About NeVar and NeVara

NeVar and NeVara are Common Ravens, known for being one of the most intelligent of birds.  Yes, these images are cartoon characters but be sure to take their purpose seriously. They, like all the plants and animals of the Range, inspired the creation of this website. Their participation in telling the Mount Tom Range Story helps promote awareness of the entire range. They urge you and your family and friends to view all this website's pages. Visit the range as often as you can. Get to know its trails, flora and fauna. Spread the word that preserving the Mount Tom Range largely as undeveloped open space is in everyone's economic and ecological best interests.

For more about the Common Raven, log on to Cornell School of Ornithology at:

allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/.

Got animal, bird, reptile, plant, objects of note, etc. to share? E-mail with a short description to nevar13@comcast.net.

Beau Bridges Trail and Kay

Kay hammering

Beau Bridges Trail is know for the seven bridges crossing Cascade Brook.  They were built by Kay Burnett and friends. Kay discovered the wonders of the Mt. Tom State Reservation sometime in the 1950’s and quickly acquired a reputation for being a skilled trail builder and maintainer.  Kay and her friends pre-fabricated the bridges in Kay’s garage and those women backpacked the materials to the site where the bridges were constructed and put into place.
For many years Kay served as a guiding force on the Mt. Tom Citizens Advisory Committee. When not tending to the trails, Kay served as the Chair of the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, as well as the editor of the chapter’s newsletter. Kay was the Associate Librarian at Smith College’s Josten Library in Northampton for nearly 40 years. Her specialty was in the field of music cataloging, and she received several national awards acknowledging her expertise and influence in this field.   Kay was named “The Trails Lady” for her dedication to Mt. Tom’s 22 miles of trails.  Another trail, the K-B Trail, bears her name.
For more about Kay, stop in at the Mt. Tom State Reservation Visitor Center.