Glacier National Park, Montana
Image by National Geographic Photographer Keith Ladzinski
I was in Glacier National Park a month ago when I captured this photo. My heart is in distress comparing this to Ladzinski's photo of the now smoke ridden, burnt mountains.
With 64 active wildfires in the Western US, and 0 of them contained I feel compelled to discuss this. Living in Idaho we were in a cloud of smoke all last week with our air quality index measured at purple/very unhealthy. This weekend was the first blue sky we had seen for several days, but the fires are still raging on.
The National Interagency Fire Center(NIFC) provides daily reports as well as a break down of what counties and how many acres are buring. This is today's daily stats:
With such a heavy winter this past season I questioned why the beautiful landscapes of the west are ablaze. Excess water allowed new growth to flourish early in the year, but as temperatures rised quickly in the spring the snow melted at a faster rate than foreseen. Thus a lot of the vegetation dried out leaving behind ultimate forest fire fuel. This long, hot summer has only contributed to the now 8,159,989 acres that have burned. (Year-to-date statistics)
Eagle Creek fire, Oregon
photo taken on 9/4 from across the Columbia River as the Eagle Creek fire consumed the Columbia River Gorge
The west coast isn't the only area consumed with wildfires right now, but it is the area I am most directly affected by. My heart goes out to all those fighting to contain these fires, and all those who have been directly affected by them. From forest fires to hurricanes, natural disasters have been wreaking havoc across the states; I hope we can all enjoy a peaceful blue-sky day with a renewed respect for nature's intense capabilities.
