Basin Butte Lookout
Close-up of Basin Butte Lookout
ID-3722
July 14–18, 2008
Must commit to full session
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Basin Butte Lookout |
Close-up of Basin Butte Lookout |
Help us repair Basin Butte Lookout, a 74 year-old fire lookout perched high in the Salmon River Mountains of central Idaho. We will rebuild the catwalk, hang new shutters, paint, replace the door, and move a historic-period outhouse to the site. Participants will learn about historic restoration techniques, the local geology (as seen from the lookout), and natural history of high-elevation white bark pines. Basin Butte Lookout is accessible by road and offers a spectacular view of the Sawtooth Mountains and Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
Number of openings: 12
Special skills: Basic carpentry helpful but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Campgrounds nearby on the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Sawtooth National Recreation Area; motels in Stanley; a high clearance vehicle needed, 4 wheel-drive recommended; Forest Service truck will shuttle people to the lookout, if needed
Nearest town: Stanley, 15 miles (~1 hour); Sun Valley, 65 miles; Challis, 70 miles
Applications due: May 12, 2008
ID-3730
June 9–14, 2008 (including Saturday)
Must commit to full session
The Camas Creek Trail is located in the renowned Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and extends from a remote location in the Salmon River Mountains, fourteen miles downstream to the spectacular Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
We are seeking volunteers to assist in surveying the canyon and documenting the rich heritage found along the trail in this amazing wilderness setting. As part of the systematic inventory, we will record several known pictographs, prehistoric campsites, historic mining sites, and evidence of the Civilian Conservation Corps reconstruction of the trail in the 1930s. A significant portion of the session will be devoted to the documentation of rock art sites. Site documentation will include careful description, artifact identification, mapping, photography, and use of a Global Positioning System (GPS). The project involves strenuous off-trail hiking with equipment and personal gear. On the last day participants will hike approximately 12 miles out of the canyon to the trailhead at Meyers Cove, gaining over 1000 feet along the way.
Our work will be a continuation of the first formal inventory of the Camas Creek Canyon and will contribute greatly to the preservation of the valuable and fragile cultural resources in the canyon by adding to our knowledge and bringing existing records up to current scientific standards.
Base camp will be within two miles of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with few amenities other than solitude, rugged adventure, and a unique insight into the experiences of past inhabitants.
Number of openings: 3
Special skills: Must be in good physical condition and capable of hiking for hours in steep terrain with a 40 lb. pack; backpacking and backcountry camping experience required; site recording, mapping, drawing, photography, and GPS skills helpful but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Primitive camping with no amenities; Forest Service will provide water, cooking and eating utensils, and prepare three simple, but hearty communal meals daily. Volunteers will share in food costs estimated to be no more than $11 per day. Forest Service will provide transportation to the trailhead and will pack gear to the base camp using horses and mules; volunteers responsible for personal gear, light weight tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks; volunteers must pack light due to the remote location and limitations of pack animals
Nearest towns: Salmon, 50 miles; Challis, 50 miles
Applications due: April 7, 2008