Early in the morning of April 16th, 2005, I took off from Woodstock, CT and flew West-North-West to the Westfield River Watershed of the Berkshire Hills, to photograph several properties owned by the Massachusetts chapter of the Nature Conservancy. I intended to enter three images in their "Preserving Place" photo contest. I would like to have waited until late April to catch the early Spring colors that are more subtle, but also more various, than the famous Fall colors, but the deadlne was close.

The railroad, the West Branch and Rt 20 all meet at Chester. Mt Gobble (1577') to the NW.
Over Mt.Gobble, looking North towards Middlefield.
Looking South, down the West Branch from over Mt Gobble
Looking West up the West Branch at TNC's property and the Walnut Hill Wildlife Mgmt Area N of the river.
Gobble Mtn and the West Branch of the Westfield River, wide, from the NE.
A frieght train crosses the West Branch down below Gobble Mtn
The Conservancy's McElwain-Olsen Preserve, Middlefield, the Glendale Brook ravine's Hemlock forest.
The Conservancy's Hawley Bog drains into the Deerfield River valley
The Hawley Bog - a 30' thick mat of peat on a deep pond with a boardwalk to tour the unusual plant community
Dead Brook, in Chesterfield
The Westfield River flows South from Cummington into West Chesterfied
The Westfield in Chesterfield, looking North
The Westfield, down low.

On May 7th of 2006, I flew to Barnes Airport in Westfield, MA and, at a little past dawn, picked up Bill Toomey, of the Massachusetts chapter of The Nature Conservancy,. We spent the next two hours locating and photographing parts of the Westfield Watershed in which TNC has an interest. Here are a selection, in the order we took them.

Berkshire Hills 5-7-06-1-1
The West Branch winds around Mt Gobble.5-7-06-1-6
Westfield West Branch North of Mt Gobble, 5-7-06-1-7
West Branch and Gobble, Wider, 5-7-06-1-9
Mt Gobble From the No rth. 5-7-06-2-16
Looking to the East, down the West Branch, at Walnut Hill and Mt Gobble, 5-7-06-2-17
The West Branch and Coles Brook, 5-7-06-2-20
Crane Hill, resevoir and Coles Brook Preserve, 5-7-06-2-22
Coles Brook Preserve from the South, 5-7-06-3-1
Coles Brook Preserve from the North, 5-7-06-3-4
Coles Brook Preserve from further North, 5-7-06-3-6
Coles Brook Preserve wide, from South, 5-7-06-3-10
A Berkshire Farm 5-7-06-3-12
A Chesterfield Farm, 5-7-06-4-13
A Chesterfield Farm, 5-7-06-4-15
Over Chesterfield, looking down the Westfield, 5-7-06-4-21
Over RFt 143, Looking up Dead Branch, 5-7-06-5-1
Looking up Dead Branch towards Bisbee Mill, 5-7-06-5-4
Dead Branch from the East, 5-7-06-5-7
Dead Branch from the North, 5-7-06-5-9
Down the bends in the Westfield from Chesterfield, 5-7-06-5-12
Bends in the Westfield, looking North to Chesterfield, 5-7-06-6-16
Bends in the Westfield, 5-7-06-6-18
Deep bends in the Westfield, 5-7-06-6-22
An oxbow below Chesterfield, 5-7-06-7-6
The Westfield in Huntington, 5-7-06-7-10
The town of Huntington, from the NW, 5-7-06-8-19
Down the Westfield into Montgomery, 5-7-06-8-24