Lions Kill at Least 3 People this Week, Sharks Approach Florida Beaches

An intern in a Fresno California big-cat sanctuary, was killed earlier this week, by a 550 pound lion.
The name of the deceased, is Dianna Hanson, age 24.
The rumors are she died almost instantly of a broken neck.  She was on a cell phone call with a co-worker which abruptly ended.  The lion was apparently in an adjacent cage which had some formation of the gate with an opening of some extent.

In Zimbabwe, another female was mauled to death.  A body in condition of remains was found of a second person in Zimbabwe after a hunt for the lion blamed.

Both of these incidents are remindful of the film The Ghost and the Darkness, 1996. --Although thousands of miles apart.

It is extremely important to remember, that when dealing and interfacing with animals that have predatory skills in their nature, that basic prima facie [on the surface] theories of space, and time, may not be absolute limitations on that animal.

For example, a science book says an animal can leap up to 15 feet when attacking.  DO NOT stand 16 feet away and think you are safe.  Another source says an animal is 500 pounds, and 4 feet at the shoulders, and 3 feet wide; do not assume that if you build a containment that is just under 4 feet high, and a few inches below 3 feet wide, that the animal will not manage to DEFY laws of nature, physics, and the behavior that was caught on video when the animal knew humans were watching.

Mauling in Fresno story here with video: http://abcnews.go.com/US/dianna-hanson-died-broken-neck-lion-attack/story?id=18682116


Florida beaches have been making their precautions against shark visitors resulting in beach closures in some areas.  What the demographics of beach visits this Spring Break season is is yet to be seen.  About 2 weeks ago a shark about 14 feet long killed a man just off the northwestern coast of New Zealand.  The sharks approaching Florida in the past few days are evidently of a different species; however, taking safety measures is performed.

Map of where Fresno, California is:

Map URL: http://playfresno.org/img/californiaMap.jpg


Maps of where Zimbabwe is, the attacks took place at a 'man-made' lake, Lake Kariba, in the northern area, town of Kariba, in the region in, around, near where Zambia meets Zimbabwe:

map URLs: 
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/zwaf.gif

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/zwnewzzz.gif


























In outward appearance, the lion in the Fresno sanctuary might have more glamour, in that it was large and muscular, the weight of 550 pounds is like a large NFL defensive lineman together with a large NBA basketball player, 300 pounds and 250 pounds, at almost zero percent body fat, making it a very powerful predatory cat; essentially what we think of when we think of lion attacks here in the U.S.  The lion or lions in Zimbabwe, which might have less fame than lions in South Africa, of the ones that we have seen, might not be as glamorous in appearance, might not have the mane in cartoon films and picture books such as the 'Lion King', might look more down to earth, and a creature of the land that has to chase down food in the food chain like all the other animals, grungy, thirsty, nearly dehydrated.  All in all, lions are still lions.  Sharks are still sharks.

Prepare for Meteor Shower Season Just Like Tornado or Flood Season

It might be a time to get ready for meteor shower 'season'.

Protection from meteors and phenomenon of that ilk, is not just in the areas of people getting struck by pieces and particles, such as the result of disintegration or fragmentation of the meteor, but additionally in the areas of force fields and other disruptive qualities as it pertains to the astrological object or objects, and the targets could also include buildings or important structures such as sources of energy and communication.

Wildfires Direct List Emphasis on the States of Idaho, Montana, and Washington, Update on August 24, 2012. Northern California Roadmap Included in this Blog Post

Halstead Fire, 96,000 acres affected, location: 18 miles northwest of Stanley, Idaho, in the Salmon-Challis National Forest

Mustang Complex Fire, east, central Idaho, Salmon Challis National Forest, "is currently west of Spring Creek, north of the Salmon River, east of Lantz Bar, and south of Horse Creek, Gattin Ranch and Bronco Lake" [source: NASA] burned as of about 2pm this afternoon, 118,220 acres; fire moving in the direction of Blue Nose Lookout, good news on this one is reports have that there have been no structures destroyed

'Trinity Ridge' Fire, about 173 square miles, reports of over 105,000 acres,  50 miles northeast of Boise, Idaho

Enclosure Fire; status?,as in active or put out? Answer, compared to fires in the hundreds of thousands of acres, it might not be receiving much media attention
Fire was or is near Ketchum, Idaho, size as of August 21, 2012 was under 200 acres

Lost Packer Fire, mainly located in Idaho, movements toward Corn Creek

Cache Creek Fire, 2900 acres and still growing; in the northeast area of Wallowa County into Washington; just under a quarter of the fire is in Asotin County, Washington.  Main area of fire, is reportedly, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (HCNRA) in the Cache Creek area

California continued: Vallecito Lightning Complex fire, burned of 22,000 acres; geographic areas nearby/ locale: Ranchita and San Felipe

Montana wildfires, there are other wildfires, these are all over 1000 in size, in order of largest acreage at the top, to smaller at the bottom:

• West Garceau; 9,863
• Hwy 87; 1,933
• Condon Mountain; 1,705
• Black Beach; 1,450

This blog post is a continuation of the blog post before last, on the subject of wildfires in California; in closing: 

Wild Bears and Wild Fires. Wild Bear Warnings, As Wildfires Fought and Evacuations. Northern California Focus. What Happens Next? Answers Got At in This Blog Post

Polar bears, which can travel nearly impossible distances, through the water, and land, and climb vertical heights as if they had a rope pulling them, might be coming from the west.  This means the coast of upper northwestern part of California.

Brown or black bears might be coming down from the areas just north of the northernmost state line of California.  Them travelling southward into California.

Then, logically in between, there are bears that are mixed breeds of brown bear and polar bears, that might be coming from the areas, likewise, in between, where the polar bears and brown bears would be coming from.

This is just an opinion, and not an in-depth study of bear behavior in California, however, earlier articles from ETIS, and many sources, have examined bears behavior enough in the last 5 years, that it is safe to say, that exercising acting prudent, when it comes to bears, especially in the aftermath of the fires that are burning in California right now, which there are somewhere between 9 and 15, roughly, wouldn't hurt.

It might be wise to hold to consider, that, the kind of bear activities described here, is not out of the question.

The process, in theory goes something like this:
Nature has its order of events.
Fires took place, which resulted in people moving out, on a practical level, they evacuated; houses were destroyed.
In the interim before returning to their houses, if they return at all, or return to rebuild, bears of different gradations make their presence.
A danger is, since there has been a fire, there might also be the disruption of tracking all these animals.  If any just 'popped up out of the water' and ran inland, that have never been tracked before, there could be the possibility of large bears, in those residential areas.

Further haunts are, the bears are not seen or heard from, and are virtually hidden from the human population, for lengths of time, then, suddenly they make their presence known, hopefully, it is not a disastrous one.

Once humans leave an area, this is a new 'playground' and 'feeding ground' for some of these wilder animals.

Summing up, once the fires have ended, and the aftermath is upon us, be on your guard as to the possibilities of bears and other animals making their mark.

California Wildfires August 23, 2012: Direct List of Fires and Straightforward Maps

PONDEROSA FIRE: right now, is being treated as the 'biggest one', in California.  The size is 38 square miles, which means on simple math, it is the equivalent in area to just over 6 miles wide, and 6 miles long, rarely is a wildfire a perfect square; 6mi x 6mi is to give an idea. 27,978 acres, and 84 lost structures, according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012.  The amount of lost structures might be why it is a priority, as there are other fires with a larger acreage.
Where: 'Tehama and Shasta Counties'

Pictures in this blog post when you click on them, open up in a new window, enabling larger view.

After Ponderosa, listed in per acreage from larger at the top to smaller at the bottom:

• RUSH  FIRE; 317,616 acres ; 'Structures, power plant and Sierra Army Depot threatened' according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012; 
• Where: 15 miles southeast of Ravendale, CA, eastern Lassen County; "north of Susanville..it is now burning in both Nevada and California" http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Crews-Making-Progress-on-Rush-Fire-167123015.html; there is a video on that url address too, however, it does not appear to show much footage of the flames themselves

 

•     More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/23/us-usa-wildfires-west-idUSBRE87L0XU20120823

• CHIPS FIRE; 63,147 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: Plumas County; northern CA cluster of fires

• NORTH PASS FIRE; 17,820 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near ' Covelo, CA'; northern CA cluster of fires

• INDIAN FIRE; [JUST ADDED AT 3:30PM EST] 12,574 acres according to InciWeb.org 

• BAGLEY COMPLEX FIRE; 7,302 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near ' Big Bend, CA'

• FORT COMPLEX FIRE; 6,583 acres, is 3 fires, according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near ' Happy Camp, CA'; northern California, around state line with Oregon, western part of the state line

• MILL FIRE; 1,680 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near  'Butte Meadows'; northern CA cluster of fires

• ANTELOPE FIRE; 637 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near  'Alturas, CA'; northern CA cluster of fires

• SOUTH COMPLEX FIRE; 453 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near 'Inyo', the county, is what strongly appears, this is to mean.  Map below discusses disambiguation from Indian Fire near Inyo national Park

• QUAIL FIRE; 275 acres according to yubanet.com August 23, 2012
• Where: near  'Yucca Valley' ; northern CA cluster of fires

California State of Emergency is in place/ has been declared

blog post in progress; there are about a 12 fires burning in California within the past 10 days; we are not going to wait for all the information about all 12 fires; blog will be posted/updated as the information comes in, and content is ready to be inserted

California county map with fire location diagram added on:

Fires listed below might or might not already be on the list above, or the Map of California fires at the top; any notes to help cross-reference are placed; descriptions are based off names:

RAMSEY FIRE; 1,137 acres, seep map, fire number 16
Where: Stanislaus National Forest; Pinecrest, California; Sonora, CA; Calaveras County; on/around Greenley Road
Stanislaus National Forest is almost 900,000 acres; the fire is only 1,137 acres, so, what part of the forest is the fire at?
Answer:  based on topographical satellite imagery 'last modified August 14, 2012 at fireimaging.com', the hottest most fire intensive concentrated grid coordinates, from most to least:
Longitude: 120:08.920 W  Latitude: 38:24.282 N
Longitude: 120:08.897 W  Latitude: 38:24.133 N
Longitude: 120:08.897 W Latitude: 38:23.946 N
Longitude: 120:09.36 W Latitude: 38:24.528 N [this is toward the top of the hook, if you look at the shape of the fire from bird's eye view, see description of fire shape directly below]

Concentrated areas of the Ramsey Fire looks like a left hook, or an English language question mark
http://www.fireimaging.com/fires/2012/california/ramsey/227/index.html

"...updates about the Ramsey Fire, please contact ... 95% contained as of today; location: Hwy 4, 8 miles East of Dorrington"http://inciweb.org/incident/3147/

The maps provided here [courtesy Google Earth, custom edited with remarks, and diagrams] are self explanatory:

List and maps are verified for repeats of the same fire with different name; the only fire under scrutiny that is being checked for a repeat on the list above is the Indian Fire

JAWBONE FIRE; see fire number 18 on map at top
Where: Kern County, CA; almost in the middle of the county, only a little to the right, and at the halfway point of the top half of the county, or one quarter of the way down, going from top to bottom.  Kern county looks like a rectangle, mostly.

Concluding this blog post for today, one of THE major reasons, why there is some wisdom to proactively putting fires out, or at least bringing them under control, is demonstrated through the example of the Elbow Pass Complex fire.  Is the fire put out?  As of August 21, 2012, the fire was comprised of 4 or 5 fires which merged together to form 1 fire.  In the process of allocating and designating fire mitigation efforts, especially if those that are intending to assist in the matter are not actively on the ground at the physical scene of the fire 24 hours, 7 days a week, losing track of what is what, what fire is where, can be become a realistic predicament.  Time, valuable, is lost, trying to figure out what names go to what geographic region, so on and so forth.  Peace loving people are not the ones that love a situation like that.  Meanwhile, the fires continue to rip and burn.

"The Elbow Pass Complex is comprised of five different lightning ignitions from July 12 through July 31. These four fires have merged into one fire, the Elbow Pass Complex: Triple Divide Fire, Rapid Creek Fire, Elbow Pass Fire, and Bar Creek Fire.  The fires are generally located 25 miles west southwest of Augusta, Montana." http://ksenam.com/elbow-pass-complex-fires-update-aug-21-2012/

In addition to, has the Elbow Pass fire been extinguished, where exactly is the 'South Complex Fire', in California, which is near 'Inyo', while the Indian Fire, also near Inyo, more precisely Inyo National Forest, has been burning since August 8th?  

The answer is Inyo in the case of South Complex Fire, is Inyo County, and Inyo Park to do with the Indian Fire.  See maps below South Complex fire in bulleted list above.  For those of us that are not from either of the Inyo locales, it is tough to tell, when the vernacular is not familiar.

According to update on August 23rd, the description of the Elbow Pass Fire is about the exact same as it was on the 21st.  15,852, and 3,282 acres; what makes for the difference for the entire scene?

10pm and still unanswered questions.  Perhaps the answers will be found tomorrow.  Maybe the answers are all right there available on the Internet, only requiring more advanced research skills and knowing where to look.  

Important that is brought out here, the merging together of several fires into one large one is a danger.  Name and place ambiguities is another danger.  When there are so many fires, that the same name gets chosen more than once, and names so generic they can be referring to more than one place or incident, is indicative of a situation more dangerous than what might be immediately apparent.  

Next year, and the next round of fires, what if the challenges to get a handle on them all is tougher than now?

Wildfires, Went from Colorado to California :Amount of Fires Per Unit Area; Summer 2012

Based on the statistics of active wildfires as of today, it looks like the summer trend, at least for 2012, is the big attention getting wildfires went from being concentrated in Colorado, and now, there are 12 wildfires of record burning right now in California.  There are more wildfires, according to statistics provided By NIFC, in California than any other state.
The next leading states are:
Idaho with 9 fires,
Montana, and Oregon, with 5 fires a piece.

Colorado does not even show up on the statistics chart.

Alaska, it seems, has 4 fires burning, based on other sources.

The situation in Alaska and C is not nearly as bad as it was a couple of months ago.

Just because the wildfire statistics give a number of fires, with locations or names, does not mean that there are absolutely no fires any where else.  Smaller fires might burn, but not large enough to be immediately be determined to be of the magnitude, danger level to be put into the statistics.

Quick history of severe weather situations this summer of 2012, an angle:

Colorado fires hit, then increase in severity and size; meanwhile, nearly 30% of the land mass of Alaska was also undergoing fires, some of them tundra fires; news stories on the east coast, right around when the High Park Colorado started to peak and die-off, especially Mid Atlantic region, was taken over by flooding and hurricane-like storms.  After the media attention on these let-up, news on fires in Colorado seemed a bit different.  There were other fires that took place, however, were not given the same amount of media attention.  Now, most fires, in terms of a number, are in California, only a few are in Alaska; further west of the Midwest, to sum it up without going into particulars of where the Midwest starts and ends, is the trend of the location of most of the fires on the continental U.S.  case in point, Idaho has 9 fires.

to be continued

WILDFIRES :Exact Locations, Maps, Practical Details ==Project. About Fires Currently Raging

Undertaking in progress is to provide maps and practical details pertinent the wildfires grouped in the previous blog post.
Graphics, mostly modified* from original maps and satellites will be uploaded as they are readied.
*modified means original map has been copied as exactly, with notes and additional graphics placed on top; some portions of maps may have been chopped for the sake of space which are clearly indicated



Wildfires by state
Report date 6/11/2012 with exception to one fire, referenced by NIRC
Organized by largest number of wildfires per state


Arizona
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details   

• 35.436,-109.540,WIDE RUINS 2,AZ-NAA-074,578   
• 34.215,-112.338,GLADIATOR,AZ-PNF-120266,16240, front page news in the middle of May 2012; locations nearby include, town of Crown King, Battle Flat, Turkey Creek, see Frame set 3 further below on this blog post for recent bulletin 
• 31.783,-111.609,MONTEZUMA,AZ-PPA-000334,1700
• 33.249,-111.086,257,AZ-TNF-075,3157

Utah
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details

• 38.231,-111.506,LOST LAKE,UT-FIF-000082,2075   
• 38.459,-112.061,BOX CREEK,UT-FIF-000083,2018   
• 37.976,-111.563,LAKE CREEK,UT-DIF-120178,1200, report_date 06/10/2012
• 41.197,-113.965,COPPER MOUNTAIN,UT-SLD-000240,680

New Mexico
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details

• 33.419,-105.830,LITTLE BEAR,NM-LNF-007,34651, southern region of the state
• 33.345,-108.710,WHITEWATER-BALDY,NM-GNF-000143,278708,06/11/2012
• 35.664,-106.561,BEAR SPRINGS,NM-SNF-000112,622,06/11/2012

Nevada
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 40.404,-118.276,ROCKY CANYON,NV-WID-20092,371   
• 37.518,-114.434,BARNES,NV-ELD-40055,357

Wyoming
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 42.298,-104.783,GUERNSEY STATE PARK,WY-HPD-012078,2500   
• 42.191,-105.376,COW CAMP,WY-MBF-012069,8492   

Colorado
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 37.403,-107.243,LITTLE SAND,CO-SJF-00133,8478   
• 40.589,-105.404,HIGH PARK,CO-LRX-329,41140, northern area of the state near north border, mountainous region   

Alaska
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 67.339,-158.566,NEKAKTE,AK-GAD-000184,6357, northwestern area of majority of Alaska land mass   
• 67.067,-156.383,KOGOLUKTUK RIVER,AK-GAD-000182,1600,  northwestern area of majority of Alaska land mass

Kansas
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 38.885, -98.382,SYLVAN,KS-KSX-499,2000   

Idaho
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 43.348,-116.414,KAVE,ID-BOD-000226,560,06/10/2012

California
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 36.149,-118.505,GEORGE,CA-SQF-1384,1707, central California      

Michigan
          latitude,longitude,fire name,fire_number,area, details 

• 46.533, -85.424,DUCK LAKE,MI-MIS-1248007,21069, located in Calhoun, Michigan*, the northern part of the state.  *There is another Duck Lake that is not subjected to a large wildfire, in the southern central area of Michigan, not too far from the Indiana, and Ohio borders

List composed June 12, 2012.  Information provided by NIRC with exception to details, county lookup, and arrangement.


In order to read the notes on the diagram and see the graphics more clearly, either click the diagram enclosed in the red border, or right click and select open in new window; the original size, enlarged should appear in the new window.


Frame set 1/ Little Bear, New Mexico fire:

click on diagram for enlarged image that opens on new web page

Frame set 2/: Duck Lake, [Calhoun,] Michigan fire:

click to enlarge

Frame set 3:/ Gladiator fire in Arizona


The following content has been cut/copied/pasted from http://inciweb.org/incident/article/2864/14138/ with parts highlighted, text color and font changes, and parts omitted.  Important note, the status of the following reflects June 8th, 2012, and is not current as of June 13, 2012.

Gladiator Fire - June 8, 2012
Incident: Gladiator Wildfire
Released: 5 days ago

Gladiator Fire

June 8, 2012
Size: Approximately 16,240 acres
Containment: 90%
Cause: Human caused; originated from a structure fire on private property
Cost: $14 million
Terrain: Steep, rugged, brushy with very difficult access
Resources: 4 Engines
Total no. of personnel: 21 personnel Injuries to date: 8 Structures destroyed: 6

NOTE: The Next Release Will Be On Wednesday, June 13

Insignificant fire behavior has been observed all week. Crews are still finding and extinguishing smoldering fuels in the interior as they continue to mop-up. Fire personnel will continue to patrol and monitor the perimeter this weekend for hot-spots and hazardous trees damaged by the fire.

Current Fire Restrictions for the Prescott NF

The following fire restrictions will go into effect Friday, June 8, 2012, at 8:00 am for the entire Prescott National Forest:

- The use of campfires, charcoal grills, and stove fires (wood, charcoal, and coal burning) are prohibited on all Prescott National Forest lands. This now includes developed campsites and campgrounds.

• - Use of explosives is prohibited.
• - Smoking is prohibited, except within an enclosed vehicle or building.
• - Operating a chainsaw, or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, is prohibited between the hours of 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. During acceptable hours, please have 5-10 ft. clearance around your generators and other internal combustible engines.
• - Welding or operating acetylene or other torch with open flame is prohibited.
• - Discharging a firearm, air rifle, or gas gun is prohibited except while engaged in a lawful hunt

The use of petroleum-fueled stoves, lanterns or heating devices is allowed, providing such devices meet the fire underwriter's specifications for safety.
The public is reminded that fireworks and operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained, and in effective working are always prohibited on all national forest lands.
A Yavapai County fire ban is in effect across all fire ban zones. For AZ Fire Info & Restrictions Information call 1-877-864-6985 or visit http://wildlandfire.az.gov/.
The public can obtain fire information via the following:

• Prescott National Forest Fire Information Hotline: 928-777-5799 (recorded message)
• Gladiator Fire Incident Website: http://www.inciweb.org/ or www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott

Wildfires Raging on June 11, 2012. Year-round 'Wildfire Season', then Season within the Season

June 12, 2012:  The closer number of large wildfires is 23.

Apparently there are about 18 wildfires There are about 23 wildfires currently raging in different part of the United States.
Wildfires means large fires covering square miles [or acres] at a time.
Big ones are:

• Larimer, Colorado [northernmost part of Colorado].  The High Park Fire.
• New, Mexico [southernmost part of the state], in/around/near mountain region of Ruidoso, and Sierra Blanca mountain range

A more accurate regional and specific wildfire location and distribution map is directly below:

click on diagram to enlarge

According to ABC News [June 11, 2012], six states have been impacted heavily by wildfires, the 6 states suffering from fires that seem to head the list in the order [refer http://abcnews.go.com/US/wildfires...] they have it, are:

• Arizona
• Texas 
• California 
• New Mexico
• Colorado
• Georgia

click on diagram for enlarged image

Season within the season explained:
This means, that some wildfires, could rage in some areas year round, which could take away from the notion of a wildfire season occurring only in a part of the year.  Because wildfires are known for usually a higher rate of incidence per unit time, at certain times of the year, there is still wildfire season.  What is brought to the forefront with the year-round season concept, is not to wait until the what used to be historically seasonal cycle, for readiness to prevent and suppress wildfires.  Many things have happened over the course of time impacting a wildfire season, such as climatic changes, warming of geographic regions for different spans of time, and so on.

In geographical order, the 6 states, are in the southeastern portion of the U.S., Georgia; moving westward, Texas, in the south, which is toward the center of the country; moving northward, also near the center, is Colorado; toward the west, but not all the way west of the continental states, and in the south are NM, and Arizona, leaving Colorado is the northern most state effected by wildfires of the magnitude in this discussion; the possible exception, are fires in the northern part of California.

blog in progress