RAF Supporter Ed Kronfuss took on the logistics challenge and procured the posts and rails in Lincoln, Montana. Since no power tools are permitted in the Wilderness, Kronfuss had the posts and rails trucked to the Missoula airport where volunteers pre-drilled them for easier assembly. Daher-Kodiak provided the Kodiak 100 to haul the prepared posts to Moose Creek; and the USFS Shorts Sherpa carried the fence rails.
USFS-RAF FENCE PROJECT UNDERWAY AT MOOSE CREEK, ID
“It was eye opening to witness how completely the Forest Service entrusted the RAF to plan, prepare, and airlift heavy materials into Moose Creek Ranger Station to replace hundreds of feet of fence,” RAF Supporter Tom Jensen said, as he pitched in with other volunteers to help replace jackleg fence at the Idaho USFS airstrip in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.
The Moose Creek US Forest Service log ranger station was built in the 1920s as a fire-fighting base, becoming a supply and management center for more than 50 lookout towers in the Selway-Bitterroot region. Because of the Wilderness designation, the Forest Service transports equipment and supplies for the ranger station and lookouts primarily by mule teams. Naturally, livestock needs fencing, and the original fences were in need of replacement.
Working under USFS direction, as many as 21 RAF volunteers arrived at the airstrip and removed and replaced 1,260 feet of fence. Early October can be wintery at this 2,450 elevation, but the crews enjoyed shirt-sleeve temperatures, and all tent camped for the four days it took to pull down the old fence and erect the almost quarter mile of new. “It was like the Egyptians showed up with all the pyramid builders. I’ve been in construction for 35 years and have never seen so much progress in such a short time,” Kronfuss said.
“Everyone in the work party participated where they saw fit, and the work flowed with the many hands. There was a lot of sweat and digging in by all,” Jensen said. Non-pilot volunteer Jim Maurus described it as, “An amazing opportunity where a self-guided team all worked well to accomplish a lot, ‘fueled’ by cooks Fred and Alex.”
RAF President Bill McGlynn explains that in 1980 recreation was added to the list of functions of Moose Creek. “Pilots found a treasure in the backcountry to take family and friends camping, hiking, and fishing. About 500 GA airplanes make Moose Creek a camping destination every year,” he says.
“What a great group of resources on both sides of this project – civilian aviators and Forest Service working together,” Jensen added.
“This was an amazing collaboration of our volunteers and the Forest Service,” said McGlynn. “Volunteers just rolled up their sleeves and started working. Everyone found some new muscles and also found some new friends. People came from all over the Pacific Northwest, Montana, Idaho and as far as California to participate and we couldn’t have done this without them,” McGlynn said.
Submitted on October 27, 2023
By Carmine Mowbray
Posted in News
Recent Posts
“The only people who can change something are the ones who really want to. And not everybody does.” When I read this, it took me back to the early days of the RAF. We saw a troubling trend taking place — the loss of airstrips across the country with no real organized voices to help put the brakes on the decline. And we really wanted to change that. Change demanded new ideas from us. Ideas that we assumed would initially be resisted. This defined our purpose. Good ideas come with the burden of effort and purpose. That separates those with a strong purpose from those without. We wanted to create an organization that would counteract the attrition of backcountry airstrips we saw taking place. We rolled up our sleeves and didn’t look back. Easy to say now that the RAF was lucky, but it was purpose that drove the organization in the early years; that really formed who we are today. A group of people with a purpose who knew we needed more people who thought like we did, and cared; people who took this idea called the RAF and added to it, keeping it unique but effective. We felt that most of the existing business models in the nonprofit space were not what we needed to be, and we pushed forward persistently with our thinking – thinking that required putting our own personal desires aside and pursuing ones that were for a greater good. You joined in. You, too, found purpose in the RAF and now look where we are. Nearly 15,000 of us are making the necessary sacrifices to make our voices heard, to create a better environment for the future of recreational aviation. We have more opportunities today because of you. Each one of us is important to continue the momentum we have gained. To determine what the RAF can do to further our mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. To prioritize the many opportunities coming our way. It is about us, and what we are going to do with the time we have left on this earth. This organization will hopefully give you purpose now and in the future. Most importantly, I really hope it will give you as much sense of accomplishment as it has me. Thank you for what you continue to do. - John McKenna, RAF Chairman Submitted April 15, 2026
FEATURING: THE RAF DOG COLLECTION MODELED BY JOSIE & MUD Outfit your four-legged co-pilot for every adventure! From airplane rides to backcountry trails, this collection has everything they need to travel in comfort and style. Featuring two new additions—a stainless steel Orvis dog bowl and DawgMuffs—alongside RAF favorites like the collar, leash, and bandana. This collection includes items designed and created by RAF supporters. Shop the Dog Collection here. If you have questions, please email contact@theraf.org or call 406-582-1723. Your RAF Outfitter purchase is greatly appreciated and furthers the mission to preserve, improve, and create airstrips for recreational access. You can support the RAF mission all year by shopping at the RAF Outfitter online store. Products are being added regularly, and items are thoughtfully selected for durability and suitability for pilots, by pilots. We welcome photos of supporters using RAF gear! Please send your images to ewhite@theraf.org , and let us know if we have permission to post them on social media or our website. Submitted April 5, 2026.
Call To Action Volunteer
As you're planning your 2026 flying adventures, remember to review safety briefings for the airstrips you plan to visit. The RAF strongly recommends you review safety briefings and print a copy to have in your airplane - it's even required to fly into some airfields, like Ryan Field (2MT1). For those airfields, pilots flying in are required to review the briefing on an annual basis, and now is the perfect time to catch up on any changes to the runway/area that happened throughout the winter. You can find safety briefings on the RAF Airfield Guide . If an airfield in the Airfield Guide has a required briefing, the airfield listing will clearly indicate it and have a tab to view the briefing. Submitted March 30, 2026 Photo By Jim Stevenson
RAF Texas volunteers and Ranger Airfield Foundation volunteers helped begin restoration of the historic 1928 Ranger Airfield hangar on March 28. “A Wright biplane landed here at the field in 1911, and people have been using it ever since,” Ranger Airfield Foundation Founder Jared Calvert said. He noted that Amelia Earhart landed there in a Pitcairn Auto Gyro. Richard Bach, Pancho Barnes, and General Patton also landed at the field. It’s the oldest continuously used turf field in Texas.
