The following is the result of conversations with individuals who are currently involved with the Storm King Memorial and activities related to the incident. At the Glade Station, San Juan NF, NSA smokejumper restoration project early in June 2009, the smokejumper volunteers discussed possible involvement at the Storm King / South Canyon site in Glenwood Springs as a future NSA project. The following input was compiled by Bill Ruskin, CJ’58, NSA Colorado Projects Coordinator, who was asked by the Glade crew to provide information. NOTE: Draft II has been vetted by the BLM and the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce.

STORM KING / SOUTH CANYON CHRONOLOGY:

6/15/09 – Googled Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce, (970)-945-6589 x 110. Called and spoke with Lindsey Lewis. Explained the nature of my call. Lindsey said she would talk with her supervisor, Kate Collins, and get back to me.

6/17- Return call from Lindsey. Said Kate Collins is pleased to possibly having smokejumpers involved because the Glenwood Springs Chamber is limited in resources and welcomes NSA support. Lindsey will fax names / numbers of BLM contacts. Also, she will fax a letter the chamber received from Bre Oriasitas, a hotshot crew member who wrote a letter to the Glenwood Springs Chamber regarding signage on I –70 directing travelers to the Storm King Memorial. The contacts Lindsey sent in the email are pasted here, except for the letter which is to be distributed on a “as needed basis only” to protect privacy of the writer. This is at the request of the Glenwood Springs Chamber.

Hi Bill,

I’ve attached David Boyd’s contact info. My boss, Kate Collins, initiated communication with him & with Nancy Shanks from CDOT (Nancy.shanks@dot.state.co.us or 970.385.1428) regarding better signage for the Storm King Memorial & Storm King Memorial Trail. I just faxed over the letter from Bre Oriasitas (a Hot Shot Crew Member from Oregon). Please have a look for your own information, but please do not send the letter on to 3^rd party individuals without letting us know first, just to protect her privacy.

Thank you for taking the reins on this project! It is definitely a memorial that is near and dear to many of our hearts & we should do our best to make it easy for people to locate and access. Please keep us informed of any progress and if you need any additional help or info from us!

Lindsey Lewis

Marketing Project Manager

Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association

1102 Grand Avenue

Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

Phone| 970-945-6589 x110

Fax| 970-945-1531

www.visitglenwood.com

6/18- Talked with David Boyd - He said Kay Hopkins is the coordinator for South Canyon for the BLM and I should call and talk with her. Boyd said that a crew of USFS Hot Shots comes out to train every year and do their training on the trail. I will get more info on this since Boyd didn't have details (no other details at this time). Boyd agrees that signage is a problem- people don't know what exit to get off I-70 to get to Memorial.

6/18 - Called Nancy Shanks at CDOT. On vacation until 6/22.

6/19- Email from Chris Sorenson (Associate) who writes "The View From Outside the Fence" for Smokejumper Magazine). Chris also volunteered on Glade project in '08. Chris asked, "Any idea if that tree has been removed that is blocking the view of the mountain from the Memorial?" My reply, "Don't know - we'll look into it in time." Note: Bre Orcasitas mentions these trees blocking the view in her letter.

6/23- Called Kay Hopkins, Recreation Planner and South Canyon Coordinator, BLM-out of office or in meeting.

6/23- Kay Hopkins returned call.

• I explained nature of call. Kay advised that various hot shot crews and other fire fighting organizations maintain the memorial trail and the fire line (the trail was designed to put people in the shoes of a firefighter and was not intended to be a good, easy public park trail) as part of their training and/or out of respect to the firefighters. The Redding Hot Shots annually do a “staff ride” and one of the stops is Glenwood Springs to work on the memorial trail or the original fire line. Other hot shots also include Glenwood Springs in their training and on their staff rides and work on the memorial trail or the original the line. Cadets from the Wyoming Fire Academy annually use the memorial trail fire line for training while doing maintenance.
• The memorial trail fire line is a very sensitive issue and according to Kay, the BLM does not typically allow for trail projects and/or maintenance projects to trail organizations and/or interest groups except for the fire community. The biggest struggle with the management of the memorial trail and its intended design is to continue to allow for safe public access yet maintain it as a ‘fire line,” while providing the visitor with the targeted experience of being a fire fighter. The maintenance of the trail needs to provide for all of the above yet maintenance activities need to focus on the trails sustainability while preserving the rough and rugged characteristics. The maintenance of the fire line beyond the observation point is to allow the visitors to see the fire line and provide a way to the crosses, yet not disturb the areas around the crosses. This is consistent with the wishes of the families and relatives. This portion of the trail is rugged and is used only for the training of fire fighters. Most visitors only go to the observation point.
• This year (July, 2009) marks the 15^th anniversary of the South Canyon Fire and no special events are planned
• In years to come, work will be required to keep the Gambles Oak from over taking the crosses and over growing the helispot as the oak is rapidly overtaking these sensitive areas. Because of this sensitivity, any work around the crosses and helispot would only be done on the approval of the families and under the direct supervision of the BLM. The line, crosses and helispot will be maintained for the benefit of the families and not the public.
• At this time there is no private group that is really ‘steering the ship’. Family members come and visit the site and some of the old fire fighters who were at Glenwood Springs in 1994 are still around. Don Mackey’s (MSO’87) mom & dad have been very active in coordinating with other family members. This is a very important and sensitive site and the BLM and City of Glenwood Springs want the public to know about it. The storyof the tragic events are being perpetuated through panels at the trailhead and other signage.
• To summarize this telephone conversation,

-The plan is to keep the trail (fire line) in its original rugged condition with minimal improvements.

- Work will be required around the crosses and heli-spot in the future.

- A possible opportunity for the NSA would be to take over the responsibility (on a permanent basis) to coordinate all activities and improvements related to the Storm King / South Canyon incident. This effort will depend largely on the status of the Storm King Memorial Committee. If it is not functioning fully, there is a possibility that the BLM and the families would welcome the involvement of the NSA. In this regard, Kay will meet with Dee Lehman, Law Enforcement Officer who was there at the time of the fire and has worked with the families ever since. Kay will discuss our conversation with Dee and get back to me with further information. (NOTE: No further information received at the time this email is being sent for approval before finalizing the report)

- We concluded our conversation with the understanding that a meeting involving the BLM, the City of Glenwood Springs, and NSA would be welcomed and beneficial to all parties. September would be a good time for a meeting that would also serve as a valuable recon trip for NSA members who have expressed an interest in visiting the site and getting involved.

6/23 - Called Nancy Shanks at CDOT- Left message

6/26 - Called Nancy Shanks at CDOT- Left message

6/29 - Nancy Shanks returned calls.

• Explained nature of call and asked her if she could update me on directional / informational signage on I-70 at Glenwood Springs regarding the Storm King Memorial Park and Observation Point.
• Nancy said that she recalls some exchange of information with Glenwood Springs, but wasn’t sure of current status of the project. Nancy offered to visit with the state traffic folks and will get back to me by email and update me on the directional / information signs.

7/1 – Sent the following email to Nancy Shanks:

Hi Nancy,

We appreciate for your effort on getting the status on directional signing to the Storm King / South Canyon Park & Memorial at Glenwood Springs.

Please forward any current information you are able secure from the CDOT Traffic Division to this email address.

7/1 – Response from Nancy:

Thanks Bill - yes, have a call and e-mail in to our "sign guy" in Grand Junction. I'm back at my own office so will certainly follow up with you,

Nancy Shanks 
CDOT Public Relations 
Regions 3 and 5 
(970) 385-1428 office 
(970) 749-3579 mobile 
(970) 385-1450 fax

7/ 7- Sent an email to Nancy Shanks indicating that I would like to get information from DOT so that I can complete report before July 15.

7/8 – Sent first draft of report (without any information from CDOT) to BLM and Glenwood Chamber of Commerce and asked for their review of report and accuracy.

7/10 - Received the following email response from Lindsey Lewis:

Dear Bill,

Thank you for taking the time to pull this report together – it is very thorough and professional. I understand that working with City & County Governments and other various levels of bureaucracy can be extremely time-consuming, and we know your time is valuable. I appreciated reading your correspondence with both Kay and Nancy. If you need any additional assistance from the team at the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. I am willing to contact Nancy and/or her “sign guy” with CDOT to maintain top-of-mind awareness, please let me know if this would be helpful to you.

I think the timing of this request in conjunction with the 15^th anniversary will help reiterate the importance of this historic tragedy. I was saddened to learn that there was no memorial service or event planned for the anniversary, but if your committee and/or other national committees are interested in organizing a commemorative event in the future, we would be happy to assist and promote it in any way possible.

I thought your synopsis of our conversation was accurate. You have the complete support of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association & please let us know if you need us to approach City Council for anything your volunteer crew may require. Thank you for your initiative on this project as well as your willingness to donate your time and energy to such a good cause.

Kind Regards,

Lindsey Lewis

Marketing Project Manager

Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association

1102 Grand Avenue

Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

Phone| 970-945-6589 x110

Fax| 970-945-1531

www.visitglenwood.com

7/14 – Spoke with David Boyd. Said he was called out to a fire on the CO / UT border and said he and Kay would respond to draft report soonest.

7/14 - Response from David Boyd:

Hi Bill,

Sorry we have not gotten back to you sooner. As I mentioned on the phone, I was called to a fire Wednesday night and just got back today. Kay is in the field this afternoon, so hopefully she can get back to you tomorrow. Some of the description of your conversation with her regarding what is maintained for the public and what is for the families needs to be reviewed by her.

However, if the main goal is to get us all together in the fall to see what opportunities there are for NSA involvement, I'm not sure you need all that detail from Kay in this report. The basic points I think are that this is an important site for the families, firefighters, BLM and the Glenwood community; there may be opportunities for NSA to assist in managing the area; and BLM would be interested in discussing those opportunities further with NSA.

I will leave a hard copy for Kay to review.

Thanks for your interest in this site!

David Boyd

Public Affairs Specialist, Northwest Colorado

Bureau of Land Management

50629 Highway 6 & 24

Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

7/15 – Response from Kay:

Bill,

Attached is your notes with a few comments/corrections on it that I did. Please call me with any questions. I did talk to our local FMO and he thought that we should also talk to folks at NIFC. But the bottom line is that the GSFO is in charge of the trail and maintenance activities. And we will continue to coordinate all of that work. We would welcome any assistance there.

We also need to ensure that as interpretive panels and/or other memorial infrastructure (both at the BLM and the Park) is kept

In good shape and that we have a plan to maintain and replace as needed.

I have not been able to talk to Dee Lehman about the trail yet but will do so this next Friday after a scheduled staff meeting.

I think you have a lot of good ideas captured in your documents from

signage on the highway to removing the tree at the park that’s in front of the interp. sign, to assisting in the trail.

Thanks for your interest and help.

Kay Hopkins

Outdoor Recreation Planner

Bureau of Land Management

Glenwood Springs Field Office

50629 Highways 6 & 24

Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

(970) 947-2812

7/15/09- Received following from Nancy Shanks, CDOT

Hi Bill,

I’ve yet to hear back….trying again.

Thanks for your patience,

Nancy

7/15/09 - NOTE: All corrections / additions / deletions made by Kay Hopkins were included in the original Word Doc which is attached to this email. The report was concluded on this date as DRAFT II. At this time there has been no response from CDOT regarding signage. Also, Kay Hopkins will advise on the status of the Storm King Memorial Committee after she has had a opportunity to meet with Dee Lehman, Law Enforcement Officer, BLM.

Respectfully prepared by Bill Ruskin, CJ’58, July 15, 2009