On the morning of September 18th, an unattended, still smoldering campfire was found in a meadow in Sycamore Canyon. Due to the efforts of local residents and members of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, the incident did not cause a wildfire and became, instead, a simple reminder that we must all be extra vigilant during these last dry months before the rains dampen the extreme fire danger we face. We have a very hot, dry week ahead of us, so let us be exceedingly cautious. The months of September and October have seen many wildfires over the years. Living in the wildland as we do carries responsibilities for all of us.
Month: September 2009
We’re having a heat wave
I doubt anyone has missed this news. Keep an eye on the forecast, as predictions re this heat wave are changing daily, and as of 3:30 am, it may not be as bad as predicted yesterday, however, triple digits still anticipated for the mountains of Big Sur.
Drink lots of fluids … provide access to shade for your pets … run around naked and hose yourself down, if you can. A day or two is not bad, but a week?? I start melting at 100, but don’t turn into a puddle until 110, so I’m guessing I will survive. It is amazing how well wetting one’s head with cold water from the hose works!
Summer wants to leave us with something significant to remember her by, before the El Niño comes our way.
Random Big Sur Photo #8
Where was this taken?
Sorry it took so long. Technical difficulties.
Today in Big Sur
First, the fundraiser for Chuy and Gloria (parents of 4 children, parents injured in a car accident) will be held at the Grange from 4-9 pm today.
Second, the launch party for Ping Pong, the literary magazine for the Henry Miller Library will be held today at the Library. There will be an actual ping-pong tournament for serious players from 3-5, and a wine and cheese reception from 5-6. Readings will begin at 6:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.
Deer hunting season ends tomorrow. Unfortunately, squirrel hunting season started. *sigh* The hills are still full. The Game Warden has asked permission to come through, and I am seriously considering it.
Later this weekend, a new, slightly more difficult-to-identify Random Photo of Big Sur will be posted.
Have a good weekend, everyone, where ever you are!
Pot Growing in Big Sur
I’ve avoided addressing this subject, as it perpetuates the stereotype that has been in existence since the 1960’s — the pot-smoking, drug culture of Big Sur. If it was ever true in the past, it is a blatant stereotype today. And it reeks of the sensationalism that the local media seems so bent on. However, there are some points I think deserve addressing.
Yes, a rather large pot farm (10K plants reported) were found on the LPNF in Big Sur a few days ago. It was on public lands, and is clearly a large, commercial operation, not the small guerilla operations typically seen. MCSO’s estimation of the value, at least based on past experience, is grossly exaggerated. As a criminal defense attorney for many years, I have seen that it is quite typical for law enforcement to estimate value based on gross weight, including stems, root balls, and dirt. Allows them to make it seem more than it is. I am not minimizing 10K plants, that is a large number of plants, I am just minimizing the claimed value.
These commercial pot farm problems are not endemic to Big Sur, but to large tracts of public lands anywhere in California. Santa Barbara, and many other places, are reporting finding these types of pot farms on their public lands. As long as it is illegal to grow pot — and even though California has a compassionate use statute, the federal government refuses to recognize it — it is a lucrative business adventure. Frankly with a farm this size, I don’t think the declining economy is at fault. This one, based on reported size only, is a well-established commercial cartel, not part of the local economy.
I would like to give my personal thanks to Tom Hopkins, president of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance for volunteering his organization’s expertise and manpower to clean up this site. Kudos to VWA!
Random Big Sur Photograph #7
For many of us, this will be very easy to identify. Harder one coming to this blog, soon.
Last Night’s Rain
Monterey reported .17 inches. I received .50 inches. Very nice.
Fall is indeed here, and summer is slipping away. Fall and Spring are my two favorite seasons up here. Fall brings cooler nights. The yellow jackets and face flies die off, and the fog on the coast is lessened. Fall brings the annual Jade Festival, and summer vegetable harvests. After the heat, dust, and dryness of Summer (not to mention bugs), Fall is always much anticipated.
Shortly, in a week or so, I will convert my links back to winter weather watch from the current fire conditions watch, so if there are any here you particularly want to view during winter months, I suggest you bookmark them until next year’s fire season begins.
Also, as I noted in another post, I have added a hierarchial category system to my blog, found in the side bar at the bottom. Here, you can click on a category — fire season for the Chalk Fire reports, or Jade Festival for last year’s report — and see all the posts that pertain to that category. Many posts are categorized in several areas and most posts are categorized, although I wasn’t as good about that in the beginning, but I’m working on that.
Rain finds Big Sur
Around 7:30 pm, rain fell in Big Sur proper. Two hours later, it is still raining. Yippee!! Down here, I’ve had a little drizzle, a few drops, but nothing one could call rain. I’m hoping that changes in the next hour, although … now that I think about it, I think I left my Jeep windows open. Oh, well!
Just before 10 pm the rain found me. I am happy, happy, happy, even if my windows are open!!
Here is a radar shot from about 9:30 pm:
And here is one from about 10:30 pm:
If you would like to see the most current radar shot, you can go to this website:
weather radar
Oh, sh**, I just remembered all the windows in my office — including the window by my desk (and therefore the computer) are open!! And it is really raining!!
Almost midnight, and I am turning into a pumpkin. The rain continues. Happy Day! I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be dust free for even one DAY!
On a different note: To make it easier to find things on my blog, I have also created hierarchial categories, which are displayed on the side bar to the right, all the way at the bottom. So, if you wish to see photos from the Jade Festival 2008, or weather conditions from last year, you can click on the category and see what I have posted. I haven’t always been good about adding categories, but have done most.
Don Case Fundraiser
Don Case Benefit
BIG SUR BAKERY presents : A Benefit for Big Sur Elder, Veteran, and Basin Complex Survivor Don Case
SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
at THE HENRY MILLER LIBRARY
6 p.m.
$50.00 per person with all proceeds to benefit the Don Case houseraising
A screening in the redwoods of the movie : FOOD INC.
with guest appearances and q&a by Writer/Producer Eric Sclosser and Director Robert Kenner
and a SLOW FOOD BUFFET coordinated by Big Sur Bakery and Slow Food Monterey
Tickets available here or by calling 667-2574.
Big Sur elder Don Case lost his home in it’s entirety during the Basin Complex Fire of 2008.
Many community members are looking to help Don raise his home once again if funds for basic building materials can be donated. Donations can be made here and are tax deductible through The Coast Property Owner’s Association’s 501c3 non-profit organization.
To buy tickets, or simply to donate to the cause through paypal, go here:
On the announcement page, I moved the fundraiser for Chuy and Gloria for the 19th at the Grange, after giving it a few days front page space, and I posted the announcement for the meeting regarding Ambulance Service for Big Sur there as well.
Also, don’t forget the Health Center’s 30th Anniversary BBQ today, Saturday, at the Grange. And Sunday is the Lucia BBQ to benefit the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Department. Hope your weekend is filled with love.
Red Flag Warning issued!!
In reviewing the weather report, I noted a 20% chance of rain and/ or thunderstorms throughout the weekend. The NOAA red flag warnings are going out to all areas from Big Sur north and east, just the various times it is expected to hit are changing. If you live anywhere in Northern California, you can see a listing of all the red flag warnings listed for the various areas at this link:
NOAA update. The LAL for this event is listed as 6 for this approaching storm which is scheduled to arrive about midnight. NOAA explains LALs like this: “Lightning Activity Level (LAL) is a numerical rating ranging from 1 to 6 that represents observed or forecast frequency and characteristics of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning for a fire zone. The scale that determines the amount of activity is exponential and based upon a power of 2. For example, a LAL of 3 indicates twice the lightning as LAL 2. LAL of 4 is twice that of 3 and so forth. LAL 6 is special and rare – and only used for dry thunderstorms that create severe fire problems.”
.FIRE WEATHER…AS OF 8:55 PM FRIDAY…A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN
EFFECT. NO LIGHTING HAS BEEN REPORTED YET HOWEVER… THE UPPER
LEVEL LOW IS APPROACHING THE COAST AND IR IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUD TOP
ENHANCEMENT. A LINE OF COLD CLOUD TOPS…BETWEEN -35 AND -40C IS
APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES OFF OF THE MONTEREY COAST AND SHOULD REACH
THE COAST LINE BY 1200 UTC. THE LATEST MODEL RUNS ARE STILL
INDICATING ELEVATED INSTABILITY TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING FOR THE
CENTRAL COAST WITH THE GREATEST THREAT OVERNIGHT FROM SANTA CRUZ
NORTH TO THE GOLDEN GATE. TOMORROW AFTERNOON THE GREATEST THREAT
MOVES INTO THE NORTH BAY AREA. THE LIGHTNING EFFICIENCY IS VERY HIGH
AND EVEN A FEW STRIKES COULD QUICKLY BECOME PROBLEMATIC. ONE POSITIVE
IS THAT A COOLING TREND IS FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND WITH
WETTING RAIN POSSIBLE IN THE NORTH BAY BY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY.
****************************************************************************************
NOAA forecast discussion posted this for our area:
FIRE WEATHER…AS OF 2:30 PM FRIDAY…FIRE WEATHER WATCH WILL BE
UPGRADED TO A RED FLAG WARNING. NO STRIKES NOTED YET OVER THE OCEAN
BUT MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND 18Z MODELS
RUNS CONTINUE TO SHOW HIGH POTENTIAL FOR SCENARIO UNFOLDING.
MODEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUE TO INDICATE INSTABILITY WILL BE MAXIMIZED
AROUND SUNSET WEST OF BIG SUR AND THE SAN MATEO COAST…SO BEST BET
IS THAT FIRST STRIKES WILL OCCUR OVER THE OCEAN AND THEN PROPAGATE
NORTHWARD. THERE IS STILL THE POSSIBILITY THAT ALL PARAMETERS WONT
LINE UP AND WE SEE NO STRIKES. ANOTHER SCENARIO WOULD BE THAT ALL
THE LIGHTNING STAYS OFFSHORE. HOWEVER THREAT IS HIGH THAT STRIKES
WILL OCCUR AND PASS OVER THE REGION. RIGHT NOW THE BEST CHANCES
APPEAR TO BE OVER THE SF PENINSULA INCLUDING THE SANTA CRUZ
MOUNTAINS AND THEN THE ENTIRE NORTH BAY WHERE THE BEST CHANCES WILL
BE AFTER MIDNIGHT. HAVE INCLUDED THE MONTEREY RANGER DISTRICT OF
THE LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST AS WELL AS THE EAST BAY HILLS AND
DIABLO RANGE OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY BECAUSE ANY STRAY STRIKES IN
THESE AREAS WOULD HAVE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR NEW STARTS. LATEST FUELS
DATA INDICATES REGIONS LIGHT AND HEAVY FUELS AS WELL AS THE LIVE
FUEL MOISTURES ARE AT OR NEAR ALL TIME RECORD DRY LEVELS. BASICALLY
THE LIGHTNING EFFICIENCY IS VERY HIGH AND EVEN A FEW STRIKES COULD
QUICKLY BECOME PROBLEMATIC. ONE POSITIVE IS THAT COOLING TREND IS
FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND WITH WETTING RAIN POSSIBLE IN
THE NORTH BAY BY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY.