HistoriCorps: Custer Peak Fire Lookout, SD

Join us in the Black Hills of South Dakota to preserve the Custer Peak Fire Lookout, a fire lookout tower with ties to the early days of fire management.

PROJECT PARTNER: Black Hills National Forest

SESSION DATES: August 31 – September 5

CAPACITY PER SESSION: 6 Volunteers (No Kitchen Helper)

PROJECT SUPERVISOR: John Savoie

CREW LEADER: Colby Baker-Thayer

HistoriCorps is committed to educating and training volunteers in preservation skills, with an overarching mission of inspiring a preservation ethic in all those involved. Learning and working alongside expert HistoriCorps field staff and other volunteers while applying the traditional skills necessary to restore the Custer Peak Fire Lookout, you will assist to:

• Repair and reinforce stair structure for enhanced safety
• Improve exterior through continued window repair
• Elevate the appearance of bare wood through priming, painting, and staining
• Improve the condition of the outhouse roof
• If time allows: seal & protect tower from further deterioration caused by rodents & augment the basement floor and walls through application of a finish

Please note: Tasks vary by day and by week, depending on a variety of factors including: weather, project priorities, previous groups’ work, and more. Though it is likely you will get to learn and practice most or all of the above tasks, it is not guaranteed. The higher percentage of the scope a particular task is, the more likely you will get to practice it.

Click here for more information and registration!