Beth DeSombre, a professor of environmental studies at Wellesley College, will speak on the topic “Saving Global Fisheries” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Hatfield.
DeSombre’s talk, sponsored by the Wellesley Club of the Pioneer Valley, will examine the phenomenon of overfishing, and offer ideas about what can be done to preserve the ocean’s biodiversity, the world’s supply of seafood and the livelihoods that depend on fishing.
The food bank is at 97 North Hatfield Road in Hatfield.
A forest-grown mushroom inoculation workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Guyette Farm on Gloyd Street in Plainfield.
Mycologist Paul Lagreze, from New England Wild Edibles, and the Franklin Land Trust will lead the workshop.
Participants will inoculate two hard wood logs with shiitake and oyster mushroom spawn and bring them home to start a backyard mushroom farm! The workshop will teach how mushrooms break down organic matter, how to provide ideal conditions for inoculated logs and how to maximize mushroom production.
The fee is $40 per person including materials. To learn more or to register, email Linda Alvord at lalvord@verizon.net or call (413) 625-9151.
The following are recent state Department of Environmental Protection consent orders and penalty assessments in western Massachusetts.
• UNILATERAL ORDER FOR WATER POLLUTION CONTROL VIOLATIONS, Feb. 12, Granby: Issued a unilateral order to Greg Everson, d/b/a Granby Septic, for water pollution control violations in Granby. The order directs Everson to remove a tank installed in the ground and used by Granby Septic for the temporary holding of septage at 59 Crescent St. This tank is in noncompliance with Title 5 regulations.
• UNILATERAL ORDER FOR WATER POLLUTION CONTROL VIOLATIONS, Feb. 12, Granby: Issued a unilateral order to Justin and Sabrina Obremski for water pollution control violations in Granby. Justin and Sabrina Obremski are the owners of the property at 59 Crescent St. where MassDEP has directed the removal of a tank installed in the ground, and the holding of septage in noncompliance with Title 5 regulations.
• UNILATERAL ORDER FOR WATER SUPPLY VIOLATIONS, Feb. 5, Granby: Issued a unilateral order to Granby Junior and Senior High and East Meadow Schools for water supply violations in Granby. These orders are to address a failure of its corrosion-control treatment, failure to submit associated reports, failure to complete required monitoring in 2015 (missing monitoring included lead and copper, bacteria and volatile organic compounds) and the lack of operator coverage for a portion of 2015. Response requirements included follow-up actions due to the incidents of elevated lead, which reached the “action level.” Further requirements include public notice and public education, monitoring for volatile organic compounds, and routine monitoring for bacteria, monitoring on a weekly basis at selected sites for lead and copper, submittal of weekly reports on treatment operation and obtaining the required operator coverage with approval of MassDEP. The requirements also include the collection of the next rounds of required 20 samples twice in 2016.
• PENALTY ASSESSMETN NOTICE FOR AIR QUALITY VIOLATIONS, Feb. 1, Belchertown: Issued a $250 penalty assessment notice to Nicholas Southwick-Hall for air quality violations in Belchertown. Southwick-Hall was issued the penalty relative to an illegal bonfire at his residence. The bonfire required two dispatches from the Belchertown Fire Department and was largely fueled by furniture and demolition wood.