A crowd of several hundred people, many with deep ties to the U.S. Forest Service, gathered on Friday morning for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening of the National Conservation Legacy Center, which is on the National Museum of Forest Service History campus not far from the Missoula airport.
Andy Mason, the president of the museum's board of directors, was ecstatic as he roamed about the cavernous new building, greeting old friends.
He had a long career in the U.S. Forest Service, and he hopes the new center will be a magnet for tourists from across the globe.
"We see us as a stellar national attraction right off Interstate 90 between Glacier and Yellowstone," he said. "Also, there is now a Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library that just opened in North Dakota. I visualize people going here and there or in reverse and experiencing the conservation story."
Mason credited the effort of executive director Lisa Tate in getting the new center over the finish line.
"She fabricated some of these exhibits in her shop at her home in Florence," he said. "And then came here, pulled it all together and it's incredible."
Barry Hicks spent 40 years with the U.S. Forest Service, retiring as a division aviation officer in Missoula. He was one of the many visitors who were awed by the new center.
He said he's part of the National Smokejumper Association, which made a $100,000 donation to the facility, so he was glad to see it come to fruition.
Tom Chung, an architect who led the team that designed the new facility, said it was meant to provide visitors with inspiration as they walk through it.
"I became just one of the visitors, soaking in the rich, diverse stories of dedication and the teamwork of the U.S. Forest Service," he said. "Inspiring stories of success and also lessons learned from trial and error, but all with the goal towards conservation of our forests and grasslands. And in the words of Gifford Pinchot, for the greatest good, for the greatest number of people, for the long run, for the generations to come."
Many aspects of the building showcase sustainable building design elements.
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy sent a statement about the new center, saying too few Americans understand how the Forest Service serves them and has served them in the past. The statement was read by one of his aides.
"With this new facility, we now have a repository that will bring to light the abundance of heroic stories in the facility and the Forest Service history, particularly in wildfire," the aide read to the crowd. "From the Great Fire of 1910 to Mann Gulch to the recent fires in Colorado, the men and women of the Forest Service have stepped up generation after generation to protect our communities and natural resources, and their stories are worth preserving."
The new center is located at 6305 U.S. Highway 10 West, just west of the Missoula airport.
For more information visit online at ForestService-Museum.org.
David Erickson is the business reporter for the Missoulian.
