Latest news with #U.S.ForestService
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Climate
- Newsweek
California Wolf Fire Map, Update as Huge Blaze Sparks Evacuations
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Residents in the path of a wildfire in California have been urged to flee as officials order evacuations across the region. Dubbed the "Wolf" fire, the blaze is burning across some 1,165 acres in Riverside County. Evacuation orders are in place throughout the surrounding areas because of the "immediate threat to life," according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). An archive photo of a U.S. Forest Service firefighter firing flares into the brush to set a backfire near Calimesa, in Riverside County, California, in October 2005. An archive photo of a U.S. Forest Service firefighter firing flares into the brush to set a backfire near Calimesa, in Riverside County, California, in October It Matters In January, California saw wildfires that killed at least two dozen people and left thousands homeless, while thick plumes of toxic smoke blanketed the city. More recently, the Ranch fire and the Henderson fire blazed across hundreds of acres, while the Lake fire erupted around 4 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday at the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area in San Bernardino County and spread to 478 acres over the subsequent five hours. Evacuation orders were issued, but they were later lifted as firefighters managed to contain the flames. What To Know The Wolf fire broke out at 3:09 p.m. on Sunday in the area of Old Banning Idyllwild Road and the Wolfskill Truck Trail south of the city of Banning. Cal Fire described the blaze as a vegetation fire and rated its severity as critical. The fire's cause is still under investigation, according to the agency. Some 300 personnel are fighting the blaze, equipped with four helicopters and 70 fire engines. Evacuation orders are in place, with officials warning: "Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is lawfully closed to public access." The affected area runs north of Poppet Flat Divide Truck Trail, south of Interstate 10, east of Highland Springs Avenue and west of Old Cabazon Road. Besides the evacuation orders, a number of "evacuation warnings" are also in place. According to authorities, residents living in affected areas face a "potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now." Areas covered by evacuation warnings include an area south of Highland Springs Avenue, east of Bergamo Avenue, and west of Highway 243. On Sunday, Cal Fire shared details and updates about the blaze on X, formerly Twitter. In an update about the wildfire posted shortly after 4 p.m., the agency said, "The fire has been mapped at 62 acres and continues to burn at a moderate rate." An update shortly after 6 p.m. said evacuation orders and warnings were in place, while an update at 9 p.m. said the fire remained out of control—with firefighters still working to contain it. According to Cal Fire's incident report, as of 9:46 p.m. on Sunday, the Wolf fire was 0 percent contained. #WolfFIRE [UPDATE 4:09 p.m.] The fire has been mapped at 62 acres and continues to burn at a moderate rate. No evacuations have been ordered. Vegetation Fire: rpt @ 3:06 p.m. Old Banning and Idyllwild Road X Wolfskill Truck Trail, south of Banning. Firefighters are on scene of... — CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) June 29, 2025 What People Are Saying A status update on Cal Fire's website said: "The fire continues to burn at a moderate rate in medium to heavy brush. Four night-flying helicopters and hundreds of firefighters will continue working throughout the night on containing the fire. … Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow." What Happens Next Residents should regularly check their local news reports and follow Cal Fire on its social media feeds for the most up-to-date information on evacuation orders and safety advice. An evacuation shelter is in place at Hemet High School (41701 East Stetson Avenue, Hemet 92544), while an animal evacuation shelter can be found at 581 South Grand Avenue, San Jacinto 92582.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
10 of the most unique colourful insects found in the wild
From blush-pink mantises to golden beetles, hummingbird-like moths to painterly stink bugs, the world is full of insects that wouldn't look out of place in an art museum. According to BBC Wildlife, there are multiple reasons for their unique appearances: camouflage, mating, and protection. By blending into their surroundings, insects like the orchid mantis give predators the slip or become invisible to their prey. Displaying vibrant colors helps bugs like the coastal peacock spider attract mates. And flashier insects like the green milkweed locust, meanwhile, display their colors to warn that they are poisonous or taste bad. According to BBC Wildlife, here are 10 of the prettiest insects and bugs found in the wild: The aptly named Picasso bug is a stink bug-like insect that uses its distinctive, vibrant markings to warn predators to stay away, per a 2011 study. Despite their ethereal beauty, the tiny, flower-like orchid mantises are pretty bloodthirsty, using their mimicry to lure in unsuspecting pollinators, which they quickly feast upon. No, that's not a hummingbird—it's actually a moth! Several species of the day-flying insects are common throughout the world, per the U.S. Forest Service, and they move and feed on nectar much like their avian lookalikes. Good news: These tiny, iridescent beauties probably can't sting you—instead, they parasitize other wasps. Their glittering appearance is the result of complex light refraction and a dimpled exoskeleton, and scientists still don't know why they're so colorful. (Aside from moths, parasitic wasps like this one are Kawahara's favorite insects.) These locusts flash their colorful wings to warn predators—and it's actually pretty helpful, since they secrete a liquid derived from milkweed plants when threatened. A common pest in southern Florida, the thorn bug has adapted to look strikingly similar to, well, thorns. The insects cling to stems and tree trunks in large clusters, per the University of Florida, making them tough for even humans to spot at first. Distinguished by pinks, yellows, and purples straight out of a Starburst wrapper, the rosy maple moth is one of the smallest, with just a two-inch maximum wingspan. Butterflies might be the most beloved winged insects, Kawahara says, but moths are just as interesting. Leaves, meet your doppelgängers. These tropical bugs look so much like plants that it's even tough for us to spot them. The slow-moving herbivores can be green, yellow, orange, or red, and they're likely unchanged from millions of years ago, per researchers at Virginia Tech. Like your great-aunt who lives in South Beach, the coastal peacock spider doesn't believe in dressing down. Made famous by several viral videos, male spiders perform a complex dance routine to court females—and just like their namesake bird, their fabulous colors play a huge role. Found in the vast majority of the United States, the golden tortoise beetle looks like a tiny gold coin with transparent edges. Surprisingly, their brilliant metallic sheen fades when they die, leaving a dull red-yellow color behind.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Map: These wild California forests could open to logging under Trump plan
The Trump administration is seeking to undo a 25-year-old rule that shields nearly a third of U.S. Forest Service lands from roads and logging, including large swaths of California, notably areas near Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Giant Sequoia National Monument. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who announced the plan to rescind the 'roadless rule' this week, called the protections outdated, saying they were preventing responsible timber production and necessary wildfire prevention work. Conservation groups, however, shot back that the move would simply encourage destructive logging ventures in ecologically important areas. They pledged to fight the action as it winds through what promises to be a lengthy and litigious repeal process. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule covers about 59 million acres of Forest Service lands, mostly in Western states. The protections were initiated by President Bill Clinton to try to stop the encroachment of industry in some of the last untouched parts of national forests. Many have criticized the measure, though, as an end run on the Wilderness Act because it establishes safeguards similar to wilderness areas without getting congressional approval as required by the act. In California, 4.4 million acres across 20 national forests are protected by the rule, according to the Forest Service. It's nearly 5% of the state's total lands and includes stretches of such heavily visited forests as the Tahoe, Sequoia, Sierra, Stanislaus and Inyo. Many of the spots that are protected border wilderness areas and national parks. 'Most people think they're in wilderness when they step in,' said John Buckley, executive director of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, a nonprofit that advocates for healthy landscapes. 'People use them as gateways to go through to get to wilderness areas' and to parks. Buckley and others describe some of the protected lands as ecological hot spots where the development of roads and timber operations would fragment sensitive habitat, disrupt wildlife and pollute watersheds. 'It would be short-sighted and arrogant for the American people to support the unleashing of chainsaws and the bulldozing of new roads into the small percentage of our public lands that have managed to stay pristine, wild, roadless areas,' Buckley said. While enterprises such as oil drilling and mining aren't expressly prohibited under the roadless rule, the policy has served as a de facto ban because roads are required for such endeavors. Supporters of the rule say new roads would inevitably bring these commercial activities. Speaking this week at a meeting of the Western Governors' Association, Secretary Rollins said not building roads into these areas is worse. It prevents the Forest Service from ensuring that important firefighting and fire mitigation work is done, she said. She also said it stifles economic development, which is at odds with President Trump's many executive orders calling for greater resource extraction on federal lands. 'This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests,' Rollins said. 'It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.' The timber trade widely welcomed the proposed rollback, though opening new public lands for private logging is no guarantee of increased timber production. Building roads into these areas will be costly. Under the Trump administration, the Forest Service has cut the staffing that helps plan and oversee logging contracts. The timber industry, especially in California, has lost capacity to harvest wood. Matt Dias, president and CEO of the California Forestry Association, said foresters would be happy to have more opportunities to work with the federal government on projects that can increase forest health and fire safety. 'We are very pleased that they're considering rolling back this particular policy, if it will help us get to where we want to be,' he said. The announcement of the repeal kicks off an administrative process that requires a technical review of what the impact would be as well as inviting public comment. This could take months, a year or even longer. If the rule is changed or eliminated, litigation will almost certainly follow. Environmentalists insist that little good will come of revoking the rule. They say the Trump administration's promotion of the action as a fire prevention measure is simply propaganda. 'Logging, that's what this is about,' said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'They don't like anything that puts a stop to commercialization and exploitation. … Stripping protections from these last unfragmented national forests risks our drinking water, plants, animals and some of America's most beautiful wild places.'
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Which parts of Trumps tax and spending bill are ensnared in the US Senate?
WASHINGTON, - Republicans in the U.S. Senate are working to revise President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill after a nonpartisan referee ruled that some elements do not comply with the complex rules they are using to bypass Democrats' objections. Here are some of the provisions that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth McDonough has ruled out of bounds, according to Democratic lawmakers: * Limiting or denying Medicaid coverage for some non-citizen immigrants * Limiting Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies for some non-citizen immigrants * Prohibiting Medicaid funding for hormone therapy and other "gender affirming care" for transgender patients. * Limiting state "provider taxes" that boost federal Medicaid contributions * Eliminating Affordable Care Act subsidies to healthcare plans that cover abortion * Limiting grants to "sanctuary cities" that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement * Giving local officials the power to arrest immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally * Allowing states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement * Limiting federal courts' power to block government policies by requiring challengers to post a bond * Exempting offshore oil and gas projects from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act * Mandating sale of millions of acres of public land controlled by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management * Allowing natural gas exporters to pay a fee to overcome a hurdle in the approval process * Removing the Secretary of the Interior's discretion to reduce fees for solar and wind projects on public land * Eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau * Reducing pay of Federal Reserve staff * Cutting $293 from the Fed's Office of Financial Research * Eliminating Public Company Accounting Oversight Board * Denying federal student aid for some non-citizen immigrants * Consolidating student loan repayment programs * Expanding Pell Grants to programs at unaccredited and for-profit schools * Requiring states to cover more of the cost of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Republicans say they have won approval to keep this provision in the bill after they revised it to give states more flexibility. * Barring many immigrants from SN * Reducing retirement benefits for new hires unless they agree to reduced employment protections * Imposing a $350 fee for federal employees to file a case with a board that enforces civil-service protections * Establishing an incentive program for federal employees to identify "unnecessary expenditures" * Charging employee unions a fee for use of official time and agency resources by labor representatives * Requiring the U.S. Postal Service to sell its electrical vehicles and infrastructure * Prohibiting agencies from creating or administering any regulations that cost or raise money if they are not authorized by law * $250 million to repair a Coast Guard pier in Texas * $85 million to transfer a Space Shuttle from the Smithsonian to a nonprofit in Houston. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lightning caused nearly 9,000-acre Forsyth Fire in Utah, officials say
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah – The Forsyth Fire continues to burn thousands of acres in Utah and was officially started by a lightning strike, officials said. Firefighters have been battling the wildfire since it was discovered on June 19. It has now burned 8,899 acres and is uncontained. The Dixie National Forest division of the U.s. Forest Service announced Tuesday that the fire was caused when lightning hit a tree. During the initial attack on the fire, the incident commander discovered a tree that was hit by lightning near the fire's point of origin in the Pine Valley Wilderness Area. An investigation into the cause showed thunderstorms came through the area June 9 – just 10 days before the fire was discovered. Evaluation of the tree proved that the lightning strike hit the base of the tree, igniting a fire within the tree's trunk. Bolts From The Blue: How Dangerous Lightning Can Strike Miles Away From Thunderstorms The U.S. Forest Service said these types of lightning strikes are so hot, they vaporize any sap and moisture in the tree, starting a very slow smoldering fire that burns from the inside out. Because the fire was contained inside the tree, it went undetected until strong winds Thursday increased fire activity, finally revealing smoke. Which States Have The Most Lightning Insurance Claims? Quickly after discovery, fire crews worked to try and stop the fire spreading. High temperatures, extremely low humidity and high winds caused the fire to make a swift run toward Pine Valley. The Washington County Sheriff reported Monday that 13 homes have been destroyed by the fire. Nearly 700 fire personnel are responding to the Forsyth article source: Lightning caused nearly 9,000-acre Forsyth Fire in Utah, officials say
