The eyes in the sky have been buzzing overhead a lot more frequently this week searching for any fire activity around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The recent lightning storms paired with dry conditions have raised concerns about potential forest fires. Smoky Bear’s hand is pointing to extreme and the southerly winds reaching 30 mph are making things worse.
The Boundary Waters closures due to the most recent fires burning near Ely have been lifted since all of the fires are currently contained or out completely. The Forest Service has issued a campfire restriction within the Boundary Waters that limits campers to burning between the hours of 7 p.m. and midnight. This information is current and accurate as of September 11, 2012.
September can be challenging for campers due to the extreme temperature changes. The daytime highs are still reaching the upper 70s, which is pretty comfortable for this time of year, only to wake up to bone chilling temperatures in the lower 40s. It has been awhile since I have spent the night under a tent, but as soon as the kids get a little older I cannot wait to start again. Packing around dirty diapers does not sound fun, and I have been told it is a black bear’s preferred diet.
There are a few fires still burning in the Fort Frances area of Canada, but they have employed a lot of resources to contain them. Canada has always had a more aggressive policy towards forest fires than the United States and I was very happy to hear of the Forest Service’s recent change in policy.
During the Pagami Creek fire last fall, many of you had an opportunity to voice your opinions to the Forest Service. The old policy was to allow fires that posed no immediate threat to life or home to continue to burn. Their intent was to not interfere with the natural life of a forest, but too many incidents have gotten out of control.
“Baby-sitting” forest fires with the altruistic notion of controlling them has proven to be costly and many times ineffective. It is very difficult to predict fire behavior, even for the experts. There are many variables that are continuously changing. During peak fire season there were simply too many resources that were being spread too thin. The current policy allows federal firefighters to eliminate any fires immediately. I like this policy. Aggressive and effective. The devastating outcome of the Ham Lake Fire helped to change their policy, as well as all of your opinions that have been expressed at the meetings. “Our hands are tied” should no longer be an excuse for the delayed suppression of forest fires in the Boundary Waters.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218-388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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