Conservation, more valuable than you might think
By Rene Wendell
March 2009
Well, spring is finally here. After a long cold season the signs are all around. The skunk cabbage is blooming, male red-winged blackbirds have returned from the south and are singing, and yesterday I saw a honey bee and woolly bear caterpillar. Everywhere life that once slept is stirring.
The days are longer and there is a yearning by everyone that endured to get outside and enjoy. My neighbors are walking their dog daily and visitors at Bartholomew’s Cobble, where I am the Conservation Ranger, are steadily increasing. As we long for the sunshine and make plans for our springs and summers, let’s remember those places that define our region, bring comfort to our souls, and lay the wondrous backdrop of everyday life here in the Berkshires.
We are lucky to be surrounded by such natural beauty. From our northern flanks there is Mt. Greylock, to our southern extreme Mt. Everett and in-between places like Ice Glen, Kennedy Park, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, 
Windsor Jambs, Monument Mountain, and Balance Rock, all protected for everyone to enjoy. As economic challenges abound, these properties are even more significant given they offer incredible value to visitors. Often, use of them is free or accompanied by a nominal charge.
Here’s a user’s guide to the stewards of the bucolic Berkshires:
There are many camping opportunities on their properties as well as interpretive nature programming and the Junior Ranger Program at Mt. Greylock State Park. Also, the road to the summit of Mt. Greylock will re-open this year in mid-May after two years of re-construction so, get ready for that drive.
The Nature Conservancy protects some of the rarest of species and habitats in the Berkshires i
ncluding three Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. They manage over 3,500 acres with two of their properties, the Drury Preserve and Mt. Plantain Preserve, open to the public.
The Massachusetts’ Audubon Society protects over 1,900 acres in the Berkshires and has three properties open to the public in Lenox, Pittsfield, and Sheffield. They run a myriad of outdoor programming including a nature camp, canoe trips on the Housatonic River, bird banding, astronomy and many others for experts and novices alike. And you may want to reserve a little time this summer, when Audubon marks its 80th anniversary celebration on June 6th with family entertainment, live birds, music, food, and guided walks.
The Trustees of Reservations owns and manages 14 properties in the Berkshires that are open to the public, protecting over 7,100 acres, including the aforementioned Bartholomew’s Cobble, Monument Mountain, and Notchview, to name a few. They too offer a myriad of family friendly programming including nature hikes, canoe trips, bird walks, and historic house and garden tours.
The Berkshire Natural Resources Council is a county-wide land trust that has 60 properties open to the public for all access, including hunting, but excluding motorized vehicles. 
They protect over 7, 600 acres in the Berkshires. There are also many smaller local land trusts that focus on individual towns but protect great pieces of land.
There is great work being done by these organizations. Take a break. Go on a canoe trip, a bird walk, or spend the night camping. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy the value of these places and the lovely trilliums, trout lilies, hepatica, spring beauty, jack-in-the pulpits, and Dutchman’s breeches blooming.
In this hectic world there is solace to be found on these properties. And, there is no better time to enjoy then now.
About Rene Wendell
Introduced to nature by his father, Pittsfield, MA native Rene Wendell knew the names of wild creatures as a toddler. After living in Florida and Arizona Wendell returned to the Berkshires to obtain degrees from Berkshire Community College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and now works a conservation ranger for the Trustees of Reservations. As such, Wendell spends his days knocking back invasive plants, tracking rattle snakes, and teaching others about the great outdoors. He likes to hike, hunt, fish, bird watch, collect antiques, and go metal detecting with his 91-year-old father.