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Education

For most of the twentieth century Berkshire County has turned its back on the Housatonic River. The sights, smells, and poisons of the river repulsed residents and tourists alike. People literally reconfigured the landscape to shut out the Housatonic from their sight and their conscience.

Despite significant improvements in and along the river, the reputation lingers in the minds of most residents. The community’s relationship to the river is still poor. In virtually every public hearing residents spoke of the disconnect between the river and Berkshire residents. People not only want to remedy the problem through educational programming and direct exposure to the river, they view river education as a fundamental component in a long-term restoration of the river.

"We can teach our young people to respect wildlife," Barbara Cianfarini of Lakewood said. "They will become the protectors of the river in the future. If we don’t, they will always be taught to keep away; keep away from the river and the problems will continue."

"When they learn to appreciate nature as youngsters, they carry it with them their whole lives," added Tim Gray of Lee, director of the Housatonic River Initiative. "Fifty years ago our parents taught us that the river is a place you go to throw things away. That’s a mindset we have to change. It will take a generation or two to happen."

Several schools and organizations have started to implement river education programs, residents said, but a more concerted effort is needed. "The river is very underutilized" as an educational resource, said René Laubach, director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Participants said they would like to see a major educational program developed for schools and other organizations, as well as the construction of a major educational center on the river. The DeVos farm in Lenox was suggested as a possible site, although it was not universally supported. Widespread endorsement was offered for the proposed Housatonic River Museum in Great Barrington.

"I would like to see the river more accessible, especially for school children and young people," Berkshire Natural Resources Council President George Wislocki said. "I would like every school district in Berkshire County to build a war canoe on the river. That would mean that every child in Berkshire County will come to the river with someone like Rachel Fletcher who can show them how to appreciate it. One of the reasons why people have turned their backs on the Housatonic River is because they’ve never been on it. If every student could spend half a day on the Housatonic River with someone who understands the meaning of the river, that would go a long way toward changing the attitude about the river and it would be a lot of fun."

But it is not just students who are unaware of the river and fail to appreciate the natural wonders of the Housatonic. "It’s almost the entire public at large," said A. D. Levitt. The restoration of the river, he added, will require broad public support that will need an educated and engaged public behind it.

"I have been repeatedly told by lifelong residents of this county that this is the first time they have ever been on the river," wrote Gayle J. Tardif-Raser, education outreach teacher for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. "I see the necessity of getting more of the populace to experience the river as a positive, not a negative. My hope is that seeing the Housatonic at its best will inspire participants to work toward environmental justice for the river."

Education programs for children and adults alike, many participants said, will create a constituency for the river. As natural resource improvements are made on the river, they said, a growing number of river advocates will become increasingly motivated to continue to support the restoration. Thus, the momentum generated by initial investments in natural resource enhancements would be extended into future generations and not simply result in a short-term burst of activity.

Existing School Programs and Suggestions

A particular emphasis was placed on expanding programs for school children. "There’s got to be somebody else coming along to make sure the river stays," said Edward Kirby, a consultant in geology, local history, and industrial archeology.

Several specific observations were made on existing school programs, as well as suggestions on how to improve and expand upon them. These included:

• The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council has developed an educational program for second graders in Great Barrington and Falls Village in which students study the river and communicate via e-mail about the results, Betty Vigneron of Great Barrington said. The success of the program has encouraged the council to want to expand it, she added.
  
• The Massachusetts Audubon Society has done Housatonic River education programs with Reid and Herberg schools in Pittsfield, Lenox Memorial High School, Nessacus Middle School, Lanesboro Elementary School, and Undermountain School in Sheffield, program director Gayle J. Tardif-Raser wrote. The program involves classroom instruction and canoe trips. 
  
  "Of course, this is a relatively expensive program to present," she wrote. "Our funding sources for the past several years have included the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Partnership to Advance Learning in Math and Science, and the EPA. These "soft money" sources, along with support from the Massachusetts Audubon Society, have enabled us to present this program at no cost to the schools participating. Last year more than 800 middle school students were involved with this project. Unfortunately, we don’t have a major funding source yet lined up for this school year, but we are seeking support from other sources.
  
  "I feel very strongly that programs like this need to be implemented for more students and for the public at large. Cost should not be a barrier to participation," she added.

•  Several Pittsfield residents spoke of the success of some existing city school programs. "To see the enthusiasm and the joy they had was great," said Barbara Cianfarini, who participated in a program at Herberg School. "There is so much potential."
  
  Noting that the Housatonic is a "lost river" in Pittsfield, EOEA Team Leader Tom O’Brien said the school system should consider developing a major curriculum program that uses the river as a thematic or conceptual backdrop for a wide array of subjects such as art, English, history, biology, science, etc.
  
  Pittsfield Mayor Gerald S. Doyle, Jr., said that he supported river education programs in the school and would explore ways to achieve the goal. 

• Naomi Gordon of Lee suggested that an educational web page be created for teachers and environmentalists to share ideas and programs for educational initiatives. She added that existing education programs should be encouraged and recognized.
  
• Participants also said that schools and other organizations should engage children through essay contests, art projects, musical performances, and other school activities related to the river. This will help create a generation of adults with a positive, creative response to the Housatonic River.

• A high degree of enthusiasm was expressed by teachers and administrators for the student river conference being planned for later in 1999. Many people said they hoped the event would help stimulate a sustained interest in developing river education programs.
  
• Participants said programs should include hands-on experiences with the river. "The emphasis today is more on the technical biology and not the backyard biology," said Linda Small, director of Children’s Health Program in Great Barrington. "It would be good to get the experience of biology that the rivers offer. It can happen. Kids are naturally interested in the river. They’re always hanging over the bridge in Housatonic every summer. People worry about the river and are concerned about the river more than we think."
  
• Marie Raftery suggested reviving the Foxfire Program using the Housatonic River. Students would interview older residents about the river and their experiences of it.
  
• A watershed-related environmental education program for local schools through the Housatonic River watershed and its twelve sub-basins. The program will involve a combination of visits to local schools for classroom and laboratory work, followed by school visits to the Housatonic River where students can learn firsthand from activities that are appropriate to their developmental stage, learning ability, and current class curriculum.

In addition to schools, several organizations have ongoing programs involving river education or expressed an interest in developing them. As described above, people saw a strong need to introduce the river and its wildlife to adults as well as children.

"I’ve grown up in Berkshire County my entire life," Margaret Neville said. "We have so many beautiful areas along the river that I’m totally unaware of and many people are unaware of them. Maybe we can do something to make the river better and also make people aware of it."

"Education efforts should be directed at all sections of the community," said Virgil Stucker of Great Barrington, former director of the Berkshire-Taconic Foundation. He was particularly keen to see programs such as Direct Youth Build be involved in river projects to engage youth in river work in a way that involves hands-on stewardship and restoration activities.

In designing programs to introduce people to the river, some participants said, the emphasis should be on exposing people to interesting elements of the river and its history. "River education programs can be designed so that people don’t think they’re getting educated," said Bernie Drew of Great Barrington, who suggested that interpretive historic stations be designed similar to those along the Freedom Trail in Boston. Tourists and residents could visit a full series of information points along the river, he said.

Other suggested non-school education programs included the following:

• Berkshire Scenic Railway. President John Herbert of Lee said the scenic railway used to do a lot of field trips on the train and would stop by the river in a section that was teeming with lizards. It was a very popular place to visit. As a 501(c)(3) organization, the railway is obligated to have educational programs. "Most of the instruction has been about the railroad, but it would be easy to do presentations on the Housatonic River," he said.
  
• Berkshire County Historical Society. "Part of studying history is realizing what you don’t want to repeat," Director Susan Eisley said. "Dumping is something we don’t want to repeat. Giving the way the county was settled and the role the river played in the development of the county is a little example that can be used as a metaphor for the United States. You look at its use by Native Americans and industry and you can say what you should and shouldn’t do."
  
  "Plaques aren’t going to tell the whole story," Eisley added. She suggested that a history of the river could be written and then used for education programs. "This is something Berkshire County Historical Society could be involved in," she said. She suggested that endowment money could be leveraged by forming partnerships with existing organizations to take on various projects. "You could form partnerships with different institutions that have different constituencies," she said. (See Historic and Cultural section.)

•  Barbara Cianfarini of Pittsfield added that Berkshire Museum already has a junior nature club that could be expanded upon. Rachel Fletcher suggested doing something like a Housatonic River Club.
  
• Sportsmen said they would like to see a program developed on the river and its wildlife and sportsmen’s role in wildlife preservation.
  
• Alice Wislocki of Pittsfield suggested a hands-on "Women in the Outdoors" education program to teach women the basic physical skills for interacting in meaningful ways with the river. A program such as this would also help address self-esteem issues, she said. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife teaches courses of this nature.  Similar programs could also be developed for children and special needs groups.
  
• Chris Windram suggested that a journal should be kept to compile watershed events. All people who live in the watershed would be invited to listen, observe, and chronicle natural events such as the arrival of peepers, woodcocks, salamanders, ice outs, geese migrations, and so on, and to report these events to a central contact on the internet. The results would be published in an annual watershed report. The journal would show a pattern of beauty and caring and demonstrate a special level of community involvement.

Education programs should also be developed to raise awareness about pollution in the river, many people said. The history of industrial abuse on the river and the impacts on the river of household hazardous waste, septic systems, and runoff from rainstorms were all cited as specific subjects.

All restoration projects should attempt to include some educational component to broaden understanding not only about the river, but also about the importance of restoration projects for the river, said Amy Pfeufer, environmental planner at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Residents expressed support for the proposed Housatonic River Museum in Great Barrington being spearheaded by Jennifer Hersch of Alford.  People were particularly keen on the idea of it developing exhibitions that could be shown in communities up and down the river.

Finally, many residents said an educational center should be constructed to oversee educational programming and develop hands-on programs. The facility could serve as a destination site for residents and tourists, making it an educational, environmental, and economic resource that would elevate programming for the river and spur the restoration of the river.

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