[cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma
According to the Magee Fire Chief, it is estimated that more than 600 acres have burned since about 4 AM Easter morning. The most probable cause is a discarded cigarette! The refuge policy is to let the fire burn as long as it does not threaten people or dwellings. News updates on CNYcental.com. Sad news for a beautiful Sunday when Spring Migration is really on the uptick. ---Suzanne Henderson -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
RE: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma
Hi all, 3:15 pm - I called the visitor center at Montezuma. The fire is just about out, the drive is closed and the visitor center will close shortly. The fire was in the cattails in the main pool area. Laura Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu From: bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Henderson [shend...@twcny.rr.com] Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:52 PM To: cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma According to the Magee Fire Chief, it is estimated that more than 600 acres have burned since about 4 AM Easter morning. The most probable cause is a discarded cigarette! The refuge policy is to let the fire burn as long as it does not threaten people or dwellings. News updates on CNYcental.com. Sad news for a beautiful Sunday when Spring Migration is really on the uptick. ---Suzanne Henderson -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma
I drove to Montezuma this morning before I knew of the fire. The smoke was visible from Warren Road in Ithaca. The wildlife drive was closed, but there were crowds at the visitors center watching the fire.Not paying any attention to the fire at all were the Tree Swallows, who are back en masse there. When I left this morning, across from the airport on Warren Road, I saw a Tufted Titmouse collecting fur from the tail of a dead red squirrel. The squirrel was in the middle of the road, and the titmouse was hopping back and forth to get to the side when cars approached. Best, Laura Erickson On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 3:16 PM, Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu wrote: Hi all, 3:15 pm - I called the visitor center at Montezuma. The fire is just about out, the drive is closed and the visitor center will close shortly. The fire was in the cattails in the main pool area. Laura Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu -- *From:* bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu [ bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Henderson [ shend...@twcny.rr.com] *Sent:* Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:52 PM *To:* cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu *Subject:* [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma According to the Magee Fire Chief, it is estimated that more than 600 acres have burned since about 4 AM Easter morning. The most probable cause is a discarded cigarette! The refuge policy is to let the fire burn as long as it does not threaten people or dwellings. News updates on CNYcental.com. Sad news for a beautiful Sunday when Spring Migration is really on the uptick. ---Suzanne Henderson -- -- Laura Erickson Science Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-254-1114 If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four times a year. We invite you to join our force for nature. To sign up or watch our video about membership, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at 1-800-843-2473. For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma
We were just up in Auburn today, At Bass Pro they were saying it was a prescribed burn, which they have done many times at Montezuma in the past. Trouble is this year the wind picked it up and it burned after they put it out. The ash was flying in the air for miles around and smoke very visible. We left the area around 2pm. There were 2 distinct fires. On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 3:16 PM, Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu wrote: Hi all, 3:15 pm - I called the visitor center at Montezuma. The fire is just about out, the drive is closed and the visitor center will close shortly. The fire was in the cattails in the main pool area. Laura Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu From: bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Henderson [shend...@twcny.rr.com] Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:52 PM To: cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma According to the Magee Fire Chief, it is estimated that more than 600 acres have burned since about 4 AM Easter morning. The most probable cause is a discarded cigarette! The refuge policy is to let the fire burn as long as it does not threaten people or dwellings. News updates on CNYcental.com. Sad news for a beautiful Sunday when Spring Migration is really on the uptick. ---Suzanne Henderson -- -- Laura Erickson Science Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-254-1114 If you've found this information useful, I hope you'll consider supporting our work on behalf of birds and other wildlife. In addition to knowing that you'll be making a difference for conservation, you'll receive our award-winning Living Bird magazine and informative BirdScope newsletter four times a year. We invite you to join our force for nature. To sign up or watch our video about membership, visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/membership or call us at 1-800-843-2473. For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
Re: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma
Hi, I started out today hoping for a day of birding and came out to our cars which were covered in ash. Later, I would hear of ash on people's homes and cars in Skaneateles, Elbridge and Auburn. People reportedly could see the fire on their way from Ithaca. At the time,I didn't give it much thought as I wanted to get going. I didn't go to Montezuma right away and while I was in Owasco, I saw a strange cloud formation. I wondered what it was. It didn't look like smoke at this point. As I drove closer to Montezuma on Rt. 20, there was a massive cloud of black smoke. My first thought was that its Easter Sunday and that seemed strange for a prescribed burn. As we got closer to the entrance, cars were pouring in and out. I kept going and turned on to Rt 89. The overlook was completely filled with cars spilling on to both sides of the road. I could see at this point that the fire had run along the loop inside the refuge along the Thruway. The people on the Thruway must have had quite the shock earlier. I went back to the refuge and the cars had thinned out, but the fire was still ebbing and flaring across the center of the refuge. The Eagles were surrounded by the fire on the Island, but the ranger said they stayed on the nest. Amazing! It looks like the flames spared the trees and blackened the earth where the grass was consumed. A special marsh vehicle was called in and arrived just as the wind had changed and now the fire was turning back on itself, which I'm sure made their job somewhat easier. Later, I could see official cars from Rt. 89, and I believe the Marsh vehicle that sucks up water from the marsh was in play putting out the hot spots. Things could have been even worse if the fire had reached an area of peat. At least, most birds are not nesting. All and all, it's a shame to have happened, given that it is believed to be intentionally or accidently started. Here's a few photos of the fire. One, interestingly, has 2 geese near the fire, though a telephoto lens does compress the scene. One goose seems oblivious. Diana http://www.pbase.com/dianawhitingphoto/image/123305067 http://www.pbase.com/dianawhitingphoto/image/123305150 http://www.pbase.com/dianawhitingphoto/image/123305172 http://www.pbase.com/dianawhitingphoto/image/123305202 http://www.pbase.com/image/123305713 Hi, We went up to Montezuma to check out migration, without knowing that the billows of smoke we were seeing were coming from there. We found out soon enough, though, and happened to meet up with our friend there, a state forest ranger who had been called in to coordinate part of the fire response help establish the cause. As Suzanne said, it started around 3:30 AM this morning. Unfortunately, it was not a prescribed burn, and it sounded like they tend to think it may have been started intentionally but the investigation is continuing I'm sure it will look fine relatively quickly but at the moment most of the marsh lying between the Main Pool, the thruway, and Rte 89 has been completely burned over - we heard about 640 acres total. Alicia Maureen Barger wrote: We were just up in Auburn today, At Bass Pro they were saying it was a prescribed burn, which they have done many times at Montezuma in the past. Trouble is this year the wind picked it up and it burned after they put it out. The ash was flying in the air for miles around and smoke very visible. We left the area around 2pm. There were 2 distinct fires. On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 3:16 PM, Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu wrote: Hi all, 3:15 pm - I called the visitor center at Montezuma. The fire is just about out, the drive is closed and the visitor center will close shortly. The fire was in the cattails in the main pool area. Laura Laura Stenzler l...@cornell.edu From: bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-5520926-8866...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Henderson [shend...@twcny.rr.com] Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:52 PM To: cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fire at Montezuma According to the Magee Fire Chief, it is estimated that more than 600 acres have burned since about 4 AM Easter morning. The most probable cause is a discarded cigarette! The refuge policy is to let the fire burn as long as it does not threaten people or dwellings. News updates on CNYcental.com. Sad news for a beautiful Sunday when Spring Migration is really on the uptick. ---Suzanne Henderson -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http
