Happy Camp Complex Forest Fire Update

Fire Retardant Drop

Fire retardant drop in the Happy Camp Complex fires. Photo by Ken Black of the Deadwood Strike

August 24, 2006, 11:00 am

From the Northern California Joint Incident Information Center

Current Situation: A weak low pressure trough over northern California will move east today and high pressure will build in behind it. Low humidity with gusty winds is expected. The air mass in northern California remains stable and dry with temperatures in the upper 80s and mid 90s.

Visitors need to be aware that there are numerous road, trail and area closures in place. Before heading out, please contact the local Forest Service Unit or log onto Inciweb.Org for additional information about fire-related restrictions and closures.

Air quality monitoring stations are in place. For additional information, please visit the following website: http://gacc.nifc.gov/oncc/predictive/weather/airquality.html.

No active Fire Weather Watches or Warnings are in effect today in Northern California.

The Joint Incident Information Center will no longer be staffed. However, the daily summary will continue to be updated and e-mailed to the current mailing list. Please visit Inciweb.Org for information related to all incidents and to obtain local contact information.

Northern California Region Active Totals

  • Major Incidents / Complexes: 4
  • Acres Burned: 54,448
  • Cost of active fires: $49,763,305
  • Personnel Committed: 1,328
  • Firefighter Injuries: 22
  • Fatalities (Aerial Firefighting Personnel): 2

Resources Committed

  • Engines: 16
  • Firefighting Crews: 29
  • Dozers: 3
  • Helicopters: 17
  • Overhead Personnel: 532

Between July 23rd and August 24th a total of 8 large fire incidents have occurred in the Northern California Region. Those large fires have burned more than 74,122 acres costing over $72,738,673 in suppression efforts.

INCIDENT SUMMARIES

Orleans Complex: Six Rivers National Forest; 15,710 acres; 70% Contained; Estimated Containment Date: 9/30/06; Total Personnel: 366; Cost to Date: $15M; Type 2 Incident Management Team (Sinclear) is assigned. Limited interior burning continues, primarily in the upper portions of Pearch Creek drainage. Firefighters continue to hold containment line on Highway 96 and Salmon River Road. Cultural resources remain threatened. A public meeting will be held tonight at 7p.m. at the Karuk Community Center in Orleans to introduce the incoming Incident Management Team. For more information on this fire, please visit http://inciweb.org/incident/370.

Bar Complex: Shasta-Trinity National Forest; 20,289 acres; 46% contained; Estimated Containment Date: 9/15/06; Total Personnel: 523; Cost to Date: $15M; A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Dietrich) is assigned. Fire continues to move easterly toward Limestone Ridge and south from Pony Butte/Salmon Mountain Ridge. Residence and historic mining sites continue to be threatened. Heavy smoke remains over the communities in and around Weaverville and as far away east as Redding. For more information, please visit http://inciweb.org/incident/357/

Uncles Complex: Klamath National Forest; 14,631 acres; 35% contained; Estimated Containment Date: 10/3/06; Total Personnel: 106; Cost to Date: $9M; A Fire Use Management Team (Hahnenberg) has been assigned and will continue to manage the incident under suppression strategy while planning long term fire assessment. Fire fighters are working diligently ahead of the fires to protect historic and recreational structures. For more information on this fire, please visit http://inciweb.org/incident/348/ .

Happy Camp Complex: Klamath National Forest; 3,818 acres; 85% contained; Estimated Containment Date: 9/1/06; Total Personnel: 333; Cost to Date: $9M; A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Garwood) is assigned. No increased fire activity. This will be the last incident summary for Happy Camp Complex unless there is substantial change. For more information on this fire, please visit http://inciweb.org/incident/361/.

Additional Northern California Fire Information can be found at the following weblinks:
California Fire Information
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection

Dr. Mathew Johnson To Speak About His Bigfoot Sighting At The Happy Camp Bigfoot Jamboree

Dr. Matthew Johnson

What would make a well-known expert on child rearing and families admit to having seen a hairy primate on a family outing at the Oregon Caves? It is one of those experiences that people look askance at you if it’s mentioned, or ask what you’d been imbibing in at the time. But if scientific training and intellectual honesty compel him to admit his experience, what does he have to say? Dr. Mathew Johnson will be presenting his PowerPoint presentation at the pavilion of the happy Camp River Park on Saturday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. You won’t want to miss it!

Honoring Our Armed Forces

Bigfoot Jamboree Princesses

Bigfoot jamboree Princesses "o538th Annual Bigfoot Jamboree

38th Annual Bigfoot Jamboree

Happy Camp has many men and women who have served in some branch of the U.S. military both in the past and the present. Thank you all for your time and dedication to serving our country. The 2005 parade is dedicated to ALL OF YOU!

Tracy Burcell thanked everyone who has helped or participated in the planning of this years Bigfoot Jamboree. She especially wanted to thank the Coordinating Council members who worked so hard to put together the Jamboree. The Happy Camp Coordinating Council was Tracy Burcell, President, Leonie Jacobsen, 1st Vice President, Janet Burcell, 2nd Vice President and Secretary, Donna McCulley, Treasurer & Secretary, Kenny Jacobsen, and Sara Spence, Associate Members.

Robert & Norma Seaman were 2005 Bigfoot jamboree Parade Grand Marshalls.

The Coordinating Council sponsored a fundraiser for purchasing a bullet proof vest for our Siskiyou County K-0 Deputies. On sunday, September 4th during the Bifgoot Jamboree, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department will have Sheriff Rick Riggins and several Deputy Sheriffs squaring off in a donut eating contest to help promote the fundraiser.

Donations towards the purchase of bullet proof vests for K-9 Deputies (the four legged ones) could contact the Happy Camp Coordinating Council. There were also opportunities to contribute at the donut eating contest (Won by Gabe Garrison!!) folloed by a K-9 Dog Demonstration. A large donation was forwarded to the Sheriffs Office for this purpose.

Bigfoot Jamboree 2004 & the New Visitors Center

Bigfoot Jamboree Theme

There are lots of summer days before Bigfoot Jamboree. But no matter how full of sun and fun, Bigfoot Jamboree will be here before you know it! The theme for this year’s Sunday Jamboree Parade is “Silver Streams & Golden Dreams.” Put on your thinking cap and think of applications of this theme to your float in the parade. Be creative! It will be fun to see the resulting floats on September 5th.

New Visitors Center

Saturday was a wonderful day! Many out of town visitors were here for the grand opening of the Visitor Information Center at the Forest Service office.. Peg Boland, Supervisor for the Klamath National Forest, Cheryl Wainwright for the Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce, and Tom Waddell filling in for the Karuk Tribe of California representative, cut the ribbon and invited the crowd of eager people in to see the new Visitor Information Center. It is beautiful!! There is a large wrap around desk where the receptionist and those who will be helping the visitors with questions can sit ready. Valerie has been doing that. With her move to another position, Veronica Salvage will be the smiling face greeting visitors now. An oak display rack holds a wealth of information on the area, wildlife, natural resources and businesses in the area from the Chamber of Commerce. More will be added.

There are areas where the youngest visitors can sit at a table and see an animal skull or feel the difference in vegetation that is used in basketry. The Karuk basket collection of Ruth Baker, which has been administered by Hazel Joyner, is on display so you can see the Karuk’s world-renowned basket skills. The most striking item is a manikin with the traditional regalia dress of the Karuk.

The mining history of the area is also apparent with the display of how a mine worked in the old days. Local artists have brought in their paintings and other artwork to display, which adds color and the proper setting for the displays. Alan Crockett teaches art classes, some of which will be going into the Marble Mountains for on the scene painting experiences. They brought art to bring these views to the visitor who stops by the center. Klamath Knot Arts Council is also involved in this part of the project. Photos and poetry as well as the actual “hands on” exhibits make this a wonderful slice of the resources of the area. Colleen Hall and Dan Huddleston are also thanked for their participation. Animals that had previously been on display in the forest service office are there to see, along with fascinating additions.

From the beginning of the idea of a Visitor Center, which Tom Waddell mentioned in the Action committee many times, to the fruition of the plan, it has taken a few years. It seems like all of the parts of the local community have been involved. Don Hall in Yreka as well as Valerie and Gay Baxter spent busy days helping the Chamber with memorandums, applications with necessary paperwork. That was back when Eddie Davenport was the president. Louis Tiraterra Sr. Louis Tiraterra Jr., and Dennis Day were working on drawings.

Fred Newoshi, Verna Reece, Alta Harper, Hazel Joyner as well as Arch Super and the Karuk Tribe of California provided support and assistance to the displays. People’s Center and the Visitor’s Center will be sharing displays and sending out visitors to each other for further information for years to come.

Nothing would have gotten accomplished without the help of the RAC, Sheryl Crawford, and Eddie Davenport; they provided the initial funding of $38,000 for the remodeling. It has turned out a very beautiful project. Information and assistance for visitors to enjoy our area more will be available. More exhibits and possibilities are anticipated. It will be a “work in progress” as more variety and presentations will vary with the seasons. You just need to stop by and see the displays. You’ll enjoy it. It is a perfect place for a visitor to our area to find out about recreational opportunities and get questions answered to make their stay more enjoyable!

Hope you didn’t miss the last meeting of the Children and youth Alcohol and other Drug Prevention Coalition. I was very sad to hear that Dr. Steven Burns has stepped down from the leadership of that group. De. Steve has done a wonderful job in founding this organization with a most important goal for our community to prevent alcohol and other drug abuse among our children and youth. Dr. Steve sent an email to let everyone know that he will not be able to continue actively working on the coalition project. Since moving his family to Happy Camp, he has become four times busier than he was in San Diego. He will be refocusing his time on his family and church activities as well as his many ongoing responsibilities as the town doctor. We thank Dr. Steve for getting the ball rolling on this alcohol and other drug prevention efforts in our community. Karen and Nadine are excited about the impact the Coalition can have on our river communities for our children.

Last day of school came and went for Happy Camp Elementary kids. Some of the boys and girls enjoyed their last day of school up at Slater Butte Look out!

I did attend the open meeting of the Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday. The Chamber, under Cheryl Wainwright has gone “high tech” and stepped into the modern world, as they say. The minutes are now usually sent by e-mail, saving both paper and postage.and membership is not a requirement. The first Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. is the regular monthly evening meeting so you can usually count on there being a meeting then unless informed otherwise even if an agenda is not received. By then the ‘Rollin on the River Bike Rally of July 2-4 will be history for the 4th year and there will be more time to take care of pressing Chamber needs. There is a big band coming to the Bike Rally and “Genuine Draft” will also play at the pavilion before the other band. There will be admission to the dance available to locals for those who don’t get the entire package. If you’d like more information on the event, having a booth for your organization or to register to attend the bike rally talk to John Gould who is in charge of the event and would be happy to help you.

The same weekend, there will be the second annual quilt show!! It was great to see all the wonderful quilts and crafts last year at Evans and the Old Town Park and it promises to be better than ever this year!!

June being for weddings, last week when electricity went out in Scott Valley, I’d wished HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Ronald and Glenda Hockaday, Rick and Leslie Huston and Stan and Virginia Poeschel who are celebrating wedding anniversaries. I hope you all had as good a time as Dan and I did. Thursday night we celebrated out 38th wedding anniversary with a dinner out. “Happy Birthday”s also went to Bill Taylor and Silas, Alverna Bresette, Randy McLane. Jay Clark and Amy Lantz. Hope it was happy even though I am belated due to electrical outage!! Congratulations to all the graduates. Twenty young persons graduated from Happy Camp High School on Friday and others program marked the milestone in Mt. Shasta. May the Lord bless you as you face the future and assume the responsibilities of mature adults.

We hope to visit the Wild West Café in Seiad right next to the Seiad Store one day soon. They are open now Monday through Thursday from 7 am to 4 pm and Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 7 pm. Lisa West has done some remodeling and redesigning and had a chef’s salad and special Saturday of French dip and French fries. Saves a long drive to Yreka or Medford to save a night in the kitchen!! Looking forward to their milk shake.

Last Saturday was a really busy day for oodles and oodles of children of all sizes and shapes! It was the Outreach America in town with games and fun for the children. The kids got bicycles and all sorts of prizes and seemed to be enthusiastic about the event when I was able to find it at the high school football field. The Happy Camp Assembly of God was instrumental in bringing a team from Little Country Church to town for this special event for the kids.

That was the news on June 14th, 2004 for Happy Campers along the wild and scenic Klamath River at the top of California.

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