Media contact: Hopkins Forest Manager Drew Jones at (413) 597-4353; [email protected]
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., September 29, 2015—Hopkins Memorial Forest in Williamstown will be open to deer hunting by special permit during the 12-day shotgun season Nov. 30 to Dec. 12, excluding Sunday, Dec. 6.
A limited number of complimentary permits will be issued to hunters from local communities. Applications, which can be obtained from the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College, are due back to the Center by Nov. 1. They will be evaluated on a first-come, first served basis and permits will be issued to selected hunters by mid-November.
Annually, 75 to 100 hunters are awarded permits to hunt in this research and teaching forest owned by Williams College, which closes the forest to other recreational users during the hunt. Hunter surveys from recent seasons indicate that typically five to 10 deer are harvested from the area each year. Such reductions in the herd help to minimize browse damage to the forest’s understory and herb layer and protect ecological research areas. Due to possible conflicts with other forest uses, no other hunting, aside from the 12-day deer shotgun season, is allowed in Hopkins Forest.
The college gives preference in awarding permits to its neighbors; although, in the past, hunters have come from across the state to hunt the forest’s rugged terrain. Hunters may obtain a no-fee permit application by contacting the Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College, 55 Mission Park Drive, Williamstown, MA 01267, (413) 597-2346, or by e-mailing [email protected].
END
For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Communications (413) 597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/map
Online:
williams.edu
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Published September 29, 2015
Megamenu Social