Presentation on The Future of Wolves at MCLA's Green Living Seminar

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Carnivore Conservation Director Renee Seacor will give a presentation on the future of wolves on Feb. 26 as part of MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series.
 
Seacor, who directs Project Coyote at the Carnivore Conservation, will discuss the potential of wolf recovery in the Northeast, highlighting the history of wolves in the region, previous attempts at reintroduction in the Adirondack Park, the emerging science of wolf and coyote genetics, and the intersection of these issues with public policy.
 
Despite being federally protected as an endangered species, the wolf faces significant challenges as it attempts to reclaim its historical range in the region after decades of extirpation. Meanwhile, eastern coyotes—whose genetics reveal historical interbreeding with wolves and wolf-like traits—are hunted throughout the region with few restrictions.
 
This talk will explore the future of wolf recovery in the Northeast highlighting the urgent need for progressive policy changes that protect wild Canis species to facilitate their recovery.
 
In her role, Seacor works to advocate and advance policy solutions aimed at compassionately coexisting with our wild carnivore neighbors nationwide. She is an interdisciplinary environmental advocate with a background in wildlife ecology and environmental law and policy. She holds a bachelor's in Environmental Science from Rocky Mountain College in Montana and a JD with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Oregon School of Law.
 
Presentations occur every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation (FCSI) Room 121. Each presentation is free and open to the public. Podcasts will be posted online following each presentation. 
 
All lectures will be recorded and can be replayed on the MCLA ENVI Youtube Channel and broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel (NBCTC) 1302 at the following times: 
  • Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
  • Fridays at 4 p.m.
  • Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.
  • Sundays at 11:30 p.m.
  • Mondays at 5:30 p.m. 
Community members can find up-to-date information about the schedule at mcla.edu/greenliving.

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Williamstown Select Board Plans Off-Camera Evaluation of Town Manager

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board plans to take extraordinary measures to avoid having its discussion of the town manager's performance recorded by the town's Public, Educational and Government cameras.
 
At its Sept. 28 meeting, the board decided to hold a special meeting in a room not covered by WilliNet cameras to complete its annual evaluation process of Town Manager Robert Menicocci.
 
Chair Peter Beck said that while the evaluation is "absolutely" to be conducted in an open meeting, the board could follow a process similar to the off site, unrecorded meetings that past Select Boards have characterized as "retreats," a term not contemplated by or included in the commonwealth's Open Meeting Law.
 
The current board met on June 29 for what it characterized as a "planning session" where no formal votes were taken. That meeting was held outside of Town Hall, at the new fire station on Main Street, in a room equipped with audio and video recording equipment that the Select Board chose not to use.
 
At the Sept. 28 meeting, one board member indicated that an unrecorded meeting was preferable to discuss the annual evaluation of the one town employee supervised by the board.
 
"I'd like to do it without all the Willinet stuff," Stephanie Boyd said in a discussion toward the end of a two-hour meeting. "I think it's more conducive to conversation."
 
With the board expected to meet just once in October — its "regular" meeting date coincides with Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 12 — Beck suggested that the panel could find a date for a special meeting, suggesting the third Monday of the month, Oct. 19.
 
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