Mesia Nyman, Brandon Hoffman and Daron Reynolds look for new growth in the jungle area of Ferron Mountain.

After the Fire

Two months after the Jungle Fire in the mountains
above Ferron and signs of growth can be found everywhere

James L. Davis

The SUV bounces down the gravel road, winding between blackened stretches of the forest and the three forest service employees inside point excitedly as they drive, not at the burned trees, but what they can see beneath the dead trees.

On Ferron Mountain in the area known as The Jungle, new life can be found sprouting beneath the charred earth burned by a prescribed fire that was started by forest service personnel at the end of June.

The SUV pulls to a stop and Mesia Nyman, Ferron District Ranger; Daron Reynolds, North Zone Fuels Assistance Fire Management Officer; and Brandon Hoffman, North Zone Fire Management Officer pile out and walk out into the burned area of the forest, pointing here and there at the life returning to the forest floor.

“This is exciting,” Hoffman said, bending down to get a closer look at an aspen sapling, one of hundreds rising out of the blackened earth. “We had aspen coming in seven days after the fire was out.”

For the men and women of the Ferron District, the “controlled” burn of the Jungle Fire was a huge success, even though for a time the fire was out of control. Originally planned to burn 2,000 acres of the forest that was so dense it had earned the nickname jungle, the fire jumped its boundary and eventually burned more than 8,000 acres before being stopped. But even though the fire spread further than intended, all but 80 acres of the fire burned in an area the forest service had identified as an established boundary for future prescribed burns.

To demonstrate Hoffman pulls out a map of the area with drawn lines around the jungle area, one being a 10,000 acre boundary area the forest service had identified and the other an outline of where the Jungle Fire had spread. Shift the fire boundary ever so slightly and it would have stayed completely within an area that needed to be burned.

“We should have looked closer at our southern boundary,” Nyman said, walking through blackened tree stands and stopping to see what new form of plant life was returning to the forest floor.

The three remember distinctly when the fire got away from them in early July and they pause in their SUV to point out the slope where the fire ran away. “It jumped the road and hit that slope. It had enough slope and fuel that all we could do was watch it,” Nyman said.

Although the fire did escape their control for a time, the three stand amazed at the rejuvenation already obvious in the forest.

“It’s a very resilient ecosystem,” Reynolds said.

The effort to burn the Jungle section of the forest had been attempted many times before from as far back as 1996 and every time a fire was attempted it was snuffed out before it ever got going. In that regard the forests of the Manti-Lasal are uniquely fire proof, which is one reason it has been termed the “Asbestos Forest.”

“It’s a little different than other forests. We tried to burn several times in the spring and fall and it became apparent that we had to burn it when it was hotter and drier if it was going to burn at all,” Nyman said.

In their walk through of the forest Reynolds pauses to pull up layers upon layers of dry material around the base of trees. Called the duff layer, it was extremely thick in the forest, adding up to an estimated 46 tons an acre of dead fuel on the forest floor and choking out the possibility of new life. The fire stripped away much of that and the forest has responded with an explosion of new life. As of now most of the new life is in the form of aspen, but other life can also be seen and more will begin to spread through the burned area, from the outer edges inward.

“Give us two years and this will be a sea of green,” Hoffman said, pointing to the burned ground.
The Jungle Fire accomplished everything the forest service had wanted and then some. There are no future plans for prescribed burns in the area, the Jungle Fire took care of the areas that needed burning and the meandering path of the fire accomplished those goals better than they could have even hoped.

In preparing a prescribed burn, the forest service wants to leave areas of trees untouched for wildlife habitat and the fire did just that, circling around some tree stands, burning others to pave the way for new growth.

With the fire out the forest service went in to cut down some of the dead trees that were close to the road for safety reasons and the dead trees still standing are a safety concern that they caution people to be aware of. The trees could stand for a number of years and while ugly now, they will become valuable resources.

“In about two years all of the black will be off the trees and it will be excellent firewood. I hope to have free firewood permits here,” Nyman said.

Pausing in the trip through the forest, they inspect a hillside where the trees have been burned away. Originally the forest service was concerned that after the fire they may have a problem with erosion, but it is apparent from the hill that they are not seeing any signs of the problem yet.
“We were looking to see if we needed to do any mitigation to control the sediment, but we haven’t had to do that,” Nyman said.

Hoffman stoops to inspect a plant that has grown in the burned ground and Nyman and Reynolds stop to look as well. Although they aren’t sure exactly what the plant is, they are excited to see it growing in the forest.

“This is better than Christmas for us. We worked hard as a team to make this happen,” Hoffman said.

Hole in One
CIB approves funding for Millsite Golf Course

Supporters of a planned expansion for Millsite Golf Course hit a hole in one on Sept. 6 as the Community Impact Board approved $2 million in funding for the course.
Ferron’s golf course was given a green light as the CIB approved the funding of the project with a grant of a little over $1.3 million and a $600,000 loan to expand Millsite from a 9-hole to an 18-hole course.

Supporters of the expansion were understandably excited about the news.

“We’re dancing,” said Jordan Leonard, Millsite clubhouse manager. “I couldn’t be more excited. The support we’ve gotten has just been great.”

The funding, which will become available through the CIB after its December meeting, brings to an end a long and often tumultuous process toward expanding the golf course.

Ferron City decided to pursue the course expansion following a vote by the city council during its April 26 meeting.

The city had approached the CIB about the prospect of funding the expansion last year and the CIB had requested the city complete a feasibility study on the project, which it did over the next year.
The study was conducted by Lewis, Young, Robertson and Burningham Inc., pointed to a number of factors that were in Millsite’s favor to develop the course. Among them was the fact that Millsite would not have to purchase land for the expansion. The land the expanded course will be on is owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the BLM has agreed to lease the land to Ferron.
The city held a public meeting in conjunction with its regular city council meeting on April 26 where Kris Abegglen, designer of what will be the new 18-hole course, said that an 18-hole Millsite Golf Course would put it in the same league as the Moab golf course.

“It’s not uncommon for these courses to triple and quadruple their revenues. This is a better site than Richfield, for example,” he said.

With the funding approved Mike McCandless, Emery County Economic director, said the golf course committee hopes to get work started on the engineering of the new nine holes immediately and to begin the bidding process as fast as possible.

Construction on the new nine holes should be able to begin in the early spring and by the end of the fall of 2009, the possibility exists that the first full game of gold could be played at Millsite.

“This is the equivalent of hitting one out of the park,” McCandless said. “We did as well as we ever could have hoped to.”

A community unites to honor its heroes

Organizers of the Sept. 15 Celebration of Heroes event continue to scramble to put the final details together for the massive community gathering at Canyon View Junior High School in Huntington.

While all of the details of the day are not as yet finalized, one thing that seems assured is that there will be a little something for everyone.

The Celebration of Heroes is being planned to celebrate the mining communities of Emery and Carbon County following the devastating loss of six coal miners in Crandall Canyon Mine and the death of three mine rescuers who fought to the end to bring them home.

In announcing the event to the state, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman said it was “important for the families and the community to have a time to reflect on and give tribute to the heroic miners, the rescuers and the families affected by this terrible tragedy. But we must also come together to rise above the challenges. In times like these we must celebrate the heroes.”

The Celebration of Heroes will come following a memorial service on Sunday for the lost miners. Hundreds gathered in Huntington at Canyon View Junior High School for a nondenominational memorial for the lost miners and rescuers. Speakers included Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ Quorum of the Twelve Apostsles; Bishop John C. Wester of Utah’s Catholic diocese; and Carl Sitterud, pastor of the Desert Edge Christian Church in Huntington.

During the memorial service Governor Huntsman said: “This is a time for healing and this is a time for closure.” The Celebration of Heroes is designed to celebrate the lost miners and the mining communities that love them.

Country music star Collin Raye is set to headline the community event that is scheduled to begin on Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. and end near midnight. The country music star will be joined by a number of other musical acts and other entertainment acts that have volunteered to do what they can to help the Castle Valley community.

Other entertainment acts include: Inspirational and country music group Joshua Creek; Country music rising star Melissa Jones; Bernie Faulkner, former member of Exile; Grammy nominated country singer Rebecca Lynn Howard; former American Idol 2 contestant Carmen Rasmussen; and Emery County Fair favorite Charley Jenkins and the Haywire Band will close out the evening with his song “Heroes at Home.”

Also planned for the afternoon and scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Huntington Fair Grounds will be a motocross performance by freestyle motocross riders Ronnie Renner and friends. Renner, and X-Game medalist, will entertain the crowd with his amazing free riding stunts.
Former Utah Jazz player Karl Malone is also scheduled to be at the event. The entire event is free but any and all donations will go to the families of the lost coal miners.

The only thing that might match to lineup of performers for the event might very well be the crowd. Organizers are bracing for thousands to come to Huntington to pay tribute and celebrate the mining communities.

“All of these people that want to help says something about America. We’re still on solid ground. Not one dime of any donation is being spent on the show,” said Shannon Hiatt, who has helped organize the event.

Between musical performances there will also be items that will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to the miners families. Included in auction items will be autographed memorabilia from Loretta Lynn. There will also be a special announcement at the concert regarding a new Crandall Canyon Mine Scholarship that has been created for the Emery and Carbon County area.

Throughout the concert it will be festival seating. No bleachers will be available so everyone is encouraged to bring their blankets or lawn chairs for an afternoon where the Castle Valley community can come together with friends from across the nation to celebrate the heroes of Crandall Canyon and the community that loves them.

“We pay tribute to the Crandall Canyon 9 and the six injured rescuers. But there are so many heroes. The mine rescuers, the EMTS, the paramedics, the sheriff’s deputies, everyone who has been a part of this,” Hiatt said.

Summit caters to local business owners

The 2007 Castle Country Economic Summit will offer entrepreneurs in the Emery and Carbon County area a unique opportunity to gather and learn tips on how to move their businesses to the next level.

The three day summit is scheduled for Sept. 19-21 at the new Event Center in Price. The summit will kick off with dinner and entertainment at the new North Springs Recreation and Shooting Range on Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. Entertainment for the evening will be provided by the Balanced Rock Regulators.

On Sept. 20 there will be a number of different classes at the Event Center, including training or certification classes. These classes are offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a $25 registration fee. The classes include: State of Utah Land Use, Development, and Management Act/Planning and Zoning; Basics of a Good Road; and Transportation Master Plan.

Also on Sept. 20 will be a workshop on Irrigation Water Management from 9 a.m. to noon. There is no charge for this workshop. Another free workshop will be Pesticide Applicator, also from 9 a.m. to noon.

Dinner and entertainment for the evening of Sept. 20 will be at the Castle Valley Ranch outside of Emery at 6 p.m. The cost for dinner is $20 and entertainment will be provided by cowboy poets Val Carter and Sam DeLeeuw.

On Sept. 21 at the Events Center the day will start with breakfast at 7 a.m., followed by the breakfast keynote speaker, Scott Hirschi, Economic Development Director for Washington County. He will be followed by local business speakers.

Starting at 9:30 a.m. there will be breakout sessions continuing throughout the day. Breakout sessions include: Fields of Dreams – How to Profit from Small Fruit and Vegetable Production; Ratcheting Up from Marketing 101; Castleview Hospital – Building a Healthy Community; Be a Bee Keeper; Business Innovation: Techinical and Financial Assistance; Brand and the Economics of Tourism; Great Alternatives to Feeding Livestock through the Winter; Sources of Capital; WETC – What is in the Future and Recap the Plans.

After lunch the keynote address will be at 1 p.m. Keynote speaker is Kristen Cox from the Utah Department of Workforce Services, which will be followed by local business speakers.
For more information or to register for the economic summit call Jo Sansevero, 384-2648; Karl Kraync, 637-3130; or Dorothy Carter, 636-2820.

Water in the ‘bank’ carries ranchers through

James L. Davis

Water in the bank and a willingness to work together has helped carry farmers and ranchers in the Huntington and Cleveland area through a year that will go down as among the driest on record.

Stockholders in the Huntington/Cleveland Irrigation Company have had to deal with numerous adjustments in water allocations throughout the year as a dry year just seemed to get drier, forcing everyone to stretch a limited resource even further. And as the end of the irrigation season approaches the rolling rain storms of the past month have allowed for the extension of the irrigation season. Originally scheduled to end Sept. 1, the season has been extended to Oct. 1.

“We worked together,” said Brett Leamaster, river commissioner for the Huntington Creek drainage and canal manager for the HCIC. “We ran as tightly as we could and had to adjust our allocations. The way it worked out we’ve done really well, considering.”

“Never before have we had to make as many changes in our allocations. There was a great deal of cooperation with the stockholders,” said Sherrel Ward, HCIC president.

The well timed rain storms in July and August helped farmers and ranchers in the area survive what was building up to be a disastrous year.

According to Cody Allred, water resource engineer for PacifiCorp, which owns one-third of HCIC stock, the first six months of this year were pointing the way toward 2007 becoming the worst water year on record. PacifiCorp, which serves electric customers in Utah as Rocky Mountain Power, utilizes water from Electric Lake in the cooling process at its Huntington Power Plant.

The company’s weather station at Electric Lake had recorded 8.3 inches of precipitation for the first six months of the year. From January to June the precipitation was 60 percent of average. In 1977, the worst year on record, the area received 13.9 inches of rain in the year and the outlook was bleak that 2007 might have the distinction of breaking the record. Then it started to rain and the recent precipitation means that 1977 will likely hold its place as the year nobody in the area wants to repeat when it comes to water. In July rainfall was 140 percent of average, according to Allred.

“It’s been a tough year,” Ward said. “I can remember 1977 and this year wasn’t nearly as devastating as 1977, but our reservoirs are going to be completely empty going into the winter. It’s going to be critical that we get normal precipitation this year. The storm that we had last October was a lifesaving storm for us. It carried us through. Without that storm it would have been a devastating year.”

As the winter months approach the Huntington and Cleveland area has been able to keep crops and livestock watered because of careful water management, but another year like 2007 in 2008 will be devastating. Water reserves in the bank at Cleveland, Huntington and Electric Lake reservoirs carried everyone through the season, but stockholders have had to deplete much of their savings. While Electric Lake will maintain levels high enough to carry PacifiCorp through, the reserves in Cleveland and Huntington will be all but gone and everyone is praying for a good winter to fill the reservoirs next spring.

“Water users were releasing water held in storage in May this year. They usually start releasing from storage in early July. That set the tone for the year,” Allred said.

With the extreme heat of the summer the loss of water to evaporation or seepage in the canals as water was released was a source of major concern to stockholders and that water loss in the canals will continue to be an area of concern as the winter months dawn. According to Allred, 90 percent of the water diverted into the canals for stock watering in the winter is not consumed by livestock, but lost as it makes its way through canals to its final destination, which is where the completion of the pressurized irrigation system being developed in the Huntington/Cleveland area will help. Doing away with hundreds of miles of canals and ditches and replacing them with a pressurized line will eliminate the shrinkage of water resources and give the HCIC stockholders a management tool like they have never had before.

“It’s like we’ve been driving around in a 1950 pickup and now we’re getting ready to upgrade to a 2007 vehicle,” Allred said.

The pressurized system, with three new regulating ponds and miles of pressurized water lines, is the largest of its kind and when complete will not only save an invaluable resource, but will control salinity problems that have devastated the Colorado River Basin.

The pressurized irrigation system and the adjustments made to cope with a dry year are two key areas that highlight the spirit of cooperation stockholders in HCIC have shown to make things better for everyone.

With the construction of the pressurized system Huntington North Reservoir was not able to be utilized this year and PacifiCorp agreed to hold water allocations at Electric Lake, releasing water to stockholders as they called for it to allow everyone to adjust to the construction project. Ward also lauded PacifiCorp for its willingness to accept the shrinkage values as the water was sent into the canals.

“They’ve been very willing to accept their fair share of the loss to shrinkage,” he said.

Leamaster said the cooperation exhibited by stockholders has been incredible and the efforts of water masters Larry Randall and Grant Wilson to move the water around to stockholders has helped everyone through a stressful season.

“We work well together,” Allred said. “Working together is probably the most efficient management tool we’ve ever had on this drainage.”