From the November 2005 issue

DEC Recognizes Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Stuart Buchanan recognized the Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee for their ten-year effort to restore and maintain the Hadley Mountain Fire Tower and its surroundings. "The Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee has been an outstanding partner and a superb steward of the fire tower, the observer's cabin and the trail on Hadley Mountain," said Buchanan. "DEC, public lands and the public have been greatly served by the efforts of the committee and its volunteers."

Aerial observation has replaced
fire towers as the primary tool
for detecting forest fires

The Hadley Mountain Fire Tower is located in the northwestern portion of the Town of Hadley in Saratoga County. It was erected in 1917, but over the years, as the primary tool for fire detection shifted from fire towers to aerial observation, it fell into disrepair. DEC recognized the committee for restoring and maintaining the fire tower and trail; providing public enjoyment of the fire tower, and instilling the public with knowledge and appreciation of the cultural and natural history of the fire tower and its surroundings.

A Shared Vision

In 1994 a group of dedicated individuals committed to restoring the fire tower banded together and formed the "Committee to Renovate the Hadley Mountain Fire Tower," later renamed the "Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee." Members came from various backgrounds and interests but all shared a love of fire towers in general and the Hadley Mountain Fire Tower in particular. They were assisted by DEC Forest Ranger Steven Guenther, who contributed his knowledge of and experience in restoring fire towers, having helped to restore the Blue Mountain Fire Tower.

Before the Hadley Mountain fire
tower was built in 1917, intense
forest fires burned away everything,
including topsoil, leaving many
areas of bare rock

The committee had three main goals: to restore the fire tower; to develop a public education program, and to restore the observer's cabin. Recognizing the need for local support, the committee gave presentations on the history of fire towers to local municipalities, civic organizations and historic associations. These groups and local residents began donating funds for the restoration of the fire tower, and Saratoga County Cooperative Extension agreed to manage the funds.

Meeting Goals

In partnership with DEC, the committee then initiated efforts to meet its first goal of restoring the fire tower and opening it to the public. While they paid for the materials, DEC engineers evaluated the fire tower and identified needed repairs; a state helicopter transported equipment and materials to the summit; DEC Operations staff dismantled and replaced stairs, landings and the compartment floor, and DEC Forest Rangers replaced or repaired the support footers, structural steel components and all the windows.

The goal for a public education program was met by developing an interpretive brochure and hiring a summit steward to greet visitors. An interpretive brochure covering six trails and the summit provides cultural and natural history information about the fire tower and its surroundings, as well as tips on how to be a safe and responsible hiker.

Summit Steward

A summit steward, who lives in the observer's cabin when working, is present on the mountain top from July 4th until Labor Day, greeting visitors and providing information. He or she also gives an "I Climbed Hadley Mountain" card to each visitor who makes it to the summit. The card is based on those that earlier fire observers distributed at many of the fire towers in the Adirondacks. The summit steward receives a stipend from the fire tower committee and workers compensation coverage from the Saratoga County Cooperative Extension.

Observer's Cabin

While restoration of the observer's cabin is not yet complete, significant progress has been made on it. DEC gave some funding to supplement the committee's funds and also transported materials to the summit, with forest rangers providing much of the labor. A new roof was installed, a fresh coat of stain applied, windows and shutters were replaced, and storm covers and a door were installed. Replacing the porch railings and some other minor work is all that is left to complete the restoration.

Partnership with DEC

All of the committee's work on the mountain, including maintaining the trail to the summit, is done under DEC's "Adopt a Natural Resource Stewardship Program." DEC commends the Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee for all of its efforts and the public benefit derived from their work.