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By DOMENIC POLI

Four weeks before the real Mother’s Day rolls around, a bunch of local environmental organizations are leading an online giving day to honor Mother Earth.

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — To celebrate Earth Day, the Energy Committee is helping to organize free, family-friendly activities at Fisher Hill Elementary School on Tuesday, April 22.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — A 25-acre portion of the city’s downtown will soon be home to dozens of trees through a state grant-funded effort to combat extreme heat with shade.

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — The city’s celebration of Earth Day isn’t new, but the parade is.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

COLRAIN — The Connecticut River Conservancy and the town of Colrain have been awarded $224,100 from the Barnhardt Manufacturing Co. sulfuric acid spill settlement fund to support removing the Colrain Lower Reservoir Dam as part of efforts to restore the North River.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

LEVERETT — A proposed donation of a 147-acre working forest in North Leverett, which would continue to be actively managed under town ownership and open for hunting, will be decided by voters at the May 3 Annual Town Meeting.

By CHRIS LARABEE

CONWAY — With a 65-acre conservation restriction enacted in mid-March, 74 acres of land on Reeds Bridge Road have now been permanently conserved by a local family and the Franklin Land Trust.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD — Officials at the Greenfield-based Connecticut River Conservancy are left waiting amid the freeze of $13 million in federal funding that had been awarded to the environmental advocacy nonprofit, including $11.5 million for river restoration in New Hampshire.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

BOSTON — The state Department of Environmental Protection is fining Falls Farm, which has property in Montague and Sunderland, for violating the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and Massachusetts Clean Water Act.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD and CHRIS LARABEE

Four Franklin County towns have received Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Planning 2.0 (MVP 2.0) grants totaling $350,000 for climate change planning projects.

By EMILEE KLEIN

HADLEY — The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department Service’s Northeast regional headquarters in Hadley is proposed to close on Aug. 31 as part of the federal General Services Administration initiative to end leases for 164 federal office spaces nationwide, according to a list leaked by a government whistleblower.

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Stella Verlander, a Greenfield High School senior who plans to study political science in college with an eye toward an environmental law degree, is president of the GHS Sustainability Club. Verlander revived the club following pandemic interruptions, with the aim of educating people about issues related to conservation, climate crises, and political action. “Any obstacles are not about lack of interest,” she said. “The real problem is ignorance.”

GREENFIELD — Greening Greenfield’s next event in its series on supporting birds will take place Monday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church, located at 16 Court Square.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

ASHFIELD — Tighe & Bond engineers are proposing the town take on a year-long study of the effectiveness of different methods to control the buildup of vegetation and invasive species on the Ashfield Lake Dam.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — Residents with thoughts on where they would like to see pollinator-centered landscape projects are encouraged to join town officials for a community forum on Thursday, Feb. 27.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a draft decision approving a water quality certification for FirstLight Hydro Generating Co., marking the latest required step in FirstLight’s relicensing process through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

By ANNE DIETRICH

As we step into a new political era with Monday’s inauguration of Donald Trump, many wonder how his administration’s environmental policies will shape our future. With proposed rollbacks on climate agreements and renewable energy projects, those of us in the Pioneer Valley who cherish nature may feel uncertain and anxious. But beyond just affecting nature, the new president’s policies also impact leisure activities, recreation, and sport. As a sports lover, I am concerned about President Trump’s (lack of) environmental agenda. If you care about sports — from community games to professional leagues — there are things we all can do to protect this favorite pastime.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A 500-acre section of forested land connected to Mount Toby in Sunderland, west of Route 63, is being returned to the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band as a gift from W.D. Cowls Inc.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A New Hampshire timber company has closed on a massive land buy of nearly 2,400 acres in seven communities in Hampshire and Franklin counties, acquiring five parcels for more than $20 million from Amherst-based W.D. Cowls Inc.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

MONTAGUE — The Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, in collaboration with the Franklin County Community Land Trust, has protected the 47-acre Watroba property, described as “a fantastic wildlife corridor” and the home of prime farmland.The Watroba...