1350 West Street
Pittsfield
MA
Some 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, yet we tend to regard them only as infrastructure for human convenience. From frogs and turtles to bears and bobcats, more than a million animals are killed on roads every day in the U.S. alone.
Today, road ecologists are seeking to blunt that destruction through innovative solutions. Conservationists are building bridges for mountain lions and tunnels for toads, engineers are deconstructing the labyrinth of logging roads that web national forests, and community organizers are working to undo the havoc highways have wreaked upon American cities.
Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will hold a Make Way for Wildlife workshop at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Ma on April 11th from 9:30 am to Noon.
Dr. Patricia Cramer will share an overview of how communities across the U.S. are working to reconnect wildlife habitats across roads, from science to emerging transportation policy. She’ll discuss what’s coming in the 2026 Transportation Act, the potential for a new Wildlife Road Crossing Program, and offer a closer look at the Massachusetts State Wildlife and Transportation Plan (SWTAP), which she helped develop. Dr. Cramer will also explore how this plan can be put into action here in Western Massachusetts.
Ben Goldfarb, award-winning environmental journalist and author, will join us virtually to take us on a journey into the hidden world of road ecology. While roads often fade into the background of our daily lives, wildlife experiences them as forces of disruption and danger. Ben will explore how transportation infrastructure impacts animals and ecosystems, and highlight how we can create a better, safer world for all living beings.
To attend this workshop, register at Making Way for Wildlife: Reconnecting Nature Across Our Landscapes Tickets, Saturday, Apr 11 from 9:30 am to 12 pm | Eventbrite