Articles Tagged With: Wildland Fire
U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, facing the prospect of jail time over the Forest Service's use of a fire retardant that kills fish, told U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula Tuesday, "I'm sorry."
"We're beyond the point of making excuses," Rey said, "and there's no way to put a positive face on the fact that we dropped the ball."
But Rey and the Forest Service were trying to prove -- and will continue to do so Wednesday when the hearing continues -- that the agency is not in contempt of the law and has, in good faith, complied with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness areas as places “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.” If you take that definition for what it is, as I do, you will likely conclude that mining is prohibited in designated wilderness areas. Imagine my bewilderment, then, at the proposal for Rock Creek Mine, which calls for digging and blasting under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness of northwest Montana. A mine in a federally designated wilderness area? But silly me—the mine isn’t in the wilderness, it’s under it. And thanks to the 1872 mining law, that’s permitted. Here I thought the ground I was hiking on, all of it, all the way down to the earth’s core, was protected.
www.SaveOurCabinets.org
Here comes September and, with it (hopefully), "season ending events" -- the cooler temperatures and rains we need to finally snuff out the wildfires of a long, hot and smoky summer. A preview may come tonight for parts of Western Montana with an approaching front and a good chance of thunderstorms.
What's still burning? Click "more" for a roundup.
It's been a productive few days on the Black Cat fire burning near Evaro northwest of Missoula.
Sunday, crews has the fire 60 percent contained, up from the 35 percent the day before. By Monday night, the fire had solid containment line around 70 percent of it -- including on the northeast side, where homes had been threatened just a few days before.
The fire is holding at 11,754 acres and crews are mostly "mopping up and looking for hot spots," said fire information officer Marian Swinney.
Northeast of Missoula, crews were also making headway on the 34,932-acre Jocko Lakes fire west of Seeley Lake.
More updates on Montana fires after the jump ...
Montana fires had an active weekend, but for the most part, containment lines held through -- in some places -- red-flag winds.
Most of the weekend action came in Western Montana, namely on the fires south of Missoula. On the Sawmill Complex south of I-90 and the Rock Creek area, the Fisher Point fire flared up Saturday on its east flank, prompting the Granite County Sheriff to call for mandatory evacuations in the upper Willow Creek area.
But, no other new evacuations were ordered over the weekend and pre-evacuation notices were lifted near the Black Cat fire burning near Evaro, which was quiet again Sunday.
Update: Blaine County Schools, with the exception of Carey, will NOT open tomorrow as planned. They will be closed on Monday and Tuesday and possibly open on Wednesday.
The morning briefing on the 25,960-acre Castle Rock Fire, burning near Ketchum, Idaho, noted winds will blow again today and the 1200+ firefighters and 11 helicopters now here will work diligently through the day and the dozens of structure firefighters from around the state will do their utmost to catch the flying embers before anyone's house is toasted.
No houses or structures of any kind have been lost as of midmorning Sunday and no serious injuries have occurred.
The fire's southeast corner surged ahead Saturday afternoon when westerly winds picked up and blew the fire through a bulldozed containment line and into Cow Creek, west of Limekiln. A small fire 'spotted' –blew- into the west side of Limekiln Gulch and while it's still smoldering, fire managers' attention is focused on that southeast corner in particular.
Blaine County's East Fork neighborhood was ordered evacuated early Saturday evening because Sunday's high winds are capable of 'spotting' live embers as much as two miles ahead of the firelines and the East Fork neighborhood has only one way in and out.
Updated 11:00 a.m. Hotter, drier weather and gusty winds hit fires in Western Montana Sunday afternoon, sending familiar smoke columns into the skies and forcing the evacuation of homes near the Fisher Point fire, burning about 20 miles southeast of Missoula.
The Fisher Point fire, part of the Sawmill Complex south of I-90 and the Rock Creek area, flared up Saturday on its east flank, prompting the Granite County Sheriff to call for mandatory evacuations in the upper Willow Creek area. Total, the complex of four fires grew 1,400 acres Saturday.
Near Wisdom, a column of smoke visible from Highway 93 rose Saturday from the 19,500-acre Rat Creek fire, and in the Bitterroot Valley, the Rombo fire threw up two plumes. No evacuations were ordered Saturday on either fire.
After a quiet week, the weather brought new life to fires, but in most places, the break gave crews a chance to get prepared for the increased activity and containment numbers have continued to rise on the state's largest fires. More updates after the jump.
The 18,000-acre Castle Rock Fire is threatening the town of Ketchum, Idaho, and is now the top priority fire in the nation. Earlier today, a pre-evacuation advisory went out to all West Ketchum residents.
SunValleyOnline.com is keeping tabs on the fire with updates throughout the day. Click here for the latest information plus podcasts and video.
Also, a few folks on Flickr have posted some impressive photos of the blaze. Click here for a sample.
All week Montana fires have been quiet and much of the smoke has blown away. Most evacuation orders have been lifted a handful of the blazes are nearly fully contained. However, this weekend could bring windier and drier conditions, and some of the fire lines constructed across Montana this week may be tested.
Click "more" for the status of all the large fires burning across Montana.
Cooler temperatures and the lingering effects of the rain that fell on many Montana fires earlier in the week are keeping things calm around the state. Containment percentages are creeping up and all eyes are on the forecast to see if and when the fires will get dried back out and stirred back up.
Click "more" for the status of all the large fires burning across Montana.
