According to a new report, the large number of people moving to very high fire hazard areas of the Sierra is leading to more wildfires, more taxpayer expense, and more loss of life. The population of the Sierra Nevada range is expected to triple by the year 2040, and new research by the Sierra Nevada Alliance finds that 94 percent of the land slated for rural residential development is classified as very high or extreme fire hazard by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire. “The combination of population growth and climate change in our region is creating a ‘perfect firestorm’ where increasing numbers of people and homes will be at greater risk of catastrophic wildfire,” says report author and Alliance Land Use Coordinator Autumn Bernstein. The reports findings include statistics on population growth and recommendations for more responsible community planning in rural areas where fire-fighting resources are scarce. Of the many reasons cited as causes for increasing fire danger, unsafe growth patterns, climate change and decades of fire suppression and logging are considered the top culprits. The report also blames current policy framework and taxpayer subsidies for unsafe growth. Repeated throughout are what the Alliance considers to be the detrimental effects of rampant population growth. Although considerably smaller in scale compared to surrounding counties, Amador County’s population in very high or extreme fire threat areas grew by 3,400 between 1990 and 2000, a 14 percent increase. 100 percent of our counties rural residential land lies within very high or extreme fire threat areas. Proposed solutions include making developers pay their own way, clustering development around existing communities, managing forest landscapes, and improving planning and budgeting processes. But according to Bill Fulton, a California planning expert, these solutions are only temporary. “The fact is that 32 million Californians live in a tinderbox, and with a half-million more per year on the way, it’s impossible to change the situation – unless public officials and the voters who elect them decide they’re willing to pass regulations that would keep people from building in the woods.” The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a network of conservation groups that are based or work in the Sierra Nevada region.

In statewide news: firefighters on Sunday were given a welcome boost by cooler, damper weather as they battled a vast blaze ravaging Santa Barbara County, but were anxiously watching forecasts that call for a quick return to high, dry temperatures. "We've got a window here with the humid weather that's really helping us," said Dixie Dies, spokeswoman for the state Incident Management Team. "But we know we're in this for the long haul." Moist air currents from the ocean cooled temperatures in Santa Barbara to the high 70s Sunday, helping fire crews keep the four-day-old blaze from spreading. It was less than a third contained Sunday afternoon. Temperatures were forecast to start climbing Monday, reaching the 90s by Thursday, and the "monsoonal sweeps" - winds that pick up moisture from the ocean - are expected to dissipate and the air to dry out, Dies said. So far, the fire has consumed 13 square miles of Los Padres National Forest and has placed nearly 2,700 homes in jeopardy. Officials have ordered mandatory evacuations for hundreds of those homes, and issued warnings for others farther from the fire's path, though Dies did not have an exact breakdown. Firefighting crews have made good progress in controlling the fire's eastern and southern flanks, but flames moved aggressively to the west and northwest early Sunday, according to a statement from the Santa Barbara Ranger District. Officials decided Sunday that the nearly 1,200 firefighters, who come from 22 states and the District of Columbia, are sufficient to combat the blaze, Dies said. "They're working incredibly hard," she said. Sunday's cooler weather also helped firefighters advance on a two-week-old blaze that has destroyed 22 homes in Big Sur, at the northern end of the Los Padres forest. 330 other fires continue to burn in northern California, the largest of which is the Basin Complex or the Big Sur Fire which had burned approximately 74,500 acres as of Sunday.

New statistics indicate that the effect of the nationwide housing crisis on our region will continue to get worse before it gets better. Since the beginning of 2007, more than 20,000 homes in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties have been handed back to the banks. In Sacramento County, which has seen more than 15,000 foreclosures in the past 18 months, Sheriff's Department officials say as many as 100 eviction requests that originate with banks reclaiming homes now cross their desks each month. Said one Sacramento housing authority representative: “Make every effort to stay spendthrift while our economy struggles through tough times. If everyone plays a part in helping others, we can find a way through this.”

In a continuing effort to streamline methods of improving and reporting on animal related issues, the Amador County Animal Control Board has posted a new on-line comment form. According to its website, the board “is committed to ensuring that all animals receive effective and timely services, and we intend to treat those we serve with dignity and respect.” Animal Control officials hope the form will help to centralize the large volume of calls and emails they receive about animal issues ranging from abuse and neglect to noise disturbances and wild animal contact. By tracking these comments and complaints through an on-line forum, Animal Control can also better notice trends in the location and type of calls received. The form includes an area for your name and contact information, and specifics of the incident you’re reporting. The Amador County Animal Control Department operates one shelter within the County. The shelter's function is to impound stray animals; pick up and provide medical care for sick and injured animals; issue citations for violations of applicable laws and ordinances; rescue endangered animals; conduct preliminary investigations of inhumane treatment of animals; and provide routine patrol services. For more information on this agency or to access the on-line form, go to the County website at www.co.amador.ca.us and click on the “Routine Animal Issues” link.

County officials have announced a new set of workshops designed to highlight and answer questions related to the goals and plans for the future of Amador County. In the first workshop scheduled for 8am on Wednesday, July 9th, County department heads and board members will discuss planning for future County services through identifying three-year goals and strategic objectives. In the second workshop scheduled for 7:30 am on Thursday, July 10th, board members, with the assistance of a facilitator, will discuss their expectations regarding specific roles and responsibilities required to work together efficiently. Both workshops will take place at the Sutter Creek Day’s Inn in the “Motherlode” room. The Board of Supervisors is encouraging all interested parties to attend. For more information, contact your Board of Supervisors at 223-6470.

A recent report issued through the Amador Fire Safe Council revealed some interesting statistics in terms of what causes fires in Amador County. Until recently, relatively little information was available and most fire officials based their information on past causes and statewide trends, with the assumption that the majority of blazes are caused by burning debris. Fire officials are using the new statistics to study trends from year to year and to determine the effectiveness of laws that limit potential fire starters, like fireworks. According to Cathy Koos-Brazeal of the Amador Fire Safe Council, the impetus of most local fires is divided more evenly amongst a broad set of categories. The statistics were compared between two Pine Grove fire districts, Battalions 3 and 4, for the 2006 season. While debris burning was the number one cause of fires in battalion 3’s area east of Pine Grove, it was last on the list for Battalion 4 west of Pine Grove. The causes of fire in Battalion 3’s district, in descending order, were debris burning, electrical power, equipment use, smoking, lightning, vehicles, playing with fire and miscellaneous. In Battalion 4’s area, they were vehicle, arson, equipment use, electrical power, miscellaneous, playing with fire, smoking, campfires and debris burning. These two very different sets of statistics prove that the causes of fire can vary widely even in two similar fire districts, said Koos-Brazeal. Council Chairperson Jim Simmons thinks these statistics prove a point. “Contrary to some people’s opinion, most people obey the law without law enforcement looking over their shoulders. If we were to allow fireworks in unincorporated areas, we would be increasing the risk of fireworks caused fires substantially and profiting from that increased risk,” he said. The Amador Fire Safe Council and other local agencies will continue to build upon these statistics and in turn create a better understanding of trends in Amador County.

Authorities in neighboring El Dorado County have declared all fireworks illegal during the 4th of July holiday, but there is no word yet as to whether Amador officials are considering the same option. Fireworks are currently legal only in select areas of Amador County, namely Ione, Sutter Creek and Jackson. But according to El Dorado CAL FIRE officials, it’s better to be safe than sorry. “Given the driest spring on record and draw down of fire fighting resources due to the numerous fires burning in Northern California, the chances of a damaging wildland fire from legal or illegal fireworks is extreme,” said CAL FIRE representatives in a recent press release. Although no one has said so publicly, any hesitancy to place a ban on fireworks locally may stem from pressure from the fireworks purveyors themselves. “We’re a non-profit and make the majority of our money from fireworks sales,” said an employee manning a stand outside of Sutter Creek. Discouragement of fireworks usage has escalated to statewide levels. Governor Schwarzenegger recently released a statement saying, “I encourage all Californians to enjoy our wonderful national holiday safely, and to use every possible precaution when using fireworks- whether you are in a fire-affected area or not.”