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Show Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday June 18,2002 10A Emery County Progress Commentary kMs romigjlhift Panel working closely with local communities and states, are better prepared than ever for a taxing fire season. Thanks to generous Congressional funding, we are not waiting for fires to start, but are taking action beforehand to protect communities and resources through education and mitigation measures. And when we need to, we can respond to fires with more equipment, more firefighters, more aircraft, and better facilities to help fight unwanted wildland fire. All of those resources most probably will be put to good use this summer. By KATHLEEN CLARKE and LARRY HAMILTON Picture a map of the United States. hen Imagine a huge brown swath running from the southern California coast to the Texas border, turning north and sweeping in a track three states wide to the Canadian border. Add another slice of brown along most of the (lulf Coast, then follow it northward all the way into New England. (let the picture? Ml of that brow n tells us w here drought ranging in severity from moderate to extreme is drying out our country. In some areas, it represents the second, third or even fourth consecutive dry year. Walk in the forest and youll likely hear the snap of parched twigs and crunch of dry pine or fir needles under your feet. Rangeland conditions in much of the Southwest and (Treat Basin today look more typical of w hat is seen in late June or early T to Wlldlfflire Seaseiro YASSER.'ltXJ'VE 6C5TTD DECIDE BETWEEN KAKM5 I peace and VIOLENCE... EVENDNfc? two-thir- fires nationwide. firefighters need your help, so remember the basics: Make sure your campfire is dead out. Be careful with cigarettes. Use fireworks responsibly. where super Dont drive heated catalytic converters and tall, dry grasses are a flammable mix. Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of the most active part of fire season, when people flock to public land. Smokeys message bears repeating. We all pan help prevent wildfire. We all have a role in keeping our communities and resources safe, and minimizing the risk to our firefighters and the public. If you live in an area that is prone to wildfire, take a few precautions to improve your chances of not becoming a victim. Clear away combustible off-roa- d, The Bureau of Land Management and its partner federal agencies, brush and limbs at least 30 feet from buildings. Move the stack of firewood from the side of your house. Rake up and dispose of fallen tree needles. If youre building a home, use Dame resistant materials. Wildfire doesnt distinguish between fuels. The greatest concentration of fuels in the path of a wildfire can be a home with a shake roof, wood deck and a cord of firewood next to it. You can learn to Real Fatherhood A Tribute By DOUG PATTON Looking back, I realize that Harry Chapin was right. Time has a way of Im sccin my father in me, I guess thats how its meant to be And I find Im more and more like him each day I noth; I walk the way he walks, I notice I talk the way he talks Im startin to see my father in me - Chorus to Seein My Father in Me" by Taul Overstreet Music... lyrics carried along on an unforgettable tune. My eclectic tastes run the gamut, but the songs that are among my favorites are those that speak of love, marriage and family. As always, I felt a tear or two as 1 listened over Fathers Day weekend to Iaul ( K erstreets ode to his own dad, and I started thinking about what it means to be a real father. When my two sons were born in the 1970s, I remember vowing that I would never become like the father in Harry Chapins Cats in the Cradle." I would savor every moment and rushing past our best intentions before we can even catch our breath, and now my sons are grown men in their twenties. Interestingly, a gap separates me in age from the man whom I would today call my best friend, thus placing him, at 34, much closer to my sons ages than to mine. His name is Troy. We met on a congressional campaign in 1994. Now a stockbroker, he was then the campaigns finance director, while I served as the speechwriter. My wife has always said that Troy and I became best friends despite our age difference because he is mature for his age and I never grew up, an observation with more truth in it than I care to admit. Troy has a little boy of his own now. His name is Ryan, and he is years old. I watch them bond and interact, and I wonder where all the years went since that summer night in 1973 when my first son was born, or that autumn morning in 1975 when I watched his brother come into the world. Ryan is blessed by the love of a father who has made the commitment to pour himself into his sons life at 20-ye- ar always have time for my boys. I remember quoting an especially poignant verse from Dan Fogelhergs Leader of the Band," in a letter to my dad on the occasion of his 70th birthday in 1992: thank you for the music, and your stories of the road I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go I thank you for the kindness, and the times when you got tough And IMpa, I dont think I said I love you near enough." 1 every opportunity. When I see them together, I am encouraged for the future of my country. Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship talks about the reaction of incarcerated men when asked for their thoughts on Fathers Day and Mothers Day. Most all of them have kind words to say concerning their mothers. Almost to a man, they have nothing good to say about their fathers - if they ever even knew them. I could lament the corrosive elements at work on todays American family, but it has all been said before. Entire books have been written on the subject. Dire warnings have been given about the consequences of a fatherless generation. Greater wisdom than I will ever hope to possess has been brought to bear on the crisis. The harsh reality of those inmates is the stuff of which real life is made, but so is the love I see Troy pour into the life of his son. I enjoyed the company of my wife and two sons on Sunday. We talked about our hopes and dreams, cooked steaks on the grill, ate too much, shared a laugh or two and they gave me the perfect Fathers Day gifts. Maybe, just maybe, enough of real fatherhood still lives, the kind of sacrificial fatherhood I see displayed in Troy, and I say a prayer for the heart of America on this Fathers Day, 2002. (Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a speechwriter and policy advisor to federal, state and local candidates and elected officials.) HOMEMADE Creating a Peaceful Relationship By PAULA WELLNITZ I have a tea ball, teaspoon, to hold loose tea when making one cup. Over the years it has become a bit disabled and loose hinged. But it is still usable. However 1 have had trouble lately because, if I do not put it in the cup just right, it opens up and the tea comes floating out. My usual way has been to plunge the tea ball into the middle of the boilingwater in the cup. I began to notice that the faster I put it in, with the combined force of the moving water molecules and moving tea ball, the more this created a force to open the spoon. Sometimes it came completely open. Then 1 had to deal with all those floating tea leaves before I could drink it. So I now try to be gentle in my approach. 1 slowly slide the tea ball tM Ui ' fij tte tfeih! b ChiJfi ' ti krr- - gyhnlsskw t. I r I Even though the conditions point The combination of high temperatures and low moisture has baked dry much of what firefighters call fuel; the trees, grasses and shrubs that can burn almost like paper when conditions peak and ignition occurs. This fire season has the potential to 1m long, difficult and volatile. Too many areas have been too dry for too long a time. Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, southern California, and parts of the Southeast have already experienced major wildfires. This doesnt mean were helpless and totally subject to the whims of nature. Far from it. AJf ALTERNATE IBETWEEN OCO toward an active season, it still takes a spark to start a fire. We cant do much when a weather cell moves through an area, pitching lightning bolts in its wake. But we can all take steps to ensure that human caused fires are kept to a minimum. Blazes started by people still account for of all wildland more than July. ' yU into the boilingwater at the side of the cup. Its stays closed. I have a nice cup of tea with little hassle and time spent. As I reflected on those experiences, it reminded me that we often do something like that in relation to people. We want to go too fast in acting towards others in wanting to be understood. Then we have problems. That can be when emotions are high (boiling) and we react quickly and with force. Our intent usually Is to resolve the tension (make tea with hot water immediately). The strong feelingB boiling in the other person or group, nation combines with our own to spread the problem (loose tea leaves). Any peaceful solutions seems to elude us. We have violencehurt continuing. Any attempt to quickly solve the situation with vigor, say what must be doneright without taking into consideration the other person(s)s thoughts meets mostly with failure (like trying to catch the tea leaves in the water). So to continue the metaphor, it you of I or another is to make a peaceful relationship, a first thing is to discover our patience, to take time to look at the boiling situation. We can then enter in gently, easily, no matter the strength of the negative feelings pushing against and within us. It will take a bit of time initially, a change of habit, but ultimately can provide an enjoyable, peaceful, productive family, group, nation. Of ' 7C5;-VF- v !r t k f f ''W hi i h i .4 more about how to defend your home and property on the internet at www.firewise.org, Look up the site. It may save your home, your possessions and even your life. Theres always the chance that nature will smile upon the United States this year, and the lightning wont come and rain will fall in the right places at the right times. In the fire community, we hope that turns out to be the case. But it would be shortsighted to bet on natures good graces. As the saying goes, were prepared for the worst, and hoping for the best. The drought that plagues much of the nation has already converted too much of what should be green to brown. Lets all do our parts to help ensure that wildfire doesnt add its own legacy of black to the picture. (Clarke is the national director of the BLM and Hamilton is the director ofBLM's fire and aviation program.) LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Heroic Rescuers On Friday afternoon, June 7, 1 drove to the San Rafael Swell area near Goblin Valley to pick up our scout troop. The boys had spent the week hiking the canyons and Spanish Trail area. Upon arriving, I learned that Friday morning four of the boys had hiked ahead of the group, had become separated, and were missing. One of the boys was my own son. The others are also my boys (to the unspoken dismay of 450 innocent people, I am currently the bishop of the ward that sponsors the troop). After searching for the boys for several hours, we flagged down an Emery County Sheriffs Deputy and informed him of the missing boys. By this time, the Emery County Sheriffs Posse had been in the area for many hours rescuing a hiker who had fallen off a cliff. All were just on their way home when they were called back to search for our boys. By night fall, none had been found. The search and rescue personnel stayed through the night searching as best as possible in the dark. By 6:30 a.m., my son walked out and we learned that the others had been separated from him the night before. A plane was called in, as well as other members of the Posse to continue the search. The high winds forced the plane to be grounded, but the searchers continued to work for hours, without sleep, through a miserable, hot and windy day. Almost thirty hours after they were last seen, the final three boys were spotted lodged on a cliff. They had been trapped since 8:30 p.m. the night before. Rescuers were lowered 180 feet to reach the boys. With the help bt rresonsE,uowccic ME NOT FtffiTO, of a Life Flight helicopter, and over several difficult hours, each of the boys was lifted the 180 feet to the top of the cliff and flown out. ' : amazed to learn that these who are volunteers contribute people their time and equipment. To me as a . parent, it was a great comfort to have them there. They were concerned, professional and selfless. Since returning home, I have learned that the Sheriff and dispatch were pestered with calls from concerned family members all night and the next day The mother of two of the boys who were lodged on the cliff had another son killed several years ago. She was understandably distraught to be missing two others and called repeatedly for updates. She was always treated politely and with genuine care by dispatch, as were all of the other concerned people who called. The Sheriff even returned calls to extended family members from an accident site on ' On behalf of the families of the boys, the members of the Farmington 1st Ward and Troop 103, 1 would like to publicly commend Sheriff , Guymon, Captain Les Thompson of Search and Rescue and the other members of the Posse for their heroic efforts in finding and rescuing these boys. As a parent, I will always be grateful to them. Our appreciation also to the families of these people who let their family members leave ' for days on such searches. Emery County is fortunate to have such a resource and should be very proud of these great people. - Stephen K. Christensen I was Farmington, Utah MISSEL UEkE NO IMTWABOTYOPUCK 0FFPEEDOM1OT i ; . . unu ewe SMwr m fentesr :i?ives concerns 1 |