by John Dowd
The saying, “out of sight, out of mind,” is not something fans of the Moose Creek Ranger Station and backcountry airstrip would subscribe to. The remote outpost in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness was damaged in a series of wind events and the Moose Creek Complex Fire, which burned over 12,000 acres through the area. The site was marred, and for the people and pilots who love Moose Creek, it did not go unnoticed.
Through a partnership with the Stevensville Airport Foundation, the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), the U.S. Forest Service, the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA), the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation (SBFC), and several other organizations, numerous individuals came together to repair Moose Creek.
After learning of the damage, a project was launched to repair several aspects of the rural airstrip. The main repairs included the fence that surrounds much of the ranger station, various work on downed trees, cleaning up building damage on the grounds and replacing two of the outhouses that burned up in the fire. The site only has three outhouses, and the fence used to keep pack animals off the runway and contained is crucial to operation. The jackleg fence stretches hundreds of yards in total, and rounds several parts of the site.
The leading group on the project was the RAF, an organization founded around the mission of keeping public backcountry airstrips in operation. They partner with the U.S. Forest Service, and work to staff projects and maintain various sites. Their operations utilize funding from the U.S. Forest Service for supplies, and many entities donate supplies, time and even aircraft to help. The group’s members fly their own aircraft out to locations and will complete the projects themselves, often also networking with other groups to make projects happen.
A linchpin in the Moose Creek operation was a special aircraft used to transport the supplies and some people; the Kodiak 100. A special backcountry utility aircraft, the Kodiak was designed to operate in difficult to reach places. Able to accommodate up to 10 people, and built rugged, it is able to be used by religious mission societies, law enforcement entities, wilderness fire support, military activities, MEDEVAC and rescue operations and more. When it comes to the project at Moose Creek, the Kodiak was right for the task.
This Kodiak is often volunteered to the RAF for many of their projects, by the airplane producer. The pilot, the fuel and the aircraft are all donated for these projects, which can become quite expensive. According to the manufacturer, the Kodiak can cost nearly $1,300 per hour to operate.
The aircraft was scheduled to stop in at the Stevensville Municipal Airport to pick up the outhouses, which also needed to be specially designed. When asked why Stevensville was used to base the outhouse build, Craig Thomas, board chair for the Stevensville Airport Board, and designer of the outhouses, said, “Stevensville is kind of a center for this stuff, and it’s not really well known.” It also happens to be one of the closest airports to Moose Creek, about a 25-minute flight from Stevensville, depending on the aircraft. It would take a pack mule string nearly five days to reach. Power tools are not allowed in the wilderness, and so the outhouse had to be built in panels, carefully measured to fit inside the Kodiak. Once delivered, the panels could be assembled on site. Thomas had a leg up on the design, as he knew the people that designed the aircraft. He added that all the supplies for the outhouses were purchased locally. Along with the panels, the aircraft would need to fly out the posts used in the jackleg fence.
The Kodiak flew workers into Moose Creek on Wednesday. On Thursday, it flew back to pick up the panels and other supplies. It continued to fly supplies and people through Friday and Saturday.
When Thomas was asked why everyone helped get this project together, he said, “It’s a legacy of the wilderness,” and he wasn’t alone. According to Bill McGlynn, president of the RAF, this project saw an inordinate number of volunteers. These projects usually involve only around 20 people. At Moose Creek last weekend, there were over 30 aircraft, and more than 60 volunteers from over a half dozen organizations. “It’s pretty darn cool, so many people wanting to do this,” said McGlynn. Many of the volunteers with RAF have fond memories of Moose Creek. When they heard the airstrip was in trouble, they literally came from all over the country, and other parts of the world, to help.
RAF Chairman, John McKenna, echoed those thoughts through thanks, when he spoke during the project to the volunteers. “People came from across the U.S. to put up a fence and some toilets where they will see no benefit. Thank you, thank you!” said McKenna.
David Irvin, the District 7 director for the IAA, who is based in Stevensville, reached out to the airport to help design the outhouses. Irvin’s district covers the Moose Creek landing strip, and he works to help maintain it. He contacted Thomas to help, and Irvin was amazed at the project reception. “It kinda just all came together,” said Irvin, when talking about all the moving parts.
One of the volunteers, Krissy Ferriter, who is also the volunteer program director for the SBFC, came out to help with her husband. Ferriter’s group organizes volunteers for various service projects in wilderness areas, as well as being in charge of manning the Moose Creek airstrip and station with people. She also gets people into the host cabins at Fish Lake airstrip, Shearer airstrip and St. Mary’s Peak fire lookout. The SBFC organizes 25 to 30 hosts between April and November, making sure these outposts have people. The volunteer service projects they work on include wilderness stewardship and trail operations that maintain spaces for public access. Ferriter said she was excited to be a part of such a cool project, and to see so many pieces come together.
According to Thomas, many of these remote places are not accessible to most people. “It’s just not possible without an aircraft.” And it goes beyond recreation. According to Irvin, these areas are way-stations in the backcountry, where supplies can be dropped off for wildlife research, firefighting efforts and more. They also serve as spaces for medical evacuation and public access. Without these remote airstrips and stations, there could be dire consequences for all kinds of activities in the wilderness, including conservation.
Information on these groups is available to interested parties on their websites. The SBFC can be found at selwaybitterroot.org. Information on the RAF can be found at theraf.org. The IAA can be found at idahoaviation.com.