Berkshire Preservation Inc is a 501(c)(3), founded in 2025, working to keep the land, history, and culture of the Berkshires intact for the next generation.
Earlier in my life, I was blessed to be able to give away thousands of dollars each year. I saw first-hand the joy a needed gift brings — and how richly it was always deserved. I watched the ripples spread like the widening circles after a single pebble is dropped into a pond, each ring standing for the ever-growing number of people one gift could reach. It was goodness sent into the world exactly when and where it was needed most. I was deeply moved when a New York Times article named my foundation, alongside nine others, among the ten most dedicated to the world’s toughest problems.
Carole OwensFounder & President of the Board · Berkshire Preservation Inc
BPI will stand by those who have dedicated themselves to preserving our lives, our land, and our heritage.
Southern Berkshire Ambulance is the linchpin emergency-services provider for all of southern Berkshire County. It delivers primary 911 service to six towns, advanced paramedic intercept to several more, and mutual-aid coverage for all eighteen towns of South County.
These professionals need state-of-the-art ambulances. An ambulance can be far more than transport — it can be an emergency room on wheels, delivering life-saving care en route. It is an essential service, one that saves lives across roughly 3,000 calls every year.
Last fall, Yo-Yo Ma told a story of a friend who needed an ambulance. He spoke of how he would love to help support the crews who answer those calls — and together, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and BPI made that happen.
Emergency medical workers are the unsung heroes of the Berkshires. Every minute we can shave off a 911 response can make all the difference — in saving a life, and in the quality of the life that follows. They are there when we need them. I am proud to be part of a community that will do its part, because right now, they truly need us.
An evening of cello and piano — Monday, July 13, 2026 at The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield — presented by BPI to benefit the squad.
Get involved →Early in 2025, the DeSisto mega-development was approved. Stockbridge gave up its right of first refusal on thirty acres at Interlaken Crossroads. Elm Court loomed. It became clear the question facing us all came down to one thing: land use and preservation.
Towns must meet limitless obligations with limited funds — they cannot carry this alone. And it was not enough to talk. We had to pitch in, plan, and fight to hold onto the community that nurtured us. So Berkshire Preservation Inc was born.
Buildings are the repositories of our history. But even here — in a region shaped by an ardent, persistent commitment to preserve — sometimes all that remains of the past is words and pictures. Even then, knowing where we came from and how we got here is no less important.
The gatehouse at Kripalu, on the Lenox–Stockbridge line. The William Russell Allen house, named to Mass Preservation's Most Endangered List. Forty acres of pristine, historically significant land in the heart of Stockbridge. A close partnership with Ventfort Hall. A local-history unit written for our schools. And a hand extended to the Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad — securing Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax for a summer benefit.
Watch the stories →Berkshire Preservation Inc preserves and protects our cultural heritage and natural resources for future generations — through strategic planning, fundraising, and the giving of grants and services. We preserve that which is uniquely Berkshire.
Through preservation, conservation, and restoration, BPI is dedicated to a healthy environment, a sound economy, and a history kept whole.
One of the loveliest places anywhere — stretches of green field, shaded woodland, and wetland threaded with buildings standing since the 1700s.
The land is the source of revitalization for every living thing, ourselves included. Unspoiled, it makes oxygen, cools the air, shelters us from the elements, and gives the birds and animals a home. As we build housing, shops, and civic and cultural spaces, we must protect open space alongside them.
Buildings are the repositories of our memories. We point and say: there, in that place, our ancestors gathered to pray, to plan, to raise a glass in friendship — and so our story begins. Lose the building and a tear opens in the fabric of who we were. Save it, and we stay connected to our past.
Finally, BPI seeks to protect a rural way of life while bringing the resources of urban living within reach — and to help those who have given their lives to helping us. Conservation, restoration, and care, for the long horizon.
Join us →