June 19, 2023 10:50 a.m.   

The Douglas Forest Protective Association has erected a new Mount Scott camera detection tower.

Mount Scott was selected as the prime location for the association’s very first lookout tower, back in 1912.

At 4,250 feet, from this location the Calapooia and Hinkle Creek drainages can be seen, along with Ben Moore Mountain, and all the way to the north end of the county. Looking south reveals the North Umpqua River, Glide, Little River and the Cavitt Creek areas. Westward is the Lower Calapooia Creek drainage, Oakland, Sutherlin and Roseburg. To the east, Rock Creek, the upper North Umpqua River area, and across the east boundary of the Douglas District into the Umpqua National Forest are all visible.

With aging and technological advancements, the lookout has been rebuilt several times over the years. It was retired as a staffed lookout tower and upgraded to a camera detection tower in the early 2,000s.

A temporary tower was erected and utilized after the 2020 Archie Creek Fire, which burned through the area.

DFPA Public Information Officer Rachel Pope said the organization would like to thank the landowner Roseburg Resources for allowing them to continue utilizing the area. Pope said special recognition goes to DFPA’s own Scott Jackson who pioneered the camera detection system from the beginning. Scott has been with the association since the 1980s and is the lead Detection Camera Technician. He continues to climb, install, and maintain the current detection camera network for several districts, along with DFPA.

Pictures are posted with this story at www.541radio.com.