Cowlitz Complex grows to more than 40 fires
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month AGO
Lightning struck in the south zone of the Cowlitz Complex Aug. 26. The complex so far is comprised of more than 40 small fires and a few larger ones.
COURTESY PHOTO/U.S. FOREST SERVICE
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | September 1, 2023 1:30 AM
MOSES LAKE — The Cowlitz Complex that cropped up last weekend in Gifford Pinchot National Forest between Mount Rainier and the Columbia River has now grown to more than 40 small fires totaling about 400 acres, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. The fires were ignited Aug. 25 by a lightning storm and 294 personnel have been dispatched in four divisions to fight the fires. Some of the fires that are smaller, unnamed and are less accessible are unstaffed as available resources focus on incidents of greater concern and greater likelihood of successful containment, the Forest Service wrote in an update Thursday.
Cowlitz Complex fires include Snagtooth, the largest, at 279 acres; Spencer Quartz at 160 acres; South Fork, 15 acres; Jackpot Creek, 39 acres; Bear Creek, 32 acres; and Carlton Ridge, 22 acres. None of the complex was contained Thursday afternoon and costs were estimated at more than $700,000
These fires were also burning or were recently extinguished Thursday, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:
• Lake Whatcom: Discovered Aug. 28 about 9 miles southeast of Bellingham, this fire had burned 45 acres Thursday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $150,000.
• Kindy Creek: Discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee, this blaze was at 197 acres Thursday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $90,000.
• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak had grown to 1,056 acres Thursday and was 31% contained. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.
• Dome Peak: This fire, located northeast of the Mt. Baker National Forest, was uncontained as of Thursday and was holding steady at 1,076 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.
• Airplane Lake: This blaze was at 3,709 acres Thursday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.
• Puyallup Point: Discovered Aug. 27 about 8 miles west of Mount Rainier, it was holding steady at 10 acres Thursday afternoon. Containment and cost information was not available.
• Gray: Discovered Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, it was 91% contained at 10,085 acres Thursday. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at $8.4 million.
• Oregon Road: This fire, discovered Aug. 18 about 31 miles north of Spokane, was 83% contained Thursday at 10,817 acres. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at about $11 million.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”