Stewards Sought for Mt. Utsayantha Fire Tower

STAMFORD – If you enjoy traveling to the top of Mount Utsayantha and climbing the fire tower, there is an opportunity to share it with others over the summer season. Volunteer stewards are needed to provide the history and to educate the public about the fire towers, why they were built and the important role they played in preserving the state's forests. Oh yeah, and the view is breathtaking.

 "I have fire towers in my blood." said Laurie Rankin. Her father served as an observer at Balsam Lake. She found out about the Forest Fire Lookout Association in 2002 when the village of Stamford was looking to restore the fire tower atop Mount Utsayantha. 

She has served as a state director since 2014 and trains stewards to guide visitors to many of the fire towers.

Leonard Hill Fire Tower is on tap to be restored this year and she can tell you about the reason for fire towers and the importance they had in preserving the forests of New York State.

"Many people are unaware of just how many fire towers are still standing in New York State," said Rankin. She believes it to be more than 70. A new fire tower is being constructed in Westchester County and she can tell you about the one that was found stored in a barn and later erected in the town square for the public to enjoy.

She likes to hike and most of the fire towers do require a bit of hiking, some more than others, but Mount Utsayantha in Stamford is unique, because it is accessible by vehicle.

She enjoys seeing a fire tower put back in order and opened to the public. She was first involved in the the Mt. Utsayantha project and the Balsam Lake Fire Tower restoration was near and dear to her heart.

She calls the fire towers "smoke detectors in the sky", erected by the state Department of Environmental Conservation as an early warning system to see smoke.

In 1903 she said the state suffered a 72-day drought that lowered lake Champlain by several inches. A fire got started and destroyed 600,000 acres in the Adirondack Park.

Fire towers of the Catskills and greater region are an important part of the history of the region and served to protect the region's forests. 

Some towers were closed in 1970 by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) due to redundancy and in an effort to raise money to fund a new wilderness search and rescue program, according to one observer's account, and creation of the aerial fire detection program in 1969.

More towers were phased out from fire observation in the 1980s, with the last towers closed in 1990. Slowly, but surely, the towers and the cabins used for the observers began to fall into disrepair, or fell victim to vandals. The towers that were not dismantled by DEC were closed to the public due to safety concerns.

Volunteers undertook the initiative to save the towers, recognizing them not only as a part of the state's history, but also as part of the heritage of forest fire protection. They were used for nearly a century to spot fires in the Catskills and Adirondacks. They are now a draw for hikers and tourists.

While the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower lies outside the Catskill Park, so does the Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower, which has been restored and is a large attraction for tourists and hikers. The Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower Inc. worked for several years to get the Delhi tower back on the map of fire towers to be visited.

Utsayantha was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and was sold to the village of Stamford in 2003 for $1. 

Both fire towers are now included in the Forest Fire Tower Challenge and Rankin is looking for volunteer stewards, who will man the towers on the weekends to provide hiking opportunities and education to tourists.

The Bramley Mountain Trail is one of the most popular hiking options in the western Catskills, according to the website. It was designed and built by the Catskill Mountain Club, in partnership with DEP which owns the parcel in the towns of Delhi and Bovina. The trail totals about four miles in length and the complete loop visits the 2,817-foot summit with its site of a former fire tower, a beautiful abandoned bluestone quarry, and the impressive cliffs and caves that lie between.

Rankin is doing a presentation on Tuesday, April 21 at 4 p.m. at the Stamford Library, 117 Main St., Stamford, focusing on the history of the Utsayantha fire tower. She will be doing a training for stewards in May. Those interested should go to the website www.nysffla.org and go under contact to register to become a steward. In addition to training, stewards receive a uniform and a booklet containing the details of your fire tower and other educational materials. Everyone receives training.

A field trip at Kane Fire Tower with Northville Central School third grade class with Stewards Pat and Debi Tebano.

Steward Jim Hopson at Kane Fire tower - Jim says "“It's easy to fall into a spirit of negativity. Watch television news, skim social media, read a newspaper...and you come away with a grim and depressing outlook...a hollow view for our world. But wait a minute. Watch, interact, and talk with others. I did so as a volunteer steward on Kane Mountain...and had my faith renewed. She Said 'Yes!' A couple got engaged atop Kane's fire tower.”

Field trip at Kane Fire Tower with the 2025 Northeastern FFLA conference attendees. Steward Jim Hopson with his back to us in the beige shirt under the tower.