PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A few dozen residents ringed Park Square throughout Monday afternoon to voice dissent about the increasing prevalence of GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, in food.

"For us, this rally is just to increase the awareness of genetically modified foods," said organizer Jan Bradley, who said the Pittsfield gathering was one of a number of rallies going on throughout Massachusetts and in other states for Earth Day, spearheaded by GMO Free USA. A subsequent series of actions is being planned for May 25 by March Against Monsanto.

These rallies represent a second wave of political action as foes of genetically modified foods reorganize

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Backyard composting is economical, environmentally friendly and, perhaps best of all, easy.

"I have never taken the temperature of my compost pile," Cynthia Grippaldi of Pittsfield's Center for EcoTechnology said Monday. "I'm a lazy composter.

"But things are breaking down."

Grippaldi broke down the basics of composting for a crowd of about 20 behind Wild Oats Market on Monday afternoon for an Earth Day workshop.

Backyard composters put the natural process of decomposition to work for them — disposing their kitchen and backyard waste without paying the transfer station

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ADAMS, Mass. — Some Good Samaritans saved a barred owl from certain death Friday at the Greylock Glen.

Paula St. Pierre Piacenti was hiking at the Glen shortly before sunset when she found the owl on the ground. The young bird attempted to fly away but was so weak and emaciated that he couldn't. Piacenti called John Marran, a local photographer and bird watcher, for help.

"He was in pretty bad shape," Marran said on Wednesday of the small owl who he estimates to be about a year old.

Marran, his girlfriend, Julie Preite Ryan, and Piacenti searched for a veterinarian to treat him and found the Berkshire Bird Paradise in Petersburgh, N.Y. Workers

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Environmental Action Teams wants to find some roadkill.

The organization is embarking on a project to identify where in Western Massachusetts wildlife are crossing roadways in hopes to improve those crossings for the safety of both drivers and the animals.

On Monday, the group will host a public meeting at Berkshire Community College to solicit information from those with on-the-ground knowledge of where wild animals are getting hit the most.

"The first meeting is introducing it to the public. We're trying to get people to talk to us about where they see roadkill hot spots," Elia Del Molino, program manager for Connecting

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Who could pass up a chance to take pictures of some cute little chicks? Not us!

The little peepers were hatched Sunday and arrived at Carr Hardware this week. Since we couldn't decide which photo to use, we thought why not use them all?

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LENOX, Mass. — Berkshire Grown hosts its annual March Maple Dinner this Monday with dishes by six acclaimed chefs featuring the region's sticky, sweet seasonal syrup.

The dinner at Cranwell Resort is a fundraiser for the non-profit as well as for Share the Bounty, another local organization that supports food pantries with farm shares. Berkshire Grown promotes local agriculture through workshops, promotions, advocacy, education and events like the dinner highlighting locally grown and produced food.  
 
The six chefs with ties to the area and Lenox resorts Blantyre and Wheatleigh will present a five-course dinner with dishes that integrate the

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CONWAY, Mass. — In what has become an annual tradition, Gov. Deval Patrick aided in the black bear count on Monday morning.

The governor joined with Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rick Sullivan, Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin and state wildlife officials on an expedition around South Deerfield and Conway to document the newest members of the state's black bear population.

The team discovered two cubs born approximately four to six weeks ago. The cubs, both male, weighed in at approximately 6 pounds. Based on last year's breeding status, the Conway bear is one of 16 radio-collared sows believed to have given birth this winter.

While

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LENOX, Mass. — A slate of culinary experts with local ties will display their skills using New England's first harvest of the year — maple syrup.

Berkshire Grown holds its annual March Maple Dinner on March 18 at Cranwell Resort to benefit the organization and Share the Bounty, which buys shares in local farms for food pantries.

This year's March Maple Dinner chefs cut their cooking teeth at either Wheatleigh or Blantyre in Lenox and Stockbridge. Many of these young chefs went on to other triumphs — Brian Young is now executive chef at Tavern on the Green in New York City; Hung Huynh, winner of "Top Chef Season 3," is now executive chef at The General,

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is restricting the movement of wood outside of the county in an effort to stop the spread of emerald ash borer.

After determining the extent of the beetle infestation in Berkshire County, DCR is implementing a quarantine on wood movement in Berkshire County beginning March 1.

The order means that certain products — including all hardwood firewood — are not allow to be shipped outside of the county unless specially treated.

However, New York has added 22 new counties to their quarantine including ones that border Massachusetts so wood would be allowed to be shipped to the quarantined areas

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College junior Zoe Grueskin is following in her mother's footprints and looking to reduce our own carbon footprint.

Grueskin, an environmental policy major, organized a busload of 50 people — mostly Williams and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts students — to attend last weekend's "Forward on Climate" rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

She also is one of several students working on the Williams campus to convince the college to cut its financial ties to companies that profit from fossil fuels.

The latter campaign is part of a national divestment movement that got a boost last week when

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