Any news on the big fire?

Looks like it headed east on Main St. (numbered lakes to Insula and beyond).

We were on Kawasachong and Square Lake for four days last week (Monday through Thursday) and exited on Kawishiwi on Friday night and Saturday.  We watched the smoke plume on Friday night at sunset and didn't realize that by Monday the lakes we had been camping on would be burned over.

It's been a much bigger fire than anticipated, I think.  It is very dry up there.  We were amazed that there wasn't a fire ban.

Found this on twitter. This guy has some pretty amazing pics of the fire  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

wally wrote on Sep 17^th, 2011 at 11:25pm:

Wow!

Quote from the USFS Smokey the Bear
"9 out of 10 wildfires nationwide are caused by people."

My opinion is that the principal cause of the disastrous effects of the Pagami Creek Fire include mismanagement by careless people; namely the USFS forest service managers. I have used the canoe county and BWCA for outdoor activities for over a half a century. Now vast areas have been destroyed by the careless action of the government agency that is suppose to be caring for it.

It will take decades for the forest to recover!

It's time to throw out the old management and replace it with someone with some common sense.

Exactly right Solus.

Just spent the weekend with my brother who is a crew chief for the USFS in Ely.  He's been on every fire since 1999.  FWIW, that numbered lake corridor has been treated with kid gloves for years and this fire was going to be no different until it took on a mind of it's own.  This thing went from 9 acres to 90,000 acres in a matter of days with virtually no way of having the man power available to keep it at a minimum.  Local crews have very little say in the fighting of fires anyway as those decisions are handed down from higher gov't agencies -decisions that can take days to reach the ears of those on the ground.  Fire is big business for Ely - all of those local outfitters were handed gov't "S" contracts for food supply to the fire crews.  Millions of dollars for the area and local outfitters were made in food alone - not to mention all the canoes and gear they had to rent as well.  If you were wondering what those Cub Foods semi trucks were doing in Pamida parking lot all October - now you know.

Wilderness?? Who are we trying to kid?  The BW is simply MN's free backyard for boy scouts and out-of-towners.  Fire is where the money's at.

there's no middle ground.  Some group will always be unhappy.
FWIW....the forest wasn't destroyed.  Personal property was.

and now it's time for the critters that depend on a young forest.  Old growth?...at what cost?

It's all a teeter-totter

PJ offered a really an interesting comment:
"Fire is where the money is." I heard 14 million on this one recently. Let's see, <+-~250,000 visitors times $16 a head = 4 million? Huh.

The lightening strike vs camper ignition is a difference that makes little sense to me too.

Ummm, starwatcher - I read both your links and my takeaway was I think, different. Short term vs long term views were mentioned in both.

Quote:

Has anyone seen a teeter-totter in real life anywhere lately? Aren't those like Jarts?

I've helped with a few controlled burns on different friend's properties over the years. Can we fool mother nature every time and/or for how long?

No problem Wally,

I expressed my one small view of the universe and  I welcome every and all opinions.

My thoughts are that someone at the Forest Service is in charge of deciding whether to put out a fire or let it burn.  They waited too long and let it burn under dry conditions and the result is over 90,000 acres, 145 square miles, and 22 million dollars that resulted in devastation.

I love the old growth forest.  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) If a red pine or white pine is getting up to 100 years old then I take notice.  The Forest Service should conduct controlled burns.  But not in extreme dry conditions.  Put out those fires during those conditions.  But conduct controlled burns in less extreme conditions.

It's ironic that there was no fire ban during the extreme conditions of the Ham Lake fire, but last week we had a fire ban on the start of our trip and therefore we escaped to Canada.  I'm just stating the someone needs to make the correct decision and if it took days to decide to put out the Pagami fire that we need new management who know the conditions to make the right decision, because in my opinion someone waited too long to decide.  Therefore, get someone new in charge.

starwatcher

Yes, I'm familiar with teeter-totters and when your on the up side and your friend decides to get off you slam to the ground.  That was the same as the analogous disastrous effects of Pagami fire. They should of let it down in a controlled manner.

starwatcher

I don't know what they make - none of my business really.  What I do know is that the local USFS doesn't get involved on the ground (can't deplete the local labor) and the people fighting the fire are professionals from around the country.  These people are in TX one month and MN the next.  I met 4 guys from NJ who cleaned up the WTC.  Fire if fire to them - no matter where it is.  However, while all of them know fire, they don't know the BWCA.  They did not like the fact that they had to paddle in, portage and carry all their gear.  They were pissed they couldn't get a float plane ride from Insula to Hudson.  Hey, no motorized activity on those lakes!   This is was a pristine wilderness.