Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

First Records Of Perdita Bequaerti (Hymenopertera: Andrenidae) From New England, Justin C. Roch, Deicy Carolina Muñoz Agudelo, Lynn S. Adler, Joan Milam

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

We document the first New England records of the bee Perdita bequaerti Viereck. Perdita bequaerti is a specialist on Asteraceae flowers, especially Helianthus, and is native to much of eastern North America, where it is often associated with predominantly sandy habitats. Previous records indicated P. bequaerti reached the northeastern extent of its range in the state of New York, but in August 2019, during a survey of bees on Helianthus, we collected five specimens of P. bequaerti at two sites in western Massachusetts. Both sites were located on small-scale farms with abundant non-native Helianthus, on soils characteristic …

Why Massachusetts’ Drought Management Task Force Should Be In Statute: Drought Management Across The United States, Thomas G. Coughlin, Gabby Queenan

Student Showcase

This report explores structures and statutory authorities of Drought Management Task Forces across the United States, and particularly how different states have approached the issue of managing their respective Task Forces. There is growing interest in drought planning in the United States and worldwide.

As Massachusetts considers how to best respond to a new climate norm of short-term extreme droughts, one aspect of drought planning that is undergoing additional review is the role of the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force, the state entity responsible for analyzing and reporting on drought conditions to the Secretary of Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs …

Clean Energy And Climate Policy In Massachusetts, Dwayne Breger

Sustainability Education Resources

Over the past 20 years, Massachusetts has evolved as a leader in clean energy policy, which has led to market development, job and economic growth, and reductions in greenhouse gas and other emissions. This course will provide direct insights into the brief history of these policy developments, including policy objectives, legislative and regulatory roles, tradeoffs of costs and benefits, the use of analytical methods to establish program design, and stakeholder perspectives and engagement. The course will explore the market and economic development and challenges that have resulted from the policy, and explore the economic tradeoffs and distributional impacts that may …

Middlefield Open Space And Recreation Project, Center For Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

Over one thousand acres of farmland, open space, and wetlands are converted to residential or commercial development each week in New England. In Massachusetts, nearly two acres of open space land is lost to development every hour. Current development trends suggest that this building pattern, referred to as sprawl, is likely to continue into the near future. Because the negative consequences of sprawl development are highly visible, residents of Massachusetts are becoming increasingly concerned about its impact on their communities. Residents see the unique character of their communities being transformed by uncontrolled residential and commercial development. Green fields and open …