New Podcast on the Way

Greetings conservation enthusiasts!

I wanted to provide a brief update for all of you. You may have noticed that there has not been much activity on the website in the past month or so. The reason is that I have been working to develop a podcast. The show is almost ready to launch! We will be meeting some great people that are involved with fire and conservation here in Florida. I hope to bring you as the listener out into the field with me as I seek to document those stories that are so much fun to hear!

In the first series, we will be talking about the four different phases of a prescribed burn. We will take a trip to Ocala National Forest together to discuss wildlife management with a good friend of mine, we will have a campfire conversation with a land manager about some lessons from the field, and finally I will take you on the fire with me as I record live audio of a day in the life of a prescribed burner.

Stay tuned, and I will look forward to meeting you where the flame ends and new life begins!

- CWL, 2/11/2023

The Remnants of an Ancient Culture Appear - Part 2 of 2

Having the bulldozer on the ground during a burn can sometimes turn out to be the best tool of all because of the v-shaped plow that will create a line of bare soil to stop a problematic fire. While it can be destructive, it is one of the best ways to defuse a situation that has become unmanageable. While the dozer went to work, some level of commotion amongst the crew ensued. Within a few minutes, the fire jumped the line in an unwatched area while it continued to roar to life in the area we were focused on. Rick laid the plow into the ground and began to cut a line around the main fire. The main fire had become so hot that it required the line to be pushed through the thick vegetation and over the top of an old sand dune formation. We watched as the machine climbed the 20 foot tall dune, rocked back and forth on the crest, and quickly disappeared out of site along the back side. Rick soon chimed over the radio that the dune was too steep to climb back over and that the machine was unable to get out.

After trying several times to climb back up the dune, his only option was to find another way. Any time a dozer is involved, we always tried to keep a "light hand on the land" so to speak, but in this case the decision had to be made to push trees out of the way in order to get Rick safely out of the area that he had to drive into. It unfortunately made a heck of a mess in the process. After the mishap, he went to work plowing another line around the other problematic area. The crew spent the rest of the day extinguishing the remining hot spots, and by 5PM we were able to successfully contain and prevent any more fire from getting out.

~

At the end of the day, I followed the path that the dozer had made over top of the dune to check things out. As I slid down the back side on the turned up soil, I noticed a few peculiar items when I came to a rest at the bottom. Ancient pottery littered the ground everywhere! Surprisingly, we had inadvertently stumbled across an unknown Timucuan site. It appeared that this old sand dune served as a shelter from the ocean breeze for the ancient people of this maritime haven.

As I waked around, I found many different shapes and sizes of the pottery pieces. I also found bones, which I believed to be from animal origin. After counting close to thirty pieces of pottery with various designs, we went to work at once to notify the Florida Division of Historical Resource to catalog the site and protect it for the future. In the excitement that ensued, several archaeologists came to the area. It turned out that the site dated back to the St. Johns period, which lasted from about 500 BC until European contact. Interestingly enough, that plow line was the only way that they could actually get to the ancient encampment because of the dense undergrowth.

Sometimes unexpected events give way to pleasant surprises. We were happy to formally name the area the "Scrub Fire Site", and it forever remains on the list of historically significant areas in Northeast Florida. To this day it is monitored by staff to ensure it remains a protected resource.

CWL, 12/18/22

Fire on the foredune, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Circa 2013

Fear on the Fireline: My First Real Encounter - Part 4 of 4

High above the calamity below, a breeding pair of red-shouldered hawks slowly circle on the convection columns, drifting like a song. The blue sky is their limit, which I often am envious of. Being trapped in a desperate situation gives me a moment of clarity. The world is much bigger than my own troubles. I have to take action.

I glance to my left and right. I consider a deployment of my fire shelter for a brief time, but think better of it because of the dense brush all around. The only real path I have is onward over the flames into the blackened trees and shrubs beyond.

Being on this large machine is a blessing to me. While definitely not recommended in the owners manual, it can act as a fast way to maneuver over obstacles when troubles arise. Having this type of tool has saved our crew countless hours of walking through overgrown areas like this on foot, which requires a different level of risk and additional people to get the job done. To put it simply, the machine takes the beating so you as the individual do not have to. While we don't use ATV's on all burns, in my opinion, they have saved tremendous amounts of time and money. I also believe that they have prevented many injuries over time.

My decision becomes clear. I glance all around me to find the least intense flames, and race towards them. I tuck my arms to my sides and I let the machine act as a shield as it plows over top of the fire. My world becomes very hot for a brief moment, and just as suddenly as the trouble began, it is over. I race over smoldering logs and brush, and wind my way back to the road to hop off and check to survey the damage.

"I got boxed in pretty bad back there" I say over the radio. "Are you ok?" is the next reply. I respond in the affirmative. As I am checking the machine over, all I find is a smoldering stick jammed through the suspension. Not even the plastic has melted. The rest of the crew comes to check on me, and in a few moments the attention is directed back toward the fire. The change in the wind is a signal to the burn manager to stop igniting. The rest of the planned acres for today will be set aside for another time. Like a football player standing on the sidelines, I watch the waves of fire crash together inside the block of woods. We are at a good stopping point, so we spend the rest of the day focusing on extinguishing stumps and logs along the boundary of the area to make sure nothing gets out overnight.

~

Late in the afternoon, I am tired but happy. Today was a good reminder to keep my head up, because there will always be risk. As I pull back out onto State Road 19 and head north towards my home in East Palatka, I turn up the radio when JJ Grey and Mofro tune in. I look up to see my sooty face in my rear view mirror as I sing along...

Listen to the birds sing their song

Listen to my heart beating strong

I just want to feel like I do when I'm with you

It's a beautiful world

I look over and see those two trailer park boys on a front porch and wave as I roll on by. They return my wave, and glance at one another. The taller one laughs and says "Damn, that fool looks like he just slept in a bed of charcoal!"

CWL, 12/2/22

Guana River WMA overlooking the marsh, Circa 2018