Forest fires have wreaked devastation recently. Millions of acres have burned in western states, Alaska, and provinces in Canada and have caused unacceptable loss of life, both human and animal, and billions in property damage. But what about pollution? According to research by Zachary Gerber published in the winter issue of Range, California wildfires in 2017 emitted over 1 billion pounds of “2.5 pm” particles. These pollutants, 2.5 microns or smaller, have a dangerous health impact. Vehicle emissions that year were calculated at 22 million pounds, which means it would take California drivers 50 years to total one year of wildfire pollution emissions!
What about wildlife losses? Research by the Gerbers at the Bear Wallow, Arizona, fire indicated a loss of 1.5 million vertebrates on 358,000 acres. Using that data, fires last year in California alone killed 3.5 million wild animals!
What has caused this widespread carnage?
Misguided policies promulgated by unelected bureaucratic institutions have allowed the dangerous buildup of fuel loads on federal lands. Various federal alphabet institutions like the DOI (Department of the Interior) and the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) have been infiltrated by radical environmentalists who have managed to pervert the original purpose of these entities, which was to promote public access and wise use of America’s millions of acres of public land and waters. Huge swaths of land in the west have become Roadless Areas with access so restricted that fighting fires is terribly difficult. Logging has been severely restricted, even the harvest of dead or dying trees is prohibited. The grazing rights of western ranchers, along with their water rights, are under attack by the very agencies that were created to encourage and supervise them. (Research government persecution of Ammon Bundy and the Hammond family or the writings of Tom DeWeese, Steven H. Rich, and Barry Perryman, Ph.D.)
President Trump recently blamed the California fires on this gross mismanagement of public land. He is spot on, though I’m sure this is one of the infamous “ thirty lies per day” referenced by our local “ Agenda 21” champion Dr. Bryan Van Gorp. I challenge the good Dr. to respond with his explanation of why we need to trust the “ Expert Land Managers” of the BLM and embrace their preservationist policies. I can’t wait to hear his explanation, no doubt the fault, according to him, of climate change deniers. Lord help us.
Now some thoughts on recent liberal commentaries in FCJ by people obviously infected by Trump Derangement Syndrome, one by Dr. Van Gorp and the other by Kindra Ramaker. Both writers exhibit similar tactics: long on demonization and woefully short on facts and data.
Dr. G. contends Mr. Trump and Fox news are habitual liars. He neglects to elaborate, leaving us to rightly surmise that any statement made that does not align with the views of the radical left is a lie. The main stream media, he says, is a pillar of objectivity and patriotism, bravely pointing out the evil actions of the Trump administration, and they exhibit no signs of Liberal Bias.
Bullfeathers!! A recent Harvard study reveals huge bias against Trump and conservatives, 93% negative. Sorry sir. No one will buy your wildly inaccurate statements. We watched their anguish when Trump was elected and know you are blowing smoke.
Kindra warned us not to be fooled by those who assert themselves as “experts,” a very astute observation. She wrote to rebut a commentary of mine that detailed bullying tactics employed by the MDHR against public schools, but failed to provide any supporting sources or data. I find that disconcerting, since she is an educated, well- intentioned person from a great family. I am perfectly willing to admit being mistaken or that my sources are bad…… provided she can list independent data to prove the MDHR did not threaten lawsuits against 43 Districts and that race based discipline is not creating negative classroom consequences and is indeed helping improve outcomes for minority students. Please prove me wrong, Kindra. If MDHR is doing good, that will make me happy!
God Bless until next time, Jeff
John says
Herb,
Trump supporters are incorrigible. They ignore over 300 climate scientists and a dozen government agencies who have been gathering and analyzing climate and environmental data for decades, many of them it being their life’s work.
But just because their leader says he’s “too smart to believe in climate change” they run with it. It’s amazing how decades of climactic data and statistics are “trumped” by a “feeling”. It’s kind of like the bible vs. evolution. It’s a never ending source of amusement for me.
Herb Panko says
While I agree that some forestry policies could be improved, let’s not lose sight of the real culprit here—global warming on a massive scale caused mainly by human activity. It’s no longer a debatable topic. The evidence is overwhelming. It would be nearly impossible to find a credentialed climatologist anywhere in the world who would disagree with this. Anyone who doesn’t know what this evidence is, simply is ignorant or hasn’t been paying attention.