[at-l] New Mexican Fires

[RMBluebird@aol.com]

For those who are interested in the "controlled burn" situation at Los Alamos:

My daughter, whose home is in Ranchos de Taos, wrote this to me yesterday:

<<Los Alamos is burning.  For two days I've been short-winded and now I 
wonder if it is from the smoke.  Brian called saying he could see the smoke, 
so I went to the west windows of the house to look off to the horizon in the 
direction of Los Alamos. I couldn't see anything and figured Betsy's house 
must be in the way.  Then, just now I looked out the south windows and 
realized the mountains are covered in smoke, there is a huge cloud of smoke 
out there.  And the wind is maniacal at probably 40-50 mph..    At any rate, 
they are evacuating all of the city of Los Alamos and who knows what the 
story is on the lab.   We are far enough away from the fire itself, but 
whatever gets carried in the wind from the Laboratory will come right to us 
if this wind keeps up.   How interesting.>>

Last week a controlled burn was scheduled for the Beaver Meadows entrance 
station area to RMNP less than 1/2-mile from my house as the crow flies.  It 
was rescheduled because the weather was unfavorable.  [Good for our guys!] 
Actually, the weather was not what I would describe as "bad."  I hate these 
controlled fires, not because I don't understand the concept, but because I 
question the "control" part.  About six years ago there was another 
"controlled" burn about a mile from my house.  Smoke was everywhere, and I 
had to leave home for work.  On the way I went to the site.  There was 
absolutely no one rom the park service nor any NPS vehicle in sight.  It was 
a stressful day, wondering.

Kinnickinic
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