Official Thread for all 2013 Colorado Fire Season Topics (Durango, Black Forest: school, move)

[Umbria]

Originally Posted by stillkit

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry has been asked to stand up a response to the Black Forest fire, so we're on the way as soon as the roads are open into the burn area. The initial Incident Command team will come from Colorado Baptist's, with help from New Mexico, Kansas and Utah. Oklahoma Baptist's will take over the IC after about 2 weeks.

Chainsaw, debris removal, ash-out, chaplain, feeding and assessor teams will be converging on Colorado Springs from all over the country in the next few days. We've done this before, including during the Waldo Canyon and High Park fires last year, so experienced and trained help is on the way.

We are a strictly volunteer organization and our help is free to anyone who needs it. We are the second largest volunteer disaster relief team in the United States (after the Red Cross), with 90,000 trained workers and we go to wherever people are in need.

If you'd like to help, please consider giving to our ministry. Every single, solitary penny donated goes to disaster relief and disaster relief only. Not one dime is diverted to salaries, fund raising or anything else. We respond to disasters all over the world and receive no funding from any other source than free will contributions.

Hold on, Colorado! We're coming...again!

How wonderful is this

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by stillkit

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry has been asked to stand up a response to the Black Forest fire, so we're on the way as soon as the roads are open into the burn area. The initial Incident Command team will come from Colorado Baptist's, with help from New Mexico, Kansas and Utah. Oklahoma Baptist's will take over the IC after about 2 weeks.

Chainsaw, debris removal, ash-out, chaplain, feeding and assessor teams will be converging on Colorado Springs from all over the country in the next few days. We've done this before, including during the Waldo Canyon and High Park fires last year, so experienced and trained help is on the way.

We are a strictly volunteer organization and our help is free to anyone who needs it. We are the second largest volunteer disaster relief team in the United States (after the Red Cross), with 90,000 trained workers and we go to wherever people are in need.

If you'd like to help, please consider giving to our ministry. Every single, solitary penny donated goes to disaster relief and disaster relief only. Not one dime is diverted to salaries, fund raising or anything else. We respond to disasters all over the world and receive no funding from any other source than free will contributions.

Hold on, Colorado! We're coming...again!

Thank you for helping the people of my home town! Poor Colorado Springs has turned into a crispy critter. I have been out here on the Western Slope for 6 years now, and I can only imagine the havoc caused by the two terrible fires. It saddens me deeply, but you are a bright spot in my morning. Thanks again.

- Rambler

PS Can you give us where to send our donations? I'm pretty broke, but I'll send what I can.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by stillkit

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry has been asked to stand up a response to the Black Forest fire, so we're on the way as soon as the roads are open into the burn area. The initial Incident Command team will come from Colorado Baptist's, with help from New Mexico, Kansas and Utah. Oklahoma Baptist's will take over the IC after about 2 weeks.

Chainsaw, debris removal, ash-out, chaplain, feeding and assessor teams will be converging on Colorado Springs from all over the country in the next few days. We've done this before, including during the Waldo Canyon and High Park fires last year, so experienced and trained help is on the way.

We are a strictly volunteer organization and our help is free to anyone who needs it. We are the second largest volunteer disaster relief team in the United States (after the Red Cross), with 90,000 trained workers and we go to wherever people are in need.

If you'd like to help, please consider giving to our ministry. Every single, solitary penny donated goes to disaster relief and disaster relief only. Not one dime is diverted to salaries, fund raising or anything else. We respond to disasters all over the world and receive no funding from any other source than free will contributions.

Hold on, Colorado! We're coming...again!

That is wonderful!

Lutheran Church Charities also has some work going on down there:

Disaster Response

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I would like to thank the people from other parts of the country who've come to this forum to empathize with us.

I am disappointed, but not surprised, considering the same happened last year, that no one from the forums I frequent has said anything on their own forums.

Well, someone did start a thread on the Black Forest Fire in the Colorado Springs forum and it was promptly moved...

[Mike from back east]

Data for most fires is on the InciWeb site.

- Black Forest fire.

- Royal Gorge fire.

- Big Meadows fire in RMNP.

[Idunn]

"They need to take about half of the trees out and then come back and take another third out," Long said. "It would be a stark contrast to what it is now. But that is a healthy forest. It looks very nice. It gets parklike." [1]


Yes, a GD suburban park—in the middle of a (once wild) forest.

This article nevertheless makes interesting reading for those contemplating a home in the 'woods.' Touched upon is Colorado following the national trend of ever more people moving into the "wildland-urban interface," or basically a suburban house in the forest. With this in conflict with the growing propensity and intensity of wildfires.

Forestry "experts" are advocating a severe pruning of our wild land. Ostensibly because it needs it, but mostly nonsense, as any forest by nature can take perfectly fine care of itself. Where it cannot, as in Ponderosa pine forests not periodically burning due fire suppression, then there is an imbalance. The Black Forest region is surely one such example. Naturally, periodic wildfires in such an environment would limit underbrush and to some extent the number of trees.

But it might also be remembered that all forests are not created equal, and differ due region, climate and elevation. As one example, higher elevation fir and spruce forests do not routinely burn, and can naturally go for many hundreds of years without any appreciable wildfire. To treat them the same as forests accustomed to periodic fires would be an abomination.

And at core, as usual, mankind is the problem. Not only in moving into forests and then wishing to manage out of existence the very thing moved there for, but also in creating the climate guaranteeing all the more unnaturally massive wildfires. This last through our rapid influence on a global climate that trees and so much else cannot tolerate.

One way or another there are likely to be changes, and often unwelcome. Those few willing to accept the inherent risks of living within forests in a natural manner may well find themselves legislated out of existence. With in effect a suburban mindset, expectations and rules imposed upon all occupants and that once wilderness. With all the less true forest existing in consequence.

One thing is a given—entirely aside from the issue of habitation—there WILL be ever larger and more destructive wildfires.


1) 'Explosive and expensive wildfires in Colorado becoming "new normal,' The Denver Post
Explosive and expensive wildfires in Colorado becoming "new normal" - The Denver Post

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

Thank you for helping the people of my home town! Poor Colorado Springs has turned into a crispy critter. I have been out here on the Western Slope for 6 years now, and I can only imagine the havoc caused by the two terrible fires. It saddens me deeply, but you are a bright spot in my morning. Thanks again.

- Rambler

PS Can you give us where to send our donations? I'm pretty broke, but I'll send what I can.

Sure, I can do that if it doesn't violate the TOU. I'm not soliciting a donation, just simply showing where it can be done if you want to. And any amount is gratefully accepted.

Colorado Baptist Convention: Colorado Baptists There's a button to click for donations down the left side of the page.

Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. That's my convention, so I'm throwing it in because we will be responding to Colorado in force: Oklahoma Disaster Relief | BGCO

North American Mission Board, our parent organization: http://www.namb.net

If you'd like, you can send a donation by check to either of those. The addresses are somewhere in the websites. What you CANNOT do is give us money when we arrive to do work on your property. We won't take it because it might lead people to say we're doing it for the money. We're not. We'll help clear anyone's property for nothing, trusting in God to make the funds available.

So far, He hasn't disappointed us.

[Idunn]

Originally Posted by stillkit

I'm not soliciting a donation, just simply showing where it can be done if you want to. And any amount is gratefully accepted.

This seems a fine idea, and the help certainly appreciated.

Although in looking I see no obvious way to donate. None at all, apparently, with Colorado Baptist Convention. There is with the North American Mission Board, although with a variety of donation categories possibly confusing with anyone wishing these funds targeted towards Colorado or wildfires in general.

Then also, although I didn't go that far, perhaps the question of the type of funds accepted? Maybe so, but if not, then offering PayPal in addition to credit cards would be not only appreciated—but the only way some are willing to transfer funds. Nor did I see on the first page of either of these sites a prominent donation button, which helps navigate and also increases donations.

Aside from these possible concerns, certainly thank you for all and any help.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by Idunn

This seems a fine idea, and the help certainly appreciated.

Although in looking I see no obvious way to donate. None at all, apparently, with Colorado Baptist Convention. There is with the North American Mission Board, although with a variety of donation categories possibly confusing with anyone wishing these funds targeted towards Colorado or wildfires in general.

Then also, although I didn't go that far, perhaps the question of the type of funds accepted? Maybe so, but if not, then offering PayPal in addition to credit cards would be not only appreciated—but the only way some are willing to transfer funds. Nor did I see on the first page of either of these sites a prominent donation button, which helps navigate and also increases donations.

Aside from these possible concerns, certainly thank you for all and any help.

There is a clickable button on the lower left side of the Colorado website, but I don't think it's a targeted donation vehicle.

NAMB doesn't allow donations targeted to just a specific disaster because they are the umbrella organization for all disasters we respond to.

The Oklahoma Baptist's, however, do allow donations to targeted ministries. You can donate to disaster relief in general or write in Black Forest fire in the "other" category here:

https://public.serviceu.com/Donation...E&RN=140862899

Or, you can send a check snail mail and specify what you want it spent on. That request will be honored.

[stillkit]

Good luck navigating it all and thank you for whatever you send. I'm shutting down the computer now as I'm off to Moore,OK to help wrap up that response and then probably on to Colorado Springs. If I get a chance to come home between missions, I'll check back in.