Bakke Mountain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bakke Mountain is a summit (elevation 2566 ft) located in the Town of Florida, Massachusetts. It was named for Master Sergeant Roald Bakke, who died in the tragic collapse of Texas Tower 4. The mountain is the scene of wildlife and forest conservation efforts and serves as one of the primary sites of the Hoosac Wind Project.
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[edit] The Hoosac Wind Project
[edit] Background
In 1980, during a hike to the ridge where Bakke Mountain is located, Bakke family members noticed it was quite breezy; the sparse tree growth was misshapen and deformed by strong winds. Hans Bakke, considering the possibility of wind energy at the site, began years of research. Eventually, the wind-energy company enXco, a partner of the French energy conglomerate Électricité de France, would approach the association of family members that currently owns, operates, and cares for the property on and surrounding Bakke Mountain and propose working with them to build a wind farm. After detailed review, an agreement was reached, and the process for creating a wind farm was started.
[edit] Project details
The project will consist of 20 General Electric 1.5 MW wind turbines and will be broken up into two separate sites – nine turbines on Crum Hill in Monroe, and eleven on Bakke Mountain in Florida. Each turbine is rated at 1.5 megawatts (MW), so the 20-turbine site would produce 30 MW of power. This is enough energy to supply approximately 9500 average homes in the region. The towers would be 65 meters (213 feet) tall, with 38.5-meter (126-foot) blades. From base to vertically-positioned blade tip, they will be approximately 103.6 meters (340 feet). The turbines begin generating energy at wind speeds as low as 9 mph, and produce the maximum power output when winds blow above 30 mph. The maximum rotor speed is around 20 rpm.
[edit] Recent developments
In January 2006, Hoosac Wind LLC was purchased by the British company PPM Energy for an estimated $40 million. Under enXco, Hoosac Wind had tentative approval from both Florida and Monroe after taking considerable amounts of wind-speed and -direction data; avian, archeological, geological, and wildlife studies have been conducted as well. In November 2004, the State of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection approved the proposed project. However, thorny issues that have plagued the project include the presence of potentially vulnerable species of goldenrod in the vicinity of the proposed site, as well as the asserted danger to the migratory paths of birds and bats. Green Berkshires, an environmental organization opposed to wind energy projects in the Berkshire mountain range, has filed an appeal currently under consideration by the State of Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals. Despite these obstacles, PPM Energy expects Hoosac Wind to begin operation in 2007. The project is only waiting for the resolution of Green Berkshire's appeal of its allowable impact to wetlands caused by roadway construction.
[edit] Forest and Wildlife Management
Part of the Bakke Mountain property, which in total covers between 700 and 750 acres, was at one point a turnip farm owned by the Tower family. When the property was first purchased by the Bakke family in the 1960s, the fields and meadows lined with rock walls used for small livestock grazing were still open and free of tree growth. As time went on and the fields went unused, low brush sprang up, followed by saplings, which by 2000 had become a full-fledged forest. Much of the unique New England wildlife attracted by the grassy fields, such as black bear, White-tailed Deer, Ruffed grouse, moose, kestrel, and other species, began to disappear.
In an effort to regain some of these displaced species, a state-funded conservation project occurred in 2002-2003, clearing about 100 acres of land. According to the plans for the area, 50 acres of this area will be maintained as field, while the second 50-acre portion will be maintained as staggered wildlife environment, ranging from low brush to the majestic trees native to New England. Many of the target species have already begun to return to the area. Sightings have included kestrels soaring and diving over the resurrected meadows and moose walking along the forest’s edge.
