Come Join the Winter Fun

Last night, my community experienced the first major snowfall of the season. As I write this, the sun shines brightly against a clear blue sky with crisp air. The snow sparkles like "diamond dust" similar to starlight traveling through space. This highlights the intricate structures of both snowflakes and the universe, reminding us of our connection to the broader cosmos. This month, we invite you to join us at the Noble View Outdoor Center to witness unique planetary alignments on February 1st. Explore the wonders of the cosmos through telescopes while we sip hot cocoa beside the fire. As we celebrate the dedicated leaders and maintainers who keep our trails accessible at the Annual Appalachian Trail Annual Gathering, we also honor initiatives like the wildlife bridge, which connects ecosystems and safeguards both wildlife and humans. Just as the wildlife bridge creates harmony and connection on Earth, it mirrors the intricate connections of our universe – a reminder that every element, from snowflakes to starlight, is part of a greater, interconnected whole. See you outdoors! Kathy Martin, Western MA Chapter Chair

Eyes to the Skies for a Parade of Planets

With the crescent moon aglow, six planets in the evening sky will align. Join the Chapter's Family Committee to behold the wonders of the winter sky at the Noble View Outdoor Center in Russell, MA on February 1st. With our feet planted on our home planet, Earth, we will have a unique opportunity to view through telescopes a parade of planets from west to east. This will include Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars. Come enjoy a cocoa and a warm cottage fire with other night sky enthusiasts, as well as a craft activity for the children. Please bundle up, wear warm layers, boots, hat and gloves, and bring a headlamp or flashlight, folding chair and blanket. Extreme cold or overcast skies, will postpone this event until Sunday, February 2nd.

Appalachian Trail Committee Annual Gathering

On Saturday, February 8, 2025 the Chapter's A.T. Committee will hold its 24th Annual Mass A.T. Volunteer Gathering at the Cheshire Community House in Cheshire, MA from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This is a wonderful opportunity for all current, former and new A.T. volunteers, and folks who may be interested in volunteering for the Trail to chat, learn new information, help plan upcoming projects and generally have a great time talking about all things Appalachian Trail. Lunch is on us. We'll have short breakout sessions on trail maintenance, corridor lands monitoring, natural and cultural resource monitoring, Upper Goose Pond Cabin caretaking, and overnight site adopting. There will be a gear swap table and a free raffle of nifty stuff at the end of the meeting.

Mass DOT Receives $1.7 Million for a Wildlife Bridge in Becket

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) has received 1.7 million dollars to begin the process of building a wildlife bridge across the Mass Pike in Becket. There is currently a footbridge here, crossing the Pike on the Appalachian Trail, which you may have walked across or noticed when driving on the Pike. The bridge is designed to guide animals over the highway rather than across it to reduce the number of animal and vehicle collisions. The new bridge will replace an existing overpass where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Pike in Becket, an area that sees a high number of collisions between drivers and deer. The Chapter's Appalachian Trail Committee has been involved in assisting the DOT to create a plan to build the bridge. Jim Pelletier, the Natural Resources Coordinator on the A.T. Management Committee, explains the role it has played: "...we decided to offer our expertise to Mass DOT to monitor how wildlife is using the area. We partnered with the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) to conduct periodic wildlife transects and to do trailcam monitoring in the area of the A.T. as it passed over both the Mass Pike and adjacent Rt 20. Our volunteers, including several who are certified wildlife trackers ... have spent many hours over the last year doing the transects and monitoring in the area with some very interesting results. We anticipate continuing that effort in the coming years as long as we can add some value to DOT's efforts." Stay tuned for new developments about this exciting project!