Fall 2008 NFARA News

Tribute to Russell Towle
The North Fork American River has lost one of its most passionate champions. On August 7, Russell Towle died after a tragic car accident on Interstate 80 near Sacramento. The loss is personal and painful for those who knew him and his family. The North Fork has lost, in Steve Hunter's words, the custodian of our canyon. Russell constantly worked on keeping the old trails open; he never went anywhere without his trusty Fiskars loppers. Years ago he could see that access to our public trails was threatened. Because of the checkerboard ownership of lands in the NF, many of these historic trails go through private property. Russell organized numerous hikes on these trails not only to expose people to the wonders of the canyon but to re-affirm the public's right to use these trails. Lost Camp Road/ China Bar Trail is one of these. Russell also argued for environmentally conscious management of the lands in the NF. He constantly pleaded with the Forest Service, BLM, the State and the County to do the right thing.

One of his biggest issues was the building of "vulture houses" along the rim of the Canyon. These are the monstrous homes that hang over the rim so their owners can have a grand view of the canyon and an unspoiled panorama of our public lands. Never mind that the public cannot escape the view of these houses when they visit the canyon. Russell was a prolific writer especially about the resources and issues of the North Fork Canyon.

His blog has an archive of his writings dating back to 2003. To view, go to northforktrails.blogspot.com/ . Another blog to check out is rememberingrusselltowle.blogspot.com/.

There is a wonderful article in the August 13 Auburn Journal (front page, above the fold), view at www.auburnjournal.com/detail/90681.html.

As I recount the issues Russell championed, I see they are the same issues NFARA is involved with. This is to be expected; Russell Towle was the father of NFARA. His writings and hikes led to a core of like-minded people. About five years ago he asked me to help organize a non-profit group dedicated to preserving the trails and resources in the NF. He helped craft the mission statement and served on the original board of directors. Russell left NFARA a year later to pursue his own course of action;. He had no tolerance for the glacial pace of group decision making or the dynamics of group decision making in general. In everything he did, Russell liked to pursue his own course. However, the group he brought together is still together. NFARA is five years old and a respected and active voice for the NF. His passion is our passion. His cause is our cause. His contribution to the protection of the NF will never be forgotten. Steve Hunter said it best: Bodily, Russell is gone, however his spirit will forever remain in those he touched.

Russell's last email from August 2 concerned his visit to the 2008 burn area in the North Fork. The following paragraphs struck me at the time. They seem even more appropriate today. In an area he described as "a dreadful Desert of Death", Russell wrote:

Our hearts go out to the entire Towle family.

American River Complex Fire
On Saturday, June 21, a series of lightning strikes started over 2,700 fires throughout Northern California. In the North Fork American River canyon, two large fires started, the Westville on the south side and the Government Springs on the north side. These fires eventually merged and burned 20,541 acres before being fully contained on July 30.

Contrary to some comments expressed, this was not a catastrophic fire and the forest was not destroyed. Yes, the forest did burn and in places of higher intensity, all of the trees were killed. However, in areas of low intensity, the understory burned and most trees survived. This burn mosaic is normal and natural. The forest will come back. Look at the Yellowstone fire of twenty years ago, a perfect example. Today in Yellowstone, areas once thought destroyed are full of young trees, meadows are lush and the large trees that survived are healthy as ever. Forests are dynamic, not static. In fact, fire is an important and integral part of a healthy forest ecosystem. Some species of trees require fire to open cones and germinate seeds. Black Oaks, like other trees in the forest, are adapted to fire. Just weeks after the burn, these oaks are sprouting new growth from their stumps.

It was lucky that the fire occurred in June and July as opposed to September, when everything would be much dryer. In general, this fire was relatively low in intensity even though there were areas of high-intensity burn. Tahoe National Forest (TNF) analyzed the burn as part of their Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER). They found 77 percent of soil and vegetation burned in the low soil burn severity category. 18 percent was classified as moderate, meaning the fire scorched and killed trees but needles and leaves remain attached. Only 5 percent of the burn area was in the high category with nothing but blackened sticks remaining.

Several trails are located in the burn area. The Beacroft Trail is almost entirely surrounded by a very large area of high-intensity fire, no green, just blackened sticks. The American River Trail underwent all intensities of fire, and the bridge over Tadpole creek was destroyed. The Mumford Bar Trail had all three intensity levels. Sailor Flat Trail was not in the fire per se but the trailhead parking lot and Sailor Flat Road were all part of the eastern fireline on the Westville fire. These trails remain closed. Remember this fire is just contained; it won't be out until the rains come. The trails will remain closed for the winter to let "imminent hazard" trees fall and allow the slopes to stabilize. The Forest Service will cite persons using the trails during this closure. The Big Granite Trail (BGT) on the north side of the river seems to have escaped the fire. In the BGT area, the river itself is the northern fireline. NFARA has volunteered to help with trail restoration work.

The fire-fighting effort was magnificent. On the north side of the canyon, air support, firelines and backburns stopped the fire from reaching the town of Blue Canyon, the Union Pacific Railroad and I-80. On the south side, these efforts stopped the fire at the Foresthill Divide Road. Only two structures burned. The Mumford Cabin, over 100 years old and the oldest structure in TNF, was saved. Fire crews cleared a defensible space around the cabin and wrapped it in a protective material. The wrapping consisted of several layers of insulation with air in between and a reflective material on the outside. NFARA tips its collective hat and offers a heartfelt thanks to the men and women who prevented this fire from becoming a true catastrophe.

For further information, contact Jim Ricker, at 530-389-8344 or by email at info@nfara.org.