11/13/2022 0 Comments State of decay 2 heartland![]() ![]() About 10,000 people visit Big Bog annually and the majority climb the tower, reports Jensen. In 2011, an out of service fire tower was refurbished and moved to the visitor center at Big Bog to serve as a tourist attraction and educational resource. "Thanks to the fire tower, we have the opportunity to educate hundreds of children plus adults on forest stewardship and fire prevention," says Dawn Jensen, who works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at Big Bog State Recreation Area, an over 9,000 acre area located on the shores of Upper Red Lake. Nearly 100% of unwanted fires burning through woodlands, prairies, and neighborhoods today are preventable. After climbing to the top of the 100-foot tower, Sleeper officially became a member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Squirrels, a national fire tower club founded in 1927 by an Itasca Park Ranger to educate youth and adults about fire prevention and forest health. On their way to the top, they learn about the land, its history, and the importance of preventing forest fires.Įrrol Sleeper, 7, takes in the view from the cab of the Aiton Heights Fire Tower in northern Minnesota's Itasca State Park. Now a relic of history, the steep staircases of the fire towers in Minnesota's Itasca State Park and Big Bog State Recreation Area are tackled by thousands of people every year. In the 1950s, lookouts were replaced by airplanes. Staffed by generations of women and men trained to locate the first wisps of smoke, they were relied upon for over two decades as a critical line of defense against forest fires. Today, only a handful of climbable towers exist and they remain on the front lines of fire prevention through education and an innate human desire to perch above the treetops. Reaching 100 feet into the sky, there were once nearly 150 of these steel lookouts guarding the state's fire-prone forests. In northern Minnesota, not much can beat the pristine view – and the rush – of climbing a fire tower. There were once nearly 150 fire towers standing guard over the state's forests as protection against unwanted fires. ![]() Hubbard County is located in the Heartland Lakes region of northern Minnesota. The rich pine forest surrounding Pine Lake Forest Road in Hubbard County, Minnesota. ![]()
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