Berkshire's Hoffmann Bird Club to Celebrate 85th Anniversary

11:43AM / Thursday, September 04, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Hoffmann Bird Club (HBC) of Berkshire County was founded in Pittsfield in 1940, and on Monday, Sept. 8, the club will celebrate its 85th Anniversary at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West Street, Pittsfield.

Social hour will start at 6:00 PM, with the meeting and programs starting at 7:00 PM in Susan B. Anthony building, 1st Floor. The event will be complete with a birthday cake, and presentations from several HBC Members. The event is free and open to the public.

There will be a brief meeting, and mini programs to follow. On the roster are:

Dick Ferren, who will introduce us to his new book, "The Birds of Rhode Island."

Ferren is a former professor of Life Sciences at BCC, and recipient of the 2020 "Distinguished Naturalist" by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey. There will be a limited number of these books will be available for sale.

Zach Adams, who will discuss his new book, "The Birds of New England."

Throughout his career in conservation— working with National Audubon, Mass Audubon, and Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, and now Trout Unlimited— Adams' knowledge and enthusiasm have helped hundreds of people connect with birds.

Chip Blake, HBC's current president, who will tell us about "The History of Birding in Berkshire County."

Blake has lived in Berkshire County for almost three decades, exploring every corner of it as a naturalist and birdwatcher. He is the author of The Birds of Berkshire County, to be published later this year by the Nuttall Ornithological Club. Earlier, he served for 25 years as the editor of Orion magazine.

Steven Miller, HBC Vice President, Website and Social Media

Steven Miller will preview the new Hoffmann Bird Club archive, containing bird sightings, field trip reports, and other historical documents from the club's 85 years of birding the Berkshires. This physical archive will be housed at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield and a digital archive will be available on the website this fall.

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Scenic Vistas, Open Spaces Central to Berkshire's Rural Character

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
05:19AM / Thursday, August 27, 2026

This is the first of a two-part series looking at types of land trusts, their missions and their place within the Berkshires.

Land is an essential resource for life. We all spend the vast majority of our lives directly connected to the land or in structures built on it. Land is also a central core of the global ecosystem that makes the earth sustainable for all lifeforms.

The landscape has special significance in the Berkshires. It is a central element in the region's scenic rural character and quality of life, as well an economic resource that is a basis of tourism.

Access to land, and control of its use, is largely based on ownership. This system enables people to own homes, build businesses, establish communities, and pursue other goals and activities.

However, the private use and control of land can also be a source of contention and conflict — from debates about development at local planning boards to international wars over territory.

Traditionally, local and regional planning policies and regulations such as zoning have been used to balance the concepts of private ownership with shared public goals and needs. In addition government ownership provides land for schools, roads, infrastructure, parks and nature preserves, and other public purposes.

In recent decades another form of land ownership and control has gained increasing visibility and prominence. This concept is often known as land trusts.

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