Barfoot Park, long loved by birders, herpetologists, boy scouts, and hikers in the Chiricahua Mountains, has been designated a National Natural Landmark in a directive signed yesterday by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. It joins 590 other locations which have received this honor since the program … Continue readingBarfoot Now a National Natural Landmark
Amy Stirrup brought this website to my attention: http://www.azein.gov. It has more complete information on the three raging Arizona wildfires than can be found on inciweb. The Monument Fire, in particular, has been frustratingly difficult to learn about. Another very interesting website monitors drought across … Continue readingValuable Websites on Fire and Drought
During disaster, people come together. We connect more deeply with each other. And the disastrous big fires raging in Arizona are no exception. Our friends are invaluable, as we stand together and nurture each other during crisis. From my farflung net of friends come a … Continue readingCommunity
The meterologist at today’s fire briefing said that winds will again blow today at 20-25 mph, creating squirrelly conditions in some of the canyons, especially in West Turkey Creek and Pinery. Heat is increasing and will be over 90º today, with extremely low relative humidity … Continue readingAnd the Fire Burns On
Smoke from two regions of the Horseshoe Two Fire on 11 June 2011. To the left is smoke from the West Turkey Creek area; to the right, from Whitetail Canyon. (Photos by Narca) Firefighters confronting the Horseshoe Two Fire in Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains continue to … Continue readingThe Summer of Fire
At last night’s community meeting with the fire team, Rich Harvey (an incident commander) emphasized the extremes which the firefighters are encountering in their dealings with the Horseshoe Two fire––unprecedented in his 32 years of experience. (Very likely, firefolk on the Wallow and Murphy Complex … Continue readingExtremes
by Wynne Brown, Guest Author All hell broke loose soon after I sent my last update. The wind picked up to 50-60 mph gusts that afternoon and blew so hard that it was hard to stand upright. The light in the Grills’ barnyard turned copper, … Continue readingWhitetail Canyon: a Firsthand Account
Walt Anderson is a long-time friend and fellow artist who teaches at Prescott College. He was in Chiricahua National Monument when the Horseshoe Two Fire jumped containment lines at Saulsbury Saddle and raged through Rustler and Barfoot Parks. His photos document that awesome, terrible event. … Continue readingWalt Anderson’s Photos of Horseshoe Two
Yesterday the wind was calmer, and fire crews working on the Horseshoe Two Fire (which has burned for more than a month in the Chiricahua Mountains) were able to gain some ground in their efforts to contain this fire. Today’s fire map shows the areas … Continue readingCurrent Fire Strategy
As one of the hotshot fire crews finished their work at Rick and Lynne Taylor’s house in Whitetail Canyon, their neighbor walked past, and was asked this question: “What is the ratio of sugar to water for filling these hummingbird feeders?” Now that is an … Continue readingA Burning Question