Hellgate High School - Halberd Yearbook (Missoula, MT)

Page 10 text:

Montana on Fire Photos by Flex” This was one of the many forest fires that burned in Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1988. Forest fires destroy Montana wilderness By Tonya Pohlman The summer of 1988 was one of the worst fire seasons in Montana’s history. Hundreds of thousands of acres were burned and millions of dollars worth of damage occured. The Northwest’s fires made headlines all across the country as being the worst fire season in America’s recent history. With fires so severe that they clouded the skies of entire cities, and caused cities to evacuated in fear of oncoming fire, Montana rethought it’s “LET IT BURN’’ policy. In previous years, Yellowstone Na- tional Park and wilderness areas around Montana have enacted the 10 “LET IT BURN” policy. The basis for such a policy is the belief that fires are a natural part of nature. So, in their effort to keep the parks as natural as possible, the park ad- ministrations have supported letting fires burn themselves out, just as they would in nature. Proponents of “LET IT BURN” say that the policy is still a good idea, even though it has fallen under much criticism in the past year. They claim fires are needed to keep the forests balanced and thriving. Fires help to clear away dead and overcrowded trees. They benifit wildlife by creating meadows for them to feed upon. And fires help the forests to clear away with the old to make room for the new. The fires in Montana became so bad, that logging and hunting season were postponed until the state reciev- ed much needed rain. The reasoning being that it was not only dangerous for the workers and hunters, but it was also an unnecessary chance that more fires might occur. The next step came when Mon- tana’s governor, Ted Schwinden, closed the forests and all wilderness areas off to the public. The measure was a drastic but necessary one ac- cording to Governor Schwinden. It was the only was to cut down on the risk of more people-caused fires. The fires got so much attention, that a special group of congressmen traveled to Montana in an effort to find out the facts about the fires, and if they could have been prevented had the policy not been in effect. The forest service, in talking to the con-

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 It’s a little overdone. It’s a good idea, but they’re taking it just a little too far.” Senior Juliette May Valkyries It’s pretty dumb, because if people want to drink, they’re still going to find a way.” Junior Kris High Band, Softball By Phaleen Bailey Missoula County High Schools have passed a new chemical abuse policy in an attempt to curb the ris- ing rate of teenage use of drugs and alcohol. The punishments for getting caught using a controlled substance differs among activites due to the differences in activities that are covered. In general, the first violation results in a suspension from the ac- tivity for two weeks. Second violations constitute suspension for three weeks and referral to Insight or students may opt for suspension for six weeks from the activity. Third and subsequent violations result in either suspension from the activity for six weeks and reference to Insight, or suspension from the activity for 12 weeks. The previous policy covered the season in which the student was in- volved in and once the season was over, he had no policy to obey. Any violation incurred during the career of the student at a Missoula County High School will be kept on record until he leaves the school, previously any violation was eras- ed at the end of the school year. Not only is the duration of the policy different, but also the ac- tivities that are affected differ. The new policy covers sports and all extra-curricular clubs such as Key Club and DECA, and co- curricular activites, which aren’t just after school, but are graded classes, such as Band, Choir, and Journalism, etc. Feature 5

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The intensity of a fire burning in Yellowstone National Park, was cap- tured on film by part time park ranger and Dixon school teacher, William “Flex” Bennett. Feature 11 gressmen and Montana Represen- tative Pat Williams, blamed the fires and their damage on extra- ordinary,unpredictable weather. They also stated that fire seasons run in cycles and that this fire season was not only predictable, but preventable. There has also been some specula- tion as to the earth’s “greenhouse ef- fect” on Montana’s unusually hot and dry weather. Thus, it may have been a contibuting factor in the causes of the fires. But yet another concern was the fact that many of the fires were ar- son caused. This left officials worried that this could lead to a trend, and that in future years the problem of arsons would pose a larger and more threatening danger. Yellowstone was also visited by (then) presidential-nominee, Michael Dukakis. This trip not only helped Dukakis’s image of being an en- vironmentalist, but also helped to bring more attention to the west’s enormous problem with fire control. Many Montanans were pleased with the governments concern. But most thought that the gestures were too lit- tle, too late. But whether fighting the fires was too little, or too late, the summer of 1988 will go down in history as the summer Montana burned. ★ APPROXIMATE FIRE COSTS OF USFS (Northern Region)...............................$60 million ONE-DAY-MAXIMUMS Number of firefighters at peak.........15,700 on Sept. 10 Number of crews on fires..................479 on Sept. 4 Number of fire engines at one time........448 on Sept. 13 Number of helicopters......................96 on Sept. 16 Number of smokejumpers on fires.........203 on Aug. 30 SUPPLIES SHIPPED (from Missoula Fire Cache)..................19,212,420 lbs. AIRCRAFT HOURS LOGGED................................24,950 GALLONS OF RETARDANT USED.........................4,869,700 TOTAL FIRES ACRES BURNED Region One, USDA..............1,323 fires 685,807 acres Montana (all agencies)........2,720 fires 885,988 acres North Idaho, USDA...............346 fires 100,718 acres Yellowstone National Park.........1,932,452 acres burned ★ According to the Missoulian, October 1988