Thursday, July 23, 2009

Stratton Mountain Fire Tower Gets Makeover

The President's economic stimulus will help fund a facelift for the historic Stratton Mountain fire tower.

The money's being released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Brattleboro Reformer Newspaper reports that some 657 thousand dollars will be shared among the Stratton Mountain tower rehabilitation and other projects in the National Forest located in Addison, Bennington and Rutland Counties. The Stratton Mountain fire towerr is one of only two left in the National Forest from the 1920s and 30s. At that time, the towers were built to help protect the land from unregulated operations. The money's part of an even bigger package of about three and a half million dollars in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. Vermont is in line to accept the money for trail, dam and ecosystem projects in the Green Mountain National Forest.