Wow! Brad Ells sure doesn’t let any dust settle under his feet. He has accomplished soooooo much since he and his wife visited the Observatory one day. Brad looked out from the gift shop and saw the High Point tower off in the distance. He was looking for a new volunteer project and boy did he find it. Much has happened since that day not long ago, and now he has accepted a liaison position with Cal Fire to coordinate the preservation efforts for their lookouts state-wide. Hooray for Brad. Keep reading for his Fire Lookout news.
From: Brad Ells
Hello Fire Detection Fans and Friends,
Here is your mid-season update from Forest Fire Lookout Association’s San Diego-Riverside Chapter.
56 days… Our FFLA volunteers have staffed High Point Lookout for 56 days since opening on May 22nd.
Thanks to our dedicated volunteers for their time and contributions to the program.
I have added Audubon books for Wildflowers and Birds to the High Point library. I have noted visits by White Throated Swifts, House Finches and (perhaps) Anna’s Hummingbirds. The season has been somewhat quiet so far with one lively exception (see below).
The Fall winds are coming and the project at Boucher Hill is beginning to proceed. The Forest Service engineering report for final work at High Point is not yet complete…stay tuned and read on…
FFLA on Facebook! The Forest Fire Lookout Association, San Diego-Riverside Chapter is now on Facebook! We have created a Fan Page and will begin adding content soon…including this update! Add our page to your ‘Likes’ to keep up with us.
‘Lookout Walkabout’ A week of vacation…what to do?? Visit every standing lookout you can on and around the Los Padres National Forest in Central California, of course! I completed my ‘walkabout’ in mid-June. I visited 8 lookouts, 2 Cal Fire stations and the Cal Fire Monterey Unit office on my quest. I was able nominate and add 6 lookouts to the National Historic Lookout Register; Cal Fire Lookouts – Basalt Hill, Sid Ormsbee and Smith Mountain; Los Padres National Forest Lookouts – Figueroa Mountain and La Cumbre Peak; Ventura County Fire Dept – South Mountain. A nomination is pending for Annette Lookout for the Kern County Fire Department. I was able to visit the previously added Cal Fire Calandra Lookout north of Paso Robles. Images were updated for this lookout and Chalone Peak for the NHLR. You can see all the lookouts at www.nhlr.org
Cal Fire Liaison FFLA National Chairman, Keith Argow has chosen to create a liaison position with Cal Fire to coordinate the preservation efforts for their lookouts state-wide. Your humble correspondent was asked to fill this position and has accepted. FFLA Western Conference A week later I was off to Grangeville, Idaho with my son, Alex for the FFLA annual Western Conference. 52 FFLA members enjoyed presentations from Forest Service representatives, authors and historians. We visited several lookouts on the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests and toured the Grangeville Smokejumper/Tanker Base over 3 days. Alex and I continued the tour by driving on to Missoula MT to visit lookouts at Ft Missoula and the Smokejumper base. We drove on to the Nine Mile Historic Ranger Station west of Missoula. We continued on to Wallace ID to hike the Pulaski Tunnel Trail where Ranger Ed Pulaski sheltered 45 of his fire crew during ‘The Big Burn’, the great fires of 1910. The fires set the course for the future of the Forest Service and the development of the Fixed Point Fire Detection System…
Lookouts! Does the Ranger’s last name sound familiar?? Yes…the same man invented the primary wildfire tool in 1923…it’s still used today…the Pulaski. More information on the 100th anniversary commemoration: www.1910fire.com
We traveled on to Cour ‘d Alene ID and Spokane WA where we visited with Ray and Rita Kresek at their Lookout Museum. The backyard museum includes thousands of items that Ray has collected over the years. More on the Lookout Museum here: www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1853
We turned south and headed back to Boise. We toured the McCall USFS and Boise BLM Smokejumper Bases along the way. More about Smokejumpers here: www.fs.fed.us/fire/people/smokejumpers/
A Good Movie Want to see a good Smokejumper movie? Red Skies of Montana was released in 1952 and includes 3 lookout scenes. The story is loosely based on the Mann Gulch Tragedy of 1949. The incident was later documented by Norman MacLean in Young Men and Fire, published in 1992. A copy of this book is available at High Point.
Speaking of Movies… Did you know the first ‘fallen meteor’ was reported by a lookout on the Angeles National Forest in the original, 1953 version of War of the Worlds? ‘An Electric Day in the Tower’ July 15th saw an incredible light show with heavy thunderstorms all around High Point. Volunteer Lookout Scott McClintock was working at High Point. He called in dozens of downstrikes and witnessed several fires. High Point and Los Pinos Lookout worked together to call in all the activity. Scott stayed busy communicating with dispatch while the mountain was doused with rain that limited visibility. Very few of our volunteers will ever experience a day like this…Excellent work, Scott!
Eagle Tracking Palomar Ranger District Resource Officer, Jeff Wells will be on High Point Sunday, August 22nd for training any of our Lookout Volunteers who wish to attend. We will be tracking radio tagged Golden Eagles on and around Palomar Mountain.
Trivia – Mt Palomar? I found an interesting Place Name site for Palomar Mountain. The site states the name High Point first appeared on the USGS Topo Quad in 1949. It further states the official and accepted name for the highest elevation point on Palomar Mountain is…”Mount Palomar” and not “High Point”…Read more here: www.snwburd.com/bob/etymology/high_point_n1_1.html
Boucher Hill Some movement is beginning to occur on the Cal Fire rehabilitation project for the lookout. Cal Fire contractors and State Park Historians were on the site last week preparing a final scope for the project. Our hope is the project can begin this Fall. The lookout will be transferred to Palomar Mountain State Park at the completion of the project. The FFLA will soon begin work on a Cooperating Association agreement with State Parks to complete the restoration of the site and operate the lookout for fire detection while developing a unique interpretive experience for park visitors.
3 large interpretive panels will soon be installed at Boucher Hill on the observation deck. They will describe the fire detection system and history of the lookouts.
The Santa Ana’s are Coming… As we move into the Fall, the prospect of Santa Ana winds, Red Flag Days and extreme fire danger looms. Santa Ana wind conditions traditionally occur from Mid-September to Mid-November. The Cedar Fire of 2003, The Witch and Poomacha Fires of 2007 and even the infamous Laguna Fire of 1970 were all products of the Santa Ana’s. Now is the time for all good lookout volunteers to come to the aid of our Fire Detection Program…book up all the September, October and November shifts your budget, vehicle and schedule can stand!
Future Projects Possible projects and staffing for Lyons Peak, Hot Springs Mountain and Estelle Mountain lookouts still face a number of hurdles. Stay tuned in future updates. Years End The fire season will begin to wind down in November. We will shorten a shift by 1 hour when the time changes back to Standard Time. We will close High Point the 2nd or 3rd weekend in November. Our year-end gathering and volunteer appreciation will be scheduled for Saturday, December 5th, the second anniversary of our partnership with the Cleveland National Forest.
Next year…Already? Classroom Training for Lookout Volunteers will be moved up to accommodate a joint opening with Los Pinos Lookout in 2011. Training dates are currently scheduled for April 9th and 23rd. Volunteers must complete both sessions and a full day In-Tower Training to become qualified to operate the lookout…or lookouts, hopefully! Your constant support and contributions are always appreciated.
Best regards,
Brad Eells,
National Secretary – Chapter Chairman
Cal Fire Liaison Forest Fire Lookout Association, Inc. San Diego
Riverside Chapter highpointlookout@yahoo.com
“Cleveland National Forest Partners”
Palomar Mountain News 
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