ID-4025
August 29-September 2, 2011
Must commit to full session
Test your physical and technical skills as we return to the historic Albert Taylor Cabin in the Centennial Mountains on the Idaho - Montana border! The cabin was constructed on the Targhee National Forest in 1935 by Albert Taylor as a special-use recreation lodge, and remained in the Taylor family until Albert passed away in 2005. That year, stewardship of the cabin came to the Forest Service. Our long-term plans are to place the cabin into the rental program for public use. However, it will take some work to restore the cabin to its original appearance. PIT volunteers and Forest Service staff will once again concentrate on log work and roof replacement and, if time allows, we may include a bit of landscaping. Meals and hot showers will be provided at camp, which is within walking distance of the cabin. The project has been a huge success since 2009, so join us in August for year three!
Number of openings: 5
Special skills: Experience with log work, foundation work, roofing, and/or landscaping helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Developed camping available at no charge at nearby Forest Service campground; water, vault toilets, picnic tables; space for RVs, no hookups; a cook will provide all meals for participants during the work week; Dubois is a full-service community with hotels/motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, weekend meals, and transportation
Nearest town: Spencer, 8 miles; Dubois, 32 miles
Applications due: June 27, 2011
ID-4029
August 1-5, 2011
Must commit to minimum of 3 days
Clearwater or "Placer" Gulch (a.k.a. Rhodes Creek East Side) was part of the historic Pierce Mining District founded in the Washington Territory after 1861. This drainage is ideal for placer and lode mining operations, and those established in the early days of the District continue to the present day. The focus of our PIT project will be to develop an overview of the use of this historic landscape by examining resource extraction behaviors of two distinct cultural groups historically represented within the District: the Chinese and the Nez Perce. During Phase I of the project, volunteers and FS staff will map and partially survey an area along Placer Gulch associated with 19th-century, Chinese placer mining operations. In Phase II of the project, we will look at resource procurement strategies employed by the Nez Perce, who occupied adjoining areas. During this phase we will survey two or three sites along the North Fork of the Clearwater River and the Lolo Trail that are associated with the Nez Perce. Volunteers should bring shorts and old shoes for stream crossings during survey. Please join us in August for a unique look into the Pierce Mining District's history!
Number of openings: 8
Special skills: Volunteers must be physically capable of walking, sitting, and standing for long periods each day during survey; previous archaeological survey, photography, and/or mapping experience helpful, but not required; willingness to work together is essential
Minimum age: 15 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Base camp at Pierce Work Center Administrative Site; water, vault toilet; space for tents and a few small trailers or campers, no hook-ups; Pierce is a full-service community with hotel, restaurants, and a range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and transportation
Nearest town: Project based in Pierce
Applications due: June 6, 2011
ID-4035
August 15-19, 2011
Must commit to full session
Most of us are familiar with the price of World War II in terms of human and material losses on the field of battle or through other atrocities. However, one frequently over-looked aspect of such costs is the loss of many brave and committed military and civilian personnel who never left the borders of the continental United States. In a recent article in the magazine Flight Journal, noted aviation historian and author Barrett Tillman provides statistics that reveal a disturbing fact: during the 45-month period between December 1941 and August 1945, one branch of service alone - the U.S. Army Air Forces - lost 14,903 pilots, aircrew and other personnel as well as 13,873 aircraft in training accidents. To put this in perspective, human losses totaled 6,039 per year, or 134 per month!
This year, we return to a site in the Palouse Ranger District that resulted from one of these incidents. In 1943, Boeing B-17F bomber Sn 42-29563 went down during an important training mission. Luckily, the crew did not meet a sad end: all aboard managed to parachute to safety and rescue. However, the crash site remains a valuable piece of the Nation's history, and can answer many questions, even today. For example, the orientation of the remains of the aircraft may tell us much about the circumstances of the crash. Also, a second inventory of the debris and an additional assessment of the damage can provide further information about impact, preservation of the site, and even how much of the craft has been lost to looters. PIT volunteers and Forest staff will once again conduct test excavations at the crash site to gather more data needed to answer these and many other questions. We will also make maps and take photos of remains to accompany the results and provide provenience information. During the week, participants will be exposed to military aviation history lessons, with a particular focus on the last mission of the subject airplane and America's flying services during World War II. Join us in August for year two of this rare experience in aviation archaeology!
Number of openings: 10
Special skills: None required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Tent and RV camping available at no charge at FS Laird Park campground; water, vault toilets, no hook-ups; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and transportation
Nearest town: Harvard, 8 miles; Potlatch, 15 miles; Moscow, 40 miles
Applications due: June 27, 2011