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Post by Stormrider on Jul 15, 2020 11:19:16 GMT -6
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 15, 2020 14:38:55 GMT -6
I just skimmed some, so, I don't know if this was addressed. There are so many damaged saguaros that I wonder just how many they would need to transplant, and from where. And then how to water them (even sparingly) until their roots take hold. A monsoon level storm might knock them flat otherwise?
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 15, 2020 15:57:02 GMT -6
Sandy soil would be harder for roots to attach. Yeah, It would be just their luck to get some planted and then have that monsoon that should have been there when the fires were burning. But perhaps there is a cooling (no pun intended) down time before they can even think about replanting.
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 20, 2020 7:01:25 GMT -6
Haven't seen Andy here in a bit. I hope he is ok. Saw a video on The Weather Channel of a black river of sludge and debris from the Bighorn Fire going down a channel. It looks awful.
Guess it is raining.
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 20, 2020 8:32:53 GMT -6
I've been wondering about Andy, too. I hopr you are alright, Andy.
Black sludge ... Perhaps it did rain.
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 20, 2020 19:00:12 GMT -6
All OK here.
We have been getting a few sprinkles locally, more falling up in the peaks, but still not more than intermittent showers even up there. Our creek bed, Canada Del Oro, had about 8 inches deep flow of sludge yesterday. Heavy debris laden, ashy black -- could not really see the water for all the soot and ashes. Later this week we should be getting our first real rains up in the mountains, and flash flood watches are already being posted.
So far the early predictions are for a weak monsoon season, below average rainfall expected, but with so much of the ground cover gone from so many square miles we could still have some dangerous floods. I'll have to get the video camera loaded, battery packs recharged, and check the stream bed after each significant rain.
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 20, 2020 21:55:47 GMT -6
Stay safe! Fires gone but now possible worries about rain, especially with nothing to slow it down or reroute it. If it's not one thing it's another!
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 21, 2020 11:05:14 GMT -6
I saw how that sludge moved. It was full of soot covered branches and twigs. The "water" itself was, as you say, ashy black, and thick with soot and other stuff.
I read that the fire consumed around 120,000 acres. When I divided that by 640 (which is how many acres in a square mile), I got 187.5 square miles. When I did the square root of that, I got almost 13.7 miles. So, one side of the perimeter of the square is 13.7 miles long. That is a little more than the distance I drive to get to Walmart. Next time I drive there, I will be mindful of that.
Glad you and Maria are doing ok!
A reminder: If you plan on getting a PC, the free quests and 99LP expansions will be on sale through August 31st.
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 27, 2020 9:34:11 GMT -6
Latest Incident Report: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6741/"On June 5, 2020 at 10:22PM a lightning strike started the Bighorn Fire in the Catalina Mountains northwest of Tucson, Arizona on the Coronado National Forest. Dry, windy conditions pushed the fire closer to communities and forced evacuations. Type 4 Incident Commander Corey Robinson assumed command of the Bighorn Fire on Monday, July 13, 2020 at 6 a.m. The fire is in steep and rugged terrain in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and extends east to Redington Road. The fire remains approximately ½ mile north of Catalina Foothills, 3 miles south of Oracle and 3 miles east of Saddlebrooke. The vegetation in the area consists of tall grass, brush, dormant brush and hardwood slash. The Bighorn Fire is a 100% contained as of July 23, 2020. The fire burned 119,978 acres to include iconic areas near Tucson like Mt. Lemmon and upper Sabino Canyon watershed. While the fire is a 100% contained, residual heat within the containment line may be visible for some time. A closure order remains in effect for public safety as there are hazards in the burn scar and the Bighorn Fire increased the possibility of flooding downstream and of sediment and debris runoff. Post-fire events can result in tragic losses even years after the fire occurred. It takes time for vegetation and habitats to recover from fire events like the Bighorn Fire. We all need to remain vigilant. Federal and local agencies are taking steps to reduce the risks to life and safety downstream from the burned area. However, we also encourage residents in the area to develop individual plans to protect themselves and their property, and to remain aware of flashflood warnings issues by Pima, Pinal and Cochise Counties." ________________________ We've had some good rains up on the mountains, but only sprinkles down here on the valley floor. More black sludge coming down the Canada Del Oro after each rain, but so far not enough to put more than a foot's depth of the stuff down the main wash. Residents and business owners are trying to get the accesses to the peaks and Summer Haven open as soon as possible -- but the Counties involved are fearful of accidents as parts of the Catalina Highway have no guardrails (their wooden posts were burned away when the flames crossed the road). Pictures give a mixed result -- some areas fully burned out, nothing but ashes and stumps; other zones moderately damaged with undergrowth removed but taller trees OK; other areas escaped much of the damage altogether... Will have to get up there ourselves to see if some of our favorite haunts have survived...
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 27, 2020 9:51:46 GMT -6
Be careful if you treck on up there. It still sounds unsafe for hiking. Such a shame it happened and then took so long to contain.
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 27, 2020 10:35:38 GMT -6
Yeah, hiking off trail can be very dangerous in the burn zones. About three years after the 2003 Aspen Fire, a buddy of mine slipped, fell against a fire-killed tree, and brought it down on himself. Broke his radius...
Maria and I may try driving three hours to Mount Wrightson, south of us a ways, to get some elevation where we can find a cooler hiking zone while we wait for MountLemmon to open. Been too hot down here in the valley to hike, still 92 degrees when I go out at 9 PM, too hot for Maria. Thinking of buying her a stationary bike or a treadmill for indoor use...
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Post by Andorinha on Aug 5, 2020 18:33:11 GMT -6
A friend of a friend got these pictures of the Bear Wallow area in the high peaks of the Catalinas: groups.io/g/TucsonHikers/message/284Looks encouraging for the area I really like as Bear Wallow is close to my favorite, Marshall Gulch.
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 5, 2020 21:09:47 GMT -6
It looks beautiful. I was surprised there is that much grass on the ground and pines and trees. I thought it was all sand and cactus! LOL! I'm kidding. I've been in Superstition Mountains before so know there is grass and pines and other trees.
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Post by fanuidhol on Aug 6, 2020 5:12:15 GMT -6
Very happy to see there are at least pockets of old growth and the promise that there are more of these places in the burned areas.
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Post by Andorinha on Aug 30, 2020 5:32:11 GMT -6
Finally got a respectable rain fall -- two inches on Mount Lemmon, should be plenty of landslips and gully-full rushes down the Canada Del Oro. Will check out the arroyo where it goes past our community, later this morning. We even got half an inch in our back yard, nice, slow fall over an hour of time -- yippie, will not have to water the yards this weekend! Boo! Will have to use the hoe on the new crop of weeds...
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