Bakke Mountain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Bakke Mountain is a summit (elevation 2,566 feet (782 m)) 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. The Bakke Mountain Wind Farm was built in the mid 1980s

[edit] Forest and Wildlife Management

Part of the Bakke Mountain property, which in total covers between 700 and 750 acres (3.0 km²), 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 (0.40 km²) 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.