During the mid-1800s, the Mill River that flows through Williamsburg and Northampton powered more than three dozen mills, transforming the local economy and the history of Northampton in many important ways (e.g. the creation of villages, the arrival of immigrants to work in the mills, new inventions in manufacturing). Nowadays, however, most of us hardly notice the Mill River as we "sail" over its small bridges in our cars. The same cannot be said for local wildlife, which frequently cross the

In early November 2024, a low intensity brush fire burned roughly 60 acres at the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area (Northampton, Massachusetts). Most of the affected acres were dry, rocky uplands, but wetter margins near Broad Brook also burned. In all of these areas, the brush fire “damage’ was fairly minimal; the top leaf litter was consumed, the base of the trees were scorched, the crowns of many understory shrubs and saplings died back, and a 2-acre patch of cattails was blackened. This spr

1.7K views · 69 reactions | All things were merry and bright in...

34K views · 865 reactions | In 1972, the Massachusetts Wetlands...