WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 052111

A pitched battle between environmentalists and a group seeking to save an historic lookout tower in Washington state's Glacier Peak Wilderness is continuing (1); while Nevada received good news/bad news from fire officials: heavy precipitation earlier this year will delay the fire season, but heavy fuels could make it worse when it gets there (2). The impact of wildfires on travelers to Mexico, Texas, and New Mexico is touched upon in the next article (3); as the National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report about the crash of a Single-Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) in Montana earlier this month (4); and a 73-acre wildfire in Alabama's Talladega National Forest has been contained (5). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Devin Rhinerson, Legislative Aide to US Senator Dianne Feinstein, sent along an article in which the Senator browbeats the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture over the worsening condition of US Forest Service's aerial firefighting fleet (6). A wildfire near Augusta Technical College was a stern reminder about the high wildfire danger in Georgia at the moment (7); and the Florida Division of Forestry reminded residents of Northwest Florida of the extreme wildfire danger due to a lack of rainfall (8). A 700-acre wind-driven wildfire burning near Fairbanks, Alaska, was being brought under control Friday night (9). The crash of a Canadian heli-tanker while fighting fires for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development around Slave Lake is examined by the next article (10); and as the fires around Slave Lake abate, Calgary firefighters are returning home (11); while local colleges and universities are allowing evacuees dorm rooms to house them until they can return home as well (12); but as Canada's boreal forest dries out due to changing climate, scientists are warning that fires like the one that devastated Slave Lake may become more common in the provinces (13). Life on the fireline for firefighters in Ontario is profiled in the next article (14); and judging by reports, they're going to have a busy season ahead! (15) The director of the Yukon Wildland Fire Management Branch refuted a rumor that the province would be cutting its firefighting budget by upwards of $1 million this year (16). The difficult lessons of a British ex-patriot who was living in Melbourne, Victoria, at the time of Australia's Black Saturday bushfires have been put into a book which, it is hoped, will help other survivors cope with their losses (17); even as residents of King Lake-Marysville debate about a permanent Black Saturday bushfire memorial, a series of meetings on the topic having been organized by local officials (18). And finally, a family of four New Zealand firefighters found a unique way to raise funds for a cause: climb 51 flights of stairs!

(1) Groups unite to save Green Mountain forest fire lookout

(2) Nevada should see less severe wildfire season; wet conditions help, but grass other fuels grow

(3) Coming & Going: Fires in Mexico and U.S.

(4) NTSB releases initial report on deadly plane crash in eastern MT

(5) Forest service fighting wildfire near Munford

(6) Missed deadline raises aerial firefighting concern

(7) Firefighters Deal With More Brush Fires In Increasingly Dry Conditions

(8) Wildfire danger levels continue to rise in Northwest Florida: Not many ‘April Showers' have left us with high potential of ‘May Wildfires'

(9) Crews controlling 700-acre wildfire north of Goldstream Valley

(10) Witness heard massive splash as stricken chopper hit the water

(11) Calgary firefighters return from Slave Lake

(12) Dorms offered to Alberta wildfire evacuees

(13) Slave Lake shows the increasing risk of serious forest fires, experts warn

(14) ACCENT: Pumped to fight fires - The North's firefighters

(15) Two fires Friday brings count for year to 90 in Northwest region

(16) Yukon wildfire officials deny budget cuts

(17) Blackburn woman who emigrated tells of devastation of bush fires

(18) Hilary's helpful Saturday page

(19) Family of four firefighters climb Sky Tower for funds