Life in the Borderlands

Yesterday while Alan and I walked one last time in the canyon before the Forest Service closes it indefinitely, illegals hit our home. I suspect that the door, swollen from the rains and hard to close, didn't latch properly when we left, but at least that allowed the intruders to break in without damaging the house.

Some of what they took was amusing (to me) –– all of Alan's stash of sweets, from ice cream to ginger cookies. The list was considerable. Some of the theft was not so amusing –– spoons that my grandparents gave me 45 years ago, and Alan's cell phone. We feel that we were very lucky in what was stolen. However, a frequent pattern is for illegals to break in for food, case the place, then return on their way back to Mexico for small valuables that they can carry with them. So we are understandably on edge.

We suspect very strongly that these illegals, probably drug runners, are holed up above us on the mountain, as has happened so many times over the years. They watch to see when someone leaves home, and then prey on that home. So a message to all our neighbors: at least one group is here, now, yet again. The sheriff and Border Patrol know, and will try to catch them. We were able to give the deputy a couple of items that can be used for fingerprinting.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a town day for us. Now I will go alone, and Alan will stay here to watch the house. I told him that I could look up some choice words for him to say to them, if the illegals show up again when they see me driving away. He said, "That's okay. I'll just say 'Vaya #@#&*!'" I hadn't realized that his command of Spanish was so extensive.

Update:
After talking to neighbors and checking homes of people who are away, we find that there have been at least 6 other break-ins close to Portal in the last few days. Border Patrol is here today with a horse patrol.

Make that 8 more break-ins: two cabins at Cave Creek Ranch were also hit. Border Patrol and the sheriff both reacted with "You're getting hammered out there!" and promised a concerted effort to bring the rampage under control.

"It's Kinda Nice To Win One"

Tonight fewer lights gleam on the horizon at the Fire City next to the Chiricahua Desert Museum, north of Rodeo. The nomads are pulling up stakes, some to head home, some to relocate in Willcox for the next stage of the fire work.

Horseshoe Two Fire map on 22 June 2011

Just look at that fire perimeter––they are still saying 95% containment, but it looks a lot like 100% to me!  That lovely black line means that the Horseshoe Two Fire isn't going anywhere, but it doesn't mean that it is 100% out. 

District Ranger Bill Edwards noted at last night's community meeting that the fire won't be out until the rains come––hotspots are still burning within the perimeter––and the current closure of Coronado National Forest won't be lifted until the Forest has received a soaking of at least 1/2" of rain, Forest-wide. Although many of us are impatient to see the mountains for ourselves, the continuing closure is wise, both in the interest of public safety in the burnt areas and for some degree of prevention of more human-caused fires in the unburned areas. The record dryness of fuels is still unprecedented. 

Today the fire crews planned to make "significant progress" with mopping up hotspots and rehabilitating the effects of suppression. Bulldozer work on the Whitetail road is nearly finished. BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) crews were working today in the southern region of the fire, and other crews were being flown into the interior to assess the severity of the fire there. 

A last early morning briefing at Fire City (Photo by Narca)

In the more recently active MM Division, mop-up is continuing before rehabbing can start. 

In Chiricahua National Monument, hazardous trees are being removed. The southeast corner of the Monument burned at the highest intensity. Much of the rest of the Monument received a low-to-moderate burn. The prescribed burns that had been conducted in the Monument in recent years were an important factor in moderating the burn there.  

Today was a busy day for air operations, as they repositioned to Willcox, along with the Type 2 team which assumes command tomorrow morning. The fire city at Chiricahua Desert Museum north of Rodeo was being dismantled today, and the bulk of the teams is moving on.

Ranger Bill reviewed the work of our departing fire team led by Jim Thomas, the third Type 1 team to work on Horseshoe Two during the first 7 weeks of its duration. On arrival, they inherited a high-intensity blow-out which charred treasured regions of the Chiricahuas, including Rustler Park, Barfoot Park and lookout, and Onion Saddle. When they arrived, the fire was racing north, menacing Whitetail Canyon, Pinery Canyon, Chiricahua National Monument--all of the northern region of the Chiricahua Mountains. High winds generated firestorms in places like Whitetail Canyon.  Yet in spite of serious challenges, we are told that overall the fire team maintained a low-to-moderate intensity burn by using techniques like firing ridges in the evening, so that fire would back more slowly downhill into canyons, to meet the oncoming body of the fire. Without that active management, a far higher percentage of this range would have burned at high intensity. So the Type 1 fire teams managed to moderate a very, very bad situation. We were told last night that many of the "old fire dogs" had never seen conditions this extreme. 

Not only is the Portal-Rodeo community grateful for the firefighters' work, we are also glad that it happened without any serious injuries. Their safety record received high praise: during 169,000 work hours (so far) in difficult terrain, there were only 8 minor injuries. 

As a post script, I should say that fire danger continues in any unburned areas of our communities, even given the Forest closure. We still have lightning storms on the horizon, and groups of illegal entrants are still being seen about every other day, according to Bill Edwards. 

Just yesterday our next-door neighbors found a brand new campfire in the oaks next to our home, obviously built by illegals. Their fires are easy to identify by the nature of the trash left behind--the labels in Spanish on empty tin cans, the burlap used by drug runners to carry loads of marijuana, the ragged discarded blankets. (Now... about that program for allowing workers to enter legally, thereby eliminating at least one big part of the problem....)

Breaking Camp in Rodeo

A major milestone has been reached with the containment of the western perimeter of the Horseshoe Two Fire in the Chiricahua Mountains. Now the only very active part of the fire lies in the north, and the big fire camp in Rodeo is going to begin to break down today. The main operation will be moved to Willcox, closer to the active northern perimeter and closer to supplies. However, Rich Harvey cautioned crews that at this point expectations are for a quick finish––and it isn't over, until it's over. He noted that the only surprise now would be a bad one, and no one wants to see that. So, patiently, the work continues.

Horseshoe Two Fire map for 18 June 2011

The hand-hatched areas in the north represent last night's operations.

The western edge of the fire is now contained, except for mop-up.

In the west at Divisions A and B, the fire line was joined and a burnout completed that held through the night. Mop-up remains to be done, to insure that no hot spots flare and start new fires. The mop-up along any recently active containment lines is rather more important today: today is another day when weather flirts with red flag conditions, but a really big blast of wind is expected the following day. (That is very bad news for the Monument Fire in the Huachucas!) Crews want to be certain that the west side of Horseshoe Two is completely buttoned up before the next really big––and unseasonal––wind arrives.

Even today, wind is expected to blow at 17-27 mph in the valley and 30-40 mph on ridges. At 35 mph, a red flag is triggered, and air support is grounded because flying becomes too dangerous.

At the north edge of the planned containment line, the night shift anchored the fire line at the Mulkins Ranch in Emigrant Canyon, and crews plan to extend that line today across the north, in order to catch the body of the fire there as winds drive it north. Big winds, especially tomorrow, will be deflected by topographic features, setting up very dangerous conditions for firefighters. Squirrelly winds could spin the fire 180º and bring havoc to all the plans. Growth potential and terrain difficulty both remain extreme.

The crews working last night to complete the fire line in Divisions A and B were well into their burn when suddenly four undocumented aliens burst through the flames and ran out of the fire (apparently uninjured), and past the firefighters. (The crew called Border Patrol.) The crews are used to clearing areas as much as possible of deer and cattle before firing a line, but these folks don't live along the border, and they were surprised indeed by the illegals. Harvey advised anyone igniting fire to yell, "¡Pásela!" before firing, to try to shoo hidden people out of danger.

Containment lines at the perimeter have all been built, but 14 miles of line is indirect, which needs to be reinforced and burned out.

Detail of active northern region of Horseshoe Two Fire, 18 June 2011

Rehabilitation is underway in the cooled interior of the fire, including in Paradise. Hazardous trees and roads are being taken care of in Whitetail Canyon.

When the fire camp is moved, 25% of the crew will remain in the Portal area, based at the fire station. 25% will stay at Ash Camp. 50% will be at the new Incident Command Post in Willcox (I believe at a high school, but check that). This third Type 1 team is transitioning now to a Type 2 team, so the worry about Horseshoe Two has downgraded to the next level. The new team will shadow the current team in order to learn the local situation, and will take over officially on Thursday. Meanwhile the BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) team is also engaged here.

Recent statistics for the Horseshoe Two Fire: 206,314 acres burned; 70% contained. The figure on size is old, and should be updated soon. For the Monument Fire near Sierra Vista: 19,335 acres burned; 15% contained.

The situation in Sierra Vista was complicated yesterday by new fires at Antelope Road and Garden Canyon. I've been told that the two new ones were contained, but not before one of them burned a short distance across Buffalo Soldier Trail. Inciweb today says that the Antelope Fire was 95% contained by 5 PM, at a size of 1000 acres.

The Monument Fire's run east along Hereford Road, toward the San Pedro River, was stopped. Intense bombardment of Miller Canyon with retardant was reportedly successful in calming this most active region of the fire. Fire lines are being constructed from Carr Canyon to Fort Huachuca. North of Miller Canyon, fire lines are being prepared for a possible burnout, if that is deemed necessary in order to hold the fire.

Up-to-the-minute information is being posted to the Facebook page on the Monument Fire. However, many untrue rumors and panicked entries are also being posted, and the main impression readers gained from it yesterday was a sense of utter chaos.

Some good news is starting to filter in that the homes of several friends have survived the Monument Fire, so far. Others, like entomologist Noel McFarland, face big losses. Word is that Mary Jo Ballator's Ash Canyon B&B did survive, one of only two houses in that location to be spared. Does anyone know how Tom Beatty in upper Miller Canyon fared?

The Summer of Fire

Smoke from two regions of the Horseshoe Two Fire on 11 June 2011. 

To the left is smoke from the West Turkey Creek area; to the right, from Whitetail Canyon. (Photos by Narca)

Firefighters confronting the Horseshoe Two Fire in Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains continue to encounter unprecedented fuel dryness. The values being found for both dead and live fuels are lower than ever before recorded in a wildfire.

Those record dry conditions are shared by the other Sky Island ranges in southeast Arizona. The record freeze last winter damaged or killed many oaks and pines, further drying them, and that damage (coupled with extreme winter drought) has greatly intensified the fire danger. We've all been holding our breaths that the other magnificent ranges will be spared the inferno being experienced by the Chiricahuas and the White Mountains, but a new fire began yesterday afternoon at the southern terminus of the Huachuca Mountains, in Coronado National Memorial, and already it is described as "massive." It was estimated at today's briefing to have burned about 3,000 acres in less than 24 hours. There were low whistles among the firemen when they heard how fast it has moved. (For comparison, Horseshoe Two grew to over 9,000 acres on the first day, when it was subjected to 50 mph winds.)

I'm not in a position to add solid information about this new Monument Fire, other than to say that friends living in Ash Canyon have already been evacuated, and as they left, they could see fire on the ridge above Ash Canyon. We have had no lightning. This fire, like Horseshoe Two, was human-caused, and the Coronado National Memorial was closed to public entry at the time the fire began. It lies along the Mexican border, and the fire began in the US just a short distance from the border. As with Horseshoe Two, the evidence implicating illegal entrants is entirely circumstantial. (But, duh!)

Returning to what is happening in the Chiricahuas, weather today is expected to be like yesterday's, only hotter. That means another day of wind at 30-35 mph on the ridges and 20-25 mph in the valleys. Conditions are likely to slip into another red-flag alert. Most of the fire movement is expected to be in the north, where it has reached Cochise Head. The planned fire perimeter lies along Marble and Emigrant Canyons in the north; terrain here should be much more manageable for holding the line.

Map of Horseshoe Two Fire on 13 June 11

In Whitetail Canyon, mop-up operations continue, to assure that residents are safe when they are allowed back in.

In the active western perimeter, winds will likely continue to eddy, causing erratic and unpredictable fire behavior. Yesterday some fire moved across the line in high wind just west of the monument, but it was contained, and crews this morning did not seem concerned about that breach.

Detail of active north edge of fire, 13 June 11

About two-thirds of Chiricahua National Monument has now burned, including Bonita Canyon up to Massai Point (a larger area than shown on the map, which doesn't reflect work done during the night). Crews have been carefully igniting ridges and letting the fire back down into the canyons in order to achieve a lower-intensity burn.

Today and tonight, firing operations will continue in the monument and in the section marked "Div B" on the upper map.

This rather beautiful map shows the progression of the Horseshoe Two Fire since its inception on May 8 through June 11, with the early period given in cooler blues. The fire now stands at 148,505 acres and is 48% contained. The estimated containment date is still June 22. The fire's growth potential and terrain difficulty remain extreme.

Arizonans will never forget this summer of fire, beyond all the bounds of what we've known before. And what happens, I wonder, when the pre-monsoonal lightning storms arrive?

Homecoming to the Horseshoe Two Fire

Yesterday evening as we dropped down Granite Gap into the San Simon Valley, plumes of smoke still churned from the Chiricahua Mountains. Homecoming is bittersweet.

Smoke from Whitetail Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains

(Photos by Narca)

Horseshoe Two continues to surge north and west, driven by erratic––and sometimes unpredicted––winds. Crews have come to expect the unexpected: wind blows when little wind was forecast. Fire burns into the wind as well as with it. Steep terrain is crisscrossed by canyons which suck wind into the inferno, against the direction of prevailing winds. Fire can sprout anywhere as it spots up to 2 miles away from the body of the fire, creating very dangerous conditions for the firefighters.

In Whitetail Canyon, whirling fire jumped the line and destroyed some residences and outbuildings. The sheriff is in the process of contacting our neighbors who suffered that loss. Among those whose homes are safe are Rick and Lynne Taylor, Jim Brown, and Tom and Debbie Collazo. Wynne Brown lost her hay barn, but her home and other structures are intact. (She very characteristically saw a positive angle: the barn wasn't big enough anyway!)

Breach of the fire line means that crews have to drop back to the next defensible place, shown by dotted lines on today's fire map. The new goal in the north is to prevent Horseshoe Two from reaching Fort Bowie National Historical Site. The fire is burning into Chiricahua National Monument, and work continues there with the goal of protecting both the monument's resources and its structures. The fire's growth potential remains extreme, and the difficulty of the terrain is still extreme.

Fire map for the 10 June 2011 briefing

This fire is setting new local records right and left, not only in sheer size (now estimated at 128,652 acres), but also in categories such as low fuel moisture. Fuel that would be expected to burn for 10 hours before drying out is instead drying in a single hour. That is extreme. The overall burn index is 95%: this measurement is the ignition probability with wind factored in. So a spark falling on fuel would ignite fire 95 times out of 100. That is extreme. Many of the indices used by firefighters are at an all-time high for this locale, the Chiricahua Mountains.

While we are focused on our local inferno and damage here, the national media is focused on the Wallow Fire burning in the White Mountains, where similarly extreme conditions apply. As of June 10, the Wallow has burned 408,887 acres, mainly in pine forest, and is only 5% contained. Of more than 4,000 residences, 67 have been lost.

A third big Arizona fire, the Murphy Complex, is burning east of Arivaca and west of Tubac. It is moving through grass, shrub and oak habitats, has consumed 68,033 acres, and is now 75% contained.

Given the extreme dryness and unusually windy conditions, it has not been possible simply to extinguish these raging fires. The fire crews have instead had to use all their skill to moderate the fires wherever possible. When the fire jumps lines, control is lost and a much more severe burn results. Where it has been possible to moderate the fires' intensity, a mosaic burn is being achieved. The burn in South Fork was reportedly well-controlled and moderate. Elsewhere, crown fires are causing replacement of entire stands of forest.

One of the major fears about climate change in the Southwest is that forest types such as spruce-fir which need moister conditions will be driven completely off the tops of the mountains. We will lose those refugia and the animals and plants tied to those communities, and thus suffer a loss of richness, a loss of biological wealth.

I have heard scientists' predictions about the changes in store for the Southwest, and about fire being a mechanism for bringing about those changes. But somehow I didn't expect it to happen all at once, in a few short months. Most of us aren't geared to accept drastic change at the speed of light.

Faced with change and crisis, most of us grieve what is lost. We rage. Acting from anger, we assign blame. In the midst of our reactions, we need to be sure that any blame is correctly assigned. It is very difficult to know with 100% certainty who set these fires. (In the case of the Wallow Fire, the cause is thought to be an escaped campfire.) However, authorities do need to recognize the communities' frustration with the matter of designating a cause. On the one hand, the responsible individual may never be known. On the other hand, an employee of the Coronado National Forest told a Portal resident this spring that 12 of the last 18 fires in the Chiricahuas were set by illegal immigrants. By that accounting, Horseshoe Two is fire number 19, and circumstantial evidence points to that same origin. Yet no official statement ever supports what we are told unofficially. That dissonance breeds trouble.

I agree with Rick Taylor that one way to prevent many of these fires is to institute a good workers' program that allows people to enter the country legally for a specified amount of time in order to work. With a legal program in place, participating workers would avoid the hazards of illegal entry, and many fewer people would seek a way through these mountains. And a hypothetical 12 of the next 18 fires might be prevented.

Although most of the community is solidly supportive and appreciative of all that is being done to help, I have come home to find talk of conspiracies between Border Patrol and firefighting agencies. Seeing conspiracy is usually delusional and paranoid. But given the lack of real political discourse, and the use of anything to further a political agenda, the current mistrust of agencies is not surprising. People caught in the middle react, sometimes without logic or solid judgment. We need to rein ourselves in, stay as balanced and calm as possible. Long sieges are very wearing.

The fire crews are willing to face firestorms with the intention of salvaging what can be saved from incineration. They are operating with complete transparency, as anyone who attends the briefings can judge. Blaming the fire-fighting tactics for causing additional damage shows a lack of understanding of what is needed to moderate (and ultimately, contain) the fires during this season of extremes. And to the fire team: if we need to learn more about the rationale behind the strategies in play, please educate us. Knowing more helps to dispel ungrounded fear. (The well-grounded fears are bad enough!)

Horseshoe Fire: Strategies

At last night's community meeting in Portal regarding the Horseshoe Fire, the fire team gave us a glimpse into how their strategies are built. Sam Amato (an analyst of long-term fire behavior) has modeled the fire, using local topography, weather patterns, and knowledge of fire behavior, to map the Horseshoe's predicted behavior over the next 7 and 14 days.

Probability of fire spread in 7 days, given no suppression

Operations Chief George Johnson noted that "all models are wrong––some are useful." And indeed the usefulness of these two models is obvious. By looking at the most likely flow of fire through the landscape, the fire planners can see the most important points to choke off the fire to prevent its spread into sensitive areas. Sometimes those points can be worked on the ground, but in terrain this rugged, aerial attack is usually more practical and much safer for the firefighters. Even when a fire can only be dampened or delayed at those check points, it helps, buying us more time for the rains to arrive.

I also found some comfort in looking at the worst case scenario presented by the 14-day model, and noting just how extremely low the chances are that that worst case would happen: it's less than 0.2%! The worst case scenario also isn't as bad as imagination would make it. None of the fire officials last night were willing to say positively that the fire won't reach Portal, but they all believed that the likelihood is extremely low.

Rains are falling now in Mexico, and the meteorologist said this morning that with luck they could reach the Chiricahuas sometime next week.

The type of fire team now working on the Horseshoe Fire specializes in long-term strategy. The initial Type 1 team had a different mission, that of overwhelming the incident.

At this morning's briefing to the fire crews, the day's plan was laid out and an updated fire map posted.

Fire map at June 18 briefing

Left blue box: South Fork picnic area. Right blue box: Portal Peak

Today's planned operations include continuing to brush and chip along Forest Road 42, beginning to brush the South Fork Road, checking yet again for any smoke or hotspots in the South Fork bottom, and sending a team to the fire line at "B" and "A" along the perimeter (see blue lines on map). Along "B" and "A" the team will be putting in water bars to reduce erosion in the fire perimeter, once the rains arrive. They were cautioned to watch for illegal immigrants and smugglers, because the new fire line provides a much easier trail for illegal border-crossers to use.

Along the fire margins, crews have been "cold-trailing," testing by hand to see whether the soil is cold, or retains heat. A few smokes have broken out within the main burn, as remaining fuel continues to dry out and begins to smolder.

Tomorrow's census of Elegant Trogons will be held, although only people trained to work with wildfires will be allowed into South Fork. At least three such folks are also birders and are familiar with trogons. We'll meet this evening at 6 PM at the Visitor Center in Cave Creek Canyon to organize the effort.

Incident Commander Brad McBratney spoke to our attitude as a community toward this crisis. Being in crisis mode for a long period is a strain. It will help if we recognize that we have time here, nothing is imminent, and "it's a marathon, not a sprint." We need to pace ourselves, to draw on our stamina, and to release that stress as much as possible.

So, a question for Hizzonner the Mayor: shall we have a community gathering to hear your latest joke collection, or compilation of urban legends?

Active Day for Horseshoe Fire

Fire briefing on June 17 (Photos by Narca)

The fire crew, which is working to contain the Horseshoe Fire that continues to burn in the Chiricahua Wilderness, assembled at six this morning for its daily briefing. Yesterday's hot, dry, windy conditions did indeed light up the fire, although it continues to behave fairly sedately, advancing at a rate of about a quarter-mile a day. Yesterday about 100 more acres burned in the northwest region of the fire, backing down into two canyons above the South Fork picnic area (blue arrow), and bringing the total to 2862 acres burned.

Similar fire behavior is expected today: the fire is backing downslope along the ground with flames about 2 feet high, then roaring back up through the pre-heated canopy. Crews are being cautioned that spotting is possible (but not likely) up to 1/2 mile from the fire. New starts in lighter fuels could move as fast as 1/4 mile an hour, but overall the fire is expected to move only about 1/4 mile closer to South Fork today. Water drops will continue to be used to dampen the fire's movement.

Higher up, where the fire burned earlier into the bottom of South Fork around Maple Camp, it is thought to be extinguished, and the crew will be double-checking that today. Similarly, in Log Canyon mop-up work is thought to have quenched the fire.

Fire map at morning briefing, June 17
Blue arrow: South Fork picnic area. Blue box: Portal Peak

This fire map shows the secured area in the west and south with a black boundary. The percentage of containment remains at about 25%. Inactive edges on the north and south of the burn are shown with a red dotted line. There mop-up work continues, to be sure that further ignition won't become a problem. The active edge of the fire to the north and east is shown by a solid red line. I drew a blue box around Portal Peak for your reference. So that you can more easily see the recent spread, here is a map from a day or two ago:

Today's conditions are expected to be similar to yesterday's, with less wind, perhaps gusting to 28 mph. Humidity is still very low, bottoming out at only 4%. Temperature should reach into the high 90ºs in Rodeo. This morning's light winds from the north and northeast should blow the fire back onto itself, but this afternoon they will shift again, coming from the west-southwest, and pick up strength. By afternoon we could be seeing big columns of smoke, as we did yesterday. The fire will soon be reaching another series of high bluffs, those sentinel cliffs of lower South Fork, which should interrupt its spread.

Horseshoe Fire in late afternoon, June 16

One road has re-opened: the back-country road that runs from Rustler Park to Long Park. The Herb Martyr and South Fork roads remain closed.

Border Patrol alerted the fire team that activity of illegal immigrants and drug smugglers has heated up as much as the fire, saying that they are "running all over" the Chiricahuas, so firefighters have to be alert to more than just fire safety. Firefighting near the international border brings a host of new problems to the task. Not only do firefighters have to worry about encountering armed, potentially hostile, illegal border crossers, they also may find interference with their communications originating in Mexico, and unattended vehicles "will be damaged or stolen." The Forest Service advises all firefighters that "threats to employees are present 24/7/365."

It occurred to me that one benefit of this fire is that it will burn up some of the tons of garbage that illegal entrants have dumped along their travel corridors in the Chiricahuas.

One another subject, Portaleños will be pleased to hear that we have a new acronym: POPC, in reference to staying hydrated while working the fire lines: pee often, pee clear. One of the fire officials from Montana was saying that he's finding the heat "brutal." With all the gear the firefighters have to wear while engaged in hard physical work, the heat must indeed be hard to take––your efforts are very appreciated! 

The current incident commander, Brad McBratney, commented on the positive attitude he's finding in the work environment here––an attitude that began when the Type 1 crew first came, and continues today. 

Everyone is invited to come to tonight's community meeting (7 PM at the Portal Fire & Rescue classroom), where we'll receive an update and be shown a powerpoint presentation on the fire. I'm hoping that we'll also learn whether the annual trogon census can be held on Saturday.

Factoid: sales of chewing tobacco at the Portal Store skyrocketed with the arrival of the fire crews.

Fire Not Deterring Illegal Immigrants

I should also note that Helen and I were told by firefighters that they are continuing to see illegal immigrants, by day and by night (through night-vision binoculars), who are traversing the Chiricahua Mountains, even as they burn, even through the newly-burned region.

If you really would like to help Portal, the Chiricahua Mountains, and other Borderland communities, please support immediate enforcement of our immigration laws and (as a separate issue) reform of our immigration policy, including reinstituting a rational, national workers' program, such as the Braceros program which the US had for many years during and after World War II. It worked.

Such a worker program would  prevent the sufferings and occasional deaths of workers attempting to enter the country illegally––and it would alleviate problems in places like Portal, where fully 1/4 of all homes were broken into last year by illegal immigrants. It would also address an economic need in the US. You have only to stay a short while in our Border communities to sense the growing desperation, as the federal government holds back from dealing with this complex problem, out of fear of losing votes.

The Horseshoe Fire

All of my fellow Portaleños, as well as the birding community, are following closely the development of the Horseshoe Fire, here in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona. As of Saturday night, May 29, just over 1200 acres have burned in the heart of the Chiricahua Wilderness.

Horseshoe Fire at 2 AM, May 30, a 30-second exposure 

(Photos by Steve Cullen/Light Buckets)

And a 10-second exposure, both taken 10 miles from the fire

At last night's community meeting, fire supervisors told us that this promises to be a very difficult, very large fire, which will most likely burn until the monsoon rains arrive. If the fire burns to the perimeter line that firefighters hope to establish, it will be as large as 35,000 - 40,000 acres. (For comparison, the huge 1994 Rattlesnake Fire, which burned for a month, covered 29,000 acres.)

A team specializing in Type 1 fires––the most challenging––is here with 700 firefighters, including 19 Hot Shot teams. In all of the US there are 100 Hot Shot teams, so the commitment of nearly 20% of the nation's most proficient fighters of wildland fires indicates how seriously the fire experts are regarding the Horseshoe Fire. The Type 1 team here in Portal also responded to 9/11 in New York City.

The combination of terrain, fuel load and weather conditions makes this fire so difficult to handle––in the US, the fire supervisors told us, the Chiricahuas present as rugged a terrain as it's possible to find.

Fire perimeters have to be drawn so that the segments all connect to ring the fire. Given our rough terrain, it was impossible to make the perimeter any smaller. In steep, narrow canyons, flaming brands "jump" from one side of the canyon to the other, and so, in that situation, fire defeats all efforts to contain it.

Even after our good winter rains and snow pack, the moisture load of down fuels––logs etc––is low at only 6%. (Lumber for building usually has twice that moisture content.) However, the living trees are well hydrated and should withstand fire better than is often the case here. We hope to see a mostly low-intensity, mosaic burn which would benefit the habitat. We fear a high-intensity, stand-replacing, uncontrollable conflagration.

Fire supervisors see no way of keeping the fire out of South Fork, a major branch of Cave Creek Canyon renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity. To lower the impact, firefighters will concentrate on manipulating the fire when possible to lower its intensity, and thus avoid as much as possible the catastrophic, stand-replacing holocaust we experienced with the Rattlesnake (when fire burned from Methodist Camp all the way to the top at Rustler Park in 2 to 3 hours). Another goal is to protect the old growth riparian corridor along South Fork. Team members are very aware of its high biological value.

The fire investigators told us that the Horseshoe Fire was human-caused, and that it is virtually certain that illegal immigrants are responsible, once again. It began at Burro Springs, near the ridge between Horseshoe and South Fork Canyons. Deep frustrations were expressed at the meeting over the entire situation involving both illegal immigration and drug smuggling, and the suffering experienced by the border communities, which bear the brunt of a failed immigration policy and of the passage of many thousands of illegal entrants, in the form of fire ignitions, damage to pristine habitats, home break-ins, assaults, ambushes between rival cartels, and one recent murder. But that is another subject indeed....

Portal itself, while located right on the fire perimeter line, is in no imminent danger. Unfortunately, all of the homes up canyon from Portal fall inside the perimeter. For the moment, the American Museum of Natural History's Southwest Research Station is not in danger. Much depends on what the winds do during this coming month or two, and upon when the rains come––if they come. (Last year the monsoon essentially didn't come, and summer drought was intense.)

Two nights ago I drove with Gary Rosenberg and his group to go owling in the high Chiricahuas. Returning from Onion Saddle, we were sobered and deeply impressed by the expanse of twinkling hotspots spread beneath us, where trees stood as torches in the night, and the full moon rode above the wrack of smoke. Sleeping was difficult for me that night. It is hard to see this treasured canyon go through a crisis of these proportions, and to know that the research station and so many homes (including our own) are under threat. Yesterday as we helped friends to evacuate their cabin above the research station, a pair of Elegant Trogons was coming and going from their nest cavity, their home also in grave danger.

Elegant Trogon in South Fork (Watercolor by Narca)

My sadness lifted a little when I remembered a grassland fire that Alan and I helped to fight in 1992 on the Gray Ranch. After the fire was under control, I walked back through smoking stubs of bunch grasses, and a single Grasshopper Sparrow hopped up onto a still-smoldering grass-snag in the midst of the black desolation, and began to sing.