Lost River R.D. Meeting 14JAN08

I would like to thank everyone that participated in our Antelope Guard Station planning meeting yesterday, Monday, January 14, 2007. It was exciting to begin planning what we would like to see the Antelope Guard Station be in its second century. I particularly want to thank John Rose for setting it up and persevering with this; and John Parsons and Susun McCulla for their energy and interest in the future of this valuable heritage resource. It was apparent by the full attendance of district personnel to a non-required meeting that this is a special place to all of us on the district, and that success in this project is important to us all.

What was particularly exciting was the potential for participation by a very interested public in almost unlimited ways. John P. has been conducting some informal scoping in Arco and Idaho Falls regarding interest in this facility and the response has been full support.

We discussed various alternatives for its use such as an administrative site, interpretive site, reservation system rental, and cow camp. The John P. gave a summary of his group – RSVP, and how he became interested particularly in the Antelope Guard Station. He told us of a few meetings he’s already attended where he discussed the Guard Station and asked if there was any interest in helping with its restoration. The response was an emphatic yes by overwhelming numbers. He explained that there were lots of other options for the use, maintenance, and management of the Guard Station such as having a public entity manage the facility under a stewardship program, or take responsibility at least partially for it’s restoration, or any iteration in between or around these ideas. It could provide environmental education opportunities for children and adults, which is something lacking along the Hwy 93 corridor. This has the potential to be a pilot project showing how volunteer or other organizations can help protect and manage our cultural resources for the benefit of the public and agency. He felt once we had a clear vision of what we (FS and the public) want, the potential for grants, partners, and volunteers would not be a problem. Interest is there.

Everyone seemed to agree that the more public input and involvement the better, and that the Guard Station has a significant value as a cultural resource for the Forest Service as well as the surrounding communities. The integrity of the buildings is solid, especially considering its turning 100 this year. Folks on this district have done a great job of keeping it up as best as they could.

So – we decided to push ahead to find a way to restore then maintain the buildings within the guard station. It would be best if we could provide a place for the pubic to visit and learn about the history of the buildings, the Forest Service and the area. There are some obvious things that need to be fixed regardless of the final outcome for its use. Easy things such as general clean-up can be done by district personnel and local volunteers; more difficult problems and concerns such as a water, ADA access, toilets, power/wiring, lead-based paint, and asbestos will need more in-depth study, work, and assistance.

We also decided to make a big deal of its hundredth birthday.

Decisions we made were:

1. John R. and Diane will co-lead the overall project.
2. John P. will lead the public scoping process – find out ideas from the public as to what they would like the Antelope Guard Station to be and what purpose it would fulfill. He will also be able to help with finding public assistance, whether it is in the form of volunteers, partners or grants.
3. The district will undertake a general clean-up on Friday and Saturday June 6th and 7th. District personnel will tackle the initial building clean-up on Friday with certified folks for the rat poop removal and removing any hazardous trees. Then on Saturday we will have a larger group with volunteers doing the rest of the general spiffing up and a bbq to top it off. This will be in anticipation of a big 100th party two weeks later.
4. On June 21st (summer solstice), we will host a 100th birthday party with a bbq and as many bells and whistles as we can pull together. Suggestions were t-shirts, presentations of our plans and dreams for the guard station, presentations of the past (in various formats), displays of other guard stations and lookouts around the Forest, celebration of the Forest’s centennial, and any other ideas we can come up with by then. The sky is the limit at this point. The purpose would be to celebrate our history and culture and raise some interest and commitment to helping with this project. There are a large number of people locally and as far away as Idaho Falls, Salmon and probably Twin Falls that have spent memorable time at this guard station. We hope to contact as many of them as we can and have them join us or get an oral history from them.

I believe everyone left feeling inspired and excited about this project. I know I certainly did. It really felt like we could get this done, and set an example as to how the Forest Service can work with partners to restore, maintain, and manage our historic resources for the benefit of the public and agency. It’s gonna be a fun road.

Thanks to everyone for participating and bringing forth such great ideas and energy.

Diane L. Weaver District Ranger and project co-leader

Antelope GS gets a blog!

Antelope Guard Station on the Lost River Ranger District of the Challis National Forest in Central Idaho might just be the very first Guard Station in America to have its own blog. That would be quite a notable milestone for a structure born in 1908. Antelope is turning 100 this year so perhaps it's fitting that this important public legacy begins a New Era with new friends bringing new tools to the table.

As the USDA Forest Service enters its second century of "Caring for the Land and Serving People," there is an increasing awareness of the importance of what some call the "legacy assets" of your public lands. Antelope Guard Station is one of those important pieces of heritage that make your National Forests so special.

Changing management practices, priorities and people have largely left Antelope Guard Station functionally abandoned. It serves no fundamental management purpose at this time. Therefore, no emphasis has been placed on its preservation, conservation and adaptation for creative new multiple use.

That's all about to change. As the Baby Boom Generation's retirement tsunami unfolds across America, fresh energies, skills, resources and enthusiasms will seek projects whereby a group of dedicated individuals and organizations can make lasting contributions to the conservation of America's heritage and legacy assets.

Antelope Guard Station sits squarely on the cusp of such an emerging movement. Not only it is uniquely and conveniently situated to a growing metroplex in Eastern Idaho, it also embodies the symbolic spirit of the Western Frontier Ethic that is so much a part of the Idaho and American psyche.

It's equally unique administrative site layout offers abundant creative possibilities for modern day multiple use.

The challenge facing public and private sector leaders will be how to preserve and conserve the important heritage aspects of Antelope Guard Station while also creating an attractive, functional facility that serves legitimate multiple use purposes in the worthy mission of "Caring for the Land and Serving People."

We believe that a collective consensus will soon emerge to guide the management and stewardship of Antelope Guard Station into a future filled with stable, productive, effective, innovative partnerships that bring about nationally significant results on behalf of both the Antelope Guard Station stakeholders but also the collective people of the United States--the true and forever guardians of Antelope Guard Station!

We are proud to be able to take part in this process. We look forward to helping facilitate meaningful dialog that will lead to practical on-the-ground actions on behalf of Antelope Guard Station.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Sincerely, John Parsons, Eastern Idaho RSVP Director

Click here to read a history of Antelope Guard Station.