Chinook Winds Fan Toklat Basin Fires

DENALI PARK, Alaska: There was little change in the size of most of the fires burning in Denali National Park and Preserve over the past 24 hours, with the exception of two burning in the Toklat Basin north of the Denali Park Road. Yesterday afternoon chinook winds gusting from the Alaska Range pushed the Wigand and Toklat River East Fires north over one and seven miles respectively, which also significantly increased the size of both fires. The Wigand Fire is now an estimated 1,790 acres and the Toklat River East Fire is 8,928 acres. Fire managers were not able to obtain an accurate fire perimeter due to the smoke in the area. These fires may merge, as they are in close proximity to each other. The historical Lower Toklat and Lower East Fork ranger patrol cabins are potentially threatened by the increased fire activity. Four smoke jumpers were deployed at each cabin this afternoon after fire managers were able to fully assess the structural protection needs.

Map of fires in Denali. Click the image above to view a larger version. Updated July 2, 2013

 

Nine wildfires are burning in the park.

The 59,000-acre Beaver Log Lakes Fire is the only other fire being staffed, and it is managed by the Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) based at Lake Minchumina.Fire personnel have successfully burned out areas around cabins and other buildings on the north shore of Lake Minchumina and are continuing to mop up around these structures.

The Moving River Fire approximately 30 miles northwest of Kantishna is now 26,266 acres and is also being managed by the Type 3 IMT. The 550-acre Chilchukabena Lake Fire is approximately ¾ mile north of the Moving River Fire and will likely merge with it.

The McKinley River East Fire 14 miles northwest of Wonder Lake was re-mapped and is now 4,037 acres. It is in an area where a large 1986 fire burned adjacent to the McKinley River.It and the lightning-ignited fires burning in remote backcountry north of the Denali Park Road are not threatening any critical park resources, and will continue to be monitored for any significant changes in activity.

Visit http://www.nps.gov/dena/parkmgmt/currentfireinfo.htm for current information about wildfires in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Fire danger for the park and surrounding area is moderate to high. The National Park Service is urging park visitors to be extremely cautious with anything that could start a wildfire. Campfires are discouraged, but they are permitted in the fire grates in three of the park's campgrounds.Fires are not allowed in the park's wilderness areas. Fireworks are not allowed in the park and will be confiscated. Persons using fireworks in the park may be prosecuted.

There are currently 109 active wildfires in the state. Where there is fire, there is smoke. Due to the current and expected statewide fire activity, park visitors should anticipate the possibility of varying levels of smoke in the park. Wildfire smoke information is available at http://dec.alaska.gov/air/smokemain.htm. Visit http://fire.ak.blm.gov for statewide information and a map of the active fires.

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BLM-Alaska Celebrates 150 Years of the Homestead Act

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anchorage—Alaska Governor Sean Parnell has declared May 20, 2012, Federal Homestead Day in Alaska.  In addition to the Governor’s proclamation, BLM-Alaska is marking the 150^th anniversary of the Homestead Act with several local events and a new Webpage.  Grab the family and jump in the wagon (or station wagon!) this 4^th of July and join BLM-Alaska as we honor 150 years of the Homestead Act.  BLM-Alaska will participate in the Anchorage July 4^th Parade and will host a Homesteading in Alaska-themed booth at the Festival on the Parkstrip from Noon to 6:00 p.m. at the Anchorage 4^th of July Celebration on the Delaney Parkstrip.  The last female homesteader in America, Elizabeth M. Smith, and other Alaskan homesteaders will join us at the booth to talk about their experiences homesteading on the Last Frontier.  The booth will also feature interpretive displays and materials on homesteading and its history.  BLM-Alaska has also developed a Web page that covers the origins, opportunities and legacy of Homesteading in Alaska.  The page features an interactive timeline, videos, photos and a downloadable poster.  The page can be found on the BLM-Alaska website at www.blm.gov/ak.

Homesteading in Alaska began when President William McKinley signed legislation in 1898 extending homestead laws to the District of Alaska.  In the rest of the United States, homesteading began when President Lincoln signed the 1862 Homestead Act, enabling over 1.6 million people to claim federal land intended for small farms. By the time the last Alaska homestead claims were made in the 1980s, approximately 3,500 people had homesteaded in the Alaska territory.  Potential homesteaders traveled by boat, car, and later by airplane, some north of the Arctic Circle where grizzlies outnumbered humans, some to a plot accessible only by train, most settling near areas close to roads or where boats could land.  They included Gold Rush era miners who resumed prior careers as farmers in the early 1900s, and some WWII soldiers returning to Alaska after 1945 having become enchanted with their memories of a sportsman’s paradise.  Others came just wanting the adventure of Alaska, some arriving as late as the 1970s.  Most Alaska homesteaders came overland, some dragging trailers up the Alaska Highway after it opened in 1947, they were the only ones who avoided building a house from scratch with no indoor plumbing.  All faced the brutal Alaskan winters, some found it to be too much and abandoned their dreams of living in the wild, leaving Alaska or settling in a town where life was easier.

The distinction of being Alaska and America’s last female homesteader to receive a homestead requiring cultivation of the land belongs to Elizabeth M. Smith.  She received a homestead patent on Oct. 18, 1984, for land near Big Delta, Alaska.  The distinction of being Alaska’s last male homesteader, and the last homesteader in the entire nation to receive a homestead requiring cultivation of the land, belongs to Kenneth W. Deardorff.  He received a homestead patent on May 5, 1988, to land on the Stony River near Lime Village in southwestern Alaska. He filed his homestead claim in 1974, but its remoteness caused delays in his receiving patent to the land until the spring of 1988.  Descendants of homesteaders today are estimated at about 93 million Americans, with many thousands still living on farms claimed by their ancestors.