Push on to rehabilitate historic forest fire lookout tower

GLORIETA, N.M. – Santa Fe National Forest officials hope to preserve an historic fire lookout tower and offer it for public use.

The Glorieta tower located about 10 miles (16 kilometres) east of Santa Fe has long been decommissioned. But a booster group for the forest has begun raising up to $100,000 to rehabilitate the tower for rental use.

Forest archaeologist Mike Bremer says fixing up the tower would allow people to see what it was like when it was built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Bill Zunkel of the non-profit Friends of the Santa Fe National Forest told KRQE-TV (https://goo.gl/37142G ) the tower needs protection from lightning and other weather conditions. Brenner says he hopes it can be refitted with observation equipment used by lookouts to spot and report fires.