Bakke Mountain

Bakke Mountain
Bakke Mountain Berkshire County, Massachusetts, U.S.
Highest point
Elevation
Listing	List of mountains in Massachusetts
Coordinates
Geography
Location	Berkshire County, Massachusetts, U.S.
Topo map	USGS North Adams

Bakke Mountain is a summit located in the town of Florida, Massachusetts. It was named for Master Sergeant Roald Bakke, who died in the 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 is a proposed alternative energy wind plant located on the mountain.

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 (200,000 m²) of this area will be maintained as field, while the second 50-acre (200,000 m²) 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.