06/16/2026
2020… photos of the Mangum Fire. NOT Rock Canyon.
Some of you don’t understand my intense feelings about fire. Growing up in northern Wyoming, with Yellowstone as my backyard, I remember the ash that blanketed my town in 1988. Smoke so thick you couldn’t breathe. I remember Black Sunday. And the aftermath of that Let It Burn fire are still visible today.
Fire claimed my childhood home. Twice.
Fire is a force we cannot tame. It creates its own weather. It devastates and yet promotes regrowth: when “managed” correctly. But lately these fires are creating lasting effects in how it alters the soil. Super heated temperatures create hydrophobic soil that will not sustain life.
When fires burn outside my window it is personal for me. It is my backyard going up in flames. It is praying that whatever agency fighting that fire has a common sense plan that allows for quick suppression during dry and windy seasons. I want to give a shoutout to the fire crews of the Bureau of Land Management Arizona and Kaibab Forest Service for their swift response yesterday!!! Thank you!
Nuclear clouds billowing on my horizon make me sad, angry and emotional. I am connected to these places. These acres that burn are not just a tabulated number… they are my home. They are the aromatic sagebrush, the ancient junipers, the beautiful animals and song birds, the towering Ponderosas, and the sand and the soil that sustains them.
I take fire personally. Please take a moment and pray for fire crews safety and that failed policies don’t burn it all to the ground. Are you hearing me, National Park Service ? Because last year you FAFO with the North Rim. And this summer is going to be a long one…. we don’t have much land left for you to sacrifice.
