Mount Everett
Mount Everett State Reservation Mount Washington, Massachusetts |
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Mount Everett stands in the southwestern corner of Massachusetts. At 2,608
feet in height, it is the tallest of the southern Taconic mountains
clustered along the border of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.
Visible from many roads, fields, and hilltops in the region,
it is a familiar and beloved landmark.
Since the 18th century, people have written about their travels to Mount Everett. It has been a popular destination for writers, artists, hikers, and vacationers who rhapsodize about its panoramic views sweeping west to the Catskills and Shawangunks in New York, north and east to Mount Greylock and Mount Tom in Massachusetts, and far northeast to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire. Its views were made possible then - and now - by an expanse of stunted pitch pines on the summit that is considered extremely rare in New England. The trees average five feet in height, yet can attain 170 years of age. They spread over approximately 15 acres, with the densest, shortest coverage at the mountain's crown. The dwarf pitch pines, scrub oak, huckleberry, and blueberry bushes subsist on thin soils over schist bedrock, exposed to direct sun in the summer and brutal winds, ice, and snow in the winter. It is a spare, harsh, and beautiful environment. In 1999, in response to concerns about possible telecommunications installations on the summit, naturalists and scientists began visiting Mount Everett and offering preliminary observations. Those were compiled into an 84-page report in early 2000. Shortly thereafter, six studies by prominent scientists were launched, funded by donations from residents of Mount Washington and neighboring communities. Those were completed in 2001. The studies and related materials are available here in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format and rich text format (rtf). Please contact the Webmaster if you have any difficulties accessing the studies. More scientific and historical records, newspaper articles, photos, and maps will be added to this website. Please check back for updates. |