Photo by Bill G Archives - Page 4 of 29

Controversy over bald eagle killed when firefighters cut down tree with a nest

Bill GabbertJune 19, 2015June 19, 2015Uncategorizedeagle, Montana, Photo by Bill G5 Comments

Firefighters in Montana are in the middle of a controversy about an eaglet that apparently was killed when a tree containing a bald eagle nest was cut down. They were working to suppress a wildfire on an unnamed island in the Missouri River near Cascade, Montana south of Great Falls and said they had to cut down the tree because it was burning.

However local residents said the tree was not burning and warned the firefighters about the eagle nest which had been in the tree for more than a decade and most years was occupied by bald eagles.

If the residents are correct and the tree was not burning, it sounds like a condition that can sometimes afflict firefighters called “sport falling”. If the firefighters, employees of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, are right and the tree was on fire, then apparently they concluded that it was very important to cut down the tree with the bald eagle nest, even though it was on an island surrounded by the Missouri River.

More details are at the Great Falls Tribune.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim.

Wind Cave antelope

Bill GabbertJune 13, 2015June 15, 2015UncategorizedCold Brook Fire, Photo by Bill G, Wind Cave NP

In a quick trip to Wind Cave National Park this evening I ran across pronghorn antelope, elk, and of course bison. Here’s one of them.

This guy is standing in the location of the April 13, 2015 prescribed fire. The critters in the park are enjoying the lush green grass that has come back.

Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Three organizations call for more ambitious hazardous fuels mitigation

Bill GabbertMay 27, 2015May 27, 2015UncategorizedPhoto by Bill G1 Comment

burned structure Eiler Fire wildfire — A burned structure at the Eiler Fire in northern California, August 6, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Three non-profit organizations involved with wildland fire issued a joint position statement recommending that land managers adopt a more ambitious stance toward hazardous fuels mitigation. The 13-page document was released this week by the Association for Fire Ecology, the International Association of Wildland Fire, and The Nature Conservancy.

The organizations identified costs as one of the main concerns and pointed out that missing from most accounting of wildfire costs are indirect, such as rehabilitation, real estate devaluation, and emergency services — that can be two to 30 times more than the actual expenses to fight the fire.

The paper listed four cost-related issues:

1. SUPPRESSION COSTS INCREASING.The cost of wildfire suppression has continued to increase over the last decade.
2. FIRES ARE COSTING TAXPAYERS MORE. Wildfires are costing taxpayers far more than is typically reported by governments and the media.
3. INVESTMENTS NEEDED. Investment in wildfire hazard mitigation needs to be increased and maintained.
4. FUELS TREATMENTS NEED TO BE TREATED RIGHT. Fuel treatments are supported by current and developing science.

The organizations recommend federal wildfire funding reform, reduction of impediments to hazardous fuels mitigation, emphasizing prescribed fire and wildfires managed for resource benefits, and tracking long-term and multi-sector economic losses caused by wildfire.

Honoring our veterans and military personnel today

Bill GabbertMay 25, 2015May 25, 2015UncategorizedPhoto by Bill G

Veterans Cemetery memorial day Hot Springs — Veterans Cemetery at Hot Springs, South Dakota. Memorial Day, 2015.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. The holiday, which is observed every year on the last Monday of May, originated as Decoration Day after the American Civil War in 1868, when the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans — established it as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. By the 20th century, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions, celebrated on different days, had merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service.

Photo by Bill Gabbert. Text from Wikipedia.

Comparison photos, 6 days and 39 days after escaped prescribed fire

Bill GabbertMay 22, 2015May 23, 2015Uncategorizedescaped prescribed fire, Photo by Bill G, prescribed fire, South Dakota, Wind Cave NP8 Comments

Cold Brook Fire — Highway 385, which can be seen in the distance, was supposed to be the boundary of the prescribed fire. Only the land on the far side of the highway was planned to burn.

These photos were taken by Bill Gabbert in the area burned when the April 13 Cold Brook prescribed fire escaped in Wind Cave National Park. In each pair of pictures, the first was taken on April 19, 6 days after the fire, and the next was taken on May 22, 39 days after the fire.

Wind Cave National Park bounces back from escaped prescribed fire

Bill GabbertMay 22, 2015May 22, 2015Uncategorizedescaped prescribed fire, Photo by Bill G, prescribed fire, South Dakota, Wind Cave NP1 Comment

With copious rain over the last five weeks since the Cold Brook prescribed fire escaped control in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota on April 13, the additional 5,000 acres outside the planned burn unit is in serious green-up. Most of the “bonus acres” had been treated at least once with previous prescribed fires, so there was not a heavy build up of fuel within the timbered areas. The escape, even though it was pushed by a strong wind, did not have high mortality in the Ponderosa pines. Most of the areas we saw near U.S. Highway 385 look like a typical prescribed fire in the park, however there were a few patches of pine that were taken out.

All of the photos below were taken by Bill Gabbert on May 22, 2015, 39 days after the fire. Click on the photos to see larger versions.