Environmental Studies

Facilities

 MCLA is located adjacent to a diverse array of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems available for study both in and out of the classroom. This creates unique opportunities for students interested in Environmental Studies.

 The Environmental Studies Program, in conjunction with MCLA's Berkshire Environmental Resource Center (BERC), oversees and coordinates activities within Scully Forest. Scully Forest is approximately 60 acres and serves as an outdoor classroom for understanding forest community structure and land use.

The BERC has secured funding for the renovation of a laboratory in Venable Hall. This new teaching laboratory will be used by Environmental Studies majors.

The BERC is also providing funding for a GIS lab, which should be available for faculty and students beginning in Fall 2006. In Spring 2007 we hope to offer our first course in GIS.

The photovoltaic array installed on Venable Hall, pictured here, can be monitored at the Soltrex Web site, you can monitor the power output of the array and the sunlight in watts per square meter, as well as the air temperature and wind speed on Venable Hall's roof top. The array is clearly visible from classrooms in Venable Hall as well as from the upper patio outside the school's cafeteria.