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Good morning all
Morning all
Woke up grumpy today and choked by smoke. The Boy and I made a quick predawn patrol through woods to the other side of the range (8km return) to have a look over the other side. Filled with smoke.
Yesterday the Fish River block which is a lovely 1800 square km property across the river from us was lit up around the homestead district. A southerly wind engulfed us in smoke.Then about an hour later Ban Ban Springs which is cattle station about thirty kilometres to the east went up in flames, just as the wind swung around and smoke again poured onto us. All night our eastern horizon was a flickering glow, reminding us of our own disastrous fires hereabouts two weeks ago ( also deliberately started). I called the people at Ban Ban, they’re mates, and offered help. In that stoic bush spirit they said they had it in hand...
So who in their right mind is traipsing around the bush deliberately lighting fires on people’s properties at the very driest time of year and only days away from the onset of serious rains? Thousands of acres will burn before the rains come. How many animals will die and how many habitats wrecked? What’s the mentality of these people?
Climate change is hitting us hard enough and we’ve been struggling to adapt, but people illegalling entering properties and lighting fires is outside our control. Honestly fellas, it strikes me like a passenger in a lifeboat deliberately drilling a hole in the bottom. Don’t they realise they need to live on this planet too? The more forest and woodland we burn again and again, the gasses we emit, the more the climate changes and the harder it gets to prevent more fires... meanwhile, admidst the climate chaos, these people are wandering around lighting yet more fires. Why?
Rant over.
Everybody have a great day
Cheers
Alan
Thanks AlanHi Rob
Thanks for these contributions. I read both articles and highly respect the bbc so I learned lots.
However, I should point out that those articles refer to totally different ecological systems than exist in the north.
Have read that the temperate forests down south would naturally burn every 12-17 years and when they burnt its cataclysmic.
Up hereabouts fire is much more frequent and part of the natural cycle of tropical savanna country. Naturally it would burn every 5-7 years but currently in our region it's burning every year (sometimes multiple times each year!) My own property has now been protected four years without a fire. Maybe we'll do a cool burn next year?
As to who's lighting fires? Most fires ignited around here are 'arson'. There are ancient traditions of indigenous fire management through which aboriginal people would wander across the landscape lighting small patchy fires early in the year to stimulate regrowth and promote tropical forest nutrient cycles. It was great and sustained the ecological balance for literally thousands of years. Our neighbours ancestors were probably doing this before the Stonehenge was raised...
However, these days that knowledge has been corrupted and some local people think they just need to burn all the country all the time. The other problem is that in the past local people used to wander around on foot but now they drive in cars. That means fires mainly get lit along roads, the same places, again and again. Not blaming this on aboriginal people though. There are enough irresponsible narcissist white pig hunters and fishermen driving around who will light a fire to drive game or access waterholes...
Just making the point that the tradition of indigenous fire management doesn't happen down south.
Two more things. At this time of year some fires are the result of lightning strikes. So nobody to blame.
They have caught a couple of people lighting fires in the north. One was a volunteer fire fighter himself who wanted some action and time off work!
Alan
Sorry about the rant Rob.Thanks Alan
Interesting to note the geographic differences , a sad situation, no doubt
I read about the fire fighter
Believe me, re stupidity.......that's barely scratching it........................Sorry about the rant Rob.
I love this country and work really hard to protect it.. So do many others... but its much, much easier to start a fire in the dry season than to put one out...So we really struggle to respond to the waves of wildfire sweeping the landscape with increasing frequency and intensity each year. This year lots of land was burnt around us...
But just one note of levity to end on. There was another bloke caught lighting fires last year in the semi-rural area close to Darwin. That mongrel was on parole for other unrelated offences and happened to be wearing a GPS tracker on his ankle courtesy of Her Majesty. They caught him suspiciously at the site of a new ignition then checked his tracker data... which placed him at the ignition site of multiple fires just as they started. With this data they got a rare conviction.
Fellas, how stupid can somebody be?
Mornin' all
Alan
At least you won’t get lost at sea Sax.Morning folks, Off early to get my annual 'Flu jab this morning. I did read that an anti Vaccination protester claimed that it is in fact "a nuclear tracking injection which allows the Government to control me via the 5G phone network"....
……….. and highly respect the bbc