SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California's ongoing drought continues to aggravate wildfires across the state.

The Boles Fire in Siskiyou County has damaged or destroyed 100 structures in Weed, and the King Fire in El Dorado County northeast of Sacramento has already burned more than 128 square miles - and is costing taxpayers $5 million a day to fight.

An overabundance of young trees and what some dismiss as "brush" are often made the culprits of these large fires, as was the case in last year's Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park.

But biologist Rick Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute, says the state's current wildfires have causes other than simply a legacy of fire suppression.

"These forests have been impacted for so long because of drought and other conditions, and also past logging practices, that when these fires burn through there, they're going to burn through anything," says Halsey, "whether it's a cleared forest, a clear-cut forest, or a clogged forest."

Halsey says years of drought, aggravated by climate change – along with strong, hot winds – have created conditions where, as he puts it, "anything would burn."

In the case of both last year's Rim Fire and the current King Fire, he says, scars left upon the landscape from previous logging provided pathways for fire to travel.

"The massive numbers of clear-cuts, the fire's burning right through these things that are supposed to allow fires to be controlled," he explains. "And they're not working because we've got these severe drought conditions, we've got high winds, we've got temperatures that are off the record charts."

Halsey, who served as a Type II Wildland Firefighter in San Diego County, says firefighters face an impossible job in putting out large-scale wildland firestorms. The solution, in his view, is to keep from cutting everything away by confusing fuel with what grows naturally.

"The immediate reaction people have is, 'Well, it's fuel that's burning, so get rid of the fuel.' And what they're really talking about is habitat, where plants and animals live," Halsey explains. "And it isn't helpful to just continually look at the natural environment and call it 'fuel,' like some sort of pejorative enemy that needs to be conquered. It's an environment that we live in – that we choose to live in."

As is the case with earthquakes, Halsey says homes and buildings in California's fire-prone areas can and should be similarly adapted to survive fire. He believes the best practice is to leave large scale wild areas alone for nature to run its course, and instead focus on making communities less susceptible to fire.

"Retrofitting buildings and making sure they're fire-safe. Taking the stacks of wood away from the house and making sure your vents are ember-resistant," he says. "If you put as much money into that kind of thing as you do in fire suppression now, in terms of trying to control these big fires, it'd be a lot more effective. A lot more assets and homes and lives would be saved."

After the 2007 California firestorms, Halsey served as a member of the San Diego Regional Fire Safety Forum.



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A survey of 760 registered Latino voters found 87% of Latinos support projects to produce a cleaner, natural world.

The poll, conducted in 10 states, including Illinois, was commissioned by the Hispanic Access Foundation. The organization creates outreach efforts to inspire individuals to improve themselves, their families and their communities.

Vanessa Muñoz, waterways program manager for the Hispanic Access Foundation, said the survey showed disparities and injustices in the Latino community and is designed to empower community leaders' push for change and boost issue awareness. She noted the survey's timing is crucial.

"We are in an election year," Muñoz emphasized. "The survey results can play a critical role in shaping and informing policy discussions and ensuring that the needs and perspective of Latino voters are considered in the electoral process."

Among those surveyed, 91% of Latinos support policies for future Congressional sessions such as new national monuments, national parks or wildlife refuges to protect areas for outdoor recreation.

Environmentalists are seeing an increase in Latino advocacy in the challenge to clean up U.S. land and waters, especially in the Mississippi River area.

Muñoz explained one goal is the Biden Administration's 30 by 30 plan, which calls for conserving 30% of America's lands, fresh water and oceans by the year 2030.

"We found that 86% of Latinos think that PFAS or forever chemicals are a major threat to the Mississippi River," Muñoz outlined. "Another one was that 93% of Latinos believe that trash dumped in rivers and streams is a major threat to the Mississippi River."

Other survey respondents were based in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

Public comment ends this week for a permit needed for a high-profile oil pipeline project in northern Wisconsin. Opponents, including tribal voices, as well as supporters, have laid out recent organizing efforts ahead of an application decision. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will eventually decide on an environmental permit sought by Canadian firm Enbridge to re-route a section of its Line 5 pipeline around the Bad River Reservation. Tribal leaders have been engaged in a legal fight with the company over its existing line, which currently covers 12 miles of reservation land.

Gussie Lord, Earthjustice managing attorney of the Tribal Partnerships Program, represents the tribe and says the new plan fails to ease concerns.

"We know that this reroute is not a solution. It's a false solution to the dangers of the current pipeline. In fact, it really extends the dangers of the pipeline and increases the threat of a devastating oil spill, both to the Bad River Reservation's watershed and Lake Superior watershed," Lord explained.

Her group and other environmental organizations say more than 150,000 comments are being submitted that reflect these concerns. A separate coalition of labor, business and agricultural groups says it gathered roughly 14,000 signatures in support of the re-route. Ahead of public comment closing tomorrow, the coalition sent a letter arguing the construction would be a big economic win, with the new line aiding regional propane supplies.

Some supporters tout the potential jobs and related benefits.

Jason Wilhite, activism team lead with the outdoor apparel company Patagonia, contends any major spill could harm water recreation and all the business activity it creates.

"Put simply, a rupture of the Line 5 pipeline would have a devastating impact on our regional economy," he explained.

In an emailed statement, Enbridge said it's committed to extensive protective measures to minimize and mitigate project impacts. Tribal advocates say they are especially worried about the potential effect on wild rice beds. It's not clear when the Army Corps of Engineers will decide on the application. Other permits are needed for the proposed re-route.


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A new project is set to help North Carolina communities address environmental justice and climate equity.

The city of Charlotte, in collaboration with environmental groups, is launching the GreenPrints Initiative - to promote sustainable housing, improve air quality and develop green infrastructure in under-resourced neighborhoods.

CleanAIRE NC is among the key organizations involved.

According to the group's community engagement coordinator Kennedy Williams, the initiative's goal is to address the lack of sustainability and educate communities that need it the most - and are often overlooked.

"A lot of people are experiencing issues related to climate change that they don't know what climate change is or necessarily what sustainability looks like," said Williams. "So making sure that we're introducing sustainability and then also making sure that every aspect of every resident's lifestyle has sustainability at its core."

Williams explained that much of the initiative's efforts will be concentrated in what are known as the Opportunity Corridors of Beatties Ford Road and Freedom Drive, as well as Wilkinson Boulevard.

These areas have been identified as priorities for the deployment of sustainable solutions and community engagement.

A key component of the GreenPrints Initiative is air-quality monitoring, a project spearheaded by CleanAIRE NC.

Williams said sensors will be placed throughout the target neighborhoods to provide valuable data to community members, nonprofits and regulatory agencies.

"Low-cost air pollution sensors will be distributed to air keepers, who are basically like volunteer community members who are interested in maintaining air monitoring," said Williams. "The data from these sensors will be available through CleanAIRE's air-keeper dashboard, and this will really help better understand their geographic data and also their environmental data."

Williams noted that the GreenPrints Initiative is not just about implementing changes but also about listening to the community.

CleanAIRE NC plans to hold a forum on October 19 to gather input from residents about their sustainability concerns and priorities, ensuring that the initiative meets the needs of those most affected.




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