Destruction in Tahoe
More than 2700 acres of forest and meadow have burned in Lake Tahoe, and the fire is still raging. My heart is aching for all the destruction -- over 200 families have lost their homes and many of my neighbors in Meyers are homeless. The animals who lived in the forest and meadows are dead or scattered, homeless as well.
I am lucky. Though the fire raged within blocks of my home, I believe it is unharmed. I'm going Friday to see the damage.
The dry winter left the Sierra snowpack at only 29% of normal when it was measured last month, and the land stewards knew there was a huge chance of fire. Any time you arrive in Meyers you are first greeted with a huge fire warning sign telling of the danger. That sign has been red since temperatures melted our snow in early May.
Though the actual cause of the fire has yet to be identified, it is known to have been caused by human action. It began within a few hundred feet of the Angora Creek campground. Illegal fireworks perhaps, a hastily abandoned campfire, or even a casually tossed cigarette could be the cause of this heartbreaking destruction.
A fire back in 2002 (started by a cigarette butt) burned a massive swath across the Heavenly ski resort. I often ski that area (the North Bowl) and I am amazed that five years later there is no sign that the dead soldiers -- all the pine trees which were killed in the fire -- are being crowded out by new growth. Although homes will be rebuilt a short time after this tragedy, it will take years before the blight of the massacred forest and meadows is erased. I will be reminded of it every time I step into my back yard. That beautiful mountain is burned to the tree line.
Yes, it is part of nature for our forests to regenerate from fire. Lightning strikes, a tree ignites, and forests burn. But casual disregard for the magnitude of a human mistake in the forest is something we see quite often, and it makes me angry and sad.
I am lucky. Though the fire raged within blocks of my home, I believe it is unharmed. I'm going Friday to see the damage.
The dry winter left the Sierra snowpack at only 29% of normal when it was measured last month, and the land stewards knew there was a huge chance of fire. Any time you arrive in Meyers you are first greeted with a huge fire warning sign telling of the danger. That sign has been red since temperatures melted our snow in early May.
Though the actual cause of the fire has yet to be identified, it is known to have been caused by human action. It began within a few hundred feet of the Angora Creek campground. Illegal fireworks perhaps, a hastily abandoned campfire, or even a casually tossed cigarette could be the cause of this heartbreaking destruction.
A fire back in 2002 (started by a cigarette butt) burned a massive swath across the Heavenly ski resort. I often ski that area (the North Bowl) and I am amazed that five years later there is no sign that the dead soldiers -- all the pine trees which were killed in the fire -- are being crowded out by new growth. Although homes will be rebuilt a short time after this tragedy, it will take years before the blight of the massacred forest and meadows is erased. I will be reminded of it every time I step into my back yard. That beautiful mountain is burned to the tree line.
Yes, it is part of nature for our forests to regenerate from fire. Lightning strikes, a tree ignites, and forests burn. But casual disregard for the magnitude of a human mistake in the forest is something we see quite often, and it makes me angry and sad.
posted by Ponygirl at 9:47 AM
1 Comments:
Me too.
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