Imperial Fire update 7-31-16

Imperial Fire Information For Release: July 31, 2016
Contact: Nate Caswell, Refuge Manager – 928-783-3371

FIRE NAME: Imperial Fire 

LOCATION: The fire is located on the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge on the California side of the river between Ferguson Lake and the old gauging station across from the Eureka Mine area.

TIME REPORTED: July 30, 2016 at 8 a.m.

ACRES BURNED: The total perimeter of the fire is currently under 100 acres.

RESOURCES: There are currently six engines, one Type II hand crew and one Type I hand crew, three fire boats, one law enforcement boat, one helicopter, and overhead personnel totaling approximately 100 people.

AGENCIES: Agencies involved with suppression of the fire include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Yuma Wildland Fire crew, and several state and local agencies

LAND STATUS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

VEGETATION: Primarily salt cedar and phragmites

WEATHER: High temperature today is expected to be between 101 and 105 degrees with humidity between 26 to 31%. Winds are from the South at about 8 to 17 mph and are expected to calm this evening and remain from the south. Winds could become gusty in the afternoon if thunderstorms form.

RESOURCES AND STRUCTURES THREATENED: There are no structures threatened. Fire engines have been placed at strategic locations on the Arizona side of the river in case of any spot fires in locations reachable by road.

CONTAINMENT: Currently at 5% CAUSE: This fire was caused by lightning.

INJURIES: None

CURRENT STATUS: The Imperial Fire is slowly burning downstream on the California side of the Colorado River and is only accessible by boat. The western side of the fire is desert upland habitat.
Firefighters conducted a burnout operation and stopped the fire’s upriver movement on Saturday. There was one small spot fire on the Arizona side of the river Saturday that was extinguished. Smoke and flame will continue as vegetation continues to burn toward the south. Fire boats are on the river.
A fire line has been prepared at a narrow area near Ferguson Lake.

The Meers Point Recreation Area is closed to public use to accommodate firefighting equipment. The river remains open but river users are asked to use extreme caution in the area.

Firefighter and public safety continues to be the top priority.

Quartzsite Police assist BLM with arrest

In a Press Release issued today, January 23, 2012, Quartzsite Police Chief Jeff Gilbert states,

"On January 21, the Quartzsite Police Department assisted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) law enforcement division with the arrest and investigation of several subjects staying in the La Posa North camp grounds.

One person was arrested and booked into the La Paz County jail for possession of a large quantity of marijuana. While the person in question may have possessed a medical marijuana card, the BLM camping area is on federal land and the “legal possession” of marijuana does not apply.

In fact, the amount of marijuana seized was over the legal threshold for personal possession by Arizona’s new laws, and if not charged federally, would have been charged under state statutes.

Numerous anti-Quartzsite Facebook sites have “posted” the following information which is far from the truth.

Demand Justice in Quartzsite AZ:
Demand Justice in Quartzsite has received several reports this morning from people camped in the North La Posa LTVA that various law enforcement agencies have been doing massive sweeps arresting and citing "undesirables". We talked to Jack Silent Eagle a Navajo Silversmith last night who said he was "chased by cowboys on ATV's" and injured his arm falling in a wash. "I thought they were gonna kill me" he said. The timing seems to be an indication that the town fears "traveling vagrants" may be registering to vote in the upcoming election. Zeke (who did not give his last name), a vendor camping in the LTVA said "They came into our camp and began searching everybody's RV's without warrants or probable cause. One retired guy was arrested for Marijuana possession even though he's a medical patient in California. They gave us all tickets."

The information being published on these sites regarding this incident is obviously intended to mislead and scare the public. “Law enforcement agencies” are not conducting “massive sweeps” and arresting “undesirables”.

The Quartzsite Police Department will, and always has, support other agencies in their law enforcement efforts within the jurisdiction of Quartzsite. Being a medical marijuana patient in California does not exclude you from other state and federal laws.

Other individuals were cited and released for possession of marijuana by BLM Rangers on the scene. One individual involved is being investigated by the Quartzsite Police Department for the possession of materials that may be associated with child pornography.

These arrests have nothing to do with any “upcoming election” as their propaganda alleges."

Native American group files suit against BLM for failure to consult

Six Utility Scale Desert Solar Projects

Get Holiday Surprise

BLYTHE, CA. La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle, a prestigious Native American cultural protection group, filed suit Monday in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, challenging the Bureau of Land Management permitting processes related to six large solar facilities planned for the Mohave, Sonoran and Colorado deserts of Southern California, Case No.10CV2664 WQH WVG. According to Patricia Piñon Chairperson of La Cuna's Advisory Committee, the group was joined by CARE, Californians for Renewable Energy, and 6 individual Native American plaintiffs. Piñon indicates La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Site Protection Circle has standing to sue by virtue of meeting the definition of "Indian Tribe," according to Section 106 of the National Register of Historic Places, and by virtue of an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the BLM.

According to court documents, the projects include the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Project (Brightsource Energy), the Blythe Solar Power Project (Chevron Energy Solutions and Solar Millenium, LLC), the Imperial Valley Solar Project (Tessera/NTR), Chevron Energy Solutions Lucerne Valley Solar Project, Calico Solar Project (Tessera/NTR), and the Genesis Project (Florida Power and Light subsidiary NextEra™). La Cuna founder Alfredo Figueroa states that cumulatively, the projects would grade and develop 23,842 acres of essentially pristine desert lands, designated as class "L" under the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. Class L (Limited Use) lands protect "natural, scenic, ecological, and cultural resource values. The lands are "managed to provide for generally lower-intensity, carefully controlled multiple use of resources, while ensuring that sensitive values are not significantly diminished." The complaint indicates that each of the projects was permitted with an "amendment" to the CDCA according to the Bureau of Land Management.

The suit follows the filing of the Quechan tribe's legal challenge to the Imperial Valley Solar Project which was granted an injunction by Judge Larry Burns on December 15, Civil Action No. '10CV2241 LAB CAB, United State District Court for the Southern District of California. Robert Lukefahr, CEO of Tessara Solar said at the time, "Tessera Solar is deeply disappointed with the federal court's ruling last night." Company press releases stated on December 9, 2010 (prior to Congress extending the time limits for ARRA, American Reinvestment and Recovery Act 30% project cash grants--at the end of the lame duck session--to December 30, 2011) parent company NTR (National Toll Roads of Ireland) had taken a "write down" of 96 million Euros. The Quechan suit further clouds the issues for investors. Now La Cuna de Aztlan's complaint and request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), giving time for an injunction to be considered by the court, adds another impediment for industrial development of the desert. Following La Cuna's filing, the future of 5 additional projects is in jeopardy.

According to La Cuna de Aztlan Piñon, the pressure of the ARRA "fast track" process approved by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar resulted in inadequate Environmental Impact Statements and inadequate government to government consultation with the tribes, under Section 106 of the National Register of Historic Places. Bill Powers of San Diego based Powers Engineering, a prominent energy engineer states, "So the Orwellian aspect of the government involvement in this process is that now instead of the analysis being focused on is this a cost effective project, is it a project that will minimize or eliminate environmental damage, is it a good investment strategically for this state, all of that is secondary for the race to get the permit so that the project can get a 30 percent cash grant. In this case -- that's $600 million up front per project. So the money is so big that it's now like a bull rush to the finish line."

The potential impacts are both environmental and cultural. Jim Andre, Ph.D. University of California Riverside botanist, and Director of the Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Institute states, “Rather than be smart from the start by utilizing ecologically degraded sites first, a reckless and scientifically unmerited decision has been made to instead race into our most pristine desert and obliterate some of the most botanically significant lands in California.” With over 250 projects in application in California alone, over 2 million acres of desert would be graded if all of the projects now in application were to be approved. Dr. Andre continues, "This scale of an impact has never occurred before. When you consider the importance of these (eco) systems to provide corridors for species to move as climate changes, whether its human caused change, or just the natural course of variation in climate change, you’ve really done in the entire ecosystem at that scale."

At stake also are the region's unique and invaluable cultural resources. According to the testimony of Elizabeth A. Bagwell, Ph.D., RPA and Beverly E. Bastian before the California Energy Commission, "This analysis estimates that more than 800 sites (Cultural Resource Sites--Sacred Sites) within the I-10 corridor, and 17,000 sites within the Southern California Region will be potentially destroyed. La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle has an agreement with the BLM to work together to protect Native American sacred sites and cultural resources.