Sara Rizzo reports for News10 in Albany that Massachusetts has begun a redesign of the viewing area and parking lot at Bash Bish Falls, permanently blocking access to water at the bottom of the falls. The highest waterfall in Massachusetts was a popular destination during the COVID-19 pandemic, with visitors leaving lots of trash and swimming and picnicking where that is not allowed. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation said in a statement, “To promote public safety, mitigate visitor impacts on the natural resource, and protect the rare and native habitat, access to the water was closed in July 2020 with the placement of barriers.” The redesign will replace those barriers with more permanent barriers, but the DCR does not know when the work will be complete. Bash Bish Falls is along the Massachusetts border, and can be accessed from Copake in Columbia County too. Copake Town Historian Howard Blue says Bash Bish Falls is the town’s biggest attraction. Read more about this story at News10 in Albany.