Range Closures

[PJ Hardtack]

Due to the extreme wildfire hazard and the great number of active fires (over 160), all ranges in my part of the country have been closed until further notice. Several shoots have been cancelled or postponed.

Off road travel is verboten, camp fires, etc. All outdoor activity must be curtailed for some due to the intense smoke affecting huge areas. The smoke from fires south of us has made the air unbreathable for many as far away as Vancouver, BC. and into the Okanogan. That's a distance of some 500 kms south and east. The smoke has drifted as far east as Alberta and the Prairies.

Our air is clear most days and the nearest fires are still 40-50 kms away and not headed in this direction. However, all it will take is one carelessly discarded cigarette butt or a lightning strike and we''ll be in the middle of it. The heat of a vehicle's exhaust or catalytic muffler will set grass on fie.

We have firefighters from Mexico, Australia, Tasmania (no kidding) and from all over Canada. There is a huge fleet of air tankers and water bombers protecting critical areas and structures. Many communities have been evacuated, the number at one time exceeding 40,000. Livestock is a whole other matter with thousands of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, etc. that had to be relocated. Wild game is on it's own.

I'm in the process of installing and testing a new $1000 generator powered water pump with 150' of 1-1/2" hose. We are part of a community that lives on a large lake so water is unlimited. None of us are leaving as we don't trust authorities to save our homes when more important things have to be saved and resources used elsewhere.

All the properties and ranches here are too far apart so we don't have a rural fire department. Wish us well. I gotta get back to work .....