Subject: [Tweeters] Infringement by fire
Date: Wed Sep 9 11:59:53 PDT 2020
From: Jon Houghton - jon.houghton at hartcrowser.com

Hi Tweeterdom - As if we didn't have enough major issues (elections, Covid, racial injustices and riots in the streets). Now we see the dramatic effects of climate change on wild fires in the west, most dramatically in California, but we've got a few major nastys here in WA (just ask citizens of Graham and Malden). I expect many of you are tracking the devastation of these fires throughout the state and may have altered birding plans as a result. For us birders, it seems there are at least two of these fires that are impacting many of our (my?) favorite winter and spring birding areas. The Evans Canyon fire (mostly contained at the moment at about 75,000 acres) has so far spared the Wenas Campground and perhaps the Maloy Rd. Horse Camp, but has certainly burned through or at least around the Hardy Canyon area (aka Dickcissel place!), Durr Rd., parts of Umptanum Rd., Umtanum trail by the Falls and down to the Yakima River, and areas south of North Wenas Rd. across the Wenas Valley, and up over Cleman Mt. Yikes! Then there's the amazing Cold Springs/Pearl Hill complex that seems to have started near the Casino just outside of Omak and raced south, across the Columbia River and all the way past (fortunately!) Mansfield to Route 2, encompassing over 300,000 acres in about 24 hours!! Double yikes. This fire's perimeter includes most of Cameron Lake Road and the Timentwa Plateau, Bridgeport State Park, Bridgeport Hill Road, the Leahy Sage Grouse lek, and much of the eastern Waterville Plateau, Jamison Lake and Moses Coulee, and south to Atkins Lake. Wow! I'm hoping some of the local birders can fill us in on more detail regarding damage to some of these sensitive areas. Until I learn more, I remain, apprehensively: Jon Houghton, Edmonds
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