Besek Mountain

Infobox Mountain
Name = Besek Mountain
Photo = Ct besek2.jpg
Caption = Cliffs of Besek Mountain plunge into Black Pond
Elevation = (est.) convert|840|ft|abbr=on (ridge high point)
Location = Durham, Meriden, Middlefield, and Wallingford, Connecticut
Range = Metacomet Ridge
Prominence =
Parent_peak =
Coordinates = coord|41|31|52|N|72|44|12|W |type:mountain_region:US |display=title,inline to
coord|41|28|34|N|72|44|07|W |type:mountain_region:US |display=title,inline
Topographic

Type = Fault-block; igneous
Volcanic_Arc/Belt=
Age = 200 Ma
Last eruption =
First ascent =
Easiest route = Mattabesett Trail
Grid_ref_UK =
Grid_ref_Ireland =
Listing =
Translation =
Language =
Pronunciation = Besek Mountain also known as Black Mountain, est. convert|840|ft, is a traprock mountain ridge located convert|4.75|mi|1 southeast of Meriden, Connecticut. It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border. Besek Mountain is known for its convert|3|mi|adj=on long line of open cliffs, unique microclimate ecosystems, and rare plant communities. The mountain is traversed by the convert|51|mi|adj=on Mattabesett Trail, and is home to the Powder Ridge Ski Area.Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. (2004). " [http://www.mmmtrail.org/NaturalResourcesAssessmentFinal.pdf Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment.] " United States National Park Service. Retrieved November 20, 2007] "Connecticut Walk Book East: The Trail Guide to the Blue Blazed Hiking Trails of Eastern Connecticut" (2005) 19th edition. Rockfall, Connecticut: Connecticut Forest and Park Association.]

Geography

According to the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, the word "Besek" is a corruption of "Besett", a Native American word for "black." Besek Mountain, convert|4|mi long by convert|0.75|mi|1 wide, with a 200–300-foot (60–90 m) high continuous 3-mile (5 km) long cliffline visible for miles, is located in Meriden, Middlefield, and Wallingford, Connecticut; its lower southeast slope is located in Durham, Connecticut."DeLorme Topo 6.0" (2006). Mapping software. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ]

Considered particularly scenic is "Black Pond", located on the northwest side of the mountain. Cliffs and talus slopes plunge convert|200|ft into the pond from the ridgeline. Other bodies of water on the mountain include the developed "Besek Lake" on the east side of the mountain, and the lower end of the "Mount Higby Reservoir" on the north side. "Powder Ridge Ski Area," up for sale in 2007 (under negotiation to be purchased by the town of Middlefield), is located on the east side of the mountain and extends to the summit. The northeast side of the mountain is occupied by a housing development, which reaches to the ridgeline. "Powder Ridge" or "Powder Hill", convert|550|ft, forms the lower, eastern tier of Besek Mountain beneath the ski area. Powder Ridge is dominated by apple orchards and agricultural fields, and is traversed by Powder Hill Road; the ridge offers expansive views to the east over the Connecticut River Valley, and is a popular local scenic drive.

The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Besek Mountain as Higby Mountain and south as Trimountain. The east side of Besek Mountain drains into the Coginchaug River, thence to the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound; the southwest side drains into the Muddy River, thence into the Quinnipiac River and Long Island Sound; and the northwest side into Harbor Brook, thence into the Quinnipiac River.

Geology and ecology

Besek Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of basalt, also called traprock, a volcanic rock. The mountain formed near the end of the Triassic Period with the rifting apart of the North American continent from Africa and Eurasia. Lava welled up from the rift and solidified into sheets of strata hundreds of feet thick. Subsequent faulting and earthquake activity tilted the strata, creating the cliffs and ridgeline of Besek Mountain. [Raymo, Chet and Maureen E. (1989). "Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States." Chester, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. ] Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt talus produce a combination of microclimate ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Connecticut. Besek Mountain is also an important raptor migration path. (See Metacomet Ridge for more information on the geology and ecosystem of Besek Mountain).

Conservation and Recreation

Activities enjoyed on Besek Mountain include hiking, picnicking, snowshoeing, and other passive pursuits; and at the Powder Ridge ski area, downhill skiing and snowboarding. Fishing and boating are allowed on Black Pond. The mountain is traversed by the Mattabesett Trail (maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association), which stretches from the northern end of Lamentation Mountain, south to Totoket Mountain and north again to the Connecticut River. A trailhead for the Mattabesett Trail on Besek Mountain is located just west of the junction of Connecticut Route 68 and Connecticut Route 157 in Reeds Gap between Trimountain and Besek Mountain, convert|3|mi|0 west of Durham center. Black Pond can be accessed via a small parking lot off East Main Street in Meriden, convert|1.2|mi east of Connecticut Route 15. The mountain may also be accessed via the parking area for Higby Mountain on Connecticut Route 66, just east of Black Pond, and via the ski slopes of the Powder Ridge Ski Area on Powder Hill Road in western Middlefield. Black Pond, undeveloped and scenic, is part of the Black Pond Wildlife Management Area.

The Powder Ridge Ski area, in operation for 47 years, went up for sale in 2007 after the owner was forced into bankruptcy. A Middlefield town referendum in April 2007 to buy the Powder Ridge property was voted in favor, 1,097 to 151 votes. Residents have authorized the town to bid up to $2.85 million for purchase of the property, however, due to legal complications, the sale has been postponed. In December 2007, the Powder Ridge Ski Area website indicated that the ski area was closed. [ [http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=460 "Connecticut's Powder Ridge Ski Area to Remain Closed This Winter."] First Tracks! Online Ski Magazine. Retrieved December 21, 2007. ] [Wenzell, Joseph IV (April 11, 2007) [http://www.ctcentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18193325&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=10856&rfi=6 "Town votes to bid for ski area"] Middeltown Press. Retrieved Dec. 21, 2007.]

Besek Mountain, its habitat, and access to its ridgeline are most threatened by potential development. In 2000, Besek Mountain was included in a study by the National Park Service for the designation of a new National Scenic Trail now tentatively called the New England National Scenic Trail, which would include the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Massachusetts and the Mattabesett Trail and Metacomet Trail trails in Connecticut. [ [http://www.mmmtrail.org/DocsForLinks/MMMExecSummary.pdf "Monadnock, Metacomet, Mattabesett National Scenic Trail Study".] United States National Park Service. Retrieved November 4, 2007. ]

The [http://www.alcasoft.com/wlt/about.html Wallingford Land Trust] and the [http://www.middlesexlandtrust.org/preserves.htm Middlesex Land Trust] are active conservation partners in the area.

Historic events

The infamous aborted Powder Ridge Rock Festival was to be held on Besek Mountain July 30, August 1 and August 2, 1970 at Powder Ridge Ski Area. A legal injunction forced the event to be cancelled just a few days before it was to begin, keeping the musicians away; but a crowd of 30,000 attendees arrived anyway, to find no food, no entertainment, no adequate plumbing, and at least seventy drug pushers. [* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A12F7385C1B7493C6A91783D85F448785F9&scp=7&sq=%22Powder+Ridge+Rock%22 "Rock Fans Clean Up Powder Ridge Site."] (August 4, 1970, Tuesday) "New York Times." Retrieved January 20, 2007.]

ee also

*Metacomet Ridge
* Adjacent summits:

References

External links

* [http://www.ctwoodlands.org/ Connecticut Forest and Park Association]
* [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.1528: U.S. Congress "New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act."]
* [http://www.mmmtrail.org/DocsForLinks/MMMExecSummary.pdf NPS brochure for National Scenic Trail proposal.]
* [http://www.alcasoft.com/wlt/about.html Wallingford Land Trust]
* [http://www.middlesexlandtrust.org/preserves.htm Middlesex Land Trust]