Keystone Cooperator Profile
A Community Protects Its Mountain
Mt. Watatic Conservation Area.
Coverts Cooperators:
Roberta Flashman and Nancy Williams
"Coverts helps you make connections."
Nancy Williams, Beau, and Roberta Flashman
Mt. Watatic
View from Mt. Watatic
In 1999 when Roberta Flashman and Nancy Williams took part in the Coverts Workshop, Roberta's community was on the verge of a heated battle with a communications company over the fate of Mt. Watatic. This mountain, home to a wealth of wildlife and crossed by two scenic hiking trails, is now the last undeveloped bald-topped mountain east of the Berkshires. To safeguard this natural space, the communities of Ashby and Ashburnham rallied against plans to construct a cell-phone tower on the very peak of the mountain. Roberta's position on the Ashby Conservation Commission brought her into the center of this debate. And, due to their meeting at Coverts, Nancy became a key negotiator in a successful effort by a coalition of six private and public groups to purchase the mountain and preserve it from development forever.
The focus of these efforts, Mt. Watatic, has been beloved by many who have traversed its steep, woody slopes. From the original Algonquin inhabitants who revered it as a sacred site, to Henry David Thoreau who described the trail that ambles from Mt. Watatic across the Wapack range to Mt. Monadnock, as "the most novel and interesting walk that I can think of in these parts." These words ring true as you stand atop Mt. Watatic, at 1,832 feet in elevation. On a clear day, the entirety of Massachusetts--from Boston in the east, to Mt. Greylock in the west-stretches out before you in a stunning 360-degree vista. During the fall, you may see hawks coasting in the air currents, making their way across the spruce forested peaks of Mt. Watatic on migration routes to warmer climes. In the spring, dragonflies flit above the wetlands at the base of the mountain. People from all over Massachusetts and beyond make their way to Mt. Watatic to hike, pick blueberries, cross-country ski and to enjoy nature.
Preservation of this natural resource is a priority for the local communities. In a 1999 survey administered by the Ashby Open Space committee, of which Roberta Flashman is a member, 59% of the people of Ashby chose Mt. Watatic as one of their top choices of sites unique in value or in need of protection. As part of her post-Coverts outreach, Roberta Flashman hosted various nature hikes in the Town of Ashby. One went across Mt. Watatic, and on this walk she took a picture of the mountain over wetlands that would become a focal image for the coming struggle to preserve the mountain. In recent history, Mt. Watatic had been owned privately. Successive owners had made various attempts at development, and encountered a strong local desire for preserving the mountain in a natural state.
Old ski trails on the slopes of Mt. Watatic.
From the 1960s through 1983, Mt. Watatic was the site of an alpine ski resort complete with ski lifts and a lodge. This enterprise failed due to lack of snow and poor snow making facilities. The subsequent owner attempted to convert the ski trails into a water park, but was dissuaded by local opposition to the plan. In 2000, the mountain was purchased by a communications company, which proposed to build a wireless communications facility at the peak of the mountain and a housing subdivision at the foot. This plan catalyzed the community into action.
Zoning was changed in the town of Ashburnham precluding the construction of cell phone towers. However, due to the timing of the proposals the plan under discussion was grandfathered in--it was filed before the change, and so could not be disallowed by the new zoning regulations. The townspeople and the company fell into an adversarial relationship. Heated emotions were felt on both sides and help was needed to try to negotiate a purchase of the property by public agencies.
When Roberta and Nancy met at the Coverts Workshop, Nancy worked for the Department of Environmental Protection. About a year later, they came into contact again at a workshop at Harvard Forest. Nancy Williams had become the land-purchasing agent for the state for the area including Ashby and Ashburnham. Roberta told Nancy about the situation her town was in and their need for a fresh and impartial voice in the negotiations in order to break stalled talks. Nancy took on this formidable task and began the process of getting the land appraised for value. This value would determine how much money would be put forward for the purchase by the state and federal agencies. The remainder of the asking price would have to be acquired by the Ashby Land Trust and other private organizations.
The total cost was $2.4 million, but the land was valued at close to $1.6 million. Added to this were costs associated with acquiring the land , which left almost $1 million for the towns to raise. A short-term loan was made for this amount. $1 million was loaned to the towns by conservation organizations: the Norcross Foundation, the Mt. Grace Land Trust and the Trust For Public Lands. One year was given for the funds to be acquired to repay the loans. The purchase of the land had been approved, but as the state threw a banquet celebrating this victory, the real work of finding the funds began.
In the next year, Roberta, Nancy and many volunteers from the Ashby Land Trust and the Ashburnham Conservation Trust worked tirelessly to find donors for the Mt. Watatic Campaign. Many volunteers were needed. Both Roberta and Nancy agreed that one of the most important elements of this work is having enough people. Many hands make light work and it is necessary to have new people coming on board who can enter fresh for the fight, to carry on for those who had already done their part.
In the end, an extension of 6 months was needed, but donors including the Friends of the Wapack, the Sweetwater Trust, the National Wild Turkey Federation and many others--individuals and groups--generously donated the money. A major portion was given by a philanthropic member of the community. With this successful purchase, the mountain is in a unique situation of joint ownership by 6 parties: the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife, the Towns of Ashby and Ashburnham, the Land Trust of Ashby, and the Conservation Trust of Ashburnham.
Now, all 261 acres of the Mt. Watatic area are preserved. This area links land held by the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Environmental Management, creating a contiguous zone of over 700 acres of conservation land. Wildlife can continue to make its homes on the slopes and hollows of the mountain and people can hike and enjoy the view in piece, unobstructed by towers or ski slopes. This preserve is a victory for the people of Ashby and Ashburnham. Due to the concerted efforts of concerned citizens like Roberta Flashman and Nancy Williams, this community is one that has realized its goal: preserving its natural legacy for future generations.
