Flag Point Lookout vandalism

[woodswalker]

Oh, one more thing to clarify. Staffers were not required to do maintenance when I was there beyond basic care. We sometimes did, because we wanted to, when we had time. But a lot of of it what was needed was actually repairing and replacing parts, requiring a higher level of skill, equipment, parts and tools than staffers usually have.
Hopefully Flag Point can be cared for in the future.
Woodswalker

[justpeachy]

Thanks for your explanation woodswalker. Very informative. Do you happen to know if the income generated from renting the lookout was sufficient to keep up with maintenance (until now, of course), or if that didn't come close to the amount of money it costs to fix things each year?

[drm]

I would tend to believe the FS office more than an automated message from recreation.gov

Well, in my experience the front desk people answering the phone at ranger stations are usually the people with the least amount of information and the last people to find out important updates. This seems to be especially true in the Mt. Hood NF.

Okay, my experience with the MHNF is mainly the Tilly Jane Guard Station rental. Recreation.gov only knows what we tell them, but maybe the person who answers the phone at the ranger station knows even less.

[woodswalker]

Thanks for your explanation woodswalker. Very informative. Do you happen to know if the income generated from renting the lookout was sufficient to keep up with maintenance (until now, of course), or if that didn't come close to the amount of money it costs to fix things each year?

I don't know the budget stats. I know that whenever I talked with a supervisor, the budget for anything was an issue. I know some of the repairs took a bit of money, like fixing/ replacing the drain annually or redoing the grounding wires for lightning. I could easily see the repairs list exceeding the rental income.

My wish list with a better budget, would include an employee on a snowmobile , checking in during the winter frequently to keep track of damage. Although I tend to not be a fan in general of snowmobiles. Reclosing and locking the gate. Encouraging folks to report damage or put it in the log.

Thanks for alerting us all to this.
Woodswalker

[Maka Mani]

I remember when I was more of a youngster I met one of the tower caretakers in the Deshutes NF when outbacking. She said she was trained to spot and report, equipped with radios and everything. I remember the bed and chairs legs insulated by glass spacers. I even had an impromptu lunch with her at her suggestion many years ago. I was probably 10 or 11 years old at the time. She didn't wear an official USFS uniform but seemed educated about Forestry and her prime directive...

[woodswalker]

I remember when I was more of a youngster I met one of the tower caretakers in the Deshutes NF when outbacking. She said she was trained to spot and report, equipped with radios and everything. I remember the bed and chairs legs insulated by glass spacers. I even had an impromptu lunch with her at her suggestion many years ago. I was probably 10 or 11 years old at the time. She didn't wear an official USFS uniform but seemed educated about Forestry and her prime directive...

Fire tower workers are great Forest ambassadors and are usually quite knowledgeable. We weren't FS employees though many are. I always felt like a tour guide/ caretaker in addition to looking for fires.
Woodswalker

[squidvicious]

I remember when I was more of a youngster I met one of the tower caretakers in the Deshutes NF when outbacking. She said she was trained to spot and report, equipped with radios and everything. I remember the bed and chairs legs insulated by glass spacers.

Moving slightly off topic from the rental / vandalism issue, but those interested in the fire towers & lookouts might want to check out this cool little film--covers some of those things you mention:

A Day Not Subtracted: https://vimeo.com/136760837
"A team of high school filmmakers profile a day in the life of a fire tower "look-out" and explore the history behind fire towers in the California Redwoods. Created at Documentary Explorers Camp in partnership with OMSI."

[woodswalker]

Thanks so much for posting this link. I loved it.
Woodswalker