Above, one page of the newsletter.
The National Museum of Forest Service History had a terrific newsletter this month with a history and update on Forest Service Engineering. They tend not to be in the news much, except for local papers, so shout-out to all FS engineers, current and retired! Not much drama, just doing their very important work, day in and day out.
Here’s a link to the newsletter. There are great historic photos. If you are interested in learning more about any of the topics, or prefer a different format, head to this link.
Feel free to share stories in the comments.
Sharon, Thanks for bringing attention to this edition of the newsletter, and the Museum of Forest Service History in general. It is a great snapshot of engineering history. I especially appreciate Tom Thompson’s always insightful President’s Note. “Engineering is like so many important things in life that most every day we just take them for granted without consciously thinking about it, unless of course something doesn’t work. In short, that is what the story of engineering is all about…making sure things work and work well.”
I was lucky to work with some wonderful engineers throughout my career. They always figured out how to get things done. They solved problems.
Faced with the need for a new district office on the Tusayan Ranger District south of the Grand Canyon in the mid-1990s and little money to do so, Kaibab National Forest Engineer Dan Baertlein adapted a modular house plan and enlisted a forest-wide work crew to put the finishing touches on it–a rare example of teamwork across districts and functions. Was it entirely legal? By the book? Who knows! But it got us a new ranger station and a real sense of teamwork and pride.
I’m grateful for all the great engineers I have known, including people like Shannon Clark, retired from the Coconino National Forest who works today to help restore historic structures. He recently worked on the Grandview Fire Lookout Cabin, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and ready to open to the public as the latest Room with a View.
Thanks to these and so many engineers for making things work.
Thank you, Teri!
When I worked on the Fremont in the 80’s, I remember the engineers installing solar hot water in some of the residences, and making sure the lookouts were appropriately grounded. For a while some college students volunteered to help with TSW and I asked them to find examples of engineering projects to highlight from across the country .. “catch people doing something right” but sadly they seem to have lost interest. Please feel free to forward any such stories you might run across. And I agree, Tom Thompson is a national treasure!