American Dinosaur

High Noon

Well Pards, I am off to Elk Springs, New Mexico. It seems my correspondence with the Forest Death squad has struck a nerve with the Druids of Destruction Central Command. I have a meeting with this Firebug. Because of possible upcoming litigation I would never call him and his minions Domestic Terrorists. THAT would be over the top.

This is what is left of Bull Fire. It states that this was done for Resource Benefit. 70% of the mountain was COMPLETELY DESTROYED. For my benefit I guess.

Commanders of the army of hellfire and conflagration will be there in force to convince the landowners that the moonscape is actually more attractive then Ponderosa pines and hundred year old Oak trees.

Anyway I won't be posting for awhile or if they do not have internet access in the county lockup it could be a very long time. I promised Mrs. Dinosaur I would not pack heat to the meeting..............(matches of course)

The Government just doing "What is best for me."

My last correspondence before I was deemed not fit to speak with:
XXXXXX,

In response to our telephone conversation of 8-04-05 about coordinating a meeting between Forest Service Officials and Elk Springs Landowners. I talked to five of the property owners yesterday to discuss the possibility of meeting on the 13th (Saturday). It appears that it is not possible to gather a sufficient number on such short notice. The suggestion of Labor Day was introduced and that may be the only date in the near future to bring the majority of Landowners together.

The failure to meet in the near future does not appear to merit a sense of urgency that it may have had before the destruction of Elk Mountian. The notion that Forest Service personnel will be able to convince the Elk Springs residents that completely vaporizing a healthy stand of trees is in their best interest. It is a sad state of affairs that divine intervention of a higher authority has been supplanted by a Forest Service lawyer in Washington that feels implementation of Wildland/Urban interface scorched earth policy is good for the forest. To destroy thousands of acres of healthy pristene forest to remove possible future litigation is myopic and defies any logical long term success.

The lack of a sincere effort to explain the "what is best for you" approach to forest management prior to the continued burning of the Bull fire to the residents speaks volumes as to whether this really was sound policy or just fulfilling the expenditure of grant money. It was only when the Bull fire was on our door step was this map http://www2.srs.fs.fed.us/r3/gila/fire/image.asp?fireid=45&image=closure presented to residents that were there at the time. This of course allowed no recourse or discussion on this a matter.

We residents were told at the time that everything was under control and if the rains put out the fire it would be left alone. That and several other untruths were told to keep the residents from an angry attempt to save a Mountain that did not need to burn. This is the third fire in three years and the fuel load had been greatly diminished. The use of flare guns and airborne accelerants to continue to burn trees that put up a fight for their lives is a sickening display of arrogance and an inability to change plans when common sense and field conditions warrant it.

The resulting crown fire has destroyed 70% of a healthy forest that will not recover in our lifetime. This serves the forest, the wildlife, the recreationalist, and the landowner in what way? I thought the old adage "We must destroy the forest to save it" was just a bad dream. Today in Catron county it is reality.

If Rogers Steed thinks it is worth the effort and has the ability to keep a straight face when discussing this lunacy, please contact:

Posted by BillyBudd at August 10, 2005 10:05 PM | TrackBack