RAF GRANTS FUNDS FOR REPAIRS TO ALASKA USFS CABIN

RAF Alaska/Michigan Ambassador Rob Aho and Alaska Liaison Jeff DeFreest and his wife Ambassador Kari DeFreest were awarded an RAF grant toward reconstruction and repairs at the US Forest Service Black Bear Cabin on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. The fly-in cabin is 50 air miles west-northwest of Ketchikan and provides hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing opportunities within Tongass National Forest. “This is a unique remote recreational experience with pristine solitude in an above-timberline mountainous setting,” Aho said. Due to limited Forest Service resources, the cabin had fallen victim to deferred maintenance.

This grant will enable another cooperative project with the USFS. “This is an opportunity for the RAF to further develop our partnership with the USFS, following the successful work completed at Heckman Lake,” Aho said. “The resounding success from that partnership will continue and will hopefully lead to future projects,” he added. 

USFS Cabin and Trail Manager Devan Collier will oversee the work, and RAF volunteers will remain on site throughout the multi-day project, some in tents, accessible by skiff from the cabin. Cooking facilities are very limited, and Kari DeFreest is managing provisioning and preparation of crew meals in this extremely remote location where all supplies must be flown in. 

Crews will repair the front porch, outhouse, chimney system, entryway and rear window. They will brush out around the cabin and stairs, install an RAF fire ring and a fire extinguisher. If time permits, they will reconstruct trails using lakeshore on-site gravel and repurposed lumber from demolition work, and repair the existing skiff haul out winch.

For more information on Black Bear see the Airfield Guide.

Submitted on May 23, 2025.