[jeffmacewen]

NUGGET PRESCRIBED FIRE PLANNED SOUTHEAST OF ORACLE, ARIZONA
1700 Acre Burn Scheduled for Week of May 4th, 2009
TUCSON, AZ (May 1, 2009) Coronado National Forest fire managers will conduct the Nugget Prescribed Fire during the week of May 4th in an area southeast of the town of Oracle, Arizona, immediately west and uphill of Peppersauce Campground. Smoke from the burn will be visible in Oracle, San Manuel, and other nearby locations.

Currently, the 1700 acre burn is scheduled to begin Monday morning, May 4th, at 7:00 a.m., but only if conditions remain within the planned “prescription,” which includes factors such as temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and the moisture content of vegetation in the burn area. On Monday morning, if forecasted conditions are outside this prescription, ignition will be postponed until conditions become favorable, probably on a successive day during the week of May 4th.

Because the Control Road (Forest Road 38) is in close proximity to the prescribed fire area, motorists on the Control Road may experience temporary road closures and delays of unknown duration. If possible, motorists should avoid the popular unpaved road between Summerhaven and Oracle, traveling instead to and from Mt. Lemmon on the Catalina Highway. Hiking and camping in or near the burn area is strictly prohibited.
The purpose of the Nugget Prescribed Fire is to decrease dense accumulations of oak and brush, which will restore the landscape to a more natural condition. Due to shared objectives in improving wildlife habitat, the project is partially financed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Firefighters from Oracle Fire Department and the Coronado National Forest will conduct burn operations.

For more information, the public is invited to call 520-388-8300. The public and the media are also invited to receive information updates about the Nugget Prescribed Fire, as well as other prescribed fires and wildfires on the Coronado National Forest via Twitter, at CoronadoNF_Fire.

[fricknaley]

here comes the out of control forest fire....

[dysfunction]

Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm on call this weekend and can't go anywhere

Wow, you can tweet the NF folk? I'm really a complete luddite.

[jeffmacewen]

I hate Twitter. Not that anyone cares, just thought I'd throw it out there.

[dysfunction]

I tend to hate cellphones/SMS/MMS in general. I'm a bad, bad, technologist.

[chumley]

I hate Twitter. Not that anyone cares, just thought I'd throw it out there.

I hate it too ... but I do like the NF Fire updates via twitter. Coconino does it too. Its nice getting a text when new restrictions or a prescribed burn take place. Especially when you're out on the forest. A lot easier to get a tweet on your phone than go to a website and look for information.

[jeffmacewen]

I hate Twitter. Not that anyone cares, just thought I'd throw it out there.

I hate it too ... but I do like the NF Fire updates via twitter. Coconino does it too. Its nice getting a text when new restrictions or a prescribed burn take place. Especially when you're out on the forest. A lot easier to get a tweet on your phone than go to a website and look for information.

It's nice, true. I always got their email updates which were great, too.

[azbackpackr]

What's Twitter?

[Jim_H]

What's Twitter?

Its like a muscle twitch, but constant. Sometimes you can get them from having too high a blood sodium level, and also from having to little blood calcium.

[big_load]

What's Twitter?

It's like applying for junk mail.

[desert spirit]

here comes the out of control forest fire....

Don't even think that!!

[azpride]

What's Twitter?

It's something I haven't bought into yet, but I'm sure I eventually will. Just another way for people to make it all about themselves.

[azpride]

What's Twitter?

It's like applying for junk mail.

[joe bartels]

What's Twitter?

It's like applying for junk mail.

the perfect reply

[RedRoxx44]

Well, guess what---over on SWCC notes the Nugget prescribed burn is now declared a wildland fire at about 100 acres. Someone needs to take the forest service' matches away from them, they are obviously mostly incompetent when it comes to this.

[Dschur]

They sometimes do that on purpose. They say the fire is "out of control" and a wildfire so that they can bring in crews to do the work that they can't do under Precription status. So when you hear it is now a wildland fire not necessarily bad all the time.

[jeffmacewen]

Dawn hit the nail on the head. They needed an air tanker in there to put this one out, apparently, and Coronado didn't have the $$ on hand.

[Sredfield]

Dawn hit the nail on the head. They needed an air tanker in there to put this one out, apparently, and Coronado didn't have the $$ on hand.

Tricks of the trade?

[jeffmacewen]

Maybe so