Sunday Morning MODIS and a Proposal...

(click to enlarge)

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July 27, 2008 about 8 am...

I know that people are beginning to lose interest in this fire... we all want to just get on with it and put this behind us.

But it's important to remember:

1. that this fire is not over yet,
   
2. the future of wildfire in our area is fairly predictable.
   
3. though the  danger posed by wildfire within the National Forest has been mitigated for a few years, we still have enormous potential for wildfire in the outlying residential areas of Big Sur, Carmel Valley Village, Jamesburg and Cachagua; and, 
   
4. climate change - global warming - may make prolonged drought and the risk of fire a rule.
   

The question before us as a community is: 

Can we live with the social, economic, ecological and personal disruption and tragedy that massive wildfire brings to our area... about every ten years or so? If not, shall we work together over the long term to effect USFS Forest Management policy in Los Padres National Forest?

There some facts that make this question more relevant than at other times:

• Climate change may cause the wildfire season to arrive much earlier and stay a bit later.
  
• The U.S. Forest Service budget is under extreme duress due to firefighting expenses... essentially, the USFS is - financially speaking - eating itself from within by cannibalizing the budget of its other programs, which include forest management and wildfire mitigation.
  
• While the next federal administration may bring change, regardless of who is elected, the legacy of the current administration leaves a tough card to be dealt (to either McCain - who has experience with wildfire in his home state of Arizona - or Obama). The Iraq War, the state of Medicare and Social Security, the state of the economy, the principal and interests we owe to China, the fall of the dollar and dependence on oil put "emergencies" on a first come, first served basis.
• The government may not be able to help us except in an emergency, like the fire, and their resources may be strained or spread out, as we saw when this fire season began.

These fires combined, will cost us - as taxpayers - more than $150 million dollars. Should we not attempt to devise a locally-sourced approach - one that involves periodic, sensible wildlands management - rather than disgorging massive funds every ten years or so?

From the Los Angeles Times, July 27 2008:

"Wildfire costs are busting the Forest Service budget. A decade ago, the agency spent $307 million on fire suppression. Last year, it spent $1.37 billion.

Fire is chewing through so much Forest Service money that Congress is considering a separate federal account to cover the cost of catastrophic blazes.

In California, state wildfire spending has shot up 150% in the last decade, to more than $1 billion a year."

If we as a community, formed a working group do study and understand the implications, options and limits of issues such as firebreak maintenance and periodic prescribed burns in the Los Padres National Forest (LPNF), AND WE FORMULATED A RECOMMENDATION from a citizens' group, in the form of a report, to the U.S. Forest Service - LPNF, we could perhaps effect the way our "local" national forest is managed.

If there is a future for this WebLog - Life in the Fire Lane - then perhaps it might be as a voice advocating for such a citizens' group?

If you are willing to be a part of bringing together a community group, the goal of which, over the course of a few years, will be to recommend to the USFS - LPNF a Forest Management Plan that protects our local economy, property and the quality of our watershed, feel free to email me: kellyeo@mac.com or call: (831) 659-2320 or (650) 533-1010 cell. I'll use what resources I have to assist in bringing together those who are interested in working together.

There is a precedent for such action, by the way, in Idaho, which I shall write about, here, in the near future. And, I believe that we have allies politically here in the State of California, who would support a sensible community approach develop from a citizens' group.

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Some key points from InciWeb... why there still danger...

• Containment remains at 85% as of today (still a' ways from 100% - KEO)
  
• Intense backing fire of interior fuels in the upper Carmel River and Arroyo Seco drainages occurred. Other interior pockets of fuel continued to burn. Containment lines held.
  
• Critically dry fuels conditions still exist with the potential for extreme fire behavior. 
  

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Jim's comments about MODIS:

A cool, humid night. The fog is back. Even so, there was a fair amount of burning north, NW, and NE of Miller Mountain. There are no other new hotspots.

InciWeb’s “planned actions” for today is written in the past tense, so it’s hard to tell if any more burnouts are planned for today: “Crews continued to improve containment lines and complete burnout operations of interior islands. Significant progress was made on rehab in the Indians Fire and rehab operations continued on the East Basin Fires. Most of the hand line on the East Basin has been rehabbed.“

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Thanks, Pete!!

Thanks so much to Warren "Pete" Poitras, Director of the Carmel Valley Fire Protection District, for this link to a story and some extraordinary pictures of the firefight in the backcountry. The story is on the Carmel Valley Rotary website under "Press Releases" and it really warrants a visit!!