American Dinosaur

What Is Best For Me

This Picture is of the Beaverhead fire I took from Elk Mountain, New Mexico several weeks ago. It was a fire that had been burning since 5-29-05 from a lightning strike and was a "controlled burn" of over 66,000 acres.

My wife and I have owned five acres up there for the last four years. I have just finished trimming the hundreds of trees and cleaning up the fuel load on the property. This Picture is of our Redneck cabin (Elk Mountain in the background) that we are using while we laid out the plans for our dream cabin and eventual retirement home. At 7800 feet in the pristene forest the land is covered with Elk, Antelope , and Deer. Paradise and our home away from Tucson in the summer when we can get away.

That has all changed now that the long arm of the government has reached out and snatched my dream away because it is "What is best for me". You see ever since 2001 the Forest service has wanted to burn that mountain for the long term benefit of everyone. The removal of the undergrowth and fuel load will decrease the chance for an out-of-control wildfire. Makes sense? It sure does.

This is where the Catch 22 comes in. You see they received a grant request of over $170,000 dollars to burn that area. Once you get that money you had better use it because if you don't it will reflect badly on your next grant request. The problem is that we already had a lightning strike up there last year that burned for three weeks and removed most of the fuel load on Elk Mountain.

This Picture was taken last summer of that lightning stike.
Two weeks ago as the fire approached the local Ranger assured us that the fire was under control and presented no threat to the immediate area. He also told us that if the monsoon rains put it out it would be left alone. Well I was informed yesterday the the fire did in fact go out.
But because that failed to fulfill the "What is best for me" requirement of goverment intervention in my life even 150 miles out in the middle of no where, the Forest Service brought helicopters in and dropped airborne accelerants on the treetop canopy (Thats a form of Napalm kiddies) because that dang mountain just wouldn't burn.

Well, they burned the WHOLE MOUNTAIN DOWN!

My Thank you letter:
Ms Andrea Martinez,

Please forward information on who made the decision to burn Elk mountain AFTER the controlled burn was out and the residents were explicitly told that the fire would be allowed to burn out? What possible advantage could be attained by destroying pristene Forest that was NOT in danger of burning out of control? The residents were notified of FS intentions when the Beaverhead fire was already pressing the outer boundries of ELK springs when the decision was made to destroy the forest to what end?

This obviously was done with alterior motives to punish the local ranchers or residents on YOUR forest. This disgusting display of the US goverment doing "What is best for us" is not over. The destruction of ELK Mountain for no known advantage is despicable. It will be restored to its previous state in whose lifetime? Certainly not ours.

Wanton disregard of taxpayers and residents concerns and property is a criminal and unforgivable offense. Who is responsible?

Her response:
Mr. Adams, thank you for letting us know of your concern. I have forwarded
this message to the District Ranger on the Reserve Ranger District of the
Gila National Forest. District Ranger Rogers Steed is out on the field at
this time but is expected to return this evening. If he comes in later
than expected, he may not be able to contact you till tomorrow. In either
case, we will be in contact with you as soon as possible.

Again, thank you for expressing your concern to us and please contact me if
I can be of further help.

My Reply:

Ms. Martinez,

Concern has to be the understatement of the year. Unfortunately for all
parties involved there is very little left to be concerned about. With a
religious zeal to destroy the very sanctuary your organization was hired to
protect, you have forever altered my plans for the future and those of my
children. I will say to them " No, that was not destroyed by natural causes
, that was intentionally destroyed by your goverment for your long term
benefit."

Posted by BillyBudd at August 2, 2005 09:24 PM | TrackBack