Lookouts ready for season

There will be two more sets of eyes for the Forest Service to keep watch for fires now that its two lookouts in Sanders County are manned and ready for action, and in the near future, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will have its lookout staff on station.

Being nearly 7,000 feet atop a mountain peak gives a person quite the view, but Ken Richardson and Craig Phillips aren't there for the 360-degree scenic panorama, they're the eyes and ears of the Forest Service. With fire season fast approaching, Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District crews opened the two seasonal lookouts last Monday. Tanner Ovitt was attacked by a horde of flies as he removed the first panel from a large window at Patrick's Knob, located some 15 miles south of Plains at an elevation of 6,837 feet. Ovitt, a four-year veteran of the Forest Service, opened the lookout with the help of A.J. Jermyn and Wesley Buchanan, a task that took less than an hour, with Ovitt lowering the dozen wooden panels one at a time from the second story observation deck to Jermyn and Buchanan on the ground. This was the second time for Ovitt to get the lookout ready for the season, but the first time for the other two. Phillips and Richardson will man the lookouts until the season ends in September or October.

This is the fourth year at the lookout for the 58-year-old Richardson, who moved to Plains from Oregon seven years ago. "It's quiet and I have a good view of the stars," said Richardson, who called in six fires last year.

Even before the lookouts got on station, the Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District had already responded to seven minor fires this year, including two that were started by lightning, said Trevor Unsworth, the district's fire management officer. Unsworth said that lookouts are one of the Forest Service's best defenses against a fire spreading. "Lookouts are one means we use to detect fires early. We also use aerial detection when it is warranted. The earlier we know about a new start the better chance we have to catch it when it's small," said the 20-year Forest Service veteran. "Between the two of them they can see most of our protection area. Obviously, there are some holes where they can't. In our area they are still a very important tool," he said. The Forest Service typically staffs the lookouts until mid to late September. "Once we get that season ending rain it's time to pull the plug," said Unsworth.

Eddy Mountain Lookout, about 21 miles southeast of Thompson Falls at an elevation of 6,957 feet, was manned on the same day by veteran lookout Craig Phillips. Forest Service staff members Ricker Carter, Matthew Garcia and Mason Elliott opened Eddy Mountain Lookout with Phillips.

This is the 18th year on the lookout for the 69-year-old Phillips, who was the last person to man Cougar Peak Lookout north of Thompson Falls in 2000 before it was decommissioned. Phillips loves being on the lookout and he likes catching fires early, but as a professional artist for the last 20 years, he also uses his time of solitude to work on his paintings. Phillips will routinely work five or six days in a row before going down for a break, but if a storm was predicted in his area or a storm cell suddenly arrives, he stays on station.

"I've come down for my days off and a storm comes in and I go right back up," said Phillips. Lightning is a common cause of fire during the summer months. Phillips closely monitors any areas that were hit by lightning in case it flares up. Richardson gets a sense of satisfaction to get a fire called in right away so firefighters can quickly get to the scene. He called in three lightning strike fires last year. It was Phillips who called in the Sheep Gap Fire in 2017.

At times, the lookouts help direct firefighters to the site of a fire, warns them of fire behind a nearby ridge or gives them a heads up on a weather change or a wind shift. Phillips feels knowing the geography is vital to the job and his 18 years experience at Eddy Mountain Lookout has helped because he knows the trail system there and can usually pinpoint a fire to within a mile, saving precious response time.

Lookout duty for the most part is a solitary life, but they periodically get visitors. Both Richards and Phillips had a busy weekend with a higher number of guests than usual. They were members of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, a fire lookout enthusiast club. On Saturday, about 40 of them, some former lookouts themselves, were at Pat's Knob for about two hours. Richardson said they asked a lot of questions, but several of them were mostly interested in the chair rigged with insulators on the bottom of the legs for grounding if lightning were to hit the lookout.

"They seemed to like the chair and took a lot of pictures," said Richardson. He said one of them even put their chair picture on Facebook. Only about 20 of them visited Eddy Mountain Lookout on Sunday, including a man who is still a lookout in New Jersey.

Phillips started his 2023 duties last week, staying at the lookout on Independence Day because people in the past had gone up there to set off fireworks and had left a mess. He spent the first few days this year cleaning the place, getting organized and washing the windows. He talked with the new lookout at Middle Sister Peak in Idaho, which he can see with binoculars. Lookouts often keep in contact with other lookouts, especially during a storm. Several years ago, Phillips saw lightning hit the Pat's Knob Lookout tower while Austin Urion was on watch. Phillips called Urion to make sure he was alright. He said it gave him a scare, but he was fine. Phillips said that his lookout gets hit almost every year. "I don't think you've really lived in a lookout until it gets hit by lightning," he said.

Richardson also spent the first few days getting the lookout ready. This year, he plans to stabilize a rock wall just outside the lookout. One of the first things he and Ovitt did last Monday was get the radio set up, which Richardson said is critical at a lookout. "We have cell phones, but radio is still one of the primary ways of communication." The lookouts routinely radio in each morning and provide weather updates. Another important piece of gear for the lookouts is setting up their Osborne fire finder, which they use to help better pinpoint the position of a wildfire. The lookouts use landmarks to estimate the distance, then make a report to the dispatch center.

The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will be manning Richards Peak Lookout in the next couple of weeks, said Dave Olsen, unit manager in Plains since 2013. The duty will be shared between Ken Strowbridge of Thompson Falls and Calvin Minemyer of Plains. Richards Peak Lookout, located 18 miles northeast of Thompson Falls, is owned by the Forest Service, but is on state land and is manned by DNRC staff, said Olsen. The 64-year-old Minemyer is no stranger to the fire business with over 30 years as a firefighter with DNRC. He retired five years ago and immediately started as a lookout.

The two men will alternate their time at the lookout with one week on and one off. This is the second year for the 58-year-old Strowbridge, who will once again do his lookout duty with his dog, "Gracie." He called in one fire, caused by lightning, last year, but he said it was quickly doused. Minemyer spotted a handful of minor fires last year, saying that his experience with DNRC and knowledge of the area helped to quickly get firefighters to the scene.

"It gets boring but I like doing it," said Minemyer, who added that it gets a little unnerving when lightning hits close by. Minemyer said you can't beat the view at 5,771 feet and that on a clear day he can see all the way to Canada. A lookout was originally built at the site in 1925, but the present structure was erected in 1960.

The Pat's Knob Lookout was first erected in 1934. It was replaced by the current 16x16-foot two-story tower in 1976. Eddy Mountain Lookout was first built in 1931. After its demolition, it was replaced with the present tower in 1982. Both were placed on the National Historic Lookout Register in 2009. But Phillips is concerned that perhaps technology will eventually replace the need for people at lookouts. "I'm afraid they're going to put cameras at the lookouts or use drones to spot the fires. I don't want to see that," said Phillips. "I think you have to have that human input on a fire."