FOREST LOOKOUTS
  • WESTERN STATES
  • ALASKA
  • ARIZONA
    • Antelope Mountain
    • Apache Maid
    • Atascosa Mountain
    • Aztec Peak
    • Baboquivari
    • Baker Butte
    • Barfoot
    • Bear Mountain
    • Big Lake Knoll
    • Big Springs
    • Bill Williams Mountain
    • Black Pinnacle
    • Black Rock
    • Blue
    • Blue Ridge..
    • Blue Ridge C
    • Blue Ridge Tree
    • Bonita Rock
    • Bright Angel Point
    • Buck Mountain
    • Buckskin
    • Cerro Gordo
    • Chedeski Peak
    • Chevelon Butte
    • Clark Peak
    • Colcord Mountain - 1
    • Colcord Mountain - 2
    • Cooper Ridge - Tree
    • Corral Lake - Tree
    • East Pocket
    • Escudilla
    • Fly Peak
    • Grandview
    • Greens Peak
    • Hopi Point
    • Huachuca Peak
    • Hyde Mountain
    • Jacob Lake
    • Juniper Ridge
    • Kendrick Peak
    • Lemmon Rock
    • Limestone
    • Madera Peak
    • McFadden Peak
    • Miller Peak
    • Mingus Mountain
    • Monte Vista
    • Morman Lake
    • Mount Baldy
    • Mount Bigelow
    • Mount Eldon
    • Mount Lemmon
    • Mount Union
    • O'Leary Peak
    • Pat Knoll
    • Promontory Butte
    • Red Butte
    • Rose Peak
    • San Francisco Peaks
    • Soldier Camp
    • Spruce Mountain
    • Spud Rock
    • Sugarloaf Mountain
    • Summit Mountain
    • Volunteer Mountain
    • Webb Peak
  • COLORADO
    • Air Force Academy
    • Alta Mine
    • Archuleta Mesa
    • Badger Mountain
    • Baldy Mountain..
    • Bears Ears
    • Beaver Mountain
    • Benchmark
    • Blue Mountain
    • Burnett Mine
    • Burro Peak
    • Castle Peak
    • Chapin Mesa
    • Cheyenne Mountain
    • Chimney Rock
    • Crown Point
    • Deadman
    • Devil Mountain
    • Devil's Head
    • Eagles Nest
    • Eightmile Mesa
    • Fairview Peak
    • Fire Station #4 (Colorado Springs)
    • Glade Mountain
    • Hahns Peak
    • Jersey Jim
    • Lands End Point
    • Leadville Postoffice
    • Leon Peak
    • Longs Peak
    • Lookout Mountain
    • Lookout Mountain
    • Lookout Mountain
    • Midland Hill
    • Monarch Peak
    • Mount Ethel
    • Narraguinnep
    • Owl Mountain
    • Park Point
    • Parkview
    • Pike's Peak
    • Prohibition Mountain
    • Round Top
    • Sandoval Mesa
    • Shadow Mountain
    • Sleepy Cat Mountain
    • Soda Point
    • Squaw Mountain
    • Sugarloaf
    • Thorodin
    • Twin Sisters
    • Walden
    • West White Pine
    • Whites Mesa
    • Williams Peak
    • Zenobia
  • NEBRASKA
    • Crescent Lake (North)
    • Crescent Lake (South)
    • Fort Niobrara NWR (Big Beaver Creek)
    • Fort Niobrara NWR (Headquarters)
    • Eagle Point
    • Scott's
    • Valentine NWR (Hackberry)
    • Valentine NWR (Pony Lake)
    • Winnebago
  • NEW MEXICO
    • Alamo Peak
    • Armstrong
    • Atole
    • Bandelier
    • Barillis Peak
    • Bearhead
    • Bearwallow
    • Black Mountain
    • Block (Smokey Bear)
    • Blue Mountain
    • Bluewater
    • Boiler Peak
    • Bosque Peak
    • Brushy
    • Canjilon
    • Capilla Peak
    • Carracas
    • Carrissa
    • Cedar Springs
    • Cedro Peak
    • Cerro Pelado
    • Cerro Valdez
    • Cienegita
    • Clara Peak
    • Dark Canyon
    • Davenport
    • Deadmans Peak
    • Diamond Peak
    • Eagle Peak
    • El Caso
    • El Morro
    • Encino
    • Five Mile
    • Fox Mountain
    • Gallinas Peak
    • Gavilan Ridge
    • Glorieta Baldy
    • Granite Peak
    • Grass Mountain
    • Grassy Mountain
    • Grouse Mountain
    • Harley Mountain
    • Hermit Peak
    • Highland Park
    • Hillsboro Peak
    • Isleta
    • James Ridge
    • Jicarita Peak
    • Joaquin
    • John Kerr
    • Kiowa Mountain
    • La Mosca Peak
    • Lake Peak
    • Lookout Mountain (Cibola)
    • Lookout Mountain (Gila)
    • Lookout Mountain (Lincoln)
    • Luera Peak
    • Magdalena mountains (N.M. Tech)
    • Mangas
    • Manzano
    • Mayhill
    • McGaffey
    • Mesa de Cuba
    • Mogollon Baldy
    • Monjeau
    • Mount Powell
    • Mount Sedgwick
    • Mount Taylor
    • Mount Withington
    • Mud Spring
    • Negrito Mountain
    • Osborne
    • Oscujra Peak
    • Oso Ridge
    • Parjarita Mountain
    • Picuris
    • Pine Lodge
    • Rabbit Mountain
    • Red Top
    • Reed's Peak
    • Rosilla
    • Ruidoso
    • Sacramento Peak
    • Saddle Mountain
    • San Antonio
    • San Mateo
    • Sierra Blanca
    • Signal Peak
    • Silver
    • South Baldy
    • The Dome
    • Tohatchi
    • Tohnitsha
    • Turkey
    • Tuscon Mountain
    • Wagontongue
    • Washington Pass
    • Weed Ranger Station
    • Wells
    • White's Peak
    • Whitewater Baldy
    • Wirt
    • Wofford
    • General and Misc., New Mexico
  • NEVADA
    • Ella Mountain
    • Fire Sciences Academy
    • McClellan Peak
    • Peavine Mountain
    • Yellow Peak
    • Zephyr Point
    • Alert (Tahoe)
  • NORTH DAKOTA
  • SOUTH DAKOTA
    • Battle Mountain
    • Bear Mountain
    • Boulder Hill
    • Castle Peak
    • Cicero Peak
    • Crows Nest Peak
    • Custer Peak
    • Elk Mountain
    • Flag Mountain
    • Harney Peak
    • LaCreek NWR
    • Lakota Peak
    • Lookout Peak
    • Medicine Butte
    • Moon
    • Mount Coolidge
    • Norris Peak
    • Parker Peak
    • Pilger Mountain
    • Porcupine Butte
    • Rankin Ridge
    • Sand Lake NWR #1
    • Sand Lake NWR #2
    • Seth Bullock
    • Signal Hill
    • South Tower
    • Summit Ridge
    • Terry Peak
    • Veterans
    • Waubay (NWR)
  • UTAH
    • Bald Mountain
    • Bear River M.B.R. (Headquarters)
    • Bear River M.B.R. (Perry Entrance)
    • Brian Head
    • Ensign Peak
    • Hardinger Firetree (Beef tree)
    • Horse Valley Peak
    • Lake Fork Mountain
    • Lava Point
    • Meadow Creek Peak
    • Mt Terrel
    • Ogden Ordinance Depot
    • Mt Timpanogos
    • Salt Lake City (Walker Bank Bldg)
    • Tooele Army Depot
    • Ute Mountain
    • Whipple Peak
    • Wolf Creek Peak
  • WYOMING
    • Bald Mountain
    • Bald Mountain (Big Piney)
    • Baldy Mountain
    • Barrett Ridge
    • Bayer Mountain
    • Bechler
    • Big Game Ridge
    • Black Mountain (Big Horn)
    • Black Mountain (Medicine Bow)
    • Blackhall Mountain
    • Blacktail Butte
    • Blondy Pass
    • Blue Ridge
    • Bow
    • Bradley Mountain
    • Bridger Peak
    • Bunsen Peak
    • Cabin Creek Peak
    • Cement Ridge
    • Clay Butte
    • Clayton Mountain
    • Crow Peak
    • Crow's Nest
    • Dead Indian
    • Deadline Ridge
    • Deadman Mountain
    • Deer Creek Mountain
    • Divide
    • Elk Mountain
    • Elk Peak
    • Esterbrook Hill
    • Fletcher Park
    • Forellen Peak
    • Hawks Rest
    • High Park
    • Homestake
    • Hominy Peak
    • Horseshoe mountain
    • Huckleberry Mountain
    • Hunters Mesa
    • Hunters Peak
    • Jay's Roost
    • Jelm Mountain
    • Kennaday Peak
    • Little Sheep Mountain
    • Lookout Mountain
    • Medicine Bow Peak
    • Monument Ridge
    • Mount Chittenden
    • Mount Holmes
    • Mount Pisgah
    • Mount Sheridan
    • Mount Washburn
    • Munger Mointain
    • Observation Peak
    • Pelican Cone
    • Pinnacle Butte
    • Prospect Peak
    • Red Cloud
    • Seven Mile
    • Sheep Mountain
    • Signal Mountain
    • Slash Ridge
    • Snake River
    • Somber Hill
    • Spalding
    • Spruce Mountain
    • Steamboat Point
    • Two-Ocean Plateau
    • Warm Springs
    • Warren Peaks
    • Wendy Mountain
    • Willow Creek
    • Windy Mountain
    • Wyoming Peak
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NEW MEXICO LOOKOUTS

LUERA PEAK

State

May 8, 1976:  "For the past couple of years, Ray Polasky's office has consisted of a metal office chair nailed to the top of a swaying 34-foot Ponderosa pine.
     He called it "an unusual experience."
     But after using the lookout tower in the Luera Range of southwestern New Mexico for the past 20 years, the State Forestry Department has now decided it's too dangerous to continue using it.
     "I just didn't think we could take the risk of continuing to use it because of the lightning danger up there," said State Forestry Chief Manuel Ortiz.
     Polasky carries the title of a State Forestry Department fire control chief and although he never had any close calls, he's not that upset about moving to a new station.
     "I just didn't go up when there were storms in the area."  Polasky said.  "I'd just make a quick check before and after the storm and usually we wouldn't miss too much."
     The department actually stopped using the facility last year during the middle of the forest fire season when lightning is often prevalent in New Mexico.  This spring is the first full fire season that the department has had to rely on other methods of spotting the fires.
     The "tower" was a metal office chair attached to a rickety wooden platform on top of the pine.  The tree was in an open meadow, and virtually every other tree in the vicinity had been struck by lightning at one time or another, Ortiz said.
     There was no ladder leading to the platform, and the device used for sighting locations of the fire was located on an old tree stump on the ground.
     "Using the sighting device was a very difficult problem," said Polasky.  "If you knew general directions, you could estimate where the fire was without using the finder."
     Polasky said there were never a whole lot of fires spotted from the Luera Range lookout anyway, probably because it was too low.
     Polasky said the Forestry Department wants to replace the old tower."  (The Greeley Daily-Tribune - Greeley, Colorado)

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Member:  Forest Fire Lookout Association

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