California Fires Deja Vu

Web cam in Scotland: chick osprey grows.
Web cam at Nepenthe. Flying into California over Lake Tahoe yesterday gave us a first-hand birds eye view of the numerous forest fires dotting the massive National Forests here.

I'm no stranger to these kind of fires, living as I have in Wyoming. I was evacuated from my cabin on the edge of the wilderness during the mega Yellowstone fires of 1988. It like living in a war zone with soldiers, tent camps, helicopters and bombs everywhere. The first fires started from dry lightning early in the season and weren't brought under control until the first snows fell in early September. At one point, firefighters dropped a Napalm bomb at the edge of the fire near me in late August to create a back burn which amazingly contained the fire by turning the fierce momentum racing south back north into the main body of the fires.

This morning I visited one of my favorite retreat centers in San Rafael and heard first-hand about the massive evacuation of Big Sur. This part of Highway 1 on the coast is dear to my heart. Have had some good times there, and hiked many miles along the beautiful coastal trails. Sad to know it's going up in flames.


Save Nepenthe!

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One more thing. Eco-alarmists will scream global warming is the cause of these fires. However, much, much of the blame for this phenomenon should be laid at the feet of environmentalists themselves. For decades, radical environmentalism has lobbied Congress in Washington (and the National Forest Service, in Agriculture, and parks in Interior) for a no cutting and thinning in national forests. Far too much fuel has accumulated and now burning out of control because of this ridiculous policy. The radicals are greatly to blame for this.

And they want to set the country's course and agenda for global warming policy? The same results as above will be the outcome.

Meanwhile, Wake Up, America. Watch only if you dare.