We are nearing the end of our second hitch at Coronado National Memorial! We started out the week with prep work along the east side of the prescribed burn perimeter; limbing large mesquite trees and removing ladder fuel.
Ladder Fuels: Low lying shrubs underneath or surrounding trees that could ignite and create crown fires. Crown fires are dangerous because embers could travel from the "crown" of the tree and create spot fires in new areas. This is especially important to prevent when dealing with prescribed burns because the last thing you want is for the fire to get out of control and require suppression tactics.
We continued prep work along the perimeter on Tuesday with some help from Jay, a firefighter from Tucson who offered to come down and work with us. With his help we covered a lot of ground, and had a blast working with and learning from someone with so much experience in the fire world.
On Wednesday we took a break from the perimeter and worked inside the burn unit with 5 National Park Service Arcaheology gurus. We limbed trees (Mesquite and Oak), removed ladder fuels (Manzanita), and cut high fire intensity grasses (Lehmann's lovegrass) from in and around archaic rock structures. The rock structures are believed to be remnants of an old corral; dwellings, walls, stoves etc. As we worked, we would take breaks periodically to stop, look, and listen...Not only are we working on a hill with a panoramic view of Mexico, but we are also standing where Native Americans dwelled over 6,000 years ago. If you stop for a moment, you can feel the history overlapping with the present. If you look, you can see Mexico. If you listen, you can hear Mother Nature and ancestral spirits saying "Thank You" in the wind. Now that's a trip.
On our off time this week, we explored Coronado Cave (pictures below), made some incredible rice and veggie bombs (hitch slang for enormous amounts of rice and veggies) and enjoyed listening to music, reading good books, learning about local plants and basking in each others company. We love our jobs and love even more that we can share them with you!
