LPNF Forest Supervisor thanks Firefighters and their families

“On this national holiday, the majority of the public is enjoying the time with friends and family, having a good meal, and watching fireworks commemorating our Nation’s independence.

On the Los Padres National Forest we have had an early start to the 2016 wildfire season. Over the past month the Forest has managed the Coleman wildfire on the Monterey District, the Sherpa wildfire on the Front Range of Santa Barbara, and now the ongoing Pine wildfire in the Sespe wilderness.

During this busy time, I wanted to pause and thank the firefighters, law enforcement, support and overhead staffs for their superb efforts, hard work, and self sacrifice that has occurred on these fires to prevent loss of life and property and minimize damages to resources.

I also wanted to specifically thank the families on this National Holiday for allowing your firefighter to be away, in service to a greater good. I know that your fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters will not be able to join in the celebrations today and you are specifically feeling their absence.

You need to know that those who fight wildfires make a difference in people’s lives, and continue to help manage wildfires destructive impacts to the citizen’s of California’s central coast and beyond.

To those from all partner agencies in fire and law enforcement supporting the ongoing wildfire operations, please accept my thanks for your personal sacrifice, and please pass on to your families how much I appreciate their role in supporting your loved one on the fireline and on duty in preparation for the next fire start.

It is people like you who are selfless in their devotion to duty, who endure separation from family and friends, and who are willing to put themselves in harms way to protect others that display the highest form of patriotism.

Thanks to you all and please pass this on to your families.
Continue to be safe,
Bob

Forest Service Shield
Robert Baird
Forest Supervisor
Forest Service
Los Padres National Forest”

All of us in Big Sur would add our thanks. Firefighters have been here time and time again for us. Blessings, all.

Fire Closes 198 around County Line (MoCo&Fresno)

7:00 – now up to 100 acres and having trouble finding water for the Helios to dip from, so going back to the source for the Curry Fire, east of this one.

6:11 – In a matter of minutes, this has grown from a 1.5 acres to 12 acres and is now on both sides of 198.

Incident: 00329 Type: Report of Fire Location: Sr198/fresno County Line Loc Desc: Lat/Lon: 0:0
Detail Information
5:52 PM 3 [9] 1039 CARLOS MORGA W/ C/T 831-262-6784 FOR CLOSURE AT COUNTY LINE AND SIGNAGE AT 101/198 – AT LEAST 1HR ETA
5:46 PM 2 [8] PER 8-42 – REQ CT SET UP SIGNS FOR RD CLOSURE AT 101/198
5:41 PM 1 [2] FR547 IS CLOSER TO MTRY CO SIDE AND IS VEG FIRE
Unit Information
5:46 PM 1 Unit Assigned
Hay barn involved and 1.5 acres wild land, getting into heavier fuels. if it crosses the road potential for 50+.
8 engines, 1 tender, paso tankers and AA.
AA was first on scene on his way home from Columbia.
FKU & BEU aren’t sure who’s county it’s in, AA just knows it’s near Priest Valley Road.
Based on flight radar, looks to be along Frame Ln.

The beginning of bigsurkate, the blog

Used to be, all my readers knew how this site came to be. Now, only a few do. I started this blog 8 years ago because I got pissed off at the sheriff. It’s not wise to piss off a lawyer who has made her living going up against various forms of the government, especially law enforcement. If you want to read the early entries, go to the pull-down menu to the right for archives, and pull down and click on July 2008. I wrote over 50 entries that month. Eight years later, I have written 2,747 entries. Damn, how did that happen? I have had over a million, 100 thousand views. I thought this blog would have closed after the Basin Fire, but the Chalk Fire came on its heels, and by then the die was cast.

I got pissed off because of this:

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Note the date and the time of this. 6 pm on the eve of a 3 day weekend. I got a copy on July 4 – Independence Day. I was pissed and went into overdrive. I stayed awake for almost 24 hours in order to combat this order and to learn how to blog. (It wasn’t as easy back then as it is now.) On July 5, 2008, I published both my first and second blog posts. This was the first:

“I began this blog, after 2 weeks of inundating everyone’s mailbox with news, links, editorials, and photos of the massive Big Sur Fire of 2008. I decided a blog might be a better venue for us all to stay connected, share information, and remain informed. PLUS, I got totally frustrated when my email send function became so erratic. I can receive, but sending is completely hit and miss. I am hoping the email fairy visits me soon!😉

I will also be posting some of my photographs, also, as and when I can.

Welcome! Once the fire is past, I will convert this to random musings, I suppose, or it will evolve into something else.”

Boy did it ever evolve into something else – something I could not even imagine back then.

A year later, I recounted as best I could, what happened those first few days. I wrote:

“July 4, 2008 – I cannot find my notes, and I did not write in my journal for much of July, as I was far too busy, but I started my blog one year ago tomorrow, so some of the story about last Independence Day was reported then. I am recreating the day, based primarily on a memory with holes in it – swiss cheese holes – a moth-eaten sweater. I also have no photographs taken that day, at least that I can find. The road was closed, as previously posted.

When I first got a copy of the 409.5 memo on 7/4, I called OES (Office of Emergency Services), and they had a Commander Teter of the MCSO call me back. When I got no satisfactory explanation about the issuance of the memo, other than it was to “educate” the Big Sur community about the power the MCSO had, I was furious. The MCSO was flexing its muscles and declaring a police-state in Big Sur, and fully intended on arresting who ever got in their way.

It was a holiday. Everything was closed. What could I do? The only places open were newsrooms. Having lived and worked in Monterey County, much of that in the justice system, I knew I needed to go outside of the county. I called the LA Times newsroom and the SF Chronicle newsroom. I posted something on surfire2008.org. Before my post was removed from surfire2008, Deborah Schoch, a staff reporter from the LA Times called. After speaking with her for some time, I got her phone numbers, and said I’d pass it on to a member of the Curtis family who was not in Big Sur, and if they wanted, they could pass it on to Micah and Ross. This resulted in more phone calls, and more long conversations with Curtis family members and LA Times reporter, Eric Bailey. Only a few days later, he and Deborah Schoch published a 3-page article about the police state in Big Sur. It is no longer accessible unfortunately.

This was the start of the battle between Big Sur Locals and the Mike Kanalakis, Sheriff of Monterey County. Kanalakis also made the mistake of taking on Cachagua in Carmel Valley. Both were big mistakes.

Thanks to Jim Kimball for archiving posts from surfire2008 and other sources, we have an excellent record of all that happened on this day last year. It was a busy day, with reports from locals coming in up and down the coast all day long. Let’s not forget what it was like to live in this police state from July 3, 2008 to July 8, 2008, when the road opened to locals and their employees, and July 11, 2008 when the road opened completely.

Go to this link, and scroll down. It is arranged as all blogs tend to be, with the older posts first, or backwards chronology. Just scroll down to July 4th and start reading. It is fascinating:

http://www.surcoast.com/Info_Update_OLD.html

So, Big Sur, and lovers of Big Sur, we celebrate our independence, along with our country’s independence and may we never forget the battles we have fought against oppressive government entities in both 1776 and in 2008. Happy Independence Day. Keep strong, and battle on when needed.

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Zero Tolerance for Fireworks in the Forest

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Big Sur Library to open July 1st

News from the Big Sur Library:

It’s happening!
The Big Sur Library is officially opening Friday July 1st!
Come visit the newly renovated library! Regular library hours will resume Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2-6, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-4pm.
If you have overdue fines, or other issues regarding your account, please stop by the library at your earliest convenience and speak with the Branch Manager, Julia Mazerik, and we can resolve your issues together.
And, please come celebrate our Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday July 9th from 12-3pm! Crafts, refreshments, live music, games and neighborly fellowship!
Last but not least, Summer Reading is quickly approaching! Please stop by to receive your summer reading packets, and mark your calendars for the following FREE events: Saturday July 16th, with Juan Sanchez performing live music for all ages from 1-2, and Saturday July 23rd yoga on the lawn, with Nisha Addleman from 1-2pm.

And, a deeply felt thank you to all those involved in donating their time and energy to the recent Memorial Day Book and Bake Sale to make it a success, and, to those whose kindness and generosity made the library at the Grange possible.
Thank you so much.

As always, if you have any questions, call the library at 667-2537.
See you at the library!

Julia Mazerik

Goal of zero human caused wildfires?

Sounds impossible? It is not. My friend, Barbara Sparhawk found one USFS Ranger District which has achieved this goal. The leading cause of human fires is abandoned campfires, which have seen a tremendous increase down here on the South Coast.

….

“Over the last three years, we have had a specific, written goal of reducing human-caused wildfires on the district to zero for an entire calendar year,” said Quentin Johnson, fire management officer for the Tusayan Ranger District. “Given that the district receives millions of visitors each year because it is located immediately adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park, we knew this would be an incredible challenge.”

….

The district’s success in 2014 was due largely to focused fire prevention efforts beginning almost 15 years ago that have chipped away at the leading cause of human fires on the district – abandoned campfires. Specifically, district fire prevention specialist Bob Blasi worked to gain compliance in dispersed camping areas and issued citations when necessary. With increased early-morning patrols, an extensive signing program, visits to local schools, Smokey Bear’s presence at local events, and a consistent prevention message for more than a decade, Blasi was able to systematically reduce the number of abandoned campfires and, therefore, the overall number of human-caused wildfires.

….

“Because of the support of fire managers, Kaibab National Forest leadership, the community and public, we have been able to go beyond just re-introducing fire into the ecosystem, to take it to the next level and demonstrate how when fire is managed responsibly, it becomes an integral part of obtaining desired forest health,” Blasi said. “This is the proof in the pudding. The more fire treatments we are able to successfully implement, the better chance we have of reducing and ultimately eliminating unwanted human-caused fire in our part of the forest.”

While focused fire prevention efforts have decreased the number of abandoned campfires in the Tusayan area, the challenge of eliminating all human-caused fires will continue. Each fire season brings a unique set of challenges including millions of new visitors to a popular tourist destination.

“If I were to designate one goal for the future, it would be that this record never last 50 years again,” Blasi said. “Eliminating human-caused fires is attainable through education, prevention and good stewardship.”

Fire On Highway 17 Near Summit

5:30 pm – Residents living in the Redwood Estates area are being asked to evacuate because of a wildfire, but Highway 17 is partially opened.

3:30 pm – Fire has shut down Highway 17 until further notice. From the CHP website:

[46] 24-D3 4 FIRE TRKS NEG COMMAND POST [Shared]
3:32 PM 22 [43] [Notification] [CHP]-[104] PER 171B HAVE FSP ROLL THRU THE TRAFFIC TO SEE IF ANY DISABLED VEHS THANLS [Shared] [Shared]
3:32 PM 21 [42] PER 171B HAVE FSP ROLL THRU THE TRAFFIC TO SEE IF ANY DISABLED VEHS THANLS [Shared]
3:32 PM 20 [41] 26-S3 COPIED /REQ TO NOTIFY WHEN HAVE A TIME ON CLOSURE [Shared]
3:30 PM 19 [39] PER 171B HAVE THE SIGNS READ SB 17 CLOSED AHEAD UNK ETA [Shared]
3:29 PM 18 [38] 1039 DOTCC LINE 97 [Shared]
3:28 PM 17 [33] [Notification] [CHP]-B26-024 WILL DIVERT NB SR17 TRFC TO SUMMIT WHEN 1097 – 24B HAS AN EXTENDED ETA [Shared]
3:27 PM 16 [32] [Notification] [CHP]-WHICH IS WHY THEY ARE REQ NB 17 AT THE SUMMIT BE COMPLETELY CLOSED [Shared]
3:27 PM 15 [31] [Notification] [CHP]-PER GGCC, FIRE AFRAID BURNING TREES WILL COME ONTO ONTO VEHS [Shared]
3:25 PM 14 [27] 83B TO DIVERT TRAFFIC OFF AT BEAR CREEK TO DIVERT TRAFFIC TO BEAR CRK [Shared]
3:25 PM 13 [25] 1039 GG TMC – SIGNS ARE ON [Shared]
3:24 PM 12 [21] TRAFFIC BACKED UP TO THE CATS [Shared]
3:24 PM 11 [15] RP ADV FIRE UP NEAR MOODY CURVE ? [Shared]
3:24 PM 10 [14] 1039 DOTCC [Shared]
3:23 PM 9 [10] PER S8 HAVE DOT TO RESP FOR HARD CLOSURE AND TO CHECK THE TREES THAT ARE BURNING AND THEY MAY FALL INTO THE RDWY WILL HAVE BOTH NB AND SB CLOSED ALSO ETA PLS [Shared]
3:23 PM 8 [13] [Appended, 15:24:03] [3] REQ TRAFFIC BREAK’S [Shared]
3:22 PM 7 [12] [Appended, 15:24:03] [2] RP ADV OF FIRE TK’S STUCK IN TRAFFIC [Shared]
3:21 PM 6 [11] [Appended, 15:24:03] [1] FIRE UP ON HILLSIDE [Shared]
3:21 PM 5 [20] [Appended, 15:24:28] [5] FIRE ADV 97 [Shared]
3:20 PM 4 [18] [Appended, 15:24:28] [3] XFER FIRE [Shared]
3:20 PM 3 [17] [Appended, 15:24:28] [2] TO RHS [Shared]
3:19 PM 2 [2] PER GG, CAL FIRE REQ WE SHUT DOWN NB 17 AT SUMMIT
3:19 PM 1 [1] CFIRE STARTED THE HILLSIDE ON FIRE AT REDWOOD ESTATES

Fire near Paso Robles

6:30 pm – 75 acres and 50% containment. It’s a wrap.

3:33 PM 12 [35] G14 CLOSED AT CHIMNEY ROCK

3:00pm – There is a fire near Frazier RD and Nacimiento Lake RD. That is currently 10 acres. SLU has sent: .B3413, AA340, T75, T12, H512, HT795, Engs. 33, 3482, 4694, 4684, 3484,3470, 8991, WT50, D3442 an 41, Cuesta crews 3 an 5, Eng 3477, 3481 and another from Templeton, T-80 is also on this fire.

Here is a photo from KSBY which is covering the fire:

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Monday Morning’s illegal campfire list

Much more ticketing, educating, and anguish for today. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn? (Peter, Paul, and Mary – Where have all the flowers gone?)

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