szeitner
Well-Known Member
They're saying this darn Ash Creek Fire is the size of the state of New Hampshire! Although hardly anyone outside of Montana has even heard of it!!
Was out yesterday to help a friend look for his cows on his forest
lease, and I think we located most of them, he'll know better in a few days once they all filter back to the water tank. Even with the wind blowing to the east yesterday, the fire kept burning back towards Minnows and Kolka's.
When I left last night it was burning up to the east side of Beavercreek Road. Earlier yesterday a D-4 cat and two graders continued to cut a guard up the divide to hook into the other side to try to keep this monster contained. Heard Hansen's 3rd lease was burning, and the fire jumped over highway 212 to the south.
What little hay the area ranchers had is now burned, some fields were spared, but not near enough to sustain their cattle. The grass on the leases is gone, and it will be at least two years before they are allowed to graze them again.....this is so devastating, not to metion the thousands of acres of great hunting land now destroyed, herds of elk displaced to who knows where.....
Not sure if the ranchers will be able to find enough pastures elsewhere to lease so they can graze their herds, or if many will be forced to sell. Terrets were gathering about 400 head of yearlings that were on Davis's fields, mixed in with Mike's cows along with some of Hansens. Not sure if the fire made it to Brian and Maggie Dice's yet on the other side, but I fear if it hasn't it surely will.
IT was exploding to the east yesterday, it looked like the air tankers were on a WWII bombing mission, intermixed with some Super Huey's and a CH-47....flames and smoke towering hundreds of feet in the air as the fire continued it's march on it's path of destruction. Lots of prayers by many have given many others hope. It is bad, it will get worse in the short term, but it will eventually be stopped.
Envoirmentalists have been filing lawsuits for the past 10 years in efforts aimed at blocking forest service attempts to thin the forest, and mitigate the fire hazards....well look where this got them, not a tree saved for them to hug!
Was out yesterday to help a friend look for his cows on his forest
lease, and I think we located most of them, he'll know better in a few days once they all filter back to the water tank. Even with the wind blowing to the east yesterday, the fire kept burning back towards Minnows and Kolka's.
When I left last night it was burning up to the east side of Beavercreek Road. Earlier yesterday a D-4 cat and two graders continued to cut a guard up the divide to hook into the other side to try to keep this monster contained. Heard Hansen's 3rd lease was burning, and the fire jumped over highway 212 to the south.
What little hay the area ranchers had is now burned, some fields were spared, but not near enough to sustain their cattle. The grass on the leases is gone, and it will be at least two years before they are allowed to graze them again.....this is so devastating, not to metion the thousands of acres of great hunting land now destroyed, herds of elk displaced to who knows where.....
Not sure if the ranchers will be able to find enough pastures elsewhere to lease so they can graze their herds, or if many will be forced to sell. Terrets were gathering about 400 head of yearlings that were on Davis's fields, mixed in with Mike's cows along with some of Hansens. Not sure if the fire made it to Brian and Maggie Dice's yet on the other side, but I fear if it hasn't it surely will.
IT was exploding to the east yesterday, it looked like the air tankers were on a WWII bombing mission, intermixed with some Super Huey's and a CH-47....flames and smoke towering hundreds of feet in the air as the fire continued it's march on it's path of destruction. Lots of prayers by many have given many others hope. It is bad, it will get worse in the short term, but it will eventually be stopped.
Envoirmentalists have been filing lawsuits for the past 10 years in efforts aimed at blocking forest service attempts to thin the forest, and mitigate the fire hazards....well look where this got them, not a tree saved for them to hug!
