DCR-led Quabbin hikes coming up

BELCHERTOWN — The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Les and Terry Campbell Quabbin Visitor Center is launching a new season of guided hikes across the Quabbin watershed beginning in May, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience the region’s natural beauty and rich history alongside DCR staff.

Advance registration is required for all hikes, with space limited, and dogs are not permitted on Quabbin lands. Participants should come prepared for outdoor conditions, including appropriate clothing, water, snacks, and tick awareness. Full details and registration are available at www.friendsofquabbin.org/dcr-programs/.

Scheduled hikes include:

  • Thursday, May 7, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Gate 37 Forest Walk to Wetlands. This 1.5-mile easy hike will include a short walk down a forest road to a stunning wetland habitat.
  • Saturday, May 16, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Visitor Center Loop Trail. This 1.7-mile moderate hike in Quabbin Park travels below the Winsor Dam, along the Swift River, and through the forest behind the visitor center.
  • Saturday, May 23, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hidden History: Webster Road Trail. This 2.5-mile, roundtrip hike over relatively flat terrain will explore Quabbin’s ghost towns hiding in plain sight. The guided interpretive walk will teach hikers how to read the natural landscape as they uncover clues that reveal the hidden history of Webster Road.
  • Thursday, June 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tower Trail Habitat Hike. This 3-mile, moderately difficult hike traverses up Quabbin Hill through woodland and mountain habitat and back. Hikers will not be able to go up to the tower itself, as it is currently closed for renovations.
  • Saturday, June 16, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Exploring the Road to Dana Common. This 3.6-mile moderate hike will transport hikers to the past to the old foundations, stone walls and shade trees as they explore Quabbin’s unique history.
  • Saturday, June 20, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Exploring the north side of the Quabbin watershed via gate 35. This 5-mile, intermediate hike will extend next to the water on a dirt road through the forest.

Easthampton schools land literacy grant

EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton Public Schools has secured a $20,000 for early childhood special education planning. The funds will support partnerships, professional development, family engagement and financial planning for the delivery of individualized education program (IEP) services in community-based preschool settings.

Easthampton is one of 14 school districts statewide to receive the Early Childhood Special Education grants. Improving access to special education services for children in community-based early education settings is one of the key themes from Governor Maura Healey’s Early Education and Child Care Task Force listening sessions. This grant funding directly supports one of the Task Force’s recommendations that the administration explore and identify effective and equitable ways to ensure young children with disabilities are receiving the services for which they qualify.

The funding supports district teams that consist of early childhood and special education administrators from public schools, community-based preschool providers, educators, Early Intervention providers, and families. The grant will help recipients plan for a traveling team to deliver IEP services in community preschool settings.

The initiative includes in-person professional development for grant recipients, monthly coaching for the community-based team, and virtual and in-person networking opportunities with teams from communities that have successfully implemented this model.

Autism Connections to hold annual conference

NORTHAMPTON — Autism Connections, a program of ServiceNet, will host its 34th Annual Autism Conference on Thursday, April 30, at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield.

The conference will bring together autistic individuals, families, educators, clinicians, and community partners for a day of learning and shared experience, featuring 18 breakout sessions led by experts and individuals with autism exploring practical strategies, new research, and real-world insights.

In addition to the annual conference, Autism Connections provides year-round support for autistic individuals of all ages and their families through education, advocacy, and its Autism Resource Center.

Autism Connections serves families and individuals in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties and the North Quabbin area.

For Catherine “Cat” McEachern, Autism Connections’ research and professional training coordinator, the mission is both professional and personal. McEachern, who is autistic and holds a master’s degree in behavioral neuroscience, brings lived experience and academic expertise to every session she leads.

This year’s conference also comes as Governor Maura Healey recently signed an executive order establishing a statewide strategy to better support adults with profound autism and co-occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities — an effort that will include input from individuals with lived experience, families, and service providers.

For more information, visit https://autismconnections.servicenet.org/

Amherst High grad to give keynote at Nichols commencement

WORCESTER —Delcie D. Bean IV, founder and CEO of Paragus IT, will be the keynote speaker at Nichols College commencement on Saturday, May 2.

Bean, an alum of Amherst Regional High School, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration at the ceremony. Since founding the company at the age of 13, Bean has transformed Paragus IT into one of the most successful, fastest-growing information technology (IT) firms in the region. The company’s unique corporate culture and strategic approach to providing outsourced IT services to small- to medium-sized businesses have earned many accolades.

As the company has grown, so has Bean’s commitment to equity and inclusion. In 2014, he created Tech Foundry, an educational nonprofit designed to address the need for a skilled IT workforce by providing in-depth training for individuals from marginalized or underrepresented communities.

In 2016, Bean began the process of transitioning Paragus to a 100% employee-owned company, which he completed in 2024. He is currently working to grow Paragus into a $250-million firm with offices across the country. In doing so, he aims to create more than 100 employee-owner millionaires.

Bean has advised state leadership on economic and technology matters and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for Bay Path University.

Bean and his wife of 15 years live in southern New Hampshire with their three boys.