Waterston champions ocean conservation

Waterston champions ocean conservation
Photo by Angela George

In 2016 an annual review from the Australian Institute of Marine Science read, “A decade ago, the general narrative was that coral reefs face an uncertain future under climate change. Now, as evidence from observational and experimental research is mounting, providing more signal to the noise, the narrative focuses increasingly on the consequences for society…"

Climate change has had a profound impact on ocean life, from rising sea temperatures to the loss of vital aquatic habitats. Founded in 2001, Oceana, an ocean conservation nonprofit led by actor Ted Danson, has lobbied for marine preservation, particularly in regard to halting overfishing, offshore drilling and wind farms. On Friday, June 2, The Salisbury Forum will welcome Academy Award-nominated actor and Chair of the Board of Oceana Sam Waterston to Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, Conn., to discuss the organization’s conservation efforts to save our oceans.

During a phone interview from his home in Litchfield County, Conn., Waterston remarked that he grew up in New England believing the ocean was an endless expanse that would limitlessly provide. “Then I was reading the newspaper on the beach in Rhode Island in the ‘70s and learned the cod fish industry had collapsed. It was simply unbelievable, impossible…” he said. “The sea was not inexhaustible. I became more at more aware of how the environment was suffering because of our treatment, and carried this fear for Earth with me, and didn’t know what to do with it.”

Waterston’s talk is ahead of International World Ocean Day on June 8. Since its official recognition by the United Nations in 2008 the annual event has had a theme, with 2023’s announced as “Planet Ocean: Tides Are Changing.” Streaming live with presentations by UN representatives and celebrities, we can only hope they tell us the change is for the better.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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