Vol. 2,  No. 15          June 1, 2005

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Water: The Good And The Bad -- 2005 Winter Not A Drought Buster

Certainly Nothing To Sneeze At, But We Do Sneeze Because Of

by Johnny Gunn

Lake Mead has come up some and will continue rising, according to water experts up and down the Colorado River system. Snowmelt will continue for some time. Actually, new snow is being added at the higher elevations regularly this strange spring.

Not any different in northern and eastern Nevada either with a much higher than average snow pack in the Sierra Nevada feeding the Truckee River, Carson River and Walker River, and along the Humboldt River system that courses from Elko County to a desert sink near Lovelock. Even the fabled Reese River is running high, but not high enough to float those steamboats that were once written about.

Humboldt River at Flood Stage (Photo by Johnny Gunn)

All this water is good news across the board. Reservoirs and lakes will be high, some rivers are at or near flood crest already, and the only dark spots come from the effects of the water. There will be lots of grass and brush to dry out and burn this summer, and standing water throughout the state will be heaven for mosquitoes, bringing on serious problems from West Nile Virus.

While ranchers, fishermen, water recreationists, and those charged with seeing to it that we have water to drink and bathe in are ecstatic, health and fire officials are contemplating potential disasters statewide.

Wildfire In Nevada

Hillsides throughout Nevada are glowing in gossamer emerald as the warmth of spring comes to ground that has been well soaked, first with heavy snow, and lately with copious spring rains. Fire officials are not among those taken with the scene. What they see is grasses and brush drying out soon, becoming tinder for lightning, becoming kindling for neglectful people misusing the outdoors, becoming the root cause for homes to be destroyed.

There were serious fires last year throughout the state, the worst in northern Nevada, and officials with the state and national fire services fear the worst this year. A fire that burned across the face of the Carson Range along the western edge of Carson City took out 17 homes. Ten other homes were lost in another serious fire just south of Reno near Pleasant Valley.

Often in summers following severe winters, thunderstorms are prevalent, and fire officials look at those with two thoughts. First, they could be accompanied by torrential rains putting out any lightning caused conflagrations, or secondly, they could be filled with dry lightning, no rain, high winds, and devastation. Thunderstorms are part of the Silver State's summers, and it's just a toss up whether they will come filled with fire drowning rains or dry as dead bones in Death Valley.

Over the last half century, fire fighting has taken to the air in a big way, but unlike the military, which orders fighting planes built to their specifications, fire agencies have to do with what's available, usually second-hand, seldom built for the job.

Multi engine tankers such as C-130s, DC-6s, P2V-Neptune sub hunters, and others have become front line bombers in the fire service, but almost all are well over 50-years-old, and airframes are wearing out. Three C-130s crashed within a two-year period and the big bombers were grounded. Eleven have been returned to service following intense structural inspections. Many fire officials would like five times that number, but have no idea where to get them.

The fire season of 2004 saw many single engine airplanes fighting the brush and timber fires of the west, and they did an outstanding job. The one drawback according to fire service veterans is the amount of fire retardant each aircraft can carry. The big bombers haul about 3,000 gallons to the fire lines while the smaller attack craft can only carry about 800 gallons.

A third spoke in the air attacks on wildland fire is helicopters. The fire service in the west can expect to have about 700 helicopters available for service this summer. Coupled with the 11 big bombers and 70 single engine attack aircraft, federal and state officials feel they are prepared for the worst.

Often natural disasters aren't naturally caused, and with wildland fire that is almost a given. People cause more fires than lightning, and in most cases, the people were acting in a most stupid manner. Campfires and cigarettes are often blamed for fires, while in reality it was the stupid people who left the fires unattended or not properly put out, or the stupid people who threw lighted butts out the window who were responsible.

An example were the men who walked away from their camp near the Santa Rosa Range in northern Nevada, not extinguishing their camp fire. To prove the stupidity of their act, it turned out they were deputy sheriff officers from a near-by county.

Most professional firefighters will be the first to tell you, if just a smidge of common sense is applied, many wildland fires would not happen. Just a smidge, if you please. It's the same with property loss. If you live in a wildland area, keeping a firebreak around your home is first, and not storing your winter firewood under the porch is second. Extra cans of gasoline don't belong under the porch or the house, and neither do all those half-empty cans of paint and varnish.

In the words of that immortal Benicia, CA fire chief, Ron Rice, "Use just a smidge of common sense, sailor."

West Nile Virus In Nevada

West Nile Virus arrived in the Silver State last year, and according to Health professionals, it's usually the second year that is the worst as far as numbers of infected people, animals, and birds is concerned. The disease came to this country in the late 90s and has been spreading west ever since. As we approach this mosquito season, only Washington State has not reported the disease.

West Nile Virus (WNV) primarily affects humans, horses, and birds of the Corvid family, owls, and raptors. The Corvid family of birds includes crows, magpies, ravens, grackles, and most jays. Among raptors most affected are eagles, kestrels, most hawks, and turkey vultures. Owls are also prone to the disease.

The disease is carried by mosquitoes and with the very wet winter and spring, Nevada health officials are expecting a large mosquito crop this year. At this time there is no vaccine for humans although several potential vaccines are in the testing stages. Humans must take preventative measures, and the best way of doing that is to avoid mosquito bites.

The federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) and their Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases recommends repellents with DEET or a new mosquito and bug repellent called Picaridin. Look for DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on the label, or for Picaridin, (KBR 3023). For more information on repellents and WNV, go to www.cdc.gov/nicdod/dvbid/westnile.

There is also a product on the market that will help make your clothing mosquito unfriendly as well. Look for a label with the ingredient Permethrin. Sprayed on clothing, sleeping bags, tents and such, it repels mosquitoes and other flying insects.

Vaccines for horses are available, and because horses are so prone to the disease, the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDOA) recommends vaccination. Most large animal veterinarians in the state have a good supply of the vaccines. There are two available for horses. For complete information regarding your animals, go to http://agri.nv.gov/animal2_west_nile_virus_new.htm.

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