I’m from the Government and I’m here to help!

salmonchaser

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Dec 13, 2013
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I know three families, ranchers, near Baker and Huntington Oregon that were impacted by the 280000 acre fire over the last two weeks. Two of the three likely will not survive the disaster. In truth I’ve only met one of those families a few times while visiting the others I’ve known for more than 20 years. While most of their cattle survived due to heroic efforts by cowboys, cowgirls and firefighters running and riding in front of a twenty mile wall of flames, cutting fences and pushing the cattle north onto interstate 84. those I know don’t have a blade of grass left. Imagine owning 20,000 or 40,000 acres, homesteaded by your great grandfather and not having enough grass to keep a rabbit alive. They lost their hay sheds, barns, thousands of miles of fencing, pump houses, irrigation systems, bunk houses and tac rooms and equipment. The family we’ve hunted with have sold all the cattle that survived. They wished someone would teach the BLM to drop retardant on the barn and equipment shed as they are much more valuable than the house.
They knew trouble was coming, tractors and dozers had been staged, a watch system in place before the lightning storm that started the fire. The initial start of the Durkee fire was contained by a couple of ranchers and their cowboys to about 200 acres, reportedly they were right proud of themselves. Then the BLM showed up, instead of fighting the fire that had been surrounded by disked or dozed ground, they, the BLM, started a back burn. There are slightly different stories from three different families but all generally agree that at that point threats may have emerged, pissed off ranchers vs federal law enforcement. Regardless there was no time for fist t cuffs because the Back burn immediately got away from the BLM and a 200 acre fire became a 280,000 acre fire. The folks don’t blame the fire fighters, but they are sure pissed off at the management who simply followed protocol.
 
That sure sounds like a common story in modern government regulation. I am convinced that if all small business people, and all ranchers and farmers, were put out of business, the government (both American and Canadian) would rejoice and immediately attempt to buy all foodstuffs from China.🤬
 
This makes me sick! 7 years ago we had a big wildfire burn right to our back door. Firefighters and dozens damaged 1000s of feet of water lines, electrical lines, fences and roads on our property, but they saved our house and outbuildings. We were evacuated for several days taking horses, dogs, guns and as much family treasures as we could fit in my pickup and wife's car.

Many of these fires burning in the western United States are do to many years of fire suppression i.e. governments not letting us control burn during the late fall and early spring when conditions would prevent a major wildfire from happening and would reduce the fuel which would help stop a big fire from happening.

Prayers for all the families that have lost their homes, outbuildings, animals and livelihoods do to these wildfires.
 
This makes me sick! 7 years ago we had a big wildfire burn right to our back door. Firefighters and dozens damaged 1000s of feet of water lines, electrical lines, fences and roads on our property, but they saved our house and outbuildings. We were evacuated for several days taking horses, dogs, guns and as much family treasures as we could fit in my pickup and wife's car.

Many of these fires burning in the western United States are do to many years of fire suppression i.e. governments not letting us control burn during the late fall and early spring when conditions would prevent a major wildfire from happening and would reduce the fuel which would help stop a big fire from happening.

Prayers for all the families that have lost their homes, outbuildings, animals and livelihoods do to these wildfires.
Yeah, but the leaf lickers and tree huggers are happy! :mad:
 
I know three families, ranchers, near Baker and Huntington Oregon that were impacted by the 280000 acre fire over the last two weeks. Two of the three likely will not survive the disaster. In truth I’ve only met one of those families a few times while visiting the others I’ve known for more than 20 years. While most of their cattle survived due to heroic efforts by cowboys, cowgirls and firefighters running and riding in front of a twenty mile wall of flames, cutting fences and pushing the cattle north onto interstate 84. those I know don’t have a blade of grass left. Imagine owning 20,000 or 40,000 acres, homesteaded by your great grandfather and not having enough grass to keep a rabbit alive. They lost their hay sheds, barns, thousands of miles of fencing, pump houses, irrigation systems, bunk houses and tac rooms and equipment. The family we’ve hunted with have sold all the cattle that survived. They wished someone would teach the BLM to drop retardant on the barn and equipment shed as they are much more valuable than the house.
They knew trouble was coming, tractors and dozers had been staged, a watch system in place before the lightning storm that started the fire. The initial start of the Durkee fire was contained by a couple of ranchers and their cowboys to about 200 acres, reportedly they were right proud of themselves. Then the BLM showed up, instead of fighting the fire that had been surrounded by disked or dozed ground, they, the BLM, started a back burn. There are slightly different stories from three different families but all generally agree that at that point threats may have emerged, pissed off ranchers vs federal law enforcement. Regardless there was no time for fist t cuffs because the Back burn immediately got away from the BLM and a 200 acre fire became a 280,000 acre fire. The folks don’t blame the fire fighters, but they are sure pissed off at the management who simply followed protocol.
In the thread I started about the Jasper fire I mentioned the Adam's Lake fire on the north west side of Shuswap Lake last summer. That's pretty much exactly what they did too. There was the initial fire quite a ways in the bush so no immediate threat. In their "wisdom" they started a control burn on an extremely windy day close to the communities and that's what caused the destruction. The local people were fighting the fires but the government shut off their water so they couldn't do it. The RCMP threatened to arrest anyone that didn't leave but many stayed and fought the fires on their own as best they could.

And they wonder why there is such animosity towards them after all this. When you hear the same playbook being played out in both the US and Canada I'm thinking that at some level this stuff has to be deliberate at least from the ones making the decisions. I suppose they could be incompetent too but I'm not sure people could be that stupid.
 
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Salmonchaser - mind if I quote you - anonymously? Your post shows the ongoing problem with some of this firefighting out west... We've had similar issues here in Washington...

Guy
Go a head, the basic story was repeated to me at the county fair this morning.
 
What's the old sarcastic saying...the government and its infinite wisdom...definitely being illustrated once again!
 
Never met anyone from the government that was ever there to “help”.
Coming from a western/ranching background I believe that the western states should be the property of the state not the feral government. I’m sad that federal officers were not left lying in the dirt in this situation.
Let each state be its own sovereign entity and its citizens rule themselves. We don’t need, nor do I want, any form of centralized government. When Texas secedes from this so called union of states I’m packing up and moving to Texas.

Vince
 
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