Tom Ball Mountain from top to bottom

In the valley below raptors circled on columns of warm air. Overhead, clouds sailed on a summer breeze. It was a perfect August day and Jane Murdock was leading us along the summit of Tom Ball Mountain. We stopped for clusters of ripe blueberries and to discuss the history of the mountain. Jane and Channing Murdock were taking the first steps to conserve their home on the eastern flanks of Tom Ball and Berkshire Natural Resources Council was getting its first view of the grandeur that they would protect in perpetuity.

Jane Murdock

We sat on a rocky outcrop overlooking Alford Valley. In the distance the Catskill Mountains looked purple, remote and pristine. Nearby on the New York-Massachusetts border, new houses were being built on top of a ridgeline. The hard line of the development on top of the Taconics was an acute reminder of why Jane had invited us to hike Tom Ball in the first place. Sitting on that ledge we began to talk about land conservation.

On the other side of the mountain, from the windblown summit of huckleberry and stunted pine, down through hardwood forests of oak, hickory, and struggling chestnuts, across Long Pond Road and almost to the Williams River, was the Murdocks home. This was their sanctuary and the land they had walked, worked, and loved for many years. Now, as real-estate values around them soared they had decided to protect it. The Council was thrilled to help them out.

Good things take time and this conservation restriction took over a year to complete, but the final result is 247 scenic acres, forever conserved, containing rocky ledges, wetlands, open fields and road frontage that would sell in a day. The Murdocks have made an enormous contribution to the ecological integrity of Tom Ball Mountain and the scenic character of Long Pond Road. Their gift is to all of us who gaze upon Tom Ball Mountain, wonder what is up there and smile at the thought.