Mass Audubon Secures More Than 850 Acres in Becket

BECKET -- Mass Audubon has finalized protection of more than 850 acres of land in Becket, with a leader from the conservation nonprofit calling the acquisition crucial to conservation efforts across the Berkshires, according to a Friday report from WAMC.

TOWN HALL

Mass Audubon leader Kristin Foresto said the newly secured property is a major addition to the organization's holdings in the region and central to its broader conservation work in the Berkshires, according to the WAMC report published Friday.

Elsewhere in town business, the Becket Volunteer Fire Department is marking a milestone: the department will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a centennial fundraiser Saturday, Aug. 15, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at the North Becket Fire Station Pavilion, 108 Washington St.

The town's new Swap Shop is set to open Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Transfer Station, 238 Washington St., running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. a concrete opening date for a program the town had been recruiting volunteers to staff.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

The Becket Athenaeum has a busy stretch ahead. Textile artist Rachel Barclay leads a Sashiko mending workshop Saturday, Aug. 1, from noon to 4 p.m., teaching the traditional Japanese stitching technique. The library also announced its Contemporary Vanitas Exhibit will open with a reception Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., paired that evening with the next installment of the library's Music Brings Communities Together concert series, featuring Rounders Revival, from 5 to 7 p.m.

COMING UP

Several town boards meet in the coming week. The Sherwood Greens Road District convenes Saturday, Aug. 1, at 9 a.m., and the Municipal Buildings Advisory Committee meets Monday, Aug. 3, at 3 p.m. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Zoning Board of Appeals holds a public hearing at 6 p.m. on a special permit application for 8 South Lake Way, alongside its regular meeting and a Conservation Commission meeting at the same hour. The following day, the Board of Health, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, Conservation Commission and the town administrator hold a joint meeting at 1 p.m., followed by a Board of Health meeting at 5 p.m. and the Select Board at 6 p.m.

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.