Perry’s Peak Road are appealing a decision …

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ConCom’s Busy 5/11 Agenda

It’s definitely now what my friend and Chair of the Dalton ConCom, Cheryl Rose, calls “ConCom Season” and our busy agenda sure does show it.  Join in Tuesday 5/11/21 at 7pm Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84984508619?pwd=YmZhS3RSamZBbGM1aHVOVmhpaFJCQT09 Or at Zoom.us Meeting ID: 849 8450 8619 Passcode 425669 Or dial in by Phone +1 646 558 8656 Richmond Consolidated School Students will present their case/request for protection of turtle crossings to the Commission. We will have 3 Notice of Intent (NOI) hearings (NOIs are detailed requests for permitting under Wetlands and/or Scenic Mountain laws/regs/bylaws). A continued hearing for a project is on the north side …

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Stewardship

As a relatively new commissioner, it is a very steep learning curve. I take my duties and responsibilities very seriously and always have in mind all the great work by the current and past members of the ConCom. I think it crucial to the future of Richmond’s natural resources. During the past several months I have been working to complete the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions’ fundamental training program and, yesterday, I got my certificate in the mail! The MACC fundamentals training program for conservation commissioners and staff (and anyone else) who want a solid grounding in the MA Wetlands …

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Road Advisory Committee Meets Tonight

A timely reminder that the first meeting of Richmond’s Road Advisory Committee — in close to two years — will be tonight. Wednesday, May 5th at 5:30pm It is extraordinarily important that the committee members hear from YOU! Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85605194911?pwd=eGY0c1k0TEZkczZqeEdUTzBSOUFkUT09 Meeting ID: 856 0519 4911 Passcode: 256740 Phone: 1 646 558 8656 AGENDA 1. Discussion of this year’s Road Maintenance Plan and Budgetary discussion 2. Public Comment 3. Topics not reasonably anticipated by the Chair 48 hours in advance of the meeting

MACC at 60 Years.

The annual Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commisions (MACC) spring conference kicked off this week in a virtual, ‘zoom’ mode. That’s a first for MACC in its 60 year history. I was lucky enough to score free admission to any or all of the workshops when my name was drawn at the MACC’s 2021 business meeting. Yaaassss! The conference has so many great opportunities to learn from experts in all kinds of things helpful to folks like me who are learning the ropes of being a conservation commissioner. So far, I’ve learned about MassWildlife’s new Heritage Hub Reporting System that allow …

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Richmond Consolidated School Pancake Breakfast and Town Clean-up

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 3rd is the date! The RCS Pancake Breakfast will be grab and go style from 7:30 – 10:00. Pancakes, Blueberry or Plain, Sausage, Juice and Coffee are just $5.00 with all the proceeds going to help the Richmond Emergency Fuel Fund. The Cleanup is 7:30 – 10:00  Maps, gloves and garbage bags will be available on the circle in the back of the school. Everyone is welcome to join in the Breakfast even if you cannot participate in the clean- up!

Finding Hope in Conservation History

Passing along this zoom link to an April 13th public lecture by Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction.. Tue, April 13th, 2021 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Michelle Nijhuis is the author of the new book Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction. A project editor for The Atlantic and a longtime contributing editor for High Country News, she writes about science and the environment for National Geographic and other publications. After 15 years off the electrical grid in rural Colorado, she and her family now live in White Salmon, Washington. Sponsored by the Center for Environmental Studies …

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