Getting Ready! Be Fire Aware this year too.

I am SOOO ready to get to Yellowstone!!! Two more weeks. The salmon flies will be probably just over when I get there. So far it's been hot, and I think the water is down already. The Yellowstone in the Blacktail Canyon will probably be pretty warm come August; I suspect there might be some limitations on fishing this year similar to a few years ago (2007?) when there was no fishing during the afternoon....that turned out to be a great time to actually physically relax and take a nap anyway because it was so dang hot.

You've heard about bear aware. I'm asking you to be FIRE AWARE.

I'm worried about fire season this year. My home town here in Pocatello just got nailed by a wildfire in a populated area just outside of town. Sixty-six homes burned in about four hours. Thank God that nobody died or was injured. And our first responders did such a great job....they really jumped on that fire and got it out quickly because it could have been MUCH worse.

Anyway, I learned the other day that the fire season follows a 12-year cycle. Every 12 years is a bad year. 2012-12=2000..."

During the 2000 fire season in the United States, almost 93,000 wildland fires burned close to 7.4 million acres and destroyed numerous structures. Subsequently, recommendations were developed on how to reduce the impacts of fire on rural communities and ensure sufficient firefighting resources for the future. That report, now known as the "National Fire Plan", identified five key points that continue to emphasize interagency approaches." from 

http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/fire.htm

2000-12=1988: VERY BAD FIRE YEAR IN YELLOWSTONE.

While you're out and about fishing in Yellowstone and other pristine areas of God's Backyard, please be careful.

1. No cigarettes please. If you have to, switch to Copenhagen. I chewed Cope for 23 years. Quite October 4, 2010 at 10:22pm cold turkey. Do it if you have to...it's better than smoking in the backcountry.

2. Try to live without a camp fire. Seriously. If you have a very active day, you should be sleeping by 9pm, before the end of evening twilight. Just cuz it's legal, doesn't make it right. Please don't have the camp fires.

3. Be especially careful with your camp stove. Triple-careful if you have white gas.....that stuff is incredibly flammable and spills fairly easily if you're not careful.

4. Watch for smoke while you're in the backcountry. Don't depend on the Rangers to tell you to leave. Take personal responsibility for yourself.

5. Have a NOAA capable radio and listen to it during your meals. Learn how to set it up for alerts. Take enough batteries or a solar charger for rechargeable batteries.

Here's a look at the fire forecast. Translation = Red areas covering all of Yellowstone = Be CAREFUL WITH FIRE!

http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf