Dear Editor, It’s finally Autumn, the long awaited time when visitors can enjoy the crisp air and riotous display of color in our National Parks. This opportunity has not been lost during Utah Governor, Gary Herbert’s watch. Governor Herbert has negotiated an agreement with the White House to benefit all states wanting to support their own tourism industry, gateway communities, ...

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – The numbers listed of structures lost on the Rim Fire are just data to some. But for Donn Harter of Fish Camp, one of those structures consumed by the fire was his boyhood home along the south fork of the Tuolumne River. “When I saw this photo go up on the news, I said ‘that’s my little ...

WASHINGTON, DC – The Restoring Healthy Forests Act, HR 1526, was approved today by the House of Representatives by a vote of 244-173. The measure includes an amendment by California 4th District Congressman Tom McClintock, to allow the burned timber from the 2013 fire areas to be salvaged in an expedited manner. McClintock’s amendment was adopted by a vote of ...

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – With full containment of the Rim Fire in sight, and fire activity waning, crews and resources are being demobilized every day. As the firefighters head home, another team moves in to start the next phase of the process.

YOSEMITE – The Rim Fire has now burned 255,858 acres – over 400 square miles – and is now 81% contained. As of today, Sept. 15, 11 residences have been lost and 3 commercial properties destroyed, along with 98 outbuildings. There are 323 structures still listed as threatened.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – The first half of our day at the Rim Fire led us through areas that had already been burnt out or bypassed by the flames. Now we were headed into the more active fire area – Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite, and things were about to get interesting. The gates to the Park were closed and locked ...

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – With the Rim Fire now 80% contained, and the demobilization of over 2,000 personnel, I decided it was time to take a trip up to the area to see what the nearly 256,000 acre blaze had done to the landscape. Enlisting my husband as my driver so I could take photos out the window along the way, ...

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – Investigators from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement & Investigations and Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office have determined cause of the Rim Fire. The fire, which began on Aug. 17 on the Stanislaus Nation Forest near the area known as Jawbone Ridge, has been determined to have started when a hunter allowed an illegal fire to escape.

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – The Rim Fire is now 80% contained, and personnel assigned to the incident has been drawn down by nearly 1,000. Effective at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 3, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has lifted all evacuation advisories county-wide. This includes North Tuolumne Road, Ponderosa Hills, and the south side of Highway 108 from the North Tuolumne Road ...

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – Fighting the Rim Fire has been a costly effort, but the communities, infrastructure and natural resources saved have proven the success of the joint leadership team directing the effort, said Southern Area Blue Team Incident Commander Mike Wilkins. “The cost of the fire is huge,” said Wilkins. “We’ve spent a significant amount of money,