That neighbor calling their bluff with actual eyes-on-the-ground info and getting silence back is the whole problem in one scene. We had a similar deal with a hay fire years back where the volunteer crew showed up wanting to debate strategy while the wind was doing the deciding for them. By the time the meeting ended the situation had already changed twice.
@Dave, I know it's dry. Are the fires burning in a mosaic pattern or are they completely uniform and are leaving "no blade of grass unscorched"? I know you know that ecosystems are very complex Yes, the fires do burn sage grouse and their habitat, but sage grouse are also dependent upon fire and the mosaic pattern of habitat that it creates. In other words, fire is required to create new sage brush habitat that is required for the species survival. In order for fire to do this, and the only way to do this, is to burn/destroy existing sage brush habitat. Fires on the Colville Reservation when I was the (I was on the BAER Team (Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Team) for fires when I was there. You will have to look up the Grasshopper fire that was there by buffalo lake. It burned in a mosaic pattern. Fire suppression tried 5 times to burn these 'islands' using the potassium permanganate 'ping-pong' balls before giving up. These islands were seen as fire hazards, yet they would not burn. These islands were also sanctuaries for surviving sage grouse and the islands became key habitat locations for the birds following the fire. Burned areas became drumming grounds and a 'buffet' for dinner.
I was no longer in Oregon, but I remember that snafu of lost control.
I remember the helicopters getting water in the pond/lake in Spring Creek in Nevada (Bedroom community to Elko) where I lived while working for the BLM 23-24 years ago. I'd have to have side by side pictures, but these pictures, if I didn't know better, could have been from my house looking towards the Ruby Mountains.
