Day: August 10, 2022

MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center: Summer trainings, summer events

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    VA Bedford seeks volunteers for The Wall That Heals exhibit in September

    Sarah Brush
    VA Bedford Healthcare System News & Updates

    VA Bedford Healthcare System logo

    VA Bedford seeks volunteers for The Wall That Heals exhibit in September

    by Kat Bailey, VA Bedford Public Affairs Officer

    Visitors at The Wall That Heals

    BEDFORD, Massachusetts–VA Bedford Healthcare System needs volunteers to assist with The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that VA Bedford is hosting at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, here, Sept. 22-25.

    The exhibit, along with a mobile Education Center, will be open 24 hours a day and is free to the public. The Wall That Heals closes at 2 p.m. on Sept. 25.

    Volunteers are needed around the clock to greet and assist visitors, should be 18 years or older, and be able to stand for extended periods. No experience is necessary and volunteer training will be provided. Interested individual volunteers may sign up for shifts at tinyurl.com/33e2e8w7.   

    Organizations desiring to volunteer or sponsor the visit may contact VA Bedford via email at vhabedTheWallThatHeals@va.gov or call 781-687-3076 to express their interest.

    “Hosting The Wall That Heals is an opportunity that can transform a community,” VA Bedford Director Joan Clifford said. “From Thursday until Sunday, we can expect hundreds of volunteers and thousands of visitors for 24-hours each day no matter the weather, crowds, or other needs. It will truly take a village.”

    The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

    Hosting the mobile exhibit at VA Bedford HCS, and by extension, in the Town of Bedford, allows local Veterans and their family members a chance to experience The Wall. It provides an opportunity to honor and remember all those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and educate visitors on the continuing impact of the Vietnam War on America.

    Media opportunities are also available and welcome. Details about the schedule of events are available and regularly updated on the VA website at https://www.va.gov/bedford-health-care/programs/the-wall-that-heals/.

    State Agricultural Officials Ask Residents to Report Sightings of the Invasive Spotted Lanternfly

    Sarah Brush

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    August 9, 2022

    CONTACT
    Troy Wall

    Troy.wall2@mass.gov

    State Agricultural Officials Ask Residents to Report Sightings of the Invasive Spotted Lanternfly

    Hampden County Find Indicates Species Is Continuing to be Found in New Areas

     

    Photo: Spotted lanternfly adult (left) and late-stage nymph (right) (Credit: USDA)

     

    BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) today announced that an infestation of the invasive insect known as spotted lanternfly (SLF) was found in the City of Springfield last week. Agricultural inspectors are in the middle of performing surveys in the area in order to determine the extent of the infestation. While MDAR has not been able to determine the origin of this new find, cities like Springfield with large industrial areas are at especially high risk for spotted lanternfly introductions, since this pest can hitchhike on trucks and other methods of transportation that come from infested states. Urban and industrial areas often harbor large populations of the spotted lanternfly’s preferred host plant, tree-of-heaven.

     

    “With new populations of the spotted lanternfly likely to pop up more and more frequently as the invasive pest becomes established across the northeast, it is critical that we all remain diligent in identifying them early on,” said Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux. “Anyone who sees this pest is asked to report it promptly. Early detection will help limit the spread of spotted lanternfly and give orchards, farms, and other growers time to prepare.”

     

    MDAR is urging the public to be on the lookout for this pest, especially if they live or work in the Springfield area. Spotted lanternflies may be found on sides of buildings, in or on vehicles, or on host plants, including tree of heaven, grape, maple and walnut. Anyone who has recently received goods or materials from states where SLF is known to have been introduced (including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) should also be on the lookout. Additionally, if a spotted lanternfly is found, the public is asked to take a photo or collect the specimen, and report the sighting using MDAR’s online reporting form.

     

    The public should look for both adult insects (large, gray bugs, about one inch long, with black spots and red underwings), as well as nymphs (younger, wingless insects that are red with black and white markings). Spotted lanternfly is a sap-feeding insect that has caused significant impacts to vineyards, orchards, and other agricultural commodities in states where it has become established. SLF not only harms grapevines, maples, hops, blueberries, and over 100 other host plants, but has the potential to negatively impact outdoor recreation through the swarming behavior that occurs during mating season.

     

    Photo: SLF late-stage nymphs (Credit: USDA)

     

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