Environment: Cellular's New Camouflage

As wireless towers spread, so do their guises--including 50-ft. cacti

"Can you hear me now?" Not too well if you're using a cell phone near the top of Massachusetts' Mount Watatic. That's because state officials, eager to protect this pristine peak from unsightly antennas, agreed to buy it for $2.5 million last summer. In the town-by-town battle between improving cell-phone coverage and preserving precious skylines, few places have had the resolve--not to mention the resources--of Mount Watatic's neighbors. But such aversion to tower building is becoming the norm in cities and suburbs across the country. From Lakeland, Fla., to Winnetka, Ill., more and more communities are demanding some sort of antenna...

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