Provin Mountain

Provin Mountain
Provin Mountain
	igneous
Climbing
Easiest route	Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

Provin Mountain is a very narrow

Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border. Provin Mountain is known for its scenic cliffs, unique microclimate ecosystems, and rare plant communities. It is traversed by the 114 mile (183 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

.

Geography

Provin Mountain rises steeply between 200 and 450 feet (61 and 137 m) above the river valleys of the Connecticut River and Westfield River below, with a high point of 600 feet (183 m) above sea level. It is roughly 5 miles (8 km) long but is not much more than 0.5 miles (800 m) wide at its widest point, although the steepness of the terrain makes the actual square mileage much larger.

The Provin Mountain ridgeline extends from the

East Mountain and continues south into Connecticut as West Suffield Mountain

. The south side of the mountain drains into the Connecticut River, thence to Long Island Sound; the rest of the mountain drains into the Westfield River, thence to the Connecticut River.

The mountain hosts several underground reservoirs which augment the water supply of municipal Springfield.

Broadcast transmission

Located at the summit of Provin Mountain is where the original studios and current transmitters for

WDMR-LD also maintain transmitters there. WUCS used to operate from this site as WPKX, prior to moving to Hartford in 2012.^[3]

It is also home to numerous cellular, paging and two-way radio users.

Geology and ecology

Provin Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of

raptor migration path. (See Metacomet Ridge

for more information on the geology and ecosystem of Provin Mountain).

Conservation and recreation

Provin Mountain is used for

snowshoeing; many cliffs provide sweeping views of the rural countryside to the west and the urban landscape of metropolitan Springfield, Massachusetts

to the east.

Threats to Provin Mountain and its unique habitats include

National Scenic Trail now tentatively called the New England National Scenic Trail, which would include the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Massachusetts and the Mattabesett and Metacomet

trails in Connecticut.

References

Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. "Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment." 2004. PDF wefile cited November 1, 2007.
The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide. 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.
Raymo, Maureen E.
Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.

Footnotes

External links

Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, AMCBerkshire.org

[1] "Faded Signals".

[2] "FCCInfo Structure Registration Results".

[3] "CDBS Print".

[3]