By Ted Grussing
… Stoneman Lake is one of the permanent natural lakes in Arizona and although it is prone to dry up, when it is full, it is about one hundred acres and about 10’ deep. The state record Yellow Perch was caught there in 1984, kinda amazing considering the small size and propensity for drying up. The lake and land around it appear to be in a depression and not sure if it is a caldera or just a natural depression.
The lake does appear to have a fair amount of water in it and the homes around the lake are also quite nice. Access is off of I-17 and in this image you can see the dirt road coming down into the lake area from top center of the photo. It seems remote, but is only about ten to fifteen miles direct line from the airport. Another of Arizona’s treasures.
Mostly a weekend filled with flying and seeing friends and the flights continue tomorrowmorning and Tuesday morning.
There is a lot of smoke in the area from a managed fire and think they are planning on wrapping that up soon. Managed fires are naturally caused fires, typically lightning, that the USFS uses and through additional ignitions by them can expand otherwise small natural fires to fires in the thousands to tens of thousands of acres … the kicker? Since the fires are considered natural/wildfires, the USFS does not need to get approval from the EPA/ADEQ to expand the fires beyond what they naturally would burn.
On Tuesday the 6th there will be a public event hosted by the Coconino National Forest and the Sedona Fire District at the Sedona Fire Station No 6 at 2675 SR 179 in the Chapel area. Time will be from 5 to 7 PM. The topics from the release are as follows:
- Smoke Management: Smoke modeling, how to find particulate and air quality monitors, and which resources can help people find out about fires in the area.
- Benefits of wildfire: How fire affects watershed health and downstream benefits, why fire is allowed on the landscape, and why mechanical thinning can’t be the only option.
- Wildfire decisions: The type of planning and tools used by fire managers, values of concern during wildfires, the recent Snake Ridge Fire, and the Wildland Fire Decision Support System.
- Prescribed burns: The time of year burns are typically done, weather needs, NEPA requirements, and ability to reduce smoke impacts.
- Fire restrictions: The different stages of restrictions, criteria for entering and exiting restrictions, and coordination with partner agencies.
- Evacuation preparation: Services for displaced people, Code Red, emergency management services, and how to plan for an evacuation.
- Being a firewise community: Steps you can take to be firewise and help prevent fires from starting on your property by employing firewise landscaping.
Personnel at each station will provide a short presentation about the topic, and visitors can wander from table to table to whichever topic they want to discuss. This event is an opportunity for the public to ask questions, address concerns, and learn about the decision-making process and limiting factors which fire managers face when working with wildfire and conducting prescribed burns.
Visitors should park in the Christ Lutheran Church parking lot just north of the fire station.
Please note that nowhere in the list will you find anything about the impact of fire/smoke from their prescribed/managed burns on human life. It is just to tell us what they are doing. Attaching the Washington State Study about the health problems from wood smoke and also the EPA study showing covering piles with plastic reduces smoke significantly … their reaction to the latter seems to be that it is too much work … a sheet of plastic costing a few bucks versus human health? Might want to bring that topic up with them.
Seems to me that in return for months of smoke in the air every year, we are spared a few weeks of smoke every few years. In 2014 the Slide fire lasted about two or three weeks and they did an amazing job on that fire. Beginning in July we spent the rest of the summer inundated with smoke from five managed fires on the plateau and the smoke was as bad as and some days worse than the Slide fire.
So we’re off to a great start to the week … smile and share your joy.
Ted
A bird flies through the sky, and I fly with it. I am each pearl of moisture sparkling in the sun.
I lie lazy on the clouds. And I acknowledge my kinship with each winged thing.
I see all as one, and nothing repels me, as this new day climbs noiselessly out of the valley of the night.
Peace lies over the world and over the world of my soul.
— Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
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