"Annual" Northern Michigan Gathering 2007

[ernie51]

Latest report on the wildfire via TV 7@4 news from Traverse City with photo's.......Dennis
http://www.tv7-4.com/Global/story.asp?S=6894013

[ernie51]

Most current on the wildfire from Sault Sainte Marie News with more defined area and link to DNR website. Some good news reported......Dennis
http://www.sooeveningnews.com/articl...ws/news914.txt

[billschwab]

Hey All,

Just got back in from a tour of the fire area and it was pretty interesting. Watched big National Guard helicopters filling the big bucket bladders in the marshes and taking off toward the smoke. Apparently they are only 20% contained at this point. The winds were blowing pretty stiff and new spots had sprung up on the east side of 123, but only in small pockets. Lots of signs of support for the firefighters on people's lawns. I was able to travel the newly opened 123 and found they had pretty much contained it to the west and it was now traveling north. From the looks of the smoke on the horizon, it is a BIG one. Along 123 (pictured) you can see how they held the line at the road. One side black and charred, the other green. From what I could see, few trees had been destroyed and it looked as if it was a rapidly spreading ground fire. All brush, grass and bush gone, but trees still intact and green at the top. I'm guessing it will recover very fast as others have said. Check out the stitched pano below or click HERE for a large version. Scroll all the way to the right to see how the fire was held at the road.

Bill

[Jerry Basierbe]

Thanks for the report Bill. I'll have to take a look myself when I go up.

Jerry

[billschwab]

Short fire update. Was up touring the fire area the other day and the black, charred areas I saw a little more than a month ago had already started healing. There was a nice, lush green cast of brand new growth starting. By next year it will be hard to tell there was a fire... at least in the areas I traveled.

Amazing..