The federal government’s wildfire response system is lacking resources during what is on track to be one of the most destructive fire years on record. In an August 14 memo, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Center told fire managers it cannot “provide all requested resources for every fire,” and an August 11 memo warned of “no immediate relief anticipated.”
Wildfires have burned 7.3 million acres as of August 18, the most acres for this point in the year since federal tracking began in 1994, compared with a 30-year average of 4.3 million acres. Seventy-six large fires remain uncontained, and at points this season all 38 of the nation’s standby incident management teams, each requiring at least 24 people, have been committed simultaneously.
This resource strain follows roughly 3,400 firings at the Forest Service under the Trump administration’s workforce cuts. Officials say frontline firefighters were spared, but the incident management teams coordinating the response were not. “These require the most seasoned and experienced managers. And we lost a lot of them last year,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, Executive Director for Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology. “We are just now seeing the impact of that.”
Bulldozers move into protected Arizona desert as second border wall advances near Quitobaquito Springs
A second 30-foot border wall is being built about 100 feet north of the existing barrier in Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, with crews bulldozing a corridor roughly 2.5 miles east of Quitobaquito Springs, home to three endangered species found nowhere else on Earth. “This is the beginning of another destructive chapter for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Quitobaquito Springs,” said Russ McSpadden, southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, who documented the construction activity.
Join us in Tucson: We’ll be discussing Arizona’s public lands and the border wall in a conversation with advocates including Russ McSpadden. RSVP to join on Friday, August 28 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre.
Quick hits
Fish and Wildlife Service pauses plan to change wetlands policy
Bulldozers move into protected Arizona desert as second border wall advances near Quitobaquito Springs
Arizona Daily Star | KGUN 9 | KJZZ | Sierra Sun Times
Poll shows Utahns oppose Trump’s monument reductions
Report: Public lands at risk
Wildland firefighting bill gains steam as smoke reaches Congress
Trump proposes rescinding roadless rule for 45M forest acres
Arizona Republic | E&E News | Capital Press | AZPM | Grist
Trump administration moves to kill ‘roadless rule,’ but Colorado has its own protections
Land acquisition protecting ‘one of the best views of Colorado’ will add 262 acres to national forest
Quote of the day
We want expertise, and the mistreatment of the federal expertise, the civil service, is going to hurt us for decades to come.”
—Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Roll Call
Picture This
Aww, a baby condor! But who’s the other one?
The California condor shown here is baby Milagra. Milagra’s story reminds us that not all of the condors we see in Zion begin their journeys in the park: in fact, some don’t begin them in the wild at all.
All condors spend some time in captivity. Ideally, they only stay in facilities for brief visits – routine check-ups to make sure they’re healthy. Some, spend extended time in human care, as we follow means necessary to best protect this endangered species.
50% of condor mortalities are due to lead poisoning, when a condor is exposed to lead through carrion. If that carrion is the remains of an animal shot by a lead bullet, the scavenger animals that eat it (like condors) are subject to extreme illness. Other threats to condors include microtrash, fire, and other types of illness.
Milagra was rescued as an egg, after her mother was found dead of avian flu a short distance from their nesting site. Once hatched, Milagra was raised in captivity, first with puppets, and later by a pair of adopted parents. After she was released, Milagra immediately ran into her biological father: the two recognized each other and shared a meal. Her story is one of hope. With proper care and attention for these wild species, we can hopefully share this world with them for many more years to come.
Photo from the Peregrine Fund
Featured photo: The Woolsey Fire, California, 2018. Peter Buschmann/U.S. Forest Service