The summer of 2015 is the summer of wicked weather. Misery lies at the feet of tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods in the midwest and eastern part of the United States. Washington state is overwhelmed by both forest fires and hurricane force winds that killed at least three people over the weekend.
Idaho smiled through a wet spring and early summer. July came and went without smoke-filled skies. That all changed the morning of August 10, when a lightening strike kindled cheat grass and sage in Owyhee county at the southwestern edge of the state.
The Soda fire tossed embered gauntlets to the swirling winds and by the next day the fire was doubling exponentially in size. In a little over a week, 280,000 acres of private and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land was desiccated. Fortunately, no humans died, but countless cattle, sage grouse, deer, rodents, and at last count, 30 of approximately 300 head of wild horses from three major herds have been found dead. Ranchers saved some of their livestock by trailering them out of the fire zone, but that accounted for only the small percentage of their herds that happened to be close by. During the summer months, cattle ranchers rely on the vast BLM scrub land for grazing. I have not heard estimates on the loss of livestock yet. But it will be high. This morning I drove out to see for myself just what was left.

Mute, black testimony as far as I can see for 360 degrees; no stock will be coming to this feeding station.

A heavy silence followed me through charred ground. Gone are the many grand raptors that soared over this ground; there’s nothing for them to eat. Gone is the dry-sweet smell of sagebrush, replaced by a vinegary smell of dampened embers.

The distant lowing of cattle wrenched my heart. Was it feeding time at the ranch a mile away, or where they nursing injuries?

I had the sensation of warmth from the blackened earth. But when I laid my hand on it, it was no warmer than the unscorched gravel fire break road. It was my mind playing tricks on me.

The cattle noise was coming from this ranch. It’s buildings & corrals were saved, but not the pastures and hay fields. Cowboys were taking stock of what’s left of their herd. There won’t be feed this winter, there isn’t feed now. I felt their misery from my distant viewpoint. If you look closely, you can see the black tracks of the fire as it leaped across the road behind the ranch.
The Soda fire was just the trigger for all mayhem to come. As of August 29, the National Interagency Fire Center, based in Boise, reports 70 fires have burned nearly 2 million acres. The Army has deployed 200 soldiers to the fire lines and the Air Force has assigned at least six air tankers. Fifty-eight brave fireline personnel from Canada have joined 68 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand to help protect residents, homes, and livestock in the path of wild land fires around the west.
Years like this are becoming the norm. I am glad I’m reaching the end of my time on this beleaguered planet.
Scary, scary times Linda. Fires all up and down the I95 corridor throughout Idaho this month. Smoke, scarring, and scorching. Hopefully the rains of fall are coming soon and we can put this fire season behind us.
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Yes. And hopefully the fall rains won’t create their own set of miseries.
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Seeing the images is painful, but not as painful as it must have been to witness it in person. Yes, the ‘heavy silence”alerts all of the senses that something is amiss – only to later hear the cattle and follow the sound. Thank goodness the headquarters was spared.
Our planet is not well, and I’m glad there are people like you who share findings with the world.
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Yes, the fire fighters put property first on the triage page when dealing with these fires. All too often, they risk their own lives saving someone else’s home.
Unfortunately, I can share what my eyes see, but there are still too many head-in-the-tar-pit types who simply want to carry on as usual, making money, raping the land, the water, and the air.
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you are so right.. i witness it here w/the coastqal erosion/raping of the beaches for the sand. there’s a saying, ‘an ungrateful man is like a hog undere a tree eating acorns.. never looking up to see where it came from..’
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We had to evacuate a house because of the threat of forest fires that were springing up around us in 2006, some started deliberately. Constantly on the lookout for smoke and flames can be scary, especially when they get as close as a couple of hundred yards away. We were lucky, and were able to return after a few hours. but I know how the situation feels.
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I can’t imagine. I’ve never (fortunately) had to evacuate. There are still lots of evacuation notices throughout the state and in Washington and Oregon. It’s bad enough to consider leaving your home, but the ranchers? I just can’t imagine their worry and heartbreak.
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So hard to look at these photos. Yet fire cleanses and new life springs up very quickly from burnt stubble – cold comfort, though, to those who have lost so much.
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Yes, the little green sprouts were a surprise. Of course, most of what I saw were weeds and cheat grass will be the first to raise it’s ugly head again. Sadly, in this hot, dry climate, it will take 5 – 10 years for the forage to recover. It’s very difficult for the animals.
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Linda, this may be the new normal. Yet, we have many more years, so let’s make the best of it. BTG
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Yeah, Keith, I don’t mean to sound like I’m on death’s door or anything. Far from it. It’s just that when I look down the road at what the future holds for this planet, I don’t see a place for myself, or for people like me. I can’t fathom how people will survive what’s to come.
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We need more Linda’s not one fewer. Let’s keep trying to influence for the good.
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Devastation – hard to look at 😦
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Strange mix of agony and beauty = a grim reminder of our reality
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Yes. Your comment makes me think of the “Every time has a season,” rather trite, but also so very true.
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