Bousquet deal will advance Yokun Ridge conservation

The Resources Council moved one step closer in March to completing its vision of a wholly conserved Yokun Ridge by signing a contract to purchase excess lands of the Bousquet Ski Area in the Town of Lenox.

George Jervas, Bousquet’s proprietor, agreed to include parking and seasonal pedestrian easements over the operating ski area, clearing the way for establishment of a sanctioned hiking trail from the foot of Bousquet all the way south to Olivia’s Overlook at the Lenox Mountain/Richmond Mountain Road.
Deed descriptions of the mountaintop parcel and abutting parcels are vague. The property has traditionally been assessed as 40 acres, but may well encompass more.

Jervas and BNRC negotiated a per-acre purchase price on a sliding scale — as the acreage count grows past certain thresholds, the per-acre price will step down incrementally. BNRC has hired a land surveyor and both the acreage — and the purchase price — should be firmly established by summer’s end.
The project’s total cost will likely fall between $65,000 and $100,000.

To Mahanna Cobble
Abutting Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as other BNRC holdings, the land has long been enjoyed on an ad hoc basis by hikers, mountain bikers and other sportspeople.

The proposed transaction will assure continuation of these uses, and guarantee public access to Mahanna Cobble and Yokun Seat (also known as Bakers Peak), prominent landmarks on Lenox Mountain.

Lenox Mountain and its southern neighbor West Stockbridge Mountain make up the 10-mile long Yokun Ridge, perhaps the most significant conservation and recreational area in Central Berkshire.

Pleasant Valley, Kennedy Park, Town of Lenox Watershed, and BNRC properties such as Stevens Glen, Baldhead Mountain and Monks Pond make the Ridge a destination for residents and visitors alike.

Some of BNRC’s earliest conservation projects, gifts of land from Grace Jackson and the Stokes and Hatch families, surround Olivia’s Overlook at the heart of Yokun Ridge.