Just a quick update: I don’t have time right now to do justice to the subject. Kevin Warner, the Douglas District Ranger, told a gathering (which filled the Portal Fire Station classroom) that walkers and cyclists can now enter Cave Creek Canyon. Most cars are … Continue readingCommunity Meeting with Forest Service
The Southwest Research Station finds itself in a difficult position, caught between the financial demands of its parent company, the American Museum of Natural History, and the US Forest Service, which is enforcing a road closure that will likely exclude the station’s workers and guests … Continue readingSWRS Survives the Flood, But Can It Survive the Road Closure?
Cave Creek Canyon above the South Fork confluence (Photos by Narca) Yesterday Alan and I hiked into Cave Creek Canyon before the closure was due to go into effect. He went a couple of miles up, as far as Diana’s house, while I also hiked … Continue readingLast Day in Cave Creek Canyon
On Monday, the Forest Service plans to institute a ‘hard’ closure of Cave Creek Canyon, meaning no entry by any means, including foot, except to canyon residents. The closure will most likely last for months. Thus, tomorrow is the last day when people can enter … Continue reading‘Hard’ Closure Coming to Cave Creek Canyon
For friends of Portal everywhere, the bottom line is that everyone is okay, after the remnants of Hurricane Odile targeted the Chiricahua Mountains and the sister villages of Portal, Arizona, and Rodeo, New Mexico. At our home, we received 5.29″ of rain over a four-day … Continue readingPortal After Storm Odile
At this morning’s briefing, the fire crews were told that the burn-out operation in the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon is proceeding so far at a low intensity. That is very good news. After the briefing, with smoke from Horseshoe Two Fire (Photos by … Continue readingThe Burn-out in Cave Creek Canyon
At tonight’s public meeting, those gathered received a realistic appraisal of the current state of the Horseshoe Two fire, with an emphasis on how it can work if everything goes right. As I said in an earlier post, the term “burn-out” is scary. And a … Continue readingThe Better Scenario
The Horseshoe Fire’s continuing advance north has triggered new suppression efforts. It is still backing down drainages in South Fork Canyon, working its way toward the road. Suppression has become necessary to try to keep the fire from moving into the main Cave Creek Canyon. On the … Continue readingRenewed Suppression of Horseshoe Fire
All of my fellow Portaleños, as well as the birding community, are following closely the development of the Horseshoe Fire, here in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona. As of Saturday night, May 29, just over 1200 acres have burned in the heart of the … Continue readingThe Horseshoe Fire