Bits & Bytes: Birding talk; emergency skills training; estate-planning workshops

Grassland bird conservation to be discussed at lecture

Jon Atwood. Photo courtesy Mass Audubon

Pittsfield — At its monthly meeting Monday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. at Guardian Life Insurance, the Hoffmann Bird Club will present “Conserving Grassland Birds in New England” with Mass Audubon bird conservation director Jon Atwood.

In his talk, Atwood will discuss various Mass Audubon conservation initiatives, including the Bobolink Project, assessing population status of barn swallows and other aerial insectivores in the Connecticut River Valley; and distribution of eastern meadowlarks in Massachusetts.

Atwood has been a practicing ornithologist and conservation biologist for 30 years. After completing his master’s and doctoral degrees in southern California, he moved to the East Coast in 1986. While working at Manomet Bird Observatory in the 1990s, he collaborated in the analysis of the first 30 years of Manomet’s landbird banding effort, spearheaded federal protection of the California gnatcatcher under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, led a long-term study of factors affecting least tern colony site selection, and contributed to early studies of Bicknell’s thrush in New England. From 1998-2011 he directed the conservation biology program at Antioch University. From 2011-13 he worked as science director at Biodiversity Research Institute in southern Maine.

The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Hoffmann Bird Club at hoffmannbirdclub@gmail.com.

–E.E.

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Fairview Hospital to offer emergency skills training classes

Fairview Hospital. Photo courtesy Berkshire Health Systems

Great Barrington — As part of National Preparedness Month, Fairview Hospital will host three sessions of “Stop the Bleed,” offering important life-saving skills for laypersons as well as health and safety professionals. The training sessions will be held in Fairview’s ground floor conference room Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 3 to 4 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 20, from 10 to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 5 to 6 p.m.

“Stop the Bleed” teaches the basics of recognizing severe bleeding, getting help, and controlling bleeding immediately using simple tools and skills. The skills are valuable for anyone who encounters a construction accident, motor vehicle crash, or any other emergency where someone may suffer a serious injury and is at risk of experiencing life-threatening blood loss.

The trainings are free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, contact Heather Barbieri at (413) 854-9656 or hbarbieri@bhs1.org.

–E.E.

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Kimball Farms to host estate-planning workshops

James Sisto. Photo courtesy Berkshire Elder Law Center

Lenox — Kimball Farms will host the presentation “The Big Five: Important Documents for Estate Planning” from Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 2 to 3 p.m. at its life care center and Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 2 to 3 p.m. at its nursing care center. The presentations will be conducted by attorney James Sisto of the Berkshire Elder Law Center and will advise participants about the documentation and plans they should have in place to protect their life savings and their future.

The workshops are free and open to the public. Registration is requested. For more information or to RSVP, call (413) 637-7002.

–E.E.