High Sierra Topix

Closure order ends two days early, on 9/15, for most national forests. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 953049.pdf

tomba wrote: ↑Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:14 pm Closure order ends two days early, on 9/15, for most national forests. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 953049.pdf

Thanks for posting this and lets hope the good news holds (ie we hope no major new Sierran fire activity that results in re-closure).

Just the western slope in Sequoia burning from lightning strikes, now requiring fire resources and evacuations.

No biggie though, given it's in a National Park instead of a National Forest, so I guess that doesn't count.

Well, now Inyo is open but SEKI is closed west of the PCT. So, I could go into Wrights Lake basin, Wallace Lake, but not step across the PCT to go to Lake South America, or Milestone Basin. Using the PCT as the closure boundary is pretty arbitrary. Since the PCT dips westward from the Palisades, down to LeConte Canyon, I can still go into Dusy Basin and Darwin Lakes, but not to Ionian Basin. It gets crazier every day.

ericmcornelius wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:57 am Just the western slope in Sequoia burning from lightning strikes, now requiring fire resources and evacuations.

No biggie though, given it's in a National Park instead of a National Forest, so I guess that doesn't count.

As of today there are some pretty large areas of Sequoia NF closed. Mtn 99 from McNally's in the Kern Canyon north and the Sherman Pass rd. is closed as well as everything north of it all the was to the Blackrock intersection.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7841/

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 12:50 pm Well, now Inyo is open but SEKI is closed west of the PCT. So, I could go into Wrights Lake basin, Wallace Lake, but not step across the PCT to go to Lake South America, or Milestone Basin. Using the PCT as the closure boundary is pretty arbitrary. Since the PCT dips westward from the Palisades, down to LeConte Canyon, I can still go into Dusy Basin and Darwin Lakes, but not to Ionian Basin. It gets crazier every day.

It's literally an unenforceable closure if coming from the East Side. I agree that it feels very arbitrary and it was done because there was no better delineator, but honestly.. Ionian Basin is closed from a fire over 100 miles to the South? These closures are not only frustrating but also seem to be completely ridiculous. Because we all know no one is going to stop you from crossing over some imaginary line that heads off into vast treeless wilderness areas that hardly seem more than a few parties a year. I just don't get what we're supposed to make of any of this anymore honestly.

I know my frustrations speak for others when I say the Sierra is our home and having us get shut out constantly isn't helping our sanity's.

Something has to be done about this, who is making these decisions? It is absurd that this is allowable. Who do we have to call to say we aren't ok with this? Ionian basin is 30 air miles from the northern part of that fire. As well as Inyo, Desolation is also closed until October 20th because of the Caldor fire, which stopped on the west side of the Crystal range. But everything to the east is also closed. On another note, when is everyone going to realize that it is a horrible idea to let the usfs and national park fire agencys manage fires. They just let things get so out of control that CalFire has to come in and take over in order to get anything done. I'm aware this is federal land, but somehow this needs to change. The KNP complex was found the morning after the lightning strikes, and only grew a couple thousand acres in the next few days, yet there was still 0% containment on any of it. They state very clearly and obviously that it "has been a full suppression effort since the start" but now look where it's at. Still no containment. Because of their lack of effort/resources, they continue to close down areas that aren't even remotely in danger of the fire. How is this ok? They don't even have any planes fighting this fire, only 8 heli's.

In response to Broot's question as to who to voice our concern about USFS policies with I would suggest that going going outside and howling at the Moon might be the best bet. I have been attempting to get a response from Sierra National Forest regarding wilderness permits, forest closures and trailers parked in the forest for the months. The first e-mails were sent over a year ago and all have been resent at least once. After receiving no response I emailed the National Forest Service head office, congressman Tom McClintock and my county supervisor, the only one who has responded is the county supervisor and he can't do ****. The forest service seems to be working for somebody other than the Citizens.

"They don't even have any planes fighting this fire, only 8 heli's."

Planes and helicopters have been working this fire, as conditions permit.
If you would like some more information on the KNP-Complex, here are two good threads:

https://forums.wildfireintel.org/t/ca-k ... x/20150/95
https://forums.wildfireintel.org/t/ca-k ... /20126/105

From the former, posted an hour ago:

AA15 and AA430 both went up this morning and stated that Branch 2 & 3 are too smokey to use aircraft. A copter tried to work in Div.C but unable to help due to smoke.

EDIT UPDATE 15:00;
AA430 departed as there is no visibility for any aircraft on this incident.

Broot wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:22 pm the Caldor fire, which stopped on the west side of the Crystal range. But everything to the east is also closed.

You might want to check your facts there. The Caldor fire jumped the crest weeks ago.