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Weather conditions contribute to fire risk

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Weather conditions contribute to fire risk

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By Megan Graham

As we welcome the warmer, drier, windier months that characterize spring in Southwest Colorado, this spring also brings with it an air of caution and concern for the upcoming fire season because of historically low moisture levels this past winter.

As of April 1, the snow in the mountain basins that will feed our rivers this spring and summer was just 47 percent of the median amount we receive in our corner of the state - which includes the San Miguel, Animas, Dolores and San Juan river basins.

In all of 2017, precipitation in Southwest Colorado was just 9.27 inches - well below our annual average of 16.07 inches. Thus far in 2018, we have received less than half of the average to date: just 1.18 inches of precipitation compared with an average of 3.86 inches.

To prepare for what has already been an active fire season, a multi-agency group, including La Plata County, the La Plata County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Forest Service, FireWise of Southwest Colorado, county fire districts, San Juan Basin Public Health, Colorado State Forest Service and local nonprofits, has coordinated to reach out to the community about wildfire risks, mitigation and preparedness so that we are all ready to respond if fire occurs.

Normal springtime conditions have exacerbated the conditions, with seasonal high winds blowing strongly throughout the region. These weather patterns, which have created exceedingly dry conditions for trees, shrubs, grasses and other ground fuels, have meant that local firefighting agencies have already been busy responding to fires this winter and spring - accidental fires, agricultural fires and some test fires.

The National Weather Service has issued multiple red flag days this spring, triggered by high winds and temperatures combined with low relative humidity. Local fire agencies have responded by withholding burn permits on those days, as well as strongly discouraging agricultural operators from burning. Before igniting any fire, call Central Dispatch at 385-2900 to report your plan and to make sure there are not burn restrictions in place.

In the meantime, there are a number of steps everyone in Southwest Colorado can take to be ready for wildfire and mitigate its effects on our homes and community. Creating defensible space around your home is critical, and FireWise can help. For information about grant and rebate programs to help keep your property safe, visit southwestcoloradofires.org.

La Plata County also offers emergency notifications via CodeRED. Sign up at http://bit.ly/CodeRed_signup. Once you sign up for these announcements, you will receive real-time information on your cellphone about all emergencies, including wildfire and information about evacuations, pre-evacuation and other essential emergency information.

While we are all remaining hopeful that April will still bring the showers that moisten our soils, quench our trees' thirst and beckon May flowers, it is important to be prepared for what could be an active fire season if conditions remain as dry and warm as we have seen in recent months.

Take a look at the many preparedness resources available at ready.gov/wildfires and wildlandfires.org/Resident.

Learn about health risks associated with fire season, including red flag warnings, at bit.ly/81301_weather; and smoke effects at colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx.

And most of all, think rain!

This information was provided through coordination efforts from FireWise of Southwest Colorado, La Plata County, the La Plata County Sheriff's Office, county fire districts, U.S. Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service, San Juan Basin Public Health and local nonprofit organizations.

For more information, call FireWise at 385-8909.

Megan Graham is the public affairs officer for La Plata County.

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Dry winter, spring winds deliver high-risk fire conditions to Southwest Colorado

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For more than a month, investigators have been at work trying to solve the mystery on everyone's mind: What started the 416 Fire north of Durango that has burned 54,000 acres and counting, forced thousands of evacuations and caused dramatic economic losses to Southwest Colorado?

The answer is likely to have sweeping consequences: already, the cost of fighting the 416 Fire - which started June 1 - is at nearly $30 million, with the blaze only 45 percent contained as of Friday.

And that doesn't take into account expected losses from businesses and residents affected by the fire.

While the fire has yet to consume any houses or personal property, Southwest Colorado's crucial tourist economy is down during what should be peak season, which could result in civil lawsuits if a party is found responsible.

But as of Friday, the cause of the 416 Fire was still listed as "under investigation," and it's possible it could remain that way for weeks, even months, said Gretchen Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Forest Service.

"Even a small fire can take two, three weeks," Fitzgerald said. "It takes time."

Investigation begins immediately after outbreakThe Durango Herald on Thursday sat down with Steven Williams, a fire investigator for the U.S. Forest Service and Christopher Syler, an investigator in training, to talk about how fire fighters determine the cause of a wildfire.

The pair - who are not working the 416 Fire - declined to talk about any specifics of the 416 Fire for fear of compromising the investigation.

Having an understanding of the process and why it can take so long, however, can help ease a restless populace that wants answers.

"With a lot of investigations, we want to keep everything confidential as much as possible because we treat it as a crime scene," Williams said.

An investigation into the cause of a wildfire starts the moment firefighters become aware of an outbreak, Williams said, with trained and certified investigators among the emergency responders that are first dispatched in an initial attack.

"Most of the time, an investigator is coming right away ... unless the fire's way out there in the wilderness and likely started by lightning," Syler said.

Investigators can start putting together some of the pieces of the puzzle, looking for telltale signs, such as weather conditions and what kind of location the fire started in.

If a fire broke out near a shooting range or near a campground, for instance, investigators already have a leg up on some potential causes, Williams said. Or, if a storm recently passed by, there's a likely chance it was started by lightning.

To this effect, one of the big questions to answer early on is whether the fire was natural or human-cased. Humans, according to federal data, cause more than 90 percent of wildfires through campfires, discarded cigarettes, etc.

If the investigation deems the fire is human-caused, the next step, is to determine whether it was intentional or an accident. An important part of this process is to protect the location where the fire started, known as a "scene of origin."

In the case of the 416 Fire, the Durango Fire Protection District was one of the first fire departments on scene after the start of the fire, about 13 miles north of Durango, in the Meadowridge subdivision.

There, it was critical first responders balance fighting the flames to prevent spread and preserving the scene of origin so as to not damage any evidence for the ensuing investigation, said Scot Davis, spokesman for the fire district.

"A big part of what our crews are trained to do is protect any evidence that could be out there so investigators can come in and get the information they need," Davis said. "We always try our best to tread lightly on those areas."

Collecting evidenceOnce it's safe, fire investigators will secure the scene where the fire is believed to have started, taking into account details of the area, collecting evidence, noting weather conditions and talking to any potential witnesses.

Investigators are trained to look for patterns and movement of wildfires. The angles of char on trees, for example, can help patchwork together information on the way the fire burned that can lead back to the point of origin.

Sometimes, soils can be collected and taken to labs, Williams said. To the best of their ability, fire investigators are looking for the exact pinpoint location of where the fire started.

According to a federal wildfire information database, the location of the start of the 416 Fire is just west of train tracks for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. On that day, no lightning was reported in the area.

A previous story in the Herald talked to several residents in the Meadowridge subdivision who said they saw wisps of smoke up the hillside around 9:45 a.m. June 1, moments after the train passed by. Residents in the neighborhood were accustomed to putting out fires started by the train.

The account has caused intense suspicion that the coal-fired engine, known for sending off cinders that start fires, is the culprit in the 416 Fire. If the train is found to be the cause, the train's owner, Al Harper, said the train will take responsibility.

Investigations take timeBut fire investigators stress coming to a final determination isn't as quick and easy as some would like it to be.

"It takes time to talk to witnesses, collect evidence, study burn patterns - to get the best outcome," Syler said. "You don't want to grab the first person that's standing there. It takes quite a while."

And even when investigations on the ground are complete, there's a whole host of additional measures fire investigators must take behind the scenes to complete an investigation, Syler said.

"There's a lot of office time putting all the notes and findings together," he said. "And a big fire with a lot of factors to it - it could be months, a year, even five years in some cases."

For example, fire investigators are only recently identifying those responsible for a 2013 fire in California, which is likely to lead to an entangled web of litigation, involving a cadre of lawyers for insurance companies and other interested parties, Syler said.

But even when investigators determine a cause and possible responsible party, Williams said the public isn't notified immediately. Investigators must report their findings to their supervisors, who then consult with a U.S. district attorney.

"It's a long process - especially when cost recovery is involved - to make sure every duck is in a row," Williams said.

With no official cause of the 416 Fire, it would be speculation to say how the cost recovery process will play out. Syler said the Forest Service in recent years is being more aggressive in getting those responsible to pay for firefighting costs.

The 416 Fire has burned only a portion of private land, about 722 acres - while scorching a little more than 52,500 acres of the San Juan National Forest, mostly in the Hermosa Creek wilderness and special management area.

Losses to businesses, both in the short and long term, may not be known for months, or years. Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance, said the toll could be well over $2 million just in the past month.

Harpers ask for patience<PARAGRAPH style="Body text">

The Harper family, which has owned the D&SNG since 1998, is asking the public to let the investigation play out before passing judgment.

The D&SNG has been both the wrongly accused victim and the guilty party of fire accusations in the past.

About five years ago, the train was blamed and publicly flogged as the source of a small fire that actually turned out to be caused by hikers that had tossed a lit cigarette, Harper said.

On the other hand, a cinder from the D&SNG sparked a nearly 600-acre wildfire in the Weminuche Wilderness in 2002 at a time when the area was still in an extreme drought and reeling from the Missionary Ridge Fire.

In that instance, the train's insurance paid to cover the cost of fighting the fire, known as the Schaaf Fire. According to Herald archives, Harper said the train would cover about half of the $495,000 cost of the fire.

This year, the train stopped running June 1, the day the fire broke out. Harper has said the D&SNG will not resume service until rains arrive to make it safe to make the round-trip from Durango to Silverton.

"Because of insurance, we're not allowed to comment on (the 416 Fire)," Harper said Thursday. "To say anything one way or another, that's not wisdom when you have insurance."

In the meantime, the U.S. Forest Service said Thursday "there is no timeline as to when or who will release the investigation" into who or what caused the 416 Fire.

In general, when there is an identifiable party responsible for starting a fire, there is no hard and true rule of law when it comes to cost and liability. Punishments range from minor to serious depending on intent and size of the fire.

jromeo@durangoherald.com

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Forest Service: Fire investigations take time, patience

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For more than a month, investigators have been at work trying to solve the mystery on everyone's mind: What started the 416 Fire north of Durango...

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What useful connections did you make during the workshop?

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What useful connections did you make during the workshop?

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How EPA, states, and tribes are implementing long-term water quality monitoring in the San Juan River watershed of the southwestern U.S.

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Essential questions or statement of problem

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Essential questions or statement of problem

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Example: The amount of fresh water is limited but the demand for water continues to grow. How can we meet the demands for fresh water?

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GLOBE International STEM Network Members (GISN)

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GLOBE International STEM Network Members (GISN)

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The GLOBE International STEM Network (GISN) is an international network of STEM professionals (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) that work with GLOBE students around the world conducting science. STEM professionals mentor students and teachers, present scientific ideas, and/or collaborate on scientific research. Each relationship between a STEM professional and a GLOBE school is unique, and is determined by the STEM professional and the school.

Check Out The Website for Career Connections:
https://www.globe.gov/web/globe-international-stem-network/overview/gisn-members

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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MULTI-September-29-2018

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PBL: Groundwater contamination, water availability-- water budget

Hook: Debates on dams and water use

Mining and fracking (CU resources at) http://insideenergy.org/wp-content/uploads//2017/12/Water-Use-in-Hydraulic-Fracturing.pdf

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National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

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National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

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At NCAR, they don't forecast the weather. They get inside the weather, climate, and surrounding environment to understand it better. They study the Sun, air chemistry, how the atmosphere interacts with the land and oceans, and how we change and are changed by weather and climate.

Check Out Their Website:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNDl29n8kI

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Know your biases...Know that you ARE biased!

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Know your biases...Know that you ARE biased!

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We all have biases and they color our interactions with kids. We cant avoid having them, they are a product of our upbringing, our education, and the environment in which we live and teach. So the critical thing is to be aware of them and to seek to mitigate any negative impacts they may have on students. It is critical to be aware of student's backgrounds and family situation. Is the family indifferent or hostile to the school, or are they afraid of/intimidated by the school, or perhaps embarrassed?

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Please click on this link and introduce yourself here

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Please click on this link and introduce yourself here

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Water Education Colorado Citizen's Guide to Water Conservation

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Water Education Colorado Citizen's Guide to Water Conservation

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Water Education has a series of excellent guides available online or in booklet form. Here is the link for the guide for water conservation. Lots of great pictures. Also available: Where Your Water Comes From, Colorado Water Law, Water Quality Protection, Denver Basin Groundwater, and more
https://issuu.com/cfwe/docs/citizens_guide_conservation

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From Outlier Research: "In all cases, it is clear that some of the most valued components of STEM schools are not STEM-discipline specific, but relate to broader, transferrable, lifelong skills…Educational philosophers such as Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner have advocated for inquiry and constructivist approaches for over a century. They argued

for student autonomy, relevance, collaboration with peers, and learning-by-doing."

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Funded by NSF
Community based approach
Focus on teacher PD to more effectively engage underserved students
Earth systems science based learning activities--GLOBE (Global Learning & Observations to Benefit the Environment)
Workshops & research on implementation
Our research: STEM content, 21st century skills, career pathways
Questions about follow up?

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How to find other resources
Remaking the modules
"Like" the padlet for ease
Other questions?

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The Water Quality Portal (WQP) is a cooperative service sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC). It serves data collected by over 400 state, federal, tribal, and local agencies.

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FRISCO - The pine beetle came to Summit County in 2005, turning scores of trees red and creeping higher up the mountainsides each year.

Twelve years later, nearly every stand of lodgepole pines has been affected, and they stand in gray, dead clusters, creating headaches for firefighters, forest managers and concerned residents. It's been the same story through most of the high country.

More than 30 representatives from forestry groups across the state gathered in Frisco last month for the annual Colorado Forest Collaboratives Summit to share how they are still trying to heal their damaged forests.

It's an uphill battle, and will likely remain so for at least a generation. But if there's a silver lining, attendees said, it's the level of engagement and cooperation that the beetle scourge has inspired among diverse groups across the high country.

"The bark beetle just kept chewing at the trees, moving to higher elevations, and pretty soon, many of our forests were a lot different. We really didn't know what to do about what was happening to our backyards," said Howard Hallman, president of the Forest Health Task Force.

As wildfires continue to burn hotter, bigger and more frequently across Colorado, firefighting costs have been swallowing up more and more of the U.S. Forest's Service budget. At the same time, forest remediation needs are more urgent than ever.

But with the agency's resources being pulled in both directions, groups like the FHTF have been stepping up to help out, providing valuable "citizen science" on the forests that helps speed along thinning projects and cultivates buy-in from communities.

This year, volunteers with the FHTF and Friends of the Dillon Ranger District have been conducting stand exams in more than 60 spots around Summit County, helping the Forest Service identify the parts of the forest most urgently in need of work.

That extra data has saved the Forest Service time and money at a time when it is desperately short on both. Recently, it helped speed along a remediation project near Keystone.

"We did (that project) pretty quickly and in efficient time, and that was because we frontloaded it with help from folks being out on the ground taking the data for us," said USFS deputy district ranger Adam Bianchi.

The Forest Service provides the volunteers with training and gear, then sends them fanning out across the forest to check up on the trees. In total, the group has checked more than 200 plots of forest.

"The idea is that in the future as we continue to grow, the group will help identify and help us figure out where on the district and where in the community we should be focusing on," Hallman said. "Where is the highest priority?"

Residents are sometimes wary of thinning and mitigation activities, especially when it means cutting trees near their homes. That was especially the case in the early days of the beetle crisis, but Bianchi said people are starting to come to terms with the fact that the forest is sick, and sometimes it needs bitter medicine.

A benefit of the citizen stand exams, Bianchi said, is that volunteers can educate themselves on forest health issues in the field and return to the community as ambassadors for the Forest Service.

"It went from, 'What the heck is the Forest Service doing?' to, 'All right, this makes sense,'" he said.

During the meeting, other foresters shared stories of how citizen data sets are helping them communicate better with the communities they serve and streamline projects.

On the Uncompahgre Plateau in Southwest Colorado, for instance, the Colorado Forestry Institute has high school interns gathering data in the field. A similar program in Pagosa Springs recently enlisted students to conduct stand exams and help sell the community on an important thinning project at the edge of town.

There are some who are concerned that citizen science lacks the rigor and reliability of the work done by professionals. But Aaron Kimple of the Mountain Studies Institute, who worked with the Pagosa Springs students, said its value is twofold.

"You have to think of citizen science in multiple components: one is the data, and the other is learning and education," he told the group. "It depends on what you're hoping to get out of it."

And even if the data produced isn't fit for academic research, it can still be good enough for project monitoring and management purposes.

Carol Ekarius, of the Coalition for the Upper South Platte, told the group that given the scope of the problem, forest and watershed managers need all the help they can get.

"There's so much work to be done that if we get willing people to continue carrying the water, so to speak, we're making progress. We're not going to fix any of these problems in anybody's lifetime in this room, but it is a matter of continuing to move the needle."

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Fixing Colorado's forests with the help of 'citizen science'

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FRISCO - The pine beetle came to Summit County in 2005, turning scores of trees red and creeping higher up the mountainsides each year. Twelve years later, nearly every stand of lodgepole pines has been affected, and they stand in gray, dead clusters, creating headaches for firefighters, forest managers and concerned residents.

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Stakeholder views on watershed management

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Stakeholder views on watershed management

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Click the "Post-Decision" tab below to see the Final Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan and travel maps. All public comment and objection periods are closed. The management plan guides the long-term management of the Hermosa Creek Watershed, including the Special Management Area, new wilderness, project level recreation facilities, and travel management including designation of types and seasons of travel allowed on roads and trails.

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Instructions for possible stakeholder role play

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Instructions for possible stakeholder role play

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Surprise! Fire can help some forests keep more of their water

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In California's Sierra Nevada mountains, a century of fire suppression has led to forests with too many trees. But areas thinned by fire now show one benefit: more water.

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Calculating Discharge and Steam flow Data Collection Sheet

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Calculating Discharge and Steam flow Data Collection Sheet

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GLOBE water transparency data collection sheet

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GLOBE water transparency data collection sheet

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GLOBE dissolved oxygen in water data collection sheet

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GLOBE dissolved oxygen in water data collection sheet

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aquatic macroinvertebrates data collection sheet

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aquatic macroinvertebrates data collection sheet

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Post Gold King Mine Spill Investigation of water and sediment in Animas River Watershed

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Post Gold King Mine Spill Investigation of water and sediment in Animas River Watershed

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Mining Decisions and Stakeholders Learning activity with documentary film

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Mining Decisions and Stakeholders Learning activity with documentary film

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Post-fire water-quality response in the western United States

Ashley J. Rust A C , Terri S. Hogue A B , Samuel Saxe A and John McCray A B

International Journal of Wildland Fire 27(3) 203-216 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF17115
Submitted: 8 March 2017  Accepted: 28 January 2018   Published: 28 March 2018

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GLOBE Earth as a System: Using Graphs to show Connections

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GLOBE Earth as a System: Using Graphs to show Connections

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https://www.globe.gov/documents/356823/bd27e34c-cbd9-48a9-b4c9-d72cd8b93e64

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GLOBE Earth as a System Learning Activity - Connections at study site

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GLOBE Earth as a System Learning Activity - Connections at study site

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https://www.globe.gov/documents/356823/9ef14bc2-b62b-4726-9cfa-8dc6f110c44c

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Earth as a System: Using Graphs to Explore Connections - Coming soon

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Earth as a System: Using Graphs to Explore Connections - Coming soon

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Hi

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As a student still in practicum teaching, I interact with many students in many different classrooms. The data collection activity is applicable to many students with difficulties reading, but will also engage students who can read at higher levels. Using collected data will give students a "buy in" to the activity, as they need all of the steps to complete the activity. In my experiences so far, a physical and applicable activity encourages participation and curbs behavioral issues.

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GLOBE Earth as a System Learning Activity LC1: Connections at Local Field Site

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GLOBE Earth as a System Learning Activity LC1: Connections at Local Field Site

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Learning Activity LC3: Using Graphs to show connections

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The ATMOSPHERE and its connections in the Climate System 

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The ATMOSPHERE and its connections in the Climate System 

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Perceiving Earth as a system begins when we first feel warmth from sunshine or get wet standing in the rain. Understanding Earth as a system – Earth System Science – requires a quantitative exploration of the connections among all parts (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere) of the system. The measurements of The GLOBE Program provide students with the means to begin this exploration for themselves.

The processes comprising the global environment are interconnected. Many of the major environmental issues of our time have driven scientists to study how these connections operate on a global basis – to understand Earth as a system.

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https://www.globe.gov/documents/356823/321ebbf0-ef1b-419e-9a19-cbea1aceffdd

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Embarking on facilitating STEM k-6 this year.  It is very exciting and challenging.  I am enthused to implement more Globe related activities.

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Embarking on facilitating STEM k-6 this year.  It is very exciting and challenging.  I am enthused to implement more Globe related activities.

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Moving into a new position I have the privilege of working with all grade levels, for  50 min. each.  In some ways it can be challenging not knowing the intricacies that are part of a students whole learning experience.  I am now challenged with providing opportunities that connect to a reluctant learner.   I have a couple of 6th graders that have emotional needs that can inhibit learning opportunities.  I hope to find ways to make their learning authentic and engaging.