Te Rendezvous Winter 2020 The Rendezvous The Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Forest Service Association R o s Volume 7 - Number 1 R c r o k e n ck y e io y M n iat ou M ai oc nta ount Ass in Forest Service Celebrating Allen Peck In this Issue From the Chairman 4 Memorial Grove at 6 100 THE Glossary 10 The Traveling 14 Mountaineers What’s a Seed 19 Drone? Flyin’ Smokey 21 New Acting Boss 23 “Colonel” Alen Peck, District 2’s second Forester. Free Money 25 Jim Ficke Profile 26 With the end of World War I, He started his long and varied leadership changes came to forestry career in 1902 as a Remembrances 31 District 2. In February 1920, a student assistant of a survey month after Smith Riley party in the state of Maine. The Last Word 35 officially retired, Chief Forester Greeley appointed Allen S. Peck The following year, Gifford as District 2’s second Forester. Pinchot assigned him to a crew “The official newsletter of Allen Peck, or “Colonel” Peck, making preliminary the Rocky Mountain Forest was a graduate of Union College investigations in the Sand Hill Service Association, in Schenectady, New York, and region of western Nebraska to the Rocky Mountaineers.” the University of Michigan’s establish planting programs Editions are published Fall, School of Forestry. thereon. Winter, and Spring and posted on-line. (continued on Page 2) Page !1 Te Rendezvous Winter 2020 (continued fom Page 1) Like many of the first foresters, Peck's career took steps in a wonderful jaunt that took me by easy him through the Halsey Nursery in Nebraska. stages to the Rocky Mountains where I was introduced to a Forest Reserve, then to New From a Giford Pinchot and the Old Timers blog, Mexico, Arizona, California, and finally back to Peck wrote, "Leaving my Washington through the home at Batavia, New South.” York on July 1 (1903), I went to Nebraska as After returning from this Student Assistant, assignment, Pinchot reporting at Halsey to engaged him as a forest Charley Scott, after assistant in Forest completing the last Extension with a pay of section of the railroad $1,000 per annum. For the trip from Broken Bow first few years, he worked on a freight train." Peck in Pennsylvania and New continues, "The nursery York, preparing planting and field planting plans for the Lehigh Coal project at Halsey was and Navigation Company, well under way. I found which had lands in Monroe, there a gang of young Carbon, and Schuylkill foresters, including Counties, Pennsylvania, "Hoss" Stabler, Tom and for the Great Bear Swan, Krauter, Mast, Regional Forester Colonel Alen S. Peck on horseback in Spring Company in Oswego Bridges and June 1941 in the Bear Creek area on the Rio Grande NF. Photo County, New York. After a Holroyd....Here, between courtesy of the National Museum of Forest Service History. brief stint studying planting the the Dismal and the opportunities in Ohio and Loup and along the Niobrara, we saw the beginnings Indiana, Peck was stationed in Washington, D.C., of that great job of forest creation that has grown to where he became Chief of Cooperation under the be such a comfort and inspiration to the people of Office of Forest Extension. the sand hills country, and a monument to that early group of foresters who were pricked by the urge to In 1909, he transferred to Albuquerque, New tackle the hardest jobs first--men who took their Mexico, as District 3’s Chief of Planting. In New love of trees to the prairies and plains and could not Mexico, he conducted cooperative planting and be satisfied until they had tried to make forests nursery studies with state universities, and even where there were none. took part in a watershed project on the Las Animas National Forest (Administrative Notes 1951: No. 6). To me this summer of 1903 was a second and very important chapter in my training for forestry. I was Noted for his political abilities and his public introduced for the first time to the cattle country of relations skills, Allen Peck rose to become District the West, to the chuck wagon, and the saddle horse, 3’s Assistant District Forester (USDA Forest Service and stock saddle as a daily habit. I learned a lot 1906b, 1907b, 1908, 1909c). At his next stop, from about the fine points of the cow horse, the 1914 until the outbreak of World War I in April 1917, rattlesnake, the transit and stadia rod, and he was an inspector in the Division of Operation in developed an interest in nursery work and tree the Washington Office of the Forest Service. planting that has always remained strong. These two months in the sand hills of Nebraska were the first (continued on Page 3) Page !2 Te Rendezvous Winter 2020 (continued fom Page 2) Upon his return to America, Greeley appointed him as District 2 Forester, where one of the tests of Peck’s administrative skills was to reorganize and maintain District 2 in the face of federal budget allocations that made it necessary to reduce personnel numbers during the post-World War I years. Peck served as Rocky Mountain District 2 Forester under Chief Foresters Greeley and Stuart. On May 1, 1929, the agriculture secretary approved a change in the official designation of the nine districts of the Forest Service from “districts” into “regions” in order to avoid confusion with ranger districts. Peck-Hilton Family on the Medicine Bow National Forest District 2 was renamed Region 2: Rocky Mountain 1931. Region, which had responsibility for Colorado, most of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and western He then had twenty-two months of service overseas Oklahoma for a short time (Godfrey 2005: 220). with the 20th Forestry Engineers of the American Peck thereafter served under Chief Stuart, and later Expeditionary Force (AEF) from 1917 to 1919 under Chief Forester Ferdinand A. Silcox and Acting (Administrative Notes 1951: No. 6). Chief Forester Earle H. Clapp as Region 2’s As a commissioned officer, Major Peck (later Forester. In December 1943, Peck retired in the Lieutenant Colonel) served alongside Majors Henry midst of World War II. S. Graves and William B. Greeley in the Department of Construction and Forestry. This was the first time that foresters had ever figured in an American military unit, where they got Editor’s Note: Much of the above article is found in production of lumber restarted and then supplied From Prairies to Peaks - a history of the Rocky Mountain Region of the U.S. Forest the AEF with that resource (Guthrie, et. al. 1940). Service, by Anthony Godfey - published in October, During his period of service, Colonel Peck was 2012. Pages 150-152. awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and also was presented with the Legion of Honor Cross by the French government (Administrative Notes 1951: No. 6). How To Contact Rocky Mountaineers Website - www.rockymountaineers.us E-mail - [email protected] Editor of Newsletter - Dave Steinke, [email protected], 720-289-7621 Website Manager - Bill Disbrow, [email protected], 303-548-7501 E-Mail Manager - Johnny Hodges, [email protected], 970-226-6890 Memorial Grove - Steve Deitemeyer, [email protected], 303-456-0799 or TomThompson, [email protected], 303-933-2135 Membership & Others - P.O. Box 270462, Fort Collins, CO 80527 Page !3 Te Rendezvous Winter 2020 Hello from the Chair Another year has • Encouraging local groups to either initiate or ended and a new one continue ongoing efforts to connect informally has begun. I feel for lunch or other opportunities and gatherings. honored to be the Ensuring there is opportunity for others who Chair of the Rocky • have special interest in the Rocky Mountain Mountaineers and Region to also stay actively connected. able to work with a group of folks I highly respect. This Helping retirees “give back” to the outfit through organization has a lot education and support to the resources and of dedicated communities that defined their lives, and to other individuals who make retirees and Forest Service families needing special us run like clockwork. support. All the Area Improving the overall participation, ownership, and Bob Sprental - chairman of the Representatives are support of the Memorial Grove and ensuring that all Rocky Mountaineers. making contacts with Region 2 folks deserving of remembrance are Districts, Forests and appropriately honored. other units to see how we as an organization can be a part of activities that will be of a benefit. Our board Keeping association administration effective, simple, members and committee chairs do an outstanding job professional, and designed to ensure a sustainable to make sure we are financially sound and involved vibrant organization that represents retirees with regional and national activities. throughout the entire region and keeps them connected regionally and nationally. It is my focus this year to put a spotlight on our mission for the Rocky Mountaineers. For those who Our flagship emphasis is our scholarships and have not gone to our web site, I have provided that Memorial Grove. This year we are offering four statement: scholarships of which two of them are designated for those pursuing a degree or path in natural resources. Also, this is the 100th anniversary of the Mission or Purpose establishment of the Memorial Grove. I would The overall mission of this Association is to enrich encourage you to attend this service. and add value to the lives of Forest Service retirees If you know of individuals who are doing things who care greatly about the agency and the Rocky outlined in our mission by volunteering, part of civic Mountain Region by: organizations, or fulfilling a lifelong dream please let me or your area representative know so we can get it • Enhancing the connectivity of retirees, spouses, into the our newsletter.