Photo (July 11 - afternoon): Looking at OHV Area from
Lodoga/Stonyford Rd.
Here is HQ’s July 12 am report based on intel from a 1900 briefing last night. Fran Peace from Congressman Wally Herger’s Office was in attendance.
With luck they will keep the fire below Miner ridge, saving the Goat Mt. area. Also, Little Stony is spared for now. That's the good news. The bad news is that the fire will double in size. They will start firing out along Stonyford/Lodoga Road today at 1100 (HQ will have its reporter on scene for that), bringing the fire on around the new cat-line to the Goat Mt. Road. This will burn out all the front country fuels that are a threat to East Park Estates, Century Ranch and homes along the main road.
It appears their plan for the canyon is to use fire (probably a helitorch) to light off as much as will burn along the rim of the main canyon, which would include all trails and side canyons up to Big Sullivan or Pine Ridge. They cannot burn out from the road because of serpentine and spotty fuels, but want to remove as much vegetation as possible on the north side of L. Stony Road to prevent rekindling in the event of a wind or weather change which could send the fire possibly to the south side of Little Stony canyon (a bad thing) and on to Lovelady, Goat Mt. and Lake County.
Everything up to Mill Valley, south to Crackerbox and on the north along the M10 corridor is slicked off. The fire is currently 16,800 acres, but it is estimated to be closer to 30K when finally contained if the plan is executed flawlessly.
HQ believes the media has not covered what the fire's impact will have on special events such as motorcycle enduros and casual OHV use this fall and winter. As many of you know, the Fouts Springs OHV Camping area often becomes the largest “city” in Colusa County during the Christmas/New Year Holiday Season with up to 2-4 thousand people camping and riding there. The fire may have a serious impact on that activity this year.
HQ thanks local Stonyford resident and former FS OHV program manager, Jeff Applegate, on the Grindstone RD for his excellent feedback on the progress of the fire.
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