Prayers Needed
Well one of our fires has really gotten out of hand. We’ve had quite a few here in the North State that have gotten out of hand but now there’s one that fairly close by that is raging. The highway we take to get to the Big City is closed down and my favorite lake has fire coming right at it. There is a really neat 1800’s town that is in mandatory evacuation, and another 1800’s town that could be in danger.
This is when I wish they wouldn’t have dinked around with the fires when they first started and just snuffed them then. I do believe that a “healthy fire” is great, but when it is in the middle of July, there is only disaster waiting to happen. Actually it infuriates me that roads have been closed, logging stopped (mind you, I do not believe in clear cuts, but selective logging), and other enviornmentally dangerous (that’s right, environmentally dangerous, you heard it here first) things have been done around here by the government, namely US Forest Service and BLM. They’re on my list, both entities. It is amazing how those entities are no longer managing the forests and public lands but actually locking the public out of them and letting the brush grow without reduction and therefore leading to ladder fuels that let the fires burn in the crown of the trees where it gets out of hand. Yes, I’ve been there done that. Did you know that my town actually had a out of control “control burn” back in ‘99 when the BLM thought it might be a good idea to continue with a scheduled burn to get rid of a noxious weed on July 2nd on a windy day! Oh yea, my town lost 23 houses and thank God that no one was killed as the fire was very fast moving and utterly devastating. What do we have now? We have brush, and lots of it where the BLM has refused to come in and clean up their mess. Yeah, you might say I have a bias opinion but really I believe they’ve become worthless.
Here’s a direct quote from the BLM’s website: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) might best be described as a small agency with a big mission: To sustain the health, productivity, and diversity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Interesting, then why the gates BLM? Oh, and is a noxious weed (that grew back by the following summer of ‘00) worth the lives of people, animals, and land? Our mountains are still scarred. Do they care? I really don’t think so. And yes, I’m on a rant but this has happened too many times. I pick on the BLM and other government agencies because they seem to think that the land belongs to them and not us as the people. They shut us out, stop the logging which shuts down roads in which we could use to fight the fires and also keeps them in complete power which is what they shouldn’t have. They are here to serve the public, not step on us.
Signing off for now… miffed and upset by the fires. My prayers and thoughts are with those that are being evacuated and all the history that is about to go up in flames.
July 11, 2008 at 7:16 pm
WOW. You have every right to be upset! I’ll be praying for your community and those around it. Keep us posted!
July 11, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Thanks for understanding Marchelle. It is so hard to see your friends and town burnt, especially when they’ve let it go on so long. I know that they can only do so much with the numbers of personnel they have working but usually around here when it gets in the public lands, they just let it go without putting it out even when they can. The Forest Service will actually say that if it is a lightning strike, then it is a natural cause and therefore they will not put it out until it hits private land. Even then it is CalFire aka CDF who puts it out and not Forest Service. Okay, off my soap box… again.
Thanks again for the prayers.
July 12, 2008 at 3:20 am
Hang in there! I’ll be sending prayers and postive thoughts and vibes that the fires ease off quickly without causing anymore damage.
I don’t blame you for ranting either. I’d be doing the same.
Sounds like a great idea might be a Goat Brigade? Herds of managed goats can come in to eat the brush naturally, leaving behind healthy fertilizer, too.
Farmers rent their goats out….sort of like ‘rent-a-goat’. hehe
I saw something about that happening overseas and possibly in the Northern California area and it seemed to really work well.
July 12, 2008 at 7:21 am
Sending my thoughts, a wee prayer and some much needed rain over the pond to you.
Take care and stay safe x
July 12, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I hope they get those fires under control soon and that your friends and neighboring communities come out ok. This is really a scary fire season this year. We have them out of control in our state as well.
July 12, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Yes, you have my prayers and more are on the way. We started a small prayer group at work during our lunch time. Seems lots of people right now need all the prayers they can get. Two people at work have lost their older children lately, very tragic. It seems to be a very early and tough fire season this year. Eastern Washington is on fire now also, 13 homes distroyed so far. Lets all pray for cooler and wetter weather and strength for all of the people fighting those fires.
July 13, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I hope everything is okay. The fires are scary and can be devastating. It would be sad to loose all of those historical places. Mostly, I hope you are safe and out of harm’s way!
July 15, 2008 at 9:48 am
I came across your blog from Chronicles of a Working Mom and must say that I totally agree. We have been dealing with smokey air for over 2 weeks and I’ve had enough.
I’m not sure if we are talking about the same fires in the same state but I believe that your rant was definitely warranted.
I know things might be getting a little better but I will continue my prayers and good thoughts.