Wildfire California 2015
The latest wildfire is the Wragg fire. This year there have been 76 major incidents so far. It’s only the 24th of July.
The Wragg incident has consumed 6900 acres and is only 30% contained. We only had one structure damaged and one tent trailer destroyed along with an outbuilding. THAT’S OUTSTANDING!
Our fire professionals deserve a lot of respect. Those pilots that drop water and the orange fire retardant are amazing to watch. And we need to stand behind every fire department out there. We Thank You…one and all.
The one interesting mishap was a missing bull named Fred. He normally doesn’t wander so he was likely spooked by the fire and exited the viewing area.
And in the Northeren California town of Sebastopool we had our worse catastrophe with a 20 acre grass fire taking the lives of two chickens via smoke inhalation. Some wanted to have a BarBuneral for the firefighters with the roasted chickens as the guests of honor.
But in all this destruction is an unseen loss. We always suffer great loss to the environment in these fires. There must be countless thousands of natures creatures that perish in these tragedies and it is very saddening. In this sorrow lies a secret lining, nature needs fire to flourish. In fact some trees can’t reproduce without fire. The Giant Sequoia being one of them.
The other loss in these destructive fires is our crops, one crop that has losses that go largely undetected or under reported are our Marijuana Crops. One can only speculate as to the losses of our Cannabis plants. There must be tens of thousands of plants that go up every year…at least.
Wild hemp in Nebraska.
Lets think about that loss. Most growers have been forced to grow Medical Marijuana in the rural areas of our state, thereby making these medicinal plants grow in the very areas most likely to catch fire.
We also must recognize the illegal growers that camp in the woods and destroy every thing they touch. From poaching game to dumping garbage in the forest. They are leaving behind dry creeks and a devastated environment. Some say it’s foreign cartels causing this destruction. Other media outlets claim it’s rich white people. I think we know who is causing havoc in our forests and it’s not people growing Medical Marijuana.
The Medical Marijuana lost to fire is a minor concern for most. But for the patients that are suffering it’s an unbearable burden. The loss of crop could indeed create a situation where the patient is overcome with terminal cancer and their only chance of survival is the very crop that is burning in our fires.
People are risking far to much to protect farm crops from being destroyed in a fire. And people should never be put in a position where they have to choose between risking their lives in a fire to protect their medicine or risking their lives by going without the only medicine that works for them, whatever the reason.
In one recent fire in Mendocino county that burned 11,000 acres Sheriff Tom Allman was quoted as saying the following
“Let’s talk about the ‘M’ word,” Allman said he told them, “We are not willing to use this fire to perform marijuana investigations, but we’re also not going to put firefighters on the lines to protect it.”
And while I understand the Sheriffs unwillingness to ask firefighters to protect crops, I also am keenly aware of the predigest that surrounds Cannabis culture.
Case in point: Same scenario except the people are rich and white and the crop is wine grapes. In this scenario the Sheriff would almost certainly instruct his crews to protect the wine crop. And in the near future Cannabis crops will most certainly be though of as time well spent in protecting.
After all a lot of people are using it for medical reasons and actually need their medicine. The same can’t be said for alcohol. Sure they say that drinking a glass of wine daily is good for you. But no one is curing cancer or relieving the symptoms of arthritis with alcohol. So why the disparity? Historically pot smokers have been the targets of much discrimination and society has been brainwashed into believing that they are somehow second class citizens and deserving of this treatment.
Another good example would be avocado trees, they are very valuable and a great super food. But are they worthy of protecting? Are any orchards or row crops worthy of protection? Should we allow people to risk their lives to protect any property?
It is after all, their job to risk their lives in the protection of people and property. But should we allow a Sheriff or Mayor or any other person in a position of power to dictate to the firefighters which or what property they are to protect?
Don’t we all deserve to have our property protected? Regardless of how valuable that property is or which side of town that property is in. Or exactly what that property is. Whether it is a $14,000,000 winery or a $500,000 single family residence. Everyone deserves to have their property protected from fire.
Lets consider livestock. Would a milk barn full of cows be though of in the same way a chicken coup would be though of in the same way. Does the barn full of cows paint a picture of large mammals with expensive milking equipment? Or does the chicken barn paint a picture of several thousand chickens in cramped quarters, with inexpensive cages?
And ultimately would this lead to a decision being made favoring one species of livestock and their processing facilities over another?
The question facing most Medical Cannabis growers hinges on the moral question, on the ethical question. Should they risk everything in an effort to save lives?
Should they risk liberty to provide little children with their life saving medicine? Is the high CBD Charlottes Webb Marijuana on the must save crop list?
If my daughter needed my neighbors Medical Marijuana crop in order to live, or live in a relatively pain free comfortable fashion, would I be willing to risk my life, fighting fire, to save my daughters life?
I think most parents would. And I believe that most parents and most of the Cannabis community would expect the firefighters to protect all property, not just the property they deemed worthy of their time.
One positive that always comes out of these tragedies is the people and their spirit of community. It is truly amazing watching strangers coming together in tragic situations and rebuilding their communities, their families, and an overall sense of love and togetherness that the brave souls of the 60,s perpetuated.
Flower Child 1067