Monument Fire Rages 6/19/11

Urgent Notice! Latest Evacuation Information www.sierravistaaz.gov/

With winds forecast at more than 50 miles per hours I expected that the situation in Sierra Vista to worsen as the day went on and sadly I was right. As we entered the city limits smoke was billowing from Miller Canyon and traveling as far as the eye could see.

Once again I was unable to access the area beyond Ramsey Road but I certainly understand why officials had the area closed off to the public and I do not want to be a problem for firefighters who obviously have their hands full with today's developments.



With the direction of the high winds it was only a matter of time that the fire would move out of the canyon and threaten populated areas and as of this afternoon new mandatory evacuations have been called for as it is reported that the fire has crossed highway 92 and entered the grasslands that are so very dry.

Information on the evacuation order can be found here at: www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/06/19/20110619monument-fire-arizona-update.html

As I took this photo I overheard several residents by the side of the road talking about the pending evacuation order. Behind me are neighborhoods that are threatened and it looks like some have already left the area.













Equipment continues to arrive and the firefighting crew has grown to more than a thousand personnel.















The evacuation information leads me to believe that San Pedro Wildlife Conservation Area could be effected in the next couple of days as this flare up shows.

Planes fighting the fire apparently have been grounded due to the high winds but were to be deployed in the afternoon despite the conditions. I caught this one returning to base for reloading.

The Monument Fire- Sierra Vista Arizona 6/19/11

We are preparing to travel to Sierra Vista this morning and according to the weather report winds will reach 50 miles per hour this afternoon. I feel extremely bad for those people who have lost their homes and I am also concerned about the effects on local wildlife. Here is a report on today's weather.

50 mph winds possible near Monument Fire Sunday

06/18/2011 06:42 PM

TUCSON - The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for Cochise, Graham & Greenlee Counties. This will be in effect Sunday from 12 PM until 7 PM.

A Red Flag Warning will also be in effect Sunday, from 10 AM until 8 PM for all of southern Arizona.

News 4 Meteorologist Jeff Beamish predicts west-southwest winds up to 50 MPH Sunday near the Monument Fire. Gusty winds combined with low relative humidity & dry fuels will lead to an extreme fire danger.

For that reason, Sunday's Wildfire Index has been set at its highest level, which is a 10.

For a complete look at Jeff's True View 4 extended forecast, visit KVOA.com/weather.

I'm not sure what I will encounter today but whatever it is I will report it here tonight. I am hoping for the best but with winds this fierce I am concerned for the people in the area as well as the birds, animals, trees in and around San Pedro.

The Monument Fire- Sierra Vista Arizona 6/18/11

I left the house this morning at 2:45 A.M. to head to Sierra Vista to check out the Monument Fire. I timed my journey so that I would arrive before daylight hoping that I could see areas where there were flames visible. With the winds calm and the temperatures around 72 degrees there was little apparent activity that I cold see as I headed south on route 90 towards Sierra Vista.

I was able to smell smoke before I spotted the flames on the side of the mountain near Ramsey Canyon. Traveling up and down multiple streets and highways I was unable to get into the evacuated areas due to manned road blocks and barricaded side streets.

These pictures are photos that I took at San Pedro Conservation Area and are included here to show just how much fuel is available and how dry it is here and in most areas of Southern Arizona. I can't remember when the last time we had a significant rain and everywhere I travel in Southern Arizona it is extremely dry.



It is easy to see how a ten foot high wall of flames more than a thousand feet wide driven by high winds could move at a high rate of speed across the desert destroying homes under these conditions.



While I was hiking in San Pedro I could see smoke from fires that had quieted down overnight but by 8 A.M. the winds were starting to pick up which means fire crews may once again have their hands full.

Fires that I could see were not very far from homes but access to the area was closed and I didn't see much evidence of smoke at lower elevations but I'm sure later in the day things heated up.

Route 92 South was closed as was Ramsey Road east. All side streets headed south off Ramsey were blockaded.

From my vantage point I was able to watch a steady stream of wildfire crews, sheriff's vehicles, heavy equipment and emergency vehicles entering the area.

There are some really good photographs of the fire at: www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/06/16/20110616arizona-fires-monument-sierra-vista-abrk16-ON.html

Due to large amounts of particulate in the air the sunrise was spectacular and I was happy to get a few good photos.











As the wind came up I could see that new areas were flaring up on the mountain and I was wondering if this area would soon be visited by one of the five helicopters fighting this enormous blaze.

Tomorrow I will return to Sierra Vista later in the day to see what the expected high winds do to the area.

Yellowstone's Failure to Protect Bison

Yellowstone National Park has betrayed wild buffalo and the American people. Without giving public notice or seeking any input, Yellowstone National Park consigned fifty-three of America's last wild bison, captured during 2011, to the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) for a population control experiment. This move contradicts numerous public announcements from Yellowstone officials that all wild buffalo captured during 2011 would be released. USDA APHIS plans to use the buffalo to experiment with GonaCon, a chemical immunocontraceptive vaccine.

APHIS claims that they will need up to 100 buffalo for these sterilization experiments, and says that none of the buffalo will be returned to Yellowstone and many will be consigned to slaughter.

Once again Yellowstone National Park has failed to carry out it's duty to protect the wild buffalo herd from harm. These animals have endured what can only be described as extreme cruelty at the hands of the federal government and the State of Montana and it needs to stop before the entire herd vanishes from the landscape.

Please follow the link to The Buffalo Field Campaigns site to get the whole story and to be able to contact Yellowstone's superintendent to let him know that this is wrong and needs to stop immediately.

www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/press1011/pressreleases1011/053111.html

Help me save the Yellowstone herd

Ray Goodwin

Sonoran Connection

Gray Hawks at Buenos Aries

I can always count on some exciting encounters at Buenos Aries National Wildlife Refuge near Sasabe, Arizona which sits on the Mexican border in southern most Pima County. This visit produced Red Tailed Hawks, several Swainson's Hawks, a Black Hawk and many Turkey Vultures.

Baboquivari dominates the mountains to the west of Buenos Aries which also contain Kitt Peak, the world renowned observatory.

A couple of ducks inside an area that has been fenced off to keep bullfrogs out because they are larger than the native frogs and once introduced to an area they soon eradicate the rare leopard frogs that are native inhabitants.
The highlight of the day was a pair of nesting Gray Hawks that were forced to protect their nest from a marauding Raven while we looked on. The Raven is the larger of the two birds and it kept flying close to the nest which had young calling out in it.
The nest was placed perfectly in the tree so that it was impossible to get any more than a glimpse of it from the ground and we never saw the young birds at all.
Information on Gray Hawks can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Hawk

Both the female and male Gray Hawks guarded the young when we were there and put on quite an aerial display. The Raven eventually gave up and went on it's way.

This time of year there are hundreds of vultures in the border areas sometimes they are the most common bird we see.

Help Protect Yellowstone Buffalo

Every day I read about some senseless attack on animals in the wild and I must admit that I am at a loss to explain the inhumane act itself or the kind of person that it takes to willingly participate. Acts of brutality against the Yellowstone bison herd have been going on non-stop for years, supposedly to protect the state of Montana from brucellosis which has never been transmitted from a buffalo to a cow. Not ever!

I am including the following press release from the Buffalo Field Campaign that speaks to the extreme cruelty that the Yellowstone National Park bison herd has to endure for no apparent reason. Check out how your tax dollars are being used to harass and haze innocent animals that are the symbol of our own U.S. Department of the Interior. Please donate to the Buffalo Field Campaign and help them report on the plight of these magnificent creatures that should and must be protected from those who would do them great harm.

www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/press1011/pressreleases1011/050511.html