Fire towers saved Pennsylvania from 'wasteland' past
Fire safetyWith people enjoying the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area now that summer is here, the National Park Service reminds the public to be safe and help avoid brush fires.
"The most dangerous times of year concerning brush fires are spring and fall, when conditions tend to be more dry and windy, but the potential is still there during the summer as well," Park Service Fire Management Officer Cliff Lively said, adding that about 10 to 20 fires a year occur in the park.
Lively said people should remember the following when in the park, which spans Monroe and Pike counties on the Pennsylvania side:
Don't throw lit cigarettes onto the ground. Use only designated areas for starting campfires and operating grills. Leave nothing flammable near campfires or grills. Fireworks are illegal in the park. Call 911 to report any fires.
Birds, flying squirrels and hikers are drawn to the lookouts thanks to the lush forest systems these towers have protected for decades.
As many as 449 fire lookouts were scattered across Pennsylvania at one time. Of those, 380 are gone, 36 are standing but inactive and another 27 are sometimes used, according to the Forest Fire Lookout Association.
The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry owns four local towers: on Big Pocono, next to Camelback Mountain Ski Area, and Pohopoco Fire Tower off Route 115 in Blakeslee, near Pocono Raceway, in Monroe County; Buckhorn Ridge tower off Fire Tower Road, overlooking the Pinchot estate, and High Knob fire tower off Route 402, overlooking Pecks Pond, Pike County.
Latching onto a mystique similar to abandoned lighthouses, the Forest Fire Lookout Association encourages the restoration of lookouts and catalogs existing and former lookouts.
Proud history
Retired forest firefighter and watcher Steve Cummings, 78, of Chambersburg, is the association's co-founder.
He lights up when asked for a history lesson and launches into the fascinating tale of how the lookouts were part of early environmentalism that saved the Pennsylvania timber industry, with the support of Milford's favorite son, pioneering forester and Pennsylvania Gov. Gifford Pinchot.
Lookout Tower Plans - News
US Sen. Jim Webb says the grant will help to increase tourism in Wise County and surrounding areas. The Bristol Herald Courier reports that local leaders plan to use the tower project as a stimulus for future projects such as an artisan center and an
Aermotor is a better known tower brand. The Buck Horn Ridge tower in Pike County is a rare Blaw Knox. With towers, faster response to fires meant forest growth had a chance to catch up. It was the golden era for lookout towers, which were manned full
Even if it is closed, Eells said, the tower will still be used for fire detection, just not for educational purposes. All the lookouts will be volunteers and many have already undergone training, including 87-year-old Don Russell, who plans on climbing
It will be connected to a small wireless link box fixed on the inside of the tower within the lantern room which will transmit the pictures to the manned NCI Portland Bill station. Lookout keepers there have a good view of the notorious Portland Race
A bus ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to stop at the lookout for photos is a must. So is a meal at Sutro restaurant at Cliff House, which as its name indicates is perched atop a drop off into the Pacific Ocean churning around Seal Rocks.
(More) Pleasures of….June - Caught by the River
This time from Jeff :
This is the month that I’m supposed to be telling you all about the fish that I caught on my return to the riverbank after the three month closed season but I’m afraid that story is for another day, simply because I have yet to make the return. And you know what makes that so daft? Aside from the best part of a week spent at Glastonbury I’ve been too busy doing this, Caught by the River, to get time out to go. Four years ago, when our love of fishing inspired Andrew and I to start a blog in the first place, that was not part of the plan, but I’ll tell you what, I’m not complaining (much). Our book turning up on June 16th has given me enough pride and pleasure to realise what a good decision we made back in 2007. I am overjoyed to say the least. It really is a case of who’d have thought it. by Michael Connors. Connors had me fascinated as he tells what he sees from his observation tower in New Mexico’s Gila wilderness and joins the dots between Aldo Leopold and Jack Kerouac with a subtle nod to Thoreau – “Every day in a lookout is a day not subtracted from the sum of one’s life.” It’s a good read and it’s out in the UK in September. Review to follow.
On the turntable is the new Gillian Welch record and it’s a thing of real beauty. Warpaint knocked me out when I saw them for the first (and second) time at Glastonbury and my mind was properly blown by this young guy, Michael Kiwanuka, when I walked in on his sold out gig at The Social a few weeks ago having no idea of who he was. He’s jaw to the floor good and I cannot recommend you see him loudly enough.
Laugh of the month came about at Glastonbury, in the company of mates Carl Gosling and James Endeacott. 3am on Thursday, when I asked if they knew what was causing the occasional burst of cheer followed by absolute quiet, I was told it was the ‘silent disco’. Somehow, I got the wrong end of the jazz fag and this became a gathering of deaf people. You probably had to be there. I’m glad I was. Over and out.
Lookout Tower Plans - Bookshelf
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