Friday, August 19, 2011

#WallowFire Personal-use fuelwood permits August 23

August 16: Personal-use fuelwood permits for Wallow Burn Area available on Springerville and Alpine Districts beginning August 23

Release Date: Aug 16, 2011
Contact(s): Pamela Baltimore or Brienne Magee 928-333-6263

The Springerville and Alpine Districts of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will be issuing permits beginning August 23 for personal-use fuelwood collection in select portions within the Wallow burn perimeter. Though crews continue to work diligently to provide safer conditions along Forest Service roads, many hazards still exist throughout the burn area including falling trees, flooding, mudslides and rockslides. Permittees are responsible for their own safety and should always Look Up, Look Down, and Look All Aroundwhen entering the forest.

Permits can be obtained from the Springerville and Alpine district offices beginning Tuesday, August 23. All permits are $5.00 per cord, require a minimum purchase of 4 cords, and are valid until December 30, 2011. Each household is limited to 10 cords per year.

The permit allows the collection of fuelwood within 150 feet from any Forest Service numbered road unless vehicles will cause resource damage, and except in closure areas or where fuelwood collection is normally restricted such as campgrounds and Wilderness areas. In addition, portions of some roads and areas are currently unavailable for personal-use fuelwood collection because they are part of an active timber sale. These areas will be marked with signs.

The cost and regulations apply to the Wallow fire perimeter only, as designated on the permit map.

Permits for other districts of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests are also available for purchase. For information about these permits, contact the local ranger station.

The permittee must be present upon purchase of any fuelwood permit, as well as during fuelwood collection. Load tags will be issued as part of each permit. Tags must be physically attached to each ¼ cord of firewood and visible from the rear of the vehicle.

For additional information, contact the Springerville Ranger District at 928-333-4372 or Alpine Ranger District at 928-339-5000. Hazards fuelwood collectors should be cautious of within the burn perimeter can be viewed on the forest Flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/photos/apachesitgreavesnf.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Fur and Feather Open House Saturday, September 3, 2011

Fur and Feather Animal Assistance in Pie Town is holding our first Open House on Saturday, September 3, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The public is invited to come out and meet us and learn about the Fur and Feather Sanctuary, our rescue mission and rehabilitation efforts for abused and unwanted animals. You'll also get to meet rescued dogs, cats and kittens.

There will be refreshments served, a craft table and give-a-ways.

The Catron County Piece Maker's Quilting Guild has generously donated handmade quilted pillowcases, pet beds and pet blankets which will be available for purchase. The quilted pillowcases are part of American Patchwork & Quilting's nationwide initiative to provide 1 million pillowcases to people who need to know someone cares. Over 299,000 pillowcases have been made to date as quilters turn their love of community, quilting and sewing into messages of comfort, hope and love – for foster children, a cancer patients, victims of domestic violence and pet rescue and rehabilitation organizations. The Catron County Piece Maker's Quilting Guild has so kindly chosen Fur and Feather Animal Assistance as one of their worthy charities.

This is also the Fur and Feather annual pet food drive. Pet food and monetary donations will be accepted.

For more information contact Fur and Feather at 575-772-2661 or 575-772-2543 and via email FurAndFeatherAnimalAssistance@gmail.com.

To view our adoptable pets and learn more about us, visit our website www.furandfeather.org or look for us on AdoptAPet.com (zip code 87827).

We hope to see you there!

Fur and Feather Animal Assistance, Inc.
A permanent residential facility for dogs and cats designed for comfort, well being, and CARE for LIFE.
Where Every"One"Deserves a Chance.

575-772-2661 Laurie Beauchamp
575-772-2543 Sharon Bostick

www.furandfeather.org
PO Box 555 Pie Town, NM 87827

Thursday, August 11, 2011

#WallowFire Post-fire care for cattle.

N.M. Extension Veterinarian Discusses Post-Wildfire Care
By David Bowser / Livestock Weekly / July 28, 2011

SANTA FE, N.M. — While many of the speakers at the summer meeting of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association here recounted the destruction wreaked by wildfires this year, Dr. John Wenzel, the veterinarian with the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extensive Service, turned his attention to caring for the animals that survive the fires. Wenzel said the first consideration, of course, is to get the cattle out of the way of wildfires. The second consideration is to care for cattle that have been injured. The cattle, injured or not, need to be evacuated from the area of the fire.

Job number one, the veterinarian said, is hydration.  "Those cattle have been without water for a long period of time," Wenzel said. They need to be watered. "If they've been moving a lot," he noted, "they've been shut down for a long time."

The feed situation may be bad, but the water situation is critical. "We want to make sure they get water."

Any injuries the cattle suffer also need to be addressed. "There are going to be some injuries that occur from heat and the effects of that fire," he pointed out. Some of those effects may not be readily apparent, he warned. "Some of those things you don't really know until later." He said some of the cattle may have burns that aren't really that evident. "They don't show, but the skin blisters later on." Wenzel said the cattle have to be watched so when symptoms become apparent, they can be treated promptly.

Calves in particular need to be watched. "They've just gone through tremendous stress," Wenzel reminded. He said the worst thing cowboys can do is start pushing on them, start moving them. "That needs to be considered in these evacuation plans," Wenzel cautioned. The cattle need to be evacuated far enough away from the fire that they won't have to be moved again, he said. "They need the opportunity to kind of recover before we start trying to put them back." It doesn't help, he said, to move them two miles down the road and then move them another couple of miles the next day and move them again the following day.

"In those emergency plans," Wenzel said, "you need to consider where you can take those cattle and get them out of there." The animals have to be handled carefully, he insisted. "Those cattle have just been through a tremendous amount of stress, and that stress is a killer." Wenzel warned that moving them to a base of fire operations with all its activity, only adds to the stress on the cattle, and the cattle won't recover.

He said when the cattle are being fed again, they need to be started on roughage. "In some situations it's going to be whatever we can find. There's no doubt about that." Wenzel said that whatever they're fed, it needs to be easily digestible. Cattle that have been dehydrated shouldn't be fed too high a protein initially. "They may not be as functional as they need to be," he said, "because of the dehydration problems." Wenzel said that some cattle that have been off water for a while and under stress may not take water. They may have to be forced to take water. Electrolytes can be added to water to help them recover. "If you can do that," he said, "that's going to be very helpful to those cattle."

Wenzel said that often when cattle are moved in a hurry, the triage takes place at the place they arrive. "There may be some broken limbs," he said. "Those cattle need to be taken care of immediately." Wenzel said there may also be some burn injuries. "Those burns are extremely painful," he pointed out. Pain medication may be needed. "We want to do things with as little stress as possible." With burns, Wenzel said, large surface areas may be involved, and infection can be a real problem. "Those cattle are stressed anyway," he said. "They don't have an immune system that's very operational at this point." Antibiotic therapy is used under such conditions. Usually, it will take some time. One treatment probably won't be enough.

Wenzel said that with pain medication, there aren't a lot of choices. That means that ranchers have to be careful about withdrawal times. "Most of these cattle aren't candidates for the slaughterhouse somewhere," he admitted, "not in the shape that they're in. But we still have to keep that in mind."

Wenzel said that when all the wildfires began in New Mexico, one of the questions he had was about the smoke. "The smoke can be thick and severe in these cases," he said. In talking with veterinarians at Kansas State University, he found that there's not a lot of information on smoke inhalation in cattle. "What is out there indicates that it is not a great big problem in animals that are in an outdoor fire." It's a different situation, however, if they are in a barn or enclosed space. But in a fire outdoors, there's not much need for concern about smoke because cattle and horses have such long airways. It is more of a concern for humans because of the shorter airways, he said. Wenzel said that usually any smoke inhalation problems with cattle won't be widespread, but could affect individual animals.

In treating individuals, he said, most of the treatment will be with antihistamines and anti-inflamatories. There is a danger of using steroids on pregnant cattle, he warned. "There has to be some care."

If the animal has to be destroyed, he said, it's important where to shoot it. He said that while cattlemen understand, many involved in fighting wildfires may not. "That's a concern," Wenzel said. If it's not done correctly, it can be a difficult process. He said county management plans need to designate emergency responders who have the background to quickly be able to put down injured animals. "Firearms are most likely the method that's going to be used," Wenzel said, "because they're the most economical and readily accessible, especially with a widespread livestock loss." At least a .22 magnum round should be used, he advised. A larger caliber round should be used with dairy cattle or bulls. "There's also another method that's acceptable," he said. "That's a cap and bolt, but that's not readily available. So basically, we're looking at firearms." Wenzel said that most uninformed people think the animal should be shot between the eyes, but the animal should be shot above that point. Using the top of the ear to the opposite eye, where the lines cross is the point where an animal should be shot. "We need to know what we're doing," Wenzel said. He said most people don't think about shooting them that high. "In certain situations, especially in trailers," Wenzel said, "we've got to do it that way." He said people need to be trained to do this properly. "It's a good idea to see that emergency responders in your area are trained in such situations."

As with most preparations for wildfires, lessons need to be studied and learned beforehand.

Monday, August 8, 2011

#WallowFire - Gila NF fire acreage still closed


Area Closure in Wallow Fire Burned Area within NM

 Remains In Effect Due to Safety Concerns

Silver City, NM; August 8, 2011—Due to unsafe conditions within the Wallow Fire burned area located on the Quemado Ranger District of the Gila National Forest, the temporary closure of the 15,789 acres that were affected will remain closed due to public health and safety concerns.  “Our number one priority is managing the burned area to maximize human safety by removing existing hazards and then begin to reopen areas for public re-entry,” says Quemado District Ranger Janice Stevenson.  The Head of the Ditch Campground located within the closure area also remains closed due to the heightened potential for flooding as a result of the fire; all other areas on the Forest are open.

Forest personnel have been cutting dead trees located adjacent to roads that could easily fall and injure forest users.  Areas within the fire that burned very hot are being aerially seeded to expedite the establishment of vegetation which serves to stabilize the soil, reduce soil erosion, and reduce the potential for future flooding.  Dozer lines have been reshaped, water barred, and seeded.  Straw mulch has also been applied to steep sections of dozer lines to reduce erosion potential. 

Some areas with severe fire damage may have to remain closed for some time as it will take longer to restore these areas and remove safety hazards. 

The burned area has been closed since June 10, 2011; length of the closure is dependent upon several criteria including public safety and protection of forest resources (i.e. soils, vegetation, water quality, wildlife, fisheries, recreation, heritage, etc.).

The closure area is located in the vicinity of Luna, N.M. and extends north and west to the Arizona state line.  A detailed description of the closure area is included in the closure order posted on the ground in the vicinity of the burned area, available from Ranger District offices, and posted on the Gila National Forest website www.fs.usda.gov/gila.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Quemado Ranger District at 575.773.4678.