Area Briefs: Spot fire contained after Westover burn

Spot fire contained after Westover burn

WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE — Firefighters from Westover and six surrounding communities extinguished a spot fire on a neighboring property that occurred Tuesday afternoon following conclusion of a planned prescribed burn. No injuries were reported.

Westover Fire Department, along with mutual aid partners from the Ludlow, Wilbraham,
Belchertown, Palmer, Three Rivers and Chicopee Fire Departments, responded to the spot fire at approximately 2 p.m. Responders declared the fire under control by 3:10 p.m.

The initial prescribed burn, managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center Wildland Fire Branch with support from U.S. Wildland Fire Service, was successfully completed as planned by 1 p.m. These prescribed burns are a critical land management tool used to reduce hazardous fuels, such as overgrown grass and vegetation, to prevent larger, more catastrophic wildfires.

The spot fire incident is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and the State
of Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.

For more information, email 439aw.pa@us.af.mil

Wild & Scenic Film Festival comes to Northampton

NORTHAMPTON — Kestrel Land Trust, based in Amherst, and the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability (CEEDS) at Smith College will hold the 2026 Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour on Friday, April 17, at 7 p.m., at Weinstein Auditorium in Wright Hall at Smith College.

For the second year, CEEDS and Kestrel are co-hosting the festival, which brings a unique film program to each host site around the country. Selected from a library of more than 220 films, Kestrel and CEEDS have created a special program to celebrate Earth Day with the goal of inspiring the community to take action to protect it.

The festival will feature nine short films that highlight environmental leaders of all ages around the world taking part in building a better future for the earth and all its inhabitants. The film program includes:

• “WILD HOPE: Protecting Paradise:” A marine biologist works to protect endangered sea turtles in Panama.
• “Flora, Fauna, Funga:”Mycologists search for new mushrooms in Chile that are essential to every ecosystem on earth.
• “WILD HOPE: Building for Birds:” How two organizations are saving migratory birds from an invisible killer as they pass through U.S. cities.
• “Monumental Moment:” Follow a young Native woman and her community fighting to protect a sacred region in the Grand Canyon. 
• “Nature Always Finds a Way:” Five women embark on a 10-day mountain climb to heal from personal trauma through nature and community.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival was started by the watershed advocacy group, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in 2003. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of SYRCL’s landmark victory to receive “Wild & Scenic” status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. The national five-day event is held each winter in Nevada City, California, and features over 150 award-winning films with guest speakers and activists.

The home festival kicks off the international tour to communities around the globe, allowing SYRCL to share their success as an environmental group with other organizations. The On Tour film festival builds a network of grassroots organizations connected by a common goal of using film to inspire activism.

Donations received from attendees who reserve a seat for this event will support Kestrel Land Trust’s mission to conserve, care for, and connect people to the land in Connecticut River Valley. Tickets are available for a sliding-scale donation at kestreltrust.org/events, and students from any college, university, or high school may reserve a ticket at no charge.

Northampton launches perception survey

NORTHAMPTON — The city of Northampton, in partnership with the Northampton-based marketing firm, Marketing Doctor, is inviting community members to participate in an anonymous Community and Visitor Perception Survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCYM82X.

In July 2025, the city was awarded a $75,000 grant through the Casino Mitigation Fund to support a comprehensive digital marketing campaign aimed at promoting Northampton as a vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike. Efforts thus far have focused on the planning phase, including stakeholder interviews and the early development of an overarching strategy.

This project grew out of discussions with stakeholders on the best way to promote and market Northampton as a destination. This survey will help further inform and shape the city’s branding and marketing strategy. 

The city is working with Marketing Doctor to better understand how people experience Northampton: what draws them here, what keeps them here, what works, and what doesn’t. Participants can range from lifelong residents to regular visitors, or someone who’s only heard of Northampton from a distance.

This is not a satisfaction survey, nor is it tied to any specific initiative or project; it’s a genuine effort to listen, to understand how Northampton is perceived, what people value about it, and where there’s room to grow.