Smoke from Ranch Fire Cresting Goat Mountain
View from 4Q Ranch in Stonyford, CA
OPINION
By Don Amador
August 4, 2018
On August 3, 2018 over 150 people from Stonyford and
surrounding areas attended a public meeting at the Stonyford Grange to get an
update from fire professionals and land managers on the rapidly expanding Ranch
Fire. I attended this meeting on behalf
of the OHV community and as the Core-Team Lead for FireScape Mendocino.
Forest Supervisor, Ann Carlson, Gives Update on Ranch Fire and
Urges Residents to Heed Evacuation Orders
The Ranch Fire is part of the Mendocino Complex which
also includes the River Fire that is burning the BLM’s Cow Mountain OHV Area
and impacting private inholdings and surrounding communities of Lakeport, etc.
Goat Mountain Road is Closed Due to Ranch Fire
Fire leads highlighted the serious and aggressive nature
of the Ranch Fire that has burned through large portions of the Upper Lake
Ranger District’s OHV Area and through Bartlett Springs and Indian Valley
Reservoir. The fire is making runs up
and over Goat Mountain through Tuleyome’ s property into the Stonyford OHV Area
and also into Long Valley.
The three key points about the Ranch Fire that impressed
me at the meeting were;
- Precedent setting rapid fire runs never before seen by fire crews on the Mendocino
- Fire often ignores traditional fuel or fire treatments
- GET OUT NOW – When evacuation orders are given
I expect that the Ranch Fire map produced later today
will show the fire advancing towards the east and northeast consuming more of
the Stonyford OHV Area and threatening residents near or in the Greater Stonyford
area.
Local Residents Review Ranch Fire Map
Of specific interest to the OHV community is a vast
majority of OHV recreation (both casual use and permitted events) during the
winter months in Northern California occurs on the BLM’s Cow Mountain OHV
Recreation Area and the Mendocino’s National Forest’s Upper Lake and Stonyford
OHV Areas.
Be assured that OHV leadership has already been working
on a post-fire recovery strategy to help address what appear to be significant
impacts to the affected federal recreation sites.
Let’s keep the firefighters and affected communities in
our thoughts and prayers.
