Sedalia – Five mules lashed together snaked their way along a steep trail, past aspen and a sea of pines in the Pike National Forest last week.
Their mission: carry down hundreds of pounds of garbage accumulated at the fire watchtower on the pillars above the Pike National Forest. The job would otherwise require a helicopter or a platoon of Forest Service workers.
No doubt, America owes a lot to the government mule, says Glenn Ryan, the lead packer.
“These are the guys who really tamed the West,” Ryan said, straddled atop a horse at the head of the string. “They built this country; people don’t realize how much the mule helped the U.S become the U.S.”
The beasts, however, may soon face the burden of federal budget cuts. Reductions in spending have affected everything from patrol officers to garbage pickup, while the U.S. Forest Service looks at selling off ranger stations, offices and public land to help stem the red ink.
The mules certainly seem to pull their own weight.
A team of 11 mules that lives on the Forest Service’s A.G. Ranch in Shawnee keeps a full schedule on forestlands in five states – Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska.
Mules can do the work of a team of men at a fraction of the cost, all the while keeping the growl of motors out of wilderness areas. A mule can tote up to 250 pounds and keep a steady 3 mph pace up rugged terrain.
The Colorado mules have helped build trails and bridges, delivering timber, food and other supplies. They haul everything from gravel for roads to live fish to stock lakes and streams.
They also are reliable allies to firefighters during wildfires, toting in supplies and, when the fires are snuffed, toting out dead trees.
Ryan, who has been in the saddle for the Forest Service since 1975, has never seen a mule killed in the line of duty.
“A mule is more intelligent than most of the people working with them,” he said. “They’re not going to get themselves hurt. You can push horses into a lot of bad stuff; you’re not going to do that with a mule.”
The South Platte Ranger District, based in Morrison, foots the $180,000 annual cost for the mule team, offering the service free to other forest districts.
Terry McCann, spokesman for the South Platte district, said the program isn’t known to be on the chopping block as Congress continues to work on the budget, but other districts may have to share in the cost next year.
“I don’t see it (the mule program) going away,” he said, as he shoveled manure from the back of the mule trailer on Thursday. “It’s a very valuable program, and it’s an important one. But we may have to look at how we pay for it.”
Other agencies, in fact, are turning to the old ways to save future dollars.
In June, the National Park Service switched from helicopters to pack mules in order to deliver supplies to a seasonal firefighters camp in Arizona’s Saguaro National Park.
The greatest threat to the program may be a lack of human know-how. Finding new service recruits and seasonal help with experience tending livestock is no easy feat, Ryan said.
“We have trouble finding people who can drive a stick shift” these days, he said.
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-820-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
