Ecosystem home to endangered wolves, owls and fish hit hardest by hot, historic Ariz. wildfire
Ecosystem home to endangered wolves, owls and fish hit hardest by hot, historic Ariz. wildfire
23 June 2011
published by www.washingtonpost.com
USA — PHOENIX The largest wildfire in Arizona history left a charred landscape of blackened forest, burned-out vehicle hulks and charred fireplaces as it destroyed more than 30 homes. It also inflicted a serious toll on an ecosystem thats home to numerous endangered species.
The flames spared three packs of endangered Mexican gray wolves but likely killed at least some threatened Mexican spotted owls as it roared through more than a half-million acres of a pristine forest on the New Mexico border.
Though some spots were untouched or had only undergrowth burn, the effect of the human-caused Wallow fire will last for decades because it burned so hot in many areas that it completely denuded the landscape, forest specialists said.
The natural fires are good for a healthy forest, but these fires where the debris has been allowed to build up and it just hasnt been addressed they come out very hot and just scorch everything. As soon as the monsoon shows up, theres a potential for a lot of soil to move, said Tom Buckley, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesman.
Forest managers are warning homeowners in the White Mountains to get flood insurance immediately because summer storms will likely create severe runoff.
Its part of the steep human cost from the 832-square-mile blaze that continues to churn through thousands of new acres per day in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
The fire destroyed 32 homes and four rental cabins. The charred skeletons of vacation homes are physical reminders of disrupted lives and bygone memories. For many Arizona desert dwellers, the mountains provided an escape from the heat for generations.
The Wallow fire was 61 percent contained on Thursday but still slowly growing on the south and southeast flanks.
Two other major fires are burning in the state. The 44-square-mile Monument fire near Sierra Vista, Ariz., has destroyed 57 homes. Authorities lifted an evacuation order for an estimated 200 to 300 homes Thursday, but about 300 remain evacuated. The 348-square-mile Horseshoe Two fire atop southeastern the Chiricahua mountains has destroyed nine homes in the world-renowned bird watching area.
The three wolf packs in the Apache-Sitgreaves all had pups and were in or near their dens when the fire that broke out on May 29 roared through, said Jim Paxon, a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Firefighters on the ground have seen two of the packs moving around with their pups. Radio collars on the three adults in the third pack show they are alive, but the status of their pups remains unknown because they are in an area still too hot for ground crews to enter.
Theyre there, and functioning, and able to persist and take care of their pups, Paxon said. We feel very confident that our wolves are out there and theyve all got pups, and thats a good thing.
The Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it had not confirmed the pups survived.
The wolves were reintroduced into Arizona and New Mexico beginning in 1998. Managers had hoped to have more than 100 in the wild by 2006, but the count stood at 42 at the beginning of 2010.