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September 11, 2009· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

What a damn shame

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

To think this level of destruction could be caused by just one person:

Image not recoveredlafires_ast_2009249.jpg

NASA says the grey areas are burn areas, devoid of vegetation. Pinks and reds represent vegetation, while white represents urban areas. The image is in the near-infrared spectrum and was taken on September 6; to date, the fire has burned some 250 square miles of land, that’s about five times as large as the City of Santa Clarita.

If you visit the NASA site and download the big image (5mb, JPEG), you can zoom in and see more detail, including the very eastern tip of Santa Clarita. Sand and Placerita Canyon were spared, as were the eastern parts of Canyon Country. But the fire could have easily swept into those areas considering how dense the vegetation is.

The fire looks like it burned right up to Acton on the north. And I think the burned areas include Magic Mountain, which, through the hard work of local hikers and environmentalists, just got a special federal designation thanks to a McKeon bill.

You can clearly see the route of the Angeles Crest Highway in the center right of the picture. That highway, plus the forrest, have been closed indefinitely. I was out on the Angeles Crest Highway for the 2008 Tour of California; it was such a beautiful area, I doubt it will be used again next year.

I have friends who have really taken the destruction of the Angeles National Forrest personally. To them it was a refuge area; LA’s Mountainous region where one could escape to for a weekend or longer, a literal home away from home. They felt like they owned it (and, quite literally, we all do) and it was a living part of their lives. Now it, plus two firefighters and lots of wildlife, is almost all up in smoke and ash because of a maladjusted individual.

I’ve been staring at this picture for ten minutes and I’m still shocked.  This is domestic terrorism, not merely arson. And we were the targets.

Comments (37)

  1. navigatorSeptember 11, 2009 at 3:08 pm
    I have such mixed emotions about this. On one hand it has cleaned out areas that haven’t been touched in decades and, in time, they will all grow back. On the other hand we have lost 2 firefighters and countless animals who couldn’t get away from the flames. For them my heart aches. I have been enjoying the Angeles Forest for many years since I was just a kid. I was even lost up there as a teen. More than the destruction of the fire, I despise the total lack of respect many people have had for that area over the years as they have disposed of their beer bottles, diapers and trash, especially in the Little Tujunga Creek area.
  2. CCSeptember 11, 2009 at 3:47 pm
    I agree to some degree navigator. I just wish it wasn’t so massive.
  3. cashSeptember 11, 2009 at 3:48 pm
    More than the destruction of the fire, I despise the total lack of respect many people have had for that area over the years as they have disposed of their beer bottles, diapers and trash, especially in the Little Tijuana Creek area. Who would have done such a thing. We teach our children well….. don’t we? When my kids visit Yellowstone or Yosemite, they clean up before they leave.
  4. IndySeptember 11, 2009 at 3:55 pm
    As you noted Jeff, just 1 person did this . . . and that’s probably the motivation for somebody who has do little respect for themselves as a person to cause such great harm to others . . .
  5. Fred ButlerSeptember 11, 2009 at 4:58 pm
    The fire can be a good thing. Burns out the dead over growth and helps to make new growth healthy and strong. Plus, all the nasty garbage people stupidly throw out there gets consumed. It will all be back with in two years.
  6. ReaderMamaSeptember 11, 2009 at 5:51 pm
    Aside from the death of the two firefighters, I think the hardest thing to accept about this is the suffering it has created for the wildlife.
  7. CCSeptember 11, 2009 at 7:28 pm
    I got a photo of a fawn and a bobcat cub that huddled up together at a place in Santa Barbara during their fire. It’s a damn shame.
  8. spineflower2September 11, 2009 at 9:04 pm
    If there is such a thing as kharma, this guy will die alone in a single-vehicle car crash and burn… slowly.
  9. Petz2September 12, 2009 at 6:39 am
    Few people here have spent the amount of time that old Petz has in the Angeles National Forest. From camping trips above Azusa, skiing at Mt. High, to Mt Wilson, to Stony Ridge. The truth is that this area is not properly maintained by the Forest Service-especially when creating defensive area around public use areas. What really confuses Petz is why many of you get all we wee’d up about the wildlife in this area, when the rules of engagement in Afghanistan prevent our US troops from protecting and providing adequate support for those who take the fight to the enemy to defend us. Where are your priorities, where is the outrage? Joe Wilson for Congress
  10. CCSeptember 12, 2009 at 7:20 am
    Perhaps if we armed the wildlife with M-16s, it would seem more like a fair fight.
  11. ReaderMamaSeptember 12, 2009 at 8:10 am
    It is possible to get wee weed up about more than one thing at a time, Petz. Start a forum and let’s talk about it! ; )
  12. PetzSeptember 12, 2009 at 9:09 am
    Listen up RM, if you haven’t purchased a Wilderness Pass in the past two years-you should just stick to your own area of expertise.
  13. IndySeptember 12, 2009 at 10:23 am
    Petz: The truth is that this area is not properly maintained by the Forest Service-especially when creating defensive area around public use areas. Well, when you’ve got the ‘anti-tax’ mentality at all levels, it’s not hard to see why the government can’t find the money to do what you think is appropriate. Petz: What really confuses Petz is why many of you get all we wee’d up about the wildlife in this area, when the rules of engagement in Afghanistan prevent our US troops from protecting and providing adequate support for those who take the fight to the enemy to defend us. Let me ponder what you’re really trying to say here before I respond completly but suffice it to say that people caring for animals hasn’t a whole lot to deal with a armed conflict on the other side of the world . . . Petz: Where are your priorities, where is the outrage? Joe Wilson for Congress This guy is a ‘poster child’ for the ‘other board’ where anyone daring to disagree with a conservartive position is quickly called a ‘liar’. This guys poor attempt to call attention to himself is pathetic . . .
  14. spineflower2September 12, 2009 at 12:22 pm
    Fuck Joe Wilson. He’s a disrespectful lying prick. Got nothing to do with the fire, but you brought him up. Half the forest gone. Do you care? Is it about politics, or saving wild lands and wildlife?
  15. Jim FarleySeptember 12, 2009 at 1:08 pm
    Spineflower: The forest is not gone. As Fred Butler says, the vegetation will be back in a couple of years. Fire is a natural, and necessary, fact of nature in Southern California. They have been occuring for thousands of years. So lets stop going through the hysterics about the loss of brush and wildlife. I don’t give a rat’s ass of concern about wildlife loss, it will come back too. (I’m also o-k with hunters shooting Bambi’s mother to prevent deer overpopulation). That being said, I hope they catch the bastard that started this thing, that killed two fine humans, and send him to the gas chamber. As Petz, I have used the Angeles Forest extensively for backpacking and hiking. It is a great local resource. I’m sure the areas around Cooper Canyon and Little Jimmy are still just fine. But even if those were to burn, which they inevitably will, they will come back too.
  16. IHeartSCVSeptember 12, 2009 at 2:35 pm
    I agree with Fred and Jim that fire is a natural and necessary part of life in California’s chaparral, but this fire was in no way “natural.” Prior to humans, lightining was the source of wildland fires, but studies in SoCal and Baja show that humans create fire 20+ times more often than lightning does. Prior to humans, fire was a much rarer event in the chaparral and forest habitats of the San Gabriel Mountains. One of the other major downsides of contemporary fires are that they favor non-native vegetation. Almost none of the grasses we see growing on our hillsides are native to California–they are all weedy species from Eurasia, and they can quickly colonize burned areas. Once there, they grow faster and thicker than native plants do and create a lot of dry stems to serve as fuel for more fires. It’s a positive feedback loop: more fire brings more grasses, and more grasses bring more fire.
  17. Jim FarleySeptember 12, 2009 at 2:47 pm
    Great points IHeart. Also, going back to Jeff’s beginning of the story. It is a very sad fact of life that it is so much easier for a single individual to create massive harm and destruction than for a single individual to create great good. (A quote from Dennis Prager). This is seen in president assasinations, planes being flown into buildings, campus shooting rampages, etc. Let’s thank God that the vast majority of people are good and don’t give in to the evil side of human nature.
  18. PetzSeptember 12, 2009 at 7:12 pm
    Petz dittos Farley = our local Prager group meets on Tuesday if you are interested let me know.
  19. PetzSeptember 13, 2009 at 5:39 am
    Thousands of Americans rallied yesterday in Washington DC to protest the mismanagement of our national resources like Angeles National Forest . Obama raced off to Minnesota to lead a group chant among the assembled union members and community activists. In DC-officials were surprised by the size of the crowd.
  20. PetzSeptember 13, 2009 at 6:13 am
    http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb105/Petz2/49219158.jpg
  21. mikeSeptember 13, 2009 at 8:40 am
    This picture says it all, the ultimate symbol of treason: http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/confederate-1.JPG
  22. CCSeptember 13, 2009 at 9:47 am
    It is still freedom of speech Mike. But I’m sure that this woman hasn’t the slightest notion of how insulting that is to the Men and Women who have fought for this country. I’m just tired of the yelling.
  23. Jim FarleySeptember 13, 2009 at 10:16 am
    Petz: I’d be very interested in attending the Prager Group this Tuesday. If you could send the info to my email address on my website by clicking my name above I would be appreciative.
  24. PetzSeptember 13, 2009 at 10:38 am
    There were several signs that I felt were not appropriate to promoting the message. Attacking Joe Wilson and the attempt to paint him as a souther racist with vulgarity is despicable.
  25. mikeSeptember 13, 2009 at 10:50 am
    Reminds me of when Joe Wilson savaged Strom Thurmond, implying that the revelation of a mixed-race daughter was an embarrassment to Strom. Yeah, real class act. No manners, no respect, no class.
  26. mikeSeptember 13, 2009 at 10:50 am
    savaged Strom Thurmond’s daughter, I mean.
  27. Bill ReynoldsSeptember 13, 2009 at 7:54 pm
    Yeah, what’s the matter with Joe Wilson!? We should give free healthcare to all illegal aliens and to all peoples of the world. Successful Americans should give their hard earned dollars to help those who aren’t industrious. Yeah, that’s it.
  28. Petz2September 13, 2009 at 8:09 pm
    Petz says there is no reason for Jeff Wilson to apologize to Nancy Pelosi and the House membership.
  29. CCSeptember 13, 2009 at 9:25 pm
    Petz, would you encourage your children to be rude like Mr. Wilson? His actions were deplorable and civility is lost on this man. Please tell me it isn’t lost on you too.
  30. MoneySeptember 13, 2009 at 9:27 pm
    Putz, addressing yourself in the third person? You really are a putz.
  31. MoneySeptember 13, 2009 at 9:33 pm
    Why did cash copy word for word the last five lines of what navigator wrote on the initial post? Either cash is a bigger loser than we thought, or cash and navigator are one and the same.
  32. cashSeptember 13, 2009 at 10:15 pm
    Money Sorry I did not use the proper punctuation necessary to make it easy for you to follow. I’ll try to remember to keep it simple for you Money. My goal will be to target an audience with an 8Th grade level of education. Will that work for you Money? BTW, I do not believe navigator is a loser, but you on the other-hand………..
  33. lvogelSeptember 14, 2009 at 8:28 am
    For all of those who believe that Illegal Immigrants will be covered by this reform bill, please post the wording in the bill which stats such a fact.
  34. CCSeptember 14, 2009 at 8:37 am
    Ivogel, as I already posted it does not say that illegals will be covered. BUT, it does NOT require PROOF of citizenship. Same thing.
  35. lvogelSeptember 14, 2009 at 10:00 am
    Where does it say that no ‘proof of citizenship required’ in the proposed bill?
  36. navigatorSeptember 14, 2009 at 10:50 am
    “Either cash is a bigger loser than we thought, or cash and navigator are one and the same.” Money, if you kept up with the posts on this site you wouldn’t even intimate the possibility that cash and I are the same person. We disagree with each other on various things but we are civil with each other in so doing.
  37. the original mikeSeptember 14, 2009 at 11:16 am
    yeah not even close. Longtime fans of SCVtalk know that navigator is a GOB in cash’s book, albeit one of the good ones.

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