Fall Steelhead Weekly Reports

Below are the first three Fall Steelhead Weekend Summary Reports.  The Reports are dated for the Sunday of the weekend of the Report and issued two days later on Tuesday each week.

The Reports and commentary are compiled and written by: 

Brent Beller.

Fisheries Technician

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

Idaho Department of Fish and Game - Region 7

Salmon, ID 83467

(208) 756-2271

IDFG Fall Steelhead Weekend Summary Report #3 - Oct. 20, 2013

This weekend on the upper Salmon River the steelhead fishing improved considerably over the previous one in location codes 14 and 15 but remained slow upstream in location codes 16 and 17. Anglers had the best catch rates downstream of the Middle Fork in location code 14, where they averaged 9 hours per steelhead caught and 47 hours per steelhead kept. In location code 15 anglers averaged 17 hours per steelhead caught and 55 hours per steelhead kept. No kept steelhead were found upstream of North Fork and only one was reported as released, which resulted in a catch rate of 356 hours per steelhead in location code 16. In location code 17, angler effort was low and no steelhead were reported caught.

IDFG Fall Steelhead Weekend Summary Report #2 - Oct. 13, 2013

The steelhead fishing this weekend on the upper Salmon River improved slightly over the previous weekend, when no steelhead were found. Angler effort also increased in every river location code except for in location code 16, where the effort decreased. The only steelhead found this weekend came out of location code 15, where anglers released a total of six fish for a catch rate of 56 hours per steelhead. No steelhead were reported caught out of location codes 14, 16, or 17. Hopefully with more steelhead moving into the area daily, the fishing will continue to improve throughout the upcoming weeks.

Hello, fall is here again, and it’s time for the first weekend update for the 2013 upper Salmon River fall steelhead fishery. These updates will be sent out weekly through the week of December 1^st.  The reports will be sent out on Tuesday mornings and will include only the data from the previous Saturday and Sunday. Attached you will find both a Microsoft Word file (.docx) and a .pdf file in case one format works easier for you to display than the other.

IDFG Fall Steelhead Weekend Summary Report #1 - Oct. 6, 2013

Idaho Department of Fish and Game technicians began creel activities on the upper Salmon River steelhead fishery Tuesday, October 1^st and as of Monday, the 7^th, no interviewed anglers have caught any steelhead. During the weekend, Angler participation in river location codes 14 through 17 was low, but this was not unexpected due to the river conditions that preceded the weekend. The Salmon River rose substantially last week and the water visibility was poor. By the weekend, though, the river conditions had improved enough for the river to be fishable. During the weekend, the majority of anglers were found in river location codes 15 and 16. In 15, 34 anglers were interviewed that fished for 154 hours. In 16, 29 anglers were interviewed that fished for 119 hours. Effort was minimal in location code 14 with only ten anglers interviewed who fished for a total of 17 hours. No anglers were observed fishing upstream of the Lemhi River in location code 17. Unfortunately, there is no catch rate data to report (hours per fish) since no steelhead were reported caught.

Steelhead below projections

Steelhead run below projections: "Just like the spring chinook run that preceded it, the steelhead return is showing signs of not living up to preseason predictions. A regional group of salmon and steelhead managers recently downgraded the run forecast by 27 percent," said Eric Barker, Outdoor Writer for "The Lewiston Tribune."

Click here to read Barker's article.

http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/early-snake-river-steelhead-run-disappoints/article_70a5d4a8-ed33-54c4-ad6a-49e964541bae.html

Below is a screen shot of Eric's article as it appears on Page B5 of the September 6th edition of "The Post-Register" in Idaho Falls.

IDFG Springfield Hatchery Dedicated.

The IDFG Springfield Hatchery will be dedicated at 11 am, September 6th. According to an IDFG news release, the Springfield Hatchery "will take the recovery of Snake River sockeye to a higher level."

Bonneville Power Administration provided $13.5-million to renovate a former trout hatchery near Springfield, Idaho. "This additional incubation and rearing space will move the sockeye recovery effort from the conservation phase to a re-colonization phase where emphasis will be on returning increasing numbers of ocean-run adults to use in hatchery spawning and to release to the habitat for natural spawning," according to the IDFG News Release.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/media/viewNewsRelease.cfm?newsID=6775

Rocky Barker, columnist for "The Idaho Statesman" said, "a portion of those (sockeye) will be allowed to spawn naturally or be transplanted to Alturus, Pettit and eventually Yellowbelly and Stanley lakes to spawn."

"So, if 10,000 fish eventually return, fishermen might one day be allowed to catch up to 5,000 "surplus" fish in Sawtooth lakes and rivers," Barker also noted.

Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/09/04/2741433/new-sockeye-hatchery-may-lead.html

North Fork Energy gifted the property to the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation in 2005, which in turn formally transferred ownership to IDFG in 2010 as part of a larger plan to increase the sockeye salmon population in Idaho.

Source: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/EA-1913-FEA-RevisionSheet-2012.pdf (See Pages 15-17)

Planning and design for the Springfield Hatchery has been underway since at least 2010. The hatchery's freshwater source will utilize a 50 cubic feet per second spring discharge.

The public is welcome to attend tomorrow's dedication on the north side of American Falls Reservoir. Here are the directions: The address is 1830W 950S, Springfield. From State Highway 39, one mile east of Springfield, turn south on Judge Road – S 1800 W, about 1½ miles, then west on Edwards Road to the hatchery on the north side of the road. (See map above.)

Steelhead Run Update

Here's a quick look at the steelhead numbers coming over four dams during the past week. The total run-to-date is at the bottom of each graph as well as the 10-year average. We have included The Salmon River flow at both Shoup and Salmon, Idaho.  River flows are running well below average.

 Tam Ambrose at The Village of North Fork told us this morning, "People are keeping a close eye on the fish count and have explanations (low water, warm water, etc.) for any fluctuation. The general consensus is that counts are below average, but better than last year. For us, the most important factor is the weather. Every fishermen is an optimist and even when counts are low, they are sure they’ll catch one…but if the weather is bad on the weekends, they tend to stay home."

Our contact at the IDFG Salmon Region Office thinks this upcoming fall steelhead season might be slightly better than last year.  The first weekly IDFG Steelhead report will be released October 7th.  (You can click on any graphic to see a slightly larger version.)

New Manager at Sawtooth Hatchery

Cassie Sundquist holds a 6.5 foot sturgeon she caught on The Snake River during an IDFG fisheries project in 2011.
At left is Brett Bowersox, iDFG Fisheries Biologist from the Clearwater Region 2 office in Lewiston. 

The Sawtooth Hatchery will soon have a new Manager. IDFG Assistant Chief of Fisheries Paul Kline announced August 28 that Cassie Sundquist has accepted a promotion from Clearwater Fish Hatchery Manager I to the Fish Hatchery Manager II position at Sawtooth Hatchery.  She will begin in her new position at Sawtooth Hatchery September 15. 

Brent Snider has served as Sawtooth Hatchery Manager since 1994. He will become Manager of the McCall Fish Hatchery, also on September 15.

Brent Snider enjoying a successful day at the trap.

“I am very excited to start this new position. I began my career with the department the day after I graduated from high school at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery. I consider Brent Snider as a mentor. He was the one who first hired me on with the department and gave me every opportunity to gain experience as he could while working at Sawtooth,” Cassie said.

“I spent two summer seasons at Sawtooth on my summer breaks from college and returned after I graduated from college for an 8 month stint as a Fisheries Technician. I fell in love with the beauty of the area and the recreational opportunities that it offers. I have worked very hard to get to where I am today and I feel so blessed to have been offered the opportunity to follow in Brent's footsteps,” Cassie explained.

Cassie and her husband Bryce Sundquist have two young sons, Gage 5 and Grayson 2. Gage will be starting Kindergarten this year. They both grew up in Emmett Idaho and spent the last 8 years in Ahsahka, Idaho, at the Clearwater Fish Hatchery.

Asst. Chief of Fisheries Kline noted, “While working toward her B.S. in Fishery Resources from the University of Idaho, Cassie worked for the Department in a number of temporary positions, including stints with the Sawtooth Hatchery, McCall Fisheries Management, and Nampa Fisheries Research.  She attained a fulltime position as a Fish Culturist at Clearwater Hatchery, and advanced at that station through the Hatchery Assistant Manager and Manager I positions.  Cassie managed the Clearwater Hatchery for the past three years.

Brent Snider began his IDFG career as a seasonal in 1983. He went full time in 1991. Brent worked at the Magic Valley, McCall, Oxbow and Cabinet Gorge Hatchery facilities prior to becoming Sawtooth Hatchery Manager in May 1994.

Thanks for your 19 years of Dedicated Service to the Sawtooth Hatchey and The Stanley Community, Brent!

Lodgepole Helicopter Fleet

The Helibase for The Lodgepole Fire is a busy place.   The Air Operations Branch is managed by Whalen's Type 2 IMT. The Branch is overseen by the NIMO Operations Section Chief, Curtis Heaton.

Here are the Staff currently assigned to Air Ops from Team Whalen:

- Air Ops Branch Director - Bill Hayes
- Air Tactical Supervisor - Ted Mason and Josh Fulton
- Air Support Supervisor - Eric Taplin
-Helibase Manager - Lee Stwart

Here is the Interagency Helicopter Operations Guide: http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/pms510/index.htm

Nine helicopters are assigned to the fire as of the first week in August.  The helicopters are classified as Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3.  The Type 1 helicopters are the heavy lifters of the fleet and often see near continuous daily duty duty carrying the most water to the fire line.

Helicopters are classified according to minimum standards for payload or water-carrying capacity.  Here is a chart that shows the minimum for each category.

On The Lodgepole Fire, there are four Type 1 helicopters.  Three are Sikorsky C64E Sky Cranes and one is a K-Max 1200.  Two Sikorsky helicopters are operated by Erickson Air Crane and one is owned by Siller.  All Erickson Sky Cranes have individual names.  Helicopter #737 is "Malcolm" and #749 is "Marty."  The Siller ship (#783) does not have a name.

The specification of the C64E are impressive:

• Payload: 20,000 lb (9,072 kg)
• Length: 70 ft 3 in (21.41 m (fuselage))
• Rotor diameter: 72 ft 0 in (21.95 m)
• Height: 18 ft 7 in (5.67 m)
• Disc area: 4070 ft² (378.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 19,234 lb (8,724 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 42,000 lb (19,050 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-4A (T73-P-1) turboshaft engines, 4,500 shp (3,555 kW) each

Performance-wise, the C64's are also impressive:

• Maximum speed: 109 knots (126 mph, 203 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 91 knots (105 mph, 169 km/h)
• Range: 200 nmi (230 mi, 370 km) max fuel and reserves
• Rate of climb: 1,330 ft/min (6.75 m/s)

Here is "Malcolm" sitting in the Helibase for The Lodgepole Fire.  Here's a great article where someone took a tour of Malcolm: http://www.aroundthepattern.com/professional-flying/a-morning-with-malcolm-the-skycrane/

Here is a video of a crew member giving a Mom and Son a tour of the Malcolm's cockpit:
http://youtu.be/HGYn5cbcR_8

The Sky Cranes are easily one of the most eye-catching assets of any incident's aerial inventory.  Here's a great 9:33 video showing many different aspects of the usage of the Sikorsky: http://youtu.be/hGFubaqEKrg

The v-shaped attachment sitting under the payload bay of Malcolm is where the water is stored in transit to the fire line.  This tank can hold 2,650 gallons and can be filled in a couple of minutes by a complex pump at foot of the intake tube.  The contracted hourly rate for the C64's as of July 2013 is $7,840 per hour.  These helicopters use 525 gallons of fuel per hour.

Above is a Bell 212.  The Bell 212 Twin Huey (also known as the Twin Two-Twelve) is a two-blade, twin-engine, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada in 1988, along with all Bell commercial helicopter production after that plant opened in 1986.
The 212 is marketed to civilian operators and has a fifteen-seat configuration, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo configuration the 212 has an internal capacity of 220 ft³ (6.23 m³). An external load of up to 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) can be carried.

The Bell 212 has a contracted rate of $1,998 per hour and uses 100 gallons of fuel per hour.
Here is a 4:14 video showing a short flight of a Bell 212: http://youtu.be/0muhfiLzjPw

Above is a Bell 206 L4. A smaller helicopter than the Bell 205, this aircraft is used to take recognizance flights, move smaller buckets of water and to fly special missions that may only need to move a few people at a time. The contract rate for the Bell 206 L4 is $1,028 per hour.  It uses the least fuel per hour of any of the helicopters--38 gallons.

Many of the helicopters serving The Lodgepole Fire are Bell 205's  Three are shown below on The Lodgepole Fire. The Bell 205 is used to transport crews, drop water and haul equipment. It's a high performance aircraft capable of hauling heavier loads in higher elevation, which makes it an ideal aircraft for the Lodgepole Fire.

Here is a five minute video of the start up and take off of a Bell 205: http://youtu.be/hw5vPl6c9iw

The hourly contract rate for a Bell 205 ranges from $1,709 to $1,753.  These helicopters use 88-90 gallons of fuel per hour.

The Bell 205 is actually a civilian version of the Bell UH-1 (Huey) Iroquois single-engine military helicopters. They are type-certificated in the transport category and are used in a wide variety of applications, including crop dusting, cargo lifting and aerial firefighting.  Their design and use dates back to the mid-1950's

One of the helicopters (shown above) on The Lodgepole Fire is a K-Max 1200 We have added a photo from Wiki with a human to give some scale to this helicopter.  Note that the K-Max does not have a tail roto.  The helicopter is actually called a "Kaman synchropter."  The synchropter uses counter-rotating side-by-side intermeshing (combing) rotors, as the means to solve the problem of torque compensation, normally countered in single rotor helicopters by a tail rotor or vented blower exhaust.

The K-MAX has been called an "aerial truck" and is the world's first helicopter specifically designed, tested, and certified for repetitive external lift operations and vertical reference flight (Kaman received IFR Certification in 1999), an important feature for external load work. Other rotorcraft used for these tasks are adapted from general-purpose helicopters, or those intended to primarily carry passengers or internal cargo. The aircraft's narrow, wedge-shaped profile and bulging side windows gives the pilot a good view of the load looking out either side of the aircraft.

The K-MAX relies on the two primary advantages of synchropters over conventional helicopters. The first of these is the increased efficiency compared to conventional rotor-lift technology; the other is the synchropter's natural tendency to hover. This increases stability, especially for precision work in placing suspended loads. At the same time, the synchropter is more responsive to pilot control inputs, making it possible to easily swing a load, to scatter seed, chemicals, or water over a larger area.

For more information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaman_K-MAX

The K-MAX contract rate is $1,836 per hour and it uses 85 gallons of fuel per hour.

The helicopter shown below at The Lodgepole Fire Helibase is an MD-900 that normally flies out of the Grand Canyon, Arizona.  This is the same helicopter the National Park Service uses for river and hiker rescues. The second photo below is from Wiki and shows N368PA in the air.  The initial production model of the MD 900 was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206A (or PW206E or PW207E) turboshaft engines.  MD Helicopters can trace its lineage back to 1947 when it was a part of Hughes Aircraft.  Today MD Helicopters is separate business that is based in Mesa, Arizona.  The MD 900 has proven its utility in many rescue missions inside Grand Canyon.  The photo at left shows the MD 900 in action on one portion of complex short haul rescue of rafters stranded mid-river on the rock bar below Crystal Rapid in 2010.

Click here for the full story on that rescue mission.
http://www.naztoday.com/top-stories-archive/2010/02/stranded-rafters-rescued-in-grand-canyon/

All photos of helicopters on The Lodgepole Fire are courtesy of The USDA Forest Service.  We wish to Thanks Lodgepole PIO Robyn Broyles for her gracious assistance in preparing this article.

The IMET

Patrick Gilchrist, NOAA/NWS IMET on duty serving incident managers at The Lodgepole Fire.

An Incident Management Team (IMT) is a group of highly skilled professionals working to keep fire fighters safe, well supplied and successful in bringing containment and control to a wild land fire incident.

In addition to the Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Staff, Division Supervisors, Air Ops and Helibase managers, Resource Unit Leaders, mapping specialists, and many other vital support staff, a key member of most IMTs is the IMET—the Incident Meteorologist.

There are currently 85 certified National Weather Service IMETs available to deploy at a moment’s notice to assist in wildfire suppression efforts.

Patrick Gilchrist (shown in photo) is the IMET serving on Team Adell's Type 2 IMT. Gilchrist is the Lead Forecaster for the Glasgow, Montana, NWS Office. He has served as an IMET for 9 years and worked as a professional meteorologist for 12 years. 

“I like being able to help people directly through my work,” Gilchrist said from his IMT duty station at the Challis Community Events Center.

The Lodgepole Fire is the first fire Gilchrist has worked this year. His previous IMET duty on an Idaho area fire was the East Roaring Fire north of Mountain Home in 2006. 

As Team Adell's IMET, Gilchrist provides accurate, on-site weather forecast, warning, and consultation services to help The Lodgepole Fire IMT and fire fighters work safely and effectively. He uses a variety of special tools to prepare weather forecasts that contribute to the safety of all personnel involved in The Lodgepole Fire management.

Gilchrist received his B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of North Dakota. He has also received special training in both mesoscale (large-scale) and microscale (the smallest) weather systems. Mesoscale phenomena include thunderstorms and squall lines, while microscale events could include air turbulence and dust storms. All IMETs are trained in fire behavior and fire operations, which make these fire weather forecasters highly valued members of an IMT.

An IMET starts each day by preparing the daily weather forecast for incident commanders and command staff. Next, the IMET presents a fire weather briefing to the command staff and firefighting crews. These critical briefings provide advanced information about wind patterns, thunderstorms, and humidity levels. Incident commanders have access to the IMET 24 hours a day, seven days a week during a wildfire event.

On The Lodgepole Fire, Gilchrist has access to five IRAWS weather data monitoring stations set up at various locations in the fire zone. Although, Gilchrist normally watches the same hourly IRAWS data available to the public online, he has capability to query an IRAWS unit by radio should more timely data be needed. The IRAWS site on Twin Peaks clocked a 56 mph wind gust at 5 pm on August 1.

Gilchrist keeps in contact with the Pocatello NWS Office as well as the IMET serving Poncin's Type 1 Team on The Gold Pan Complex Fire. Gilchrist will continue serving as IMET on The Lodgepole Fire until he rotates out on August 6.

Here are two links to learn more about the NOAA/NWS IMET program:

http://www.noaa.gov/features/02_monitoring/imets.html

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/office/imetpage.php?wfo=fgz

Lodgepole Fire in Challis Area

(Update @ 4 pm, 07.24.13)
We have been unable to update this website since Monday evening.  All of our coverage is on Facebook.  We have posted perhaps 200 postings and added commentary since Sunday. We have nearly 1,000 Facebook Friends following our fire coverage.  The coverage there is as current as we can possibly make it.  Unfortunately, there's only so many hours in a day and there's simply no time to update this website AND do the Facebook.

here are the hours we have logged covering the fires since they began:

Saturday: 6
Sunday: 10
Monday: 12
Tuesday: 11
So far Wednesday: 7

There is simply no time to come here and update this website.  We will try to place some sort of a summary here not and there but, in the meantime, if you are interested in what's happening with teh fires, come to this Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/salmonriveridaho

Thank You, John Parsons

(Update @ 9 pm 07.21.13)
This is The Lodgepole Fire at 8:15 pm Monday.

(Update @ 2 pm 07.22.13)

Photo by Steve Cobbley.

The Lodgepole Fire Camp is using virtually all of the new Challis Community Event Center for Adell's Type 2 IMT.  Food service and other logistics are set up in the Event Center's large parking lot.  The crew tent area is located in the nearby ballfields between City Park and the Event Center.  The Custer County Extension Office remains open and some parking has been reserved outside for visitor to the Extension Office.

Very little new information has been posted to the fire's Inciweb page.  It is quite likely that the first grew to approx. 1,000 acres yesterday based on an interpolation of the official fire perimeter map shown below.  A road and trail closure was issues about 11 am Monday.  There are 111 personnel reported on the fire and knowledgeable observers think many more are enroute.

Meanwhile, two military C-130 air tankers were deployed to the Boise air tanker base.  One is known as MAFFS 1 from the Wyoming National Guard and the other is MAFFS 8 from the North Caroline National Guard.  They have been flying retardant drops on The Lodgepole since their arrival Saturday and are active again today.  Numerous sightings were reported regarding the VLAT DC-10 Sunday.

The Lodgepole Fire Sunday afternoon.  Note Mosquito Flats Reservoir at right.

Citizen photos on Facebook so far today indicate the fire may be more active than yesterday.  The NWS says winds might reach 30 mph on the ridge tops.  We are awaiting a call back or email reply from the fire PIO for more information regarding many aspects of The Lodgepole Fire's management.

This is NOT a photo of the VLAT over Custer County.  It just shows the VLAT in action.

Update @ 10 pm 07.21.13)
Adell's Type 2 Team is getting settled into their fire camp at and near the Challis Community Center.  Julie Thomas is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for The Lodgepole Fire.  She told us in two emails, "I am just getting in place, building a Facebook page, we will also continue to use Inciweb.  Stay tuned for additional information as the team gets in place. We will do our best to provide timely information to you.  Give us time to get in place and hopefully we will serve you well."  Ms. Thomas is the PIO for The Sawtooth National Forest in Twin Falls.

The Big News is that Ms. Thomas confirmed the VLAT (VLAT = Very Large Air Tanker) DC-10 jetliner is being used to fight The Lodgepole Fire.  We have had several reports of the big jet overhead today and, yes, those reports are true.  Unfortunately, we do not yet have any photos of the VLAT in action in Custer County.

We did find two YouTube videos of the VLAT in action else where.  For those who think a DC-10 can't navigate mountain terrain, this video's for you:

If the video won't play, try this link: http://youtu.be/w3CzjCRtf80
-----------end of update-------------
(Update @ 2 pm 07.21.13)
The CCSO Dispatcher told us The Lodgepole Fire camp is apparently being set up at the Challis Rodeo Grounds. No word yet on the location of the Bradley Fire camp near Stanley.

Pocatello NWS Observations page shows rather calm conditions in the Challis vicinity. Stanley wind has gusted to 17 mph so far today. Winds are gusting into the 20's on the Snake Plain. Pocatello NWS thinks Stanley-Challis area ridge tops might see wind in the 30 mph range.

The Lodgepole Fie Type 2 Team is scheduled to take over mgmt. of the fire at 5 pm today. Still no word on location of the fire camp. Both fires are now on Inciweb.

Lodgepole: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3535/
Bradley: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3536/

Note that Inciweb says the Bradley has burned 60 acres, not 250 as some early reports indicated.

Inciweb says there are 66 people on the Lodgepole Fire and 55 on the Bradley.

(Update @ 9 am 07.21.13)

 Here's 3 photos by "The Lucky Shoe Photography" taken yesterday of The Lodgepole Fire.  The photographer also capture at least three different types of aerial assets in action including what appeared to be a Sikorsky CH54/S64 Type 1 helicopter.  The contract rates for such a craft are nearly $8,000 an hour.  The photographer also captured a photo of a four-engine slurry bomber, presumably based out of Boise.

Marty Adell is the Incident Commander of the Type 2 Incident Mgmt. Team arriving today to begin managing The Lodgepole Fire. Adell's Team 7 is part of the Eastern Great Basin Geographic Coordinating Center based out of Salt Lake City. The link shows the current roster for Adell's Team.

Here is the link to the EGBCC: http://gacc.nifc.gov/egbc/

http://gacc.nifc.gov/wgbc/logistics/overhead/teams/rosters/Current_Adell.pdf
-----------
As of 8 am Sunday, neither The Lodgepole Fire nor the Bradley Fire are listed on Inciweb, although they are mentioned in connection with the Papoose Fire burning near The Middle Fork. We will probably have to wait until Adell's Type 2 Team is set up and functioning for The Lodgepole to show up on Inciweb.

If anyone in the Challis area observes where Fire Camp is being set up, please post the information on Facebook. Likewise, if anyone is interested in trying to get the contact phone number for the Team's PIO, we'd sure appreciate having it.
----------------
The Morning Press--"The Post-Register" in Idaho Falls ran a fairly lengthy article on Page A5 about The Bradley, Lodgepole and Papoose Fires this morning--28 column inches including the large, 3-line headline that states, "Boy Scout camp evacuated after wildfire erupts."

The subhead for the article might give a misleading impression as it states "Campgrounds in Custer County were cleared out late Saturday." As we learned last year with The Halstead Fire, metro area readers tend to take such headlines literally and it would be no surprise if some readers think that means all campgrounds in Custer County as apposed to the two or three that were actually evacuated.

The story quotes USFS spokesman Mike McMillan as saying, "A Type-3 incident commander and smokejumpers were ordered for the fire" and are expected to arrive Sunday morning.

The story notes the Bradley Fire "burned an estimated 250 acres." This morning's federal website lists a figure of 50 acres for the Bradley Fire. This appears to be a correction from the 250 listed yesterday.

A cause has not been listed for either The Lodgepole or Bradley Fires. Deputy Mike Talbot of the Custer County Sheriff's Office is quoted in the article stating about the Bradley Fire, "No injuries were reported and no structures were lost."

"The Post-Register" also stated "A Type 5 team would be deployed only to the largest and most complex wildland fires" when in fact the opposite is true. Type 1 Teams and NIMO Teams are assigned to the top priority fires. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incident_management_team
-----------

 Above the red "X" marks Camp Bradley and the yellow push pin is said to be the location of the fire.  Below, Camp Bradley is shown in a map from The Halstead Fire as a peninsula between burned areas.

 The Lodgepole Fire appeara to be to the west o Mosquito Flats Reservoir.

 The red "X" marks Mosquito Reservoir and the yellow push pin marks the apparent site of The Lodgepole Fire.

 Here's another view of the topography of The Lodgepole Fire.

-------------end of update-----------
(Originally posted Saturday evening) Reports and photos began showing up on Facebook this afternoon from Challis area residents.  At this time, we do not have any facts--other than the photos below.  Unconfirmed reports on Facebook indicate the fire is apparently near Mosquito Flats Reservoir and that the Mosquito Flats campground has been evacuated.  Another unconfirmed report indicated federal aerial resources have already been attacking the fire.  We will do our best to attempt to get some facts on this fire as soon as possible.  Our most current reporting will be on our Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/salmonriveridaho

Below are the photos we have shared on our Facebook.  We are posting the most recent photo first here.  The oldest photo is at the bottom.