Mapping Biodiversity on Mt. Tom 
In June of 2002, a conservation partnership—The Trustees, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS), the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club—banded together to protect Mt. Tom. The 396-acre former ski area is in the heart of the Mt. Tom range, which is home to three quarters of the state's native species of reptiles and amphibians. Having worked together to save Mt. Tom, the partners are now carrying their collaboration to the next level: conducting a thorough inventory of the mountain's natural resources, from bryophytes to salamanders and birds.

"You can't save a resource until you know it's there," says Trustees Regional Ecologist Jose Garcia. He explains that the inventory of Little Tom Mountain—The Trustees' portion of Mt. Tom—will help planners develop a management plan for the 73-acre property. 

The partners aren't working alone. Drawn by Mt Tom's reputation for harboring biodiversity, expert plant and wildlife biologists from the ecology and conservation community have volunteered to help. From April through October, the partners and volunteers will identify and map plant communities and conduct several wildlife inventories.  

"We already know of some uncommon plant communities, such as a hickory and hop-hornbeam forest, where we will be looking for some associated rare plants," says Jose, who is coordinating the botanical inventory work.
 
Michelle Babione of USF&WS will coordinate the search for wildlife. Armed with waders, dip nets, binoculars, and GPS units, ecologists have already examined more than a dozen vernal pools, where they have found state-listed species. They're also looking in these pools and ponds for gelatinous egg masses as part of an anuran (frog and toad) survey. In June, they took to dry land and conducted a breeding bird survey, using an in-depth knowledge of bird songs, point grids, observation/listening circles, time periods, and statistical analysis.  
 
The work can be exhausting. As Jose notes, netting butter-flies and dragonflies requires fast reflexes that are often taxed after 6 hours of trekking up and down the mountain. But the work is rewarding. 
 
"Once in a while, an observation results in some small insight into the nature of the place. And eventually, if one tries hard and long enough, an accumulation of observations and insights leads into 'a sense' of what Mt. Tom is all about."  
 
Armed with this natural resources inventory, The Trustees will be able to ensure that Little Tom Mountain retains its biodiversity and sense of place for generations of visitors.

Calculating Biodiversity in the Highlands
If surveying a mountain is exhausting, combing 1,000 square miles for natural communities is next to impossible. But that's one of the goals of the Highland Communities Initiative, a grant-funded program administered by The Trustees to encourage conservation of the natural and cultural landscapes of the 38 Highlands towns. As part of their efforts to encourage smart growth and proactive conservation, HCI wanted to show local planning boards the location of the region's biodiversity. There was just one problem.

"We don't have a very good understanding of what's out there, since the ecology of the Highlands region has not been well documented through the state inventories," explains Director Jocelyn Forbush.
 
If you don't know where to find biodiversity, the next best thing is knowing where you might find it. For this, HCI teamed up with the UMass Biodiversity Project, which has developed an ecological computer model that predicts where natural communities are likely to exist. Using state-of-the-art spatial data analysis techniques and computer technology, the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System considers a number of known factors, from weather patterns to soil type, and then assigns a biodiversity value to every location on the map. Equally important, the UMass computer model can test the impact of various scenarios, such as building a road or a development in a certain location.
 
The Highlands will be one of the first regions to take advantage of the computer model, which was supported by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and was intended to be a statewide planning tool prior to budget cuts. The ambitious project will cost $100,000, which covers staff time, inputting data, running the model, and analyzing the results. So far, HCI has provided $15,000 and UMass $70,000. UMass and HCI will turn to other organizations and foundations for support.
 
The result will be a powerful planning tool that will highlight sensitive ecological areas in the Highlands. For the first time, town planners will be able to take a comprehensive look at their town's natural treasures and make informed decisions before development begins.
 
Scott Jackson, of UMass Extension, will present the first stages of the project to Highlands towns in September at a seminar entitled "Ecological Tools for Planning" as part of HCI's Second Regional Conference. 
 
"We're excited to be able to present local communities with this powerful tool," says Jocelyn. "Too often, our natural resources go undiscovered until development starts—and then it's too late."