HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
JANUARY 8, 2026 | FREE
WWW.THEREMINDER.COM
FOR DELIVERY CONCERNS OR TO STOP DELIVERY, CALL 413-788-1100 OR EMAIL CIRCULATION@REPUB.COM
IN THIS
EDITION
EASTHAMPTON
Study on removal of Manhan River Dam to be funded by state A dam removal study for the Manhan River Dam will be funded through the state after the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $350,000 toward supporting dam removal studies in seven municipalities.
Page 4
NORTHAMPTON
District seeks members for superintendent search committee The Northampton School Committee is inviting the public to consider joining a Preliminary Superintendent Search Committee as the district seeks to hire a permanent superintendent to begin duties on July, 1, 2026.
Page 5
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT
Heartbeat Theater aims to bring more intimate theater to valley A new theater company established by a group of passionate area stage actors and crew is debuting its inaugural production, “Proof,” to kick off the new year .
Page 8
Project aims to protect endangered species By Trent Levakis
tlevakis@thereminder.com
NORTHAMPTON — As part of a recent grant, students at Smith College have completed a project focused on helping the endangered Eastern rat snake, Massachusetts’ only tree snake. The habitat-restoration project at the college’s MacLeish Field Station will help keep endangered snakes warm in the winter after the installation of a hibernaculum, or a winter shelter, designed to help the species survive the elements and stay protected from predators. The project is part of a partnership between the National Wildlife Federation and Mutual of Ohama’s Wild Kingdom to support higher education institutions focused on conserving endangered or at-risk species and habitat. Smith’s Center for Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability, or CEEDS, were supported by an $8,500 grant. “I really love this program because we are able to provide grants to support those efforts on campus. With Smith College, one of the things that stood out was they were focusing on an endangered species, a reptile in Massachusetts. They also put a lot of emphasis on their proposal and in the project over the last several months on engaging students. Students are participating in this project, learning about the species, and also learning with hands-on skills,” National Wildlife Federation Wildlife and Nature Director Kristy Jones told Reminder Publishing. Jones has been with the NWF for 20 years, mostly working with colleges and universities on conservation and sustainability projects, anything from habitat restoration to energy conservation. The eastern rat snake has be-
From left, MacLeish Field Station manager Paul Wetzel leads his team of students out for installation of the hibernaculum. Smith College students on the project help install the hibernaculum to help protect the endangered eastern rat snake. Photo credit: National Wildlife Federation
come an endangered species in the state primarily due to habitat degradation and fragmentation. In Massachusetts, the rat snake is severely imperiled and unlikely to be observed except at a handful of mountainous locations in central and Western Mass. Adult rat snakes in Massachusetts are large, muscular, shiny black and is non-venomous. As explained by MacLeish Field Station manager Paul Wetzel, the newly installed hidden hibernaculum is a place where snakes, both the endangered rat snake and other snake species, can comfortably spend cold days when they go through brumation, a state of dormancy where they are not fully asleep but metabolically slowed down. This allows snakes to conserve energy until the winter months return. Wetzel said the history of the 250-acre property at the MacLeish Field station is tied to its current ecological makeup today. The property was first purchased by the school in the 1960s to build the field station and it included a pasture for about 30 to 40
acres that was mowed or grazed consistently before the college purchased it. As time went on, Wetzel said the college wasn’t really doing much with the property outside the addition of the observatory until about 15 years ago, a concerted effort was made to take advantage of the nature available, as well as conserve the space. “They eventually decided we should do more with this. Let’s develop this as an educational resource for experiential learning. Let’s put a stake in the ground. It’s 12 miles from campus and could be something that is a real asset for students,” said Wetzel. Wetzel said now the MacLeish Field Station is the home for scientific research for students at Smith, art and nature projects, and recreational opportunities on the property. Overall, the outdoor educational opportunities have made for unique work from students and opened the door for this project around the eastern rat snake. Wetzel said if the property’s fields had been abandoned generations ago, the space would have gone through the traditional plant
succession. The composition of the forest might change over 150 years, but in essence, a forest would return. “That didn’t happen because the abandonment occurred in the ’60s and ’70s, and by that time there were invasive species in the ecosystem,” added Wetzel. With this already in mind, Wetzel began conservation efforts on the property starting several years ago to try and control the invasives that had made their way on the property. Wetzel explained the four main invasive species seen on the property included multiflora rose, round leaf bittersweet vines, autumn olive trees and Japanese barberry bushes. All of these species produce red berries that are then eaten by songbirds who end up dispersing seeds around the area through their droppings. For example, the bittersweet vines end up growing and strangling other plants. Some of the multiflora rose bushes end up growing around 8 feet tall and are so dense that virtually nothSee SMITH on page 3