Wildfire Threat & Community

Dear Neighbors,

I know we all are heart sick for our neighbors Paul and Cara, yet, with mixed emotions, thankful that the fire that took their house and their dogs got controlled because of the quick actions of Dawn and Dale and others - not to mention the terrific firefighters, and the temporary cooperation of wind.

This is scary, is something we’ve been saying for quite a while now. My husband Conrad Skinner and I have lived on Lone Pine Spur for 15 years. We value it: it's gorgeous and serene; we tend a lot of animals; we walk our arroyo daily; you know the drill. But here's the reality: If a wildfire started crowning and the wind was blowing hard, would we be able to get out? Would you?

I know some of my neighbors don't want me to be in the business of their trees. I've heard a lot of philosophy over the years about why people live in a forest, up a one-way-exit dirt road. But come an emergency, you're not standing on philosophy. You're standing in a network of neighbors.

We are really all in this together. Twice in the last month or a little more - with the two other houses that burned on Old Las Vegas Highway - we've seen that catastrophe starts in an instant. Now that fire conditions are so peak, I'd like to say ahead of our June 13th meeting that I hope we can go into the meeting realizing what we have in common:

-The easement along Apache Ridge Road. Dead wood and overgrowth are dangerous, big fuel for fire. But many of us will have to participate in a cleaning - and property-owners will have to agree that the common good is a personal good. Good for me is also good for you -and us.

-Trees on your land. If you want a visual, the clearing the state did on State Land along Lone Pine Spur last year is a good example of how thin the tree spacing should be.

-Fire Evacuation Checklist. Here is a link to two that detail the extent of what professionals say should be thought out, and done, ahead of time. http://web.smspal.com/Evacuation.html. Or from the White Mountains in Arizona: http://593info.org/?p=1118.

It's a lot of work, like anything worth doing.

I hope this will be an occasion for us as a neighborhood to come together in compassion for Paul and Cara and to be more mindful of one another, too. Many thanks to Candelora and the road committee for all their constant hard work and communication.

Ellen Berkovitch and Conrad Skinner

505-466-8615

505-577-6032

505-577-5689