WHAT A WAY TO LAUNCH A NEW CHAPTER!

This quarter we are pleased to announce the creation of our 28th U.S. Chapter: North Carolina. Peter Barr, our current N.C. representative is the new Director (pjbarr@unc.edu). A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Peter is a chemical analyst living in Concord, NC. An avid hiker, he is the only person to have climbed all of the mountain peaks above 5,000 feet in the southeast. Having hiked nearly all of the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Pisgah National Forest, he is currently working on his goal to reach the highest point in all 100 N.C. counties.

Since becoming the FFLA-NC representative last year, Peter has done much more than launch a new chapter. Here are some of his accomplishments:

* Researched and wrote a 272-page book just published by John F. Blair, Publisher: "Hiking North Carolina's Lookout Towers". Included are 30 maps and 40 photographs.

* Conducted the first complete fire lookout inventory in 30 years for North Carolina, including all agencies that have (or had) fire towers (six). A working relationship has been established with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

* Barnes & Noble and other bookstores have hosted 24 book-signings and slide show events across the state to date. An FFLA brochure is included with each book purchased.

* Completed four live television interviews, including a special feature on N.C. fire towers on WRAL-TV (Raleigh).

* Interviewed on the radio six times, including NPR-National Public Radio and the North Carolina News Network, syndicated to 24 cities in the state.

* Five of the state's largest newspapers have carried feature stories about NC fire lookouts and his book.

* Arranged with the Carolina Mountain Club, the largest hiking club in the southeast, for incorporation of the "Lookout Tower Challenge", a hiking-based challenge program with an award given for visiting 24 lookouts in western North Carolina.

* Developing a lookout restoration project along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

* An Asheville citizen and nearby outdoor store in Asheville are donating the sale of a kayak to help fund the restoration project (Shuckstack).

* Set an FFLA-NC membership goal of 30 for the first year.

* Scheduled open houses at lookouts in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests hosted by NC-FFLA members in 2008.

* Completed all of the remaining nominations for the National Historic Lookout Register from western North Carolina.

* Created a new chapter website: www.nclookouts.com.

Not a bad start for a new FFLA Director. Welcome Peter, we are proud to have you in the U.S. and world lookout family.

LOOKOUT RESTORATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
At least fourteen chapters have lookout restoration projects under way this year. Many are listed on www.ffla.org. Included are Southern Idaho, Northern Idaho/Montana, Colorado/Utah, Western Washington, Eastern Washington, Oregon, Central California/Nevada, Southern California, New Mexico, Arkansas, North Carolina, New York, and Maine. If I left your chapter or division out, just let me know.

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND A SUMMER FFLA MEETING
Our two summer meetings, western and eastern, are our most popular events and a wonderful way to connect with fellow members. The western meeting is always a big event, and draws folks from as far as the northeastern states every year. Mark September 19-21, Roseburg, Oregon (on I-5 south of Eugene) on your calendar. Howard Verschoor and the Oregon Chapter have a wonderful program set for us. Plans for the eastern meeting have not yet been announced by Eastern Deputy Chairman Bill Price.
I look forward to seeing many of you at these meetings this summer.

Keith A. Argow
CEO/Chairman of the Board
argow@cs.net

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