Wildfire lookout tear down outside of Darrington. Scary precident.

[saylean]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Mountain-lookout-near-Darrington-must-be-removed-145994245.html

After they spent all this money on restoration, now its getting torn down?! This is garbage.

[Hunting Cowboy]

Disturbing! Seems like it could be declared a historical landmark or something. The decision should be appealed.

[Michelle_Nelson]

It's stupid!

[Chase 1]

Disturbing! Seems like it could be declared a historical landmark or something. The decision should be appealed.

It is a landmark. This is just plain ridiculous!

[Bshiftbc]

I was on a fire near Darrington a few years ago and got the opportunity to fly past this lookout in a helicopter while surveying the many lightning strikes in the area. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen sitting on top of that peak. This is ridiculous!
I hope Pete does the right thing and appeals!

[washelkhunter]

Was'nt it there before there was a wilderness designation? 

[NWBREW]

Was'nt it there before there was a wilderness designation?

My thought too. Tearing it down is a total waste of OUR money.

[Elkaholic daWg]

Was'nt it there before there was a wilderness designation?

 Very true but choppers in wilderness are as illegal as a snowmobile or quad and the folks used them for the repairs.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120329/NEWS01/703299816/-1/NEWS#Judge-orders-removal-of-historic-lookout-in-wilderness-
 

[ICEMAN]

Ok, so choppers are illegal. Fine them for using the chopper. BFD

Would they use a chopper to haul out an injured liberal *censored* activist  from the backcountry, use a chopper to deliver firefighters and help with firefighting efforts?

[Skyvalhunter]

Its those *censored*es at Wilderness Watch, Philchuck Audabon Society, and Bill Lider that want to go out there hug trees and keep the public out of public land.

[Russ McDonald]

The lookout is a historical landmark.  The lookout is right on the edge of the wilderness.  There is a couple different maps that show it is just outside the wilderness and then some that show that it is right inside the wilderness.

[rasbo]

this has many split and fighting.I think it was a good move to fix it and fly it in..Funny a lot of those against it say We want it left pristine,in the same paragraph the speak of skiing on untouched slopes in the wilderness..Seems to me soon as one enters the area it is no longer pristine,nice wide trails,neon colored hikers,crapping there...Outfitters are on the list to be outed then hunting..its just gonna be a place for the elite hikers..seems to me flying in the pieces and putting it back together would be less strain on any wildlife than a huge number of trips getting the equipment and materials there..The way i understand it was the lookouts were exempt at first,by wilderness boundaries,but over looked in the 80s,when the areas were rewritten..

[Russ McDonald]

this has many split and fighting.I think it was a good move to fix it and fly it in..Funny a lot of those against it say We want it left pristine,in the same paragraph the speak of skiing on untouched slopes in the wilderness..Seems to me soon as one enters the area it is no longer pristine,nice wide trails,neon colored hikers,crapping there...Outfitters are on the list to be outed then hunting..its just gonna be a place for the elite hikers..seems to me flying in the pieces and putting it back together would be less strain on any wildlife than a huge number of trips getting the equipment and materials there..The way i understand it was the lookouts were exempt at first,by wilderness boundaries,but over looked in the 80s,when the areas were rewritten..

yes that is correct there are some lookouts that are in wilderness area's that were grand fathered in when boundaries were written.  Some of these lookouts have communications repeaters in them for the FS and SAR people.  So to maintain them tech's have to be choppered in to do that.

[dreamingbig]

Laws and judicial rulings are not always logical or reasonable.  This wilderness group have their heads in the sand.  We wasted money on the lawsuit and now we will waste money by taking it down.  The judge should have had some grit and made their group pay to take it down if they want it down. 

[WAcoyotehunter]

Wilderness Watch is a joke.  Check out their website and look at some of the rediculous projects they're working on.  I sent a brief email letting them know that I dissapprove...not that it will make aany difference.  http://wildernesswatch.org/index.html