Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 23, 2009
3. Watersheds –
Firefighters battle 20 blazes in Forbestown
Oroville Mercury-Register
Human-bear conflicts eased by wet weather in Sierra
Tahoe Daily Tribune
Camping, boating at
Ukiah Daily Journal
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Firefighters battle 20 blazes in Forbestown
Oroville Mercury-Register-6/22/09
By Toni Scott
Twenty fires ignited along
At about 3:30 p.m., firefighters responded to multiple reports of multiple fires along the roadway.
Cal Fire-Butte County Battalion Chief Mike Shorrock said firefighters located the 20 fires along a two-mile stretch of
Shorrock said the burned area of all the fires amounted to approximately six acres, with the largest fire burning about two acres just east of
Although initial reports indicated two structures were threatened, Shorrock said firefighters did not see any damage to homes in the area.
Firefighters braved the hillside terrain to extinguish the flames, with some fire crews working among falling, burning trees, faced with the added challenge of tending to several fires.
"Fighting multiple fires at the same time is always a challenge," Shorrock said. "Still, we were able to hit the fires pretty hard, and it looks like we will be successful."
Many civilians joined firefighters in combating the fires, with residents carrying buckets and jugs of water to the roadside, dumping water on the smoldering ground.
Gary Mercer, a
"This is all we've got," Mercer said. "If we lose our home, we got nothing."
As firefighters and Forbestown residents worked to control the fires, California Highway Patrol officers began investigating a suspicious pickup near lower
California Highway Patrol public information officer Tag Euritt said officers located three individuals attempting to hide near the vehicle, which only had three tires.
Euritt said the driver of the vehicle, Robert Mattingly, 49, of Nelson, allegedly smashed his pickup into a guardrail a quarter-mile east of Powell Ridge Road, continuing to drive westbound nearly two miles after losing a tire.
As the rim of the vehicle scraped along the asphalt, sparks began shooting into the grass and brush along the roadway, Euritt said, with Mattingly eventually stopping the vehicle at lower
He and two passengers, all of which suffered no injuries, attempted to hide, but Mattingly was eventually found and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run.
Cal Fire-Butte County Fire Investigator Scott Jones said the agency will attempt to seek reimbursement for the cost of fighting the blaze from Mattingly — with the fire ultimately requiring the response of 10 engines, two bulldozers, four hand crews, four water tenders, two helicopters and two air tankers.
http://www.orovillemr.com/search/ci_12668866?IADID=Search-www.orovillemr.com-www.orovillemr.com
Human-bear conflicts eased by wet weather in Sierra
Tahoe Daily Tribune-6/22/09
Wet weather in June has spurred a bumper crop of berries and other vegetation favored by bears, leading to a considerable decrease in human-bear conflicts in the Sierra, wildlife biologists said.
The recession also is playing a role in fewer bear encounters in the Lake Tahoe area, experts said, because fewer people staying at vacation rentals means less garbage to lure bruins to populated areas.
“The calls are down considerably,” said Carl Lackey, a biologist and bear expert with the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “Definitely, this wet spring is just awesome for bears as well as all the other wildlife out there.”
Jason Holley, a bear biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, agreed.
“We had one of the wettest springs on record, really. It was pretty sensational,” he said.
Unusual conditions brought thunderstorms through most of the month, including eight straight days of rain May 30 through June 6. In
The moisture has nourished natural vegetation that bears depend upon — manzanita berries, chokeberries, wild roses, forbs and grasses, while boosting populations of the insects, squirrels and other critters bears like to snack upon, Lackey said.
Holley agreed that conditions should help avoid a major problem with human-bear conflicts.
“I don't expect a lot of the true wildland bears to have to search so far for food,” Holley said. “The chances of them coming across people and our food is reduced.”
Similar wet weather in May 2008 helped keep last summer a mild one for bear problems in the Tahoe-Reno area. So far, Lackey said, he's had to capture about six or seven problem bears, fewer than this time last year.
That wasn't the case in 2007, when serious drought conditions caused a record problem with bears in
In the Reno-Tahoe area that year, wildlife and law enforcement officers responded to hundreds of calls, including potentially dangerous situations where bears broke into occupied homes in search of food. In
“I've never seen anything like it,” Holley said.
But the biologists add that summer has just started, and hot, dry conditions can quickly deplete vegetation and create another busy year of bear problems.#
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090622/NEWS/906229995/1068&ParentProfile=1056
Camping, boating at
Ukiah Daily Journal-06/22/2009
Despite plans to have work done at the campground, the United States Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Mendocino has extended the deadline for accepting reservations for the Kyen campground from the July 4 weekend to around Labor Day, said Valarie Mavis, Acting Park Manager.
Construction and renovation projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act could get under way in the Kyen campground after the July 4 weekend. This may fewer services in the Kyen area.
Due to shortfalls in the normal operating budget at
Visitors with boats are advised that the water level is low for this time of the year.
"The south boat ramp and popular
Mavis said the viability of the ramps throughout the season would be determined by the water levels in the lake.
"We'll keep the ramp open as long as possible," she said. "If the water level goes down much further we'll consider closing it."
For more information about reservations, campground closures, or boat accessibility, call 467-4200.#
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