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Berkshire Conservation Agent Program

The purpose of the Berkshire Conservation Agent Program (BCAP) is to provide municipal Conservation Commissions in Berkshire County with the opportunity to access professional technical assistance and training, through a "shared" Conservation Agent, that is timely and affordable. Assistance helps Commissions meet statutory requirements of the Wetlands Protection Act.

BCAP services, which are tailored to each municipal Conservation Commission, include: Application review, Review of Resource area delineations, Site inspections, Review of Wildlife Habitat Evaluations, Drainage calculation -stormwater review, Written review & recommendations, Suggested Orders of Conditions, Computerized permit review & tracking, Project compliance monitoring, Commission training, Enforcement, Writing and adopting Rules and Bylaws, and Grant writing.

BCAP is available through BRPC, which, as a municipal body can contract with municipalities without going through the bidding process of the Uniform Procurement Act. Therefore, a Conservation Commission does NOT have to request bids from several outside consultants in order to use the services of the Program. The Program services are available without the delay of bidding. BCAP is a "fee for service" with municipalities only paying for the services that are used.

For a PowerPoint presentation on the Berkshire Conservation Agent Program click here (2,848 kb).

Terry Plantier Eucker, former DEP Circuit Rider and former Pittsfield and Hinsdale/Becket Conservation Agent, now serves as the Berkshire Conservation Agent. Municipal Conservation Commissions seeking her services should contact Tom Matuszko at BRPC. Ms. Eucker can also be reached directly at:

Terry Plantier Eucker
Berkshire Conservation Agent Program
12 Oak Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201-8788
(413) 698-2172
BCAP@nycap.rr.com

Training Topics

In addition to the services listed above, Terry Plantier Eucker offers Conservation Commission training sessions. SOme of the topics are listed below. In addition, a specific training can be prepared at a Conservation Commission request.

  • Hiring Consultants and Conservation Agents Under M.G.L. Ch. 44 Sec 53G (and How the Berkshire Conservation Agent Program Can Help Your Cons. Comm. Get the Help It Needs) - This training reviews the 2003 changes to M.G.L. Ch. 44 Sec. 53G which allows Conservation Commissions to hire outside consultants to assist them, at the expense of an applicant. It shows how to adopt rules under this law, hire consultants or a Conservation Agent to assist your Commission, and manage the fees associated with doing so.
  • Recent Changes to the Wetland Regulations 310 CMR 10.00 - This training covers the changes to the Wetland Regulations effective March 1 2005 involving "simplified review" of projects in the buffer zone. It also covers the 2004 changes that involved adjudicatory hearings and wetland filing fees.
  • Riverfront 310 CMR 10.58 - This training is an overview of the Riverfront section of the Wetland Regulations with a review of example projects.
  • The Basics of the Wetland Regulations
  • RDA's
  • The Wetland Protection Act
  • Limited Projects
  • Reviewing Projects in Lakes, Ponds and Streams
  • Establishing Jurisdiction
  • BVW Delineation
  • Banks (10.54)
  • Vernal Pools
  • Drainage Calculations
  • Clearwater
  • Beavers
  • Enforcement
  • Stormwater
  • West Nile Virus
  • Conservation Commission Resources
  • Writing an Affirable Order of Conditions
  • Title V and the Wetland Protection Act
  • Protecting the Public's Rights
  • Brownfields and Riverfront Redevelopment

Sample Training and Review Sheets