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By DOMENIC POLI

WENDELL — Last year’s litter cleanup was held in memory of Ted Lewis, a former Selectboard member who had long been a partner in organizing the annual endeavor. This year, the weeklong event will actually bear his name.The 2023 TED Walk is set for...

GREENFIELD — After transforming their lawn into a meadow by mowing less and adding some native plants, Northfield residents and naturalists Charley Eiseman and Julia Blyth are sharing their story with others during a Greening Greenfield talk.The...

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard that gas stoves are bad for indoor air quality, but what about gas furnaces and other gas-powered appliances typically found in homes? — L.J., Ronkonkoma, NYNatural gas is almost as ubiquitous an energy source in American...

By BILL DANIELSON

My office is located in a loft above the main room of my house. The ceiling is basically the same shape as the roof and if I reach up from my chair I can touch the wood that separates me from the outside. As I sit here in the early morning hours,...

By EMILEE KLEIN

GREENFIELD — For the past 30 years, the construction industry has incorporated renewable energy, increased efficiency of heating and cooling systems, engineered air-tight installation and pursued other efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses emitted from...

By CASSIE CUNNIFF

Dear EarthTalk: Are the famous Joshua trees of the California desert really going extinct? What can we do to preserve them? — Bill Alexander, Tempe, AZThe Joshua tree is an iconic species of the Mojave Desert that stretches across parts of...

By BILL DANIELSON

As the days continue to lengthen and the birds outside start ramping up their activities for the breeding season it is time for some of our resident species to start house hunting. A large number of the species that we see at our wintertime feeders...

By BELLA LEVAVI

TURNERS FALLS — With Friday marking the deadline, FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. has filed its Flows and Fish Passage Settlement Agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).FirstLight, which previously submitted its Amended Final...

By JIM THORNLEY

Johanna Newman’s March 22 column in the Recorder [“White House must take older trees off cut list”], a call to protect older trees from logging nationally, was a commendable piece; however, I would like to point out that some of the worst cutting of...

By CHRIS LARABEE

Thanks to a state grant, the Franklin Conservation District is partnering with three towns to support pollinators, improve soil health and beautify the region by converting mowed spaces into native plant gardens and meadows.For its first year working...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — From fish being reeled in by anglers in Taunton to the drinking water at an elementary school in New Salem, so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS are everywhere, the questions and comments from lawmakers at Monday’s Joint Committee on...

By MARY BYRNE

NORTHFIELD — A Pioneer Valley Regional School senior was recently recognized by town officials with the 2022 Citizen Stewardship Award for his contributions to preserving natural resources. Cooper Bullock received the award at a Selectboard meeting...

By GRACE LYONS

Dear EarthTalk: What can we do to save dying coral reefs? — B.H. Jackson, Tullahoma, TNCoral reefs around the world are indeed still at great risk. A comprehensive survey by Canadian researchers in 2021 shows that the world’s oceans have lost about...

By BILL DANIELSON

One thing that I must remember to be mindful of is that my readers live in different places. Some weather events can be quite localized and others express themselves in different ways depending on latitude and elevation. Thus, what happens in...

By MICKEY RATHBUN

One of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic was the series of annual spring gardening symposiums hosted by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association (WMMGA). These popular events helped gardeners of all abilities expand their...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

TURNERS FALLS — Three local legislators are imploring FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. to “do better” after failing pistons at the Turners Falls dam allowed oil to leak into the Connecticut River earlier this month.The leak, reported to FirstLight by...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

TURNERS FALLS — An oil sheen that was reported on the Connecticut River has raised concerns from environmental advocacy organizations, though FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. reported that no sheen was visible upon inspection on Monday.According to...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

GREENFIELD — Despite being among the youngest in the room, a group of teenage environmentalists were turned to for guidance during a climate action panel at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew. Their generation, after all, will be most...

By BILL DANIELSON

In the year 1500, just a blink of an eye before Europeans started migrating into North America in large numbers, the ecology of the “New World” was relatively stable. Forests of various types dominated the eastern third of the continent, forests of...

Dear EarthTalk: What’s new with the de-extinction movement that’s trying to bring back extinct wildlife species? — P.L., Danbury, ConnecticutDe-extinction, the concept of resurrecting extinct species, has long been a topic of debate among scientists...