Terrain hampering efforts to contain Nebraska wildfire (unique hand-planted forest & Daily Kos info)
Source: Omaha World Herald
By Paul Hammel
LINCOLN — A wildfire burning in Nebraska's unique hand-planted forest near Halsey, Neb., was reported 20 percent contained Monday morning as new crews rushed to replace local volunteers.
A lightning storm that passed through central Nebraska at midday Saturday was the suspected cause of the blaze on the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest.
Approximately 1,000 acres have burned at the “Camp 5 Fire,” about 22 miles southeast of Halsey.
Steep, sandy terrain and dense forest were hampering firefighting efforts, said Cyd Janssen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. The burn area is a mixture of forest and grasslands between two now-closed campgrounds, Whitetail and Natick, that cater to ATV and horseback riders.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120702/NEWS/707029921/1707#terrain-hampering-efforts-to-contain-nebraska-wildfire
http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=170
5517 total signers (so far).
Please sign our petition to Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid demanding they pass legislation making all federal firefighters eligible for federal health insurance.
Many of the men and women hired by the federal government to fight the wildfires in Colorado, and around the country, are doing so without health insurance. They are classified as temporary employees by the Forest Service, and as such, are not eligible for federal health care or retirement benefits.
It would take an act of Congress to fix this. While Republicans in Congress don't want to pass any expansion in public employee benefits, refusing to help the firefighters who are risking life and limb in order to save entire towns in one of the important swing states in the nation could be politically disastrous for them in an election year.
Putting pressure on Republicans and congressional leaders to help firefighters get affordable health care starts by showing them tens of thousands of voters are paying attention. Please, sign our petition to congressional leaders demanding they pass legislation making all federal firefighters eligible for health insurance.
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