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Mount Wilson and the Station Fire The Station Fire, the largest fire in the history of Los Angeles County, threatened Mount Wilson Observatory from August 26 until September 25, 2009. I started a fire blog on August 29 and continue to update it with after-the-fire aspects that I think might interest devotees of Mount Wilson Observatory. I am now providing news about conditions on the mountain resulting from winter rains falling on the weakened mountain slopes. These storms are challenging our ability to keep the Observatory opened and accessible to our staff and scientists. The latest update, which can be found following the list of donors to our "Fire Recovery Fund," was made on Saturday, February 6, 2010. Hal McAlister, Director Mount Wilson Observatory It occurred to me that some readers of this blog might be interested in obtaining a copy of the 2010 Mount Wilson calendar. During the course of the fire, I received hundreds of emails expressing concern for the Observatory and support for fire fighters who were working in overdrive to save this historic site. The generosity of so many of you in contributing to our Fire Recovery Appeal Fund is already assisting our post-fire cleanup activities and will be especially important in insuring that the Observatory will be less vulnerable to forest fire assault in the future. I have appointed a Station Fire Recovery Committee consisting of Observatory Superintendent Dave Jurasevich (chair), Mount Wilson Institute Trustee Dr. Arthur Vaughan, CHARA Site Manager Larry Webster, CHARA Research Scientist Dr. Nils Turner, and Observatory volunteers Ken Evans, Gale Gant and Bill Leflang to make recommendations on the optimal use of these donated resources. I'll report back here on their recommendations and the steps we take to fulfill them. In the meantime, tax-deductible gifts will continue to be deeply appreciated. They can be made on-line: $  or by check made out to the Mount Wilson Institute and sent to the MWI Fire Recovery Fund, P.O. Box 1909, Atlanta, GA 30301-1909. As of 10:00 am PST on January 20, 2010, those who have contributed to this appeal or joined our Friends of Mount Wilson Observatory organization as a result of the Station Fire are: Peter Abrahams - Portland, OR Pamela Adams - Laguna Beach, CA Lynda Akin - Los Angeles, CA Larry Allen - Rosemead, CA Jack Anderson - Los Angeles, CA Linda & Dave Anderson - Jenison, MI Nicholas Arkimovich - Pasadena, CA Astro-Physics, Inc. - Rockford, IL Dave Aultman - Granada Hills, CA Ellyn Baines - Hyattsville, MD Rick Baldridge - Campbell, CA Lance Benner - Altadena, CA Dag Bering - Hafrsfjord, Norway Paulina Borsook - Berkeley, CA Teresa Boruff - Chatsworth, CA Tabetha Boyajian - Atlanta, GA L. William Bradford - Thousand Oaks, CA Patrick Brigham - Parkton, MD James Bromley - Glendale, AZ Dr. Ralph Buice - Atlanta, GA John Bundy - Wheaton, IL Dr. Donald Caldwell - Pasadena, CA Scott Callaghan & Suzanne Welcome - London, Ontario, Canada Jeffrey Carlson - Los Angeles, CA Eli Carrico - Los Angeles, CA Phillip Carskaddan - Borrego Springs, CA Robert Cartland - Alhambra, CA Mary Castillo - Los Angeles, CA Marietta Cerruti - Sonoma, CA Joan Chamberlain - Parsonsfield, ME Robert Chave - Altadena, CA Marsha Cifarelli - Los Angeles, CA Kevin Conod - Denville, NJ Jon Conhaim - Oakland, CA Alan Conwell - Defuniak Springs, FL Jeremy Craig - Atlanta, GA William & Mary Craig - Salt Lake City, UT Donald Crumley - Collegedale, TN Keri Dailey - Quincy, MA Suzanne Dobson - Monrovia, CA Pam & Wilbur Dong - South Pasadena, CA Donald Douglass - West Chester, PA Thomas Drouet - Whittier, CA Irene Dubuisson - Munich, Germany David Early - Dallas, TX Brian East - Austin, TX Bob & Laura Eklund - Los Angeles, CA Kathi Ellsworth - San Dimas, CA Pat Elvin - Elgin, IL Oluf Engelstoft - Frederiksberg, Denmark Jane Evans - Santa Barbara, CA Mona Evans - Brentford, United Kingdom Kristen Farley - Pasadena, CA Carol & Donald Farrington - Atlanta, GA Janel & Scott Feierabend - San Rafael, CA Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. - Pomona, CA Gerry & Sue Florez - San Gabriel, CA Robert Foster - Chatsworth, CA Gale Gant - Covina, CA Doug Gies & Rebecca Bays - Atlanta, GA Pam Gilman - Show Low, AZ Shirley Gold - Altadena, CA Steve Golden - North Hollywood, CA P.J. Goldfinger - Los Angeles, CA Pamela & Jack Goldfinger - North Hills, CA Mary Goss - Altadena, CA Kurt Greske - Apple Valley, CA Michael Groetz - Beavercreek, OH Jeff Guerber - Vienna, VA Mike Halderman - Temecula, CA Pamela Hamman - San Diego, CA Kathryn Hardy - Lafayette, CA Bill Hartkopf & Deborah Cline - Kensington, MD Rosalind Helfand - Simi Valley, CA Richard Hess - Aurora, Ontario, Canada Cheryl Heuton - Pasadena, CA Mike Hood - Kathleen, GA Tomlinson Holman - Los Angeles, CA Mike Horner - La Canada Flintridge, CA Judith Howard - Pico Rivera, CA Michael Hoy - Torrance, CA Mary Hrovat - Bloomington, IN Kate Hutton - Pasadena, CA Gehr Industries - Commerce, CA Heather Ingraham - Evanston, IL John Jacobson - Riverside, CA Kathryn Jewell - Glendale, CA Carla Johns - Toluca Lake, CA Robert Jones - Running Springs, CA Dave & En Lee Jurasevich - Alhambra, CA June Kahl - North Hills, CA Leah Kantor - Downey, CA Steven Kaplan - Los Angeles, CA W.M. Keck Foundation - Los Angeles, CA Pat Kenny (in memory of Ken Lucas) - Phoenix, AZ Sara Kimball - Austin, TX Beverly Kleiman - Arlington, MA Pamela Lawler - La Crescenta, CA Joanne Lazzaro - Pasadena, CA William G. Leflang - Altadena, CA Alan Leighton in memory of Robert B. Leighton - Bochum, Germany David Leppik in honor of Karina Leppik & Chris Martin - Golden Valley, MN J. Lampert Levy - Los Angeles, CA Sean Lockwood - Irivne, CA Mike Long - Rolling Hills Estates, CA Lynn Longan - Canoga Park, CA Los Angeles Valley College Astronomy Group - Valley Glen, CA Anthony Maciejowski - Altadena, CA Ken Manatt - Tujunga, CA Milutin & Valerie Marich - Pasadena, CA Kevin Marshall - Lewisburg, PA Marlow & Herrad Marrs - Pasadena, CA Brian & Barbara Mason - Herndon, VA Tom Mason - Azusa, CA Alan Marwine - Housatonic, MA Philip Massey - Flagstaff, AZ Whit & Susan Matteson - Snellville, GA Alberta Mayo - Sierra Madre, CA Merritt McAlister - Washington, DC Susan & Hal McAlister - Atlanta, GA Robb McCann - Newport Coast, CA Tom & Jerri McCarthy - Sierra Madre, CA Elizabeth McKenney - Richmond, VA Bronwyn McClure-James - Pittsburgh, PA Loren Metzger - Carmichael, CA Grant Mills - Camarillo, CA Barb Montgomery - Eagle Point, OR Jean Mueller - Palomar Mountain, CA Nancy Moreno - Laguna Beach, CA Marilyn Morgan - Glendale, CA Mount Wilson Observatory Association - Pasadena, CA David Mozurkewich - Lanham, MD Donn Mukensnable - Kamuela, HI Fabien & Heather Nicaise - Azusa, CA Don Nicholson - Los Angeles, CA Robert Nunnally - Allen, TX Ted Nye - Palos Verdes Estates, CA Anthony & Linda O'Keefe - Pasadena, CA Daniel Perry - Ontario, CA Deepak Raghavan - Sandy Springs, GA Sam Ragucci - Glendora, CA Gabrielle Randolph - La Cresenta, CA Jerome Remy - Den Haag, The Netherlands James W. Reynolds - Norwalk, CT Stephen Ridgway - Tucson, AZ Julie Robin - Altadena, CA Steven Robin - La Crescenta, CA Corina Roberts - Simi Valley, CA Melissa Rodriguez - Oxnard, CA Perry Rose - Nottingham, MD Michael Rudy - Los Angeles, CA Stan Sander - Arcadia, CA Caren & Eric Sawyer - South Pasadena, CA Sea West Enterprises, Inc. - San Dimas, CA Andrew Schlei - Los Angeles, CA Harry Schultz - Ridley Park, PA Nelson Schwarz - South Pasadena, CA Sarah Shaw - Monterey Park, CA Dr. Gregory Smith - Pasadena, CA Leigh Smith - Pasadena, CA Joseph Snider - Southwest Harbor, ME Janet Spicer - Arcata, CA Boris Starcevic - Los Angeles, CA Jennie Stewart - Greeneville, TN Jason Stockmann - New Haven, CT Peter Stockmann - Jamesville, NY Jeff Stoner - Phoenix, AZ Nancy Strang - Covina, CA A.H. Studenmund - Pasadena, CA Laszlo & Judit Sturmann - Palmdale, CA Greg Sweet - Altadena, CA Kenneth Swezey - New York, NY Tim Tanner - Canton, OH John W. Temples III - Camarillo, CA Texas Instruments Foundation - Stuart, FL Tim & Pam Thompson - Duarte, CA Tom Sawyer Camps - Altadena, CA Sandi Trundle - Apison, TN Nils Turner - Los Angeles, CA Paula Turner - Mount Vernon, OH Cady Vortmann - La Jolla, CA V-Tek Systems Corporation - Diamond Bar, CA Diane Walker - Nomansland, Devon, United Kingdom Dr. Gary Walker - Macon, GA Kent Walker - Ruxton, MD Sean Walker - Cambridge, MA Bernie Walp - Hilo, HI Robert Ware - Lynchburg, VA David Warren - Los Angeles, CA Larry & Elisa Webster - Mount Wilson, CA Ritchey Webster - Mount Wilson, CA Robert & Karen Wetherell - Orinda, CA Phillip Wherry - Vienna, VA John Whitcraft - Sierra Madre, CA Saundra Whitehead - Torrance, CA Gerald & Carol Wilke - Tonawanda, NY Lisa Will - San Diego, CA Dr. William & Sandra Williams - Boca Raton, FL Patricia Winter - Menlo Park, CA Jennifer Wright - Jacksonville, FL Anita & Michael Yagjian - La Canada Flintridge, CA -- FIRE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS -- Selected images taken by Dave Jurasevich, the Observatory Superintendent, are posted here along with additional photos of the back fire lighting and from a return trip to the Observatory and work on the grounds are here. Susan McAlister took a number of still photos of scenes along the Angeles Crest Highway. Youtube movie clips by Susan McAlister have been posted for an aerial fire retardant drop, a drive up the Angeles Crest Highway, a tanker trucker on the Red Box Rd spraying Phos-Check, and the felling of a 200-yr old Ponderosa pine critically damaged by the back fire. -- NEWS UPDATES FOLLOW -- Saturday, 6 Feb 2010, 3:00 pm PST - Larry updated the rainfall amount a few minutes ago saying that another 2 inches have fallen since his morning report and that "At one point (around 8 am) the CHARA weather station on top of the OPLE building was reporting a rainfall rate of 6.94 inches/hr!" He also noted that radar imagery is showing very heavy rainfall coming up the Lower Big Tujunga Canyon area, which is the route of the county highways we have to rely upon for mountain access. It is too soon to know the implications of this. The precip is expected to continue until later in the day tomorrow, at which point we will probably get word from Forest Service or Los Angeles County authorities about those roads. Saturday, 6 Feb 2010, noon PST - Larry Webster reported this morning at 7:14 am mountain weather conditions of "fog, steady rain, 38 degrees. No new snow overnight. In the last 24 hours we have had 4.09 inches of rain with most of it occurring after 2 am." The Los Angeles Times has reported significant mud slides reaching all the way down to Foothill Blvd in La Canada-Flintridge. Ocean View Blvd, which runs south off Foothill a bit to the west of the Angeles Crest Hwy turnoff from Foothill, is closed due to significant mud infiltration. It is forecasted that the snow level will drop so as to produce a few inches of new snow on the mountain tonight. Nothing new to report on road conditions. Friday, 5 Feb 2010, noon PST - As I post this, all the roads providing access to Mount Wilson are being closed by LA County Public Works in anticipation of a storm system passing through today and tomorrow. While this latest "rain event" is not nearly as significant as the one last reported here, authorities continue to take precautionary steps to avoid drivers being trapped by mud slides. The roads have been mostly closed since I last updated this blog, but county road access via the Big Tujunga Canyon routes was made available earlier this week. Hopefully, those roads will make it through this latest storm unscathed. In any event, we will see some more snow on Mount Wilson, but our staff is well prepared to cope with it. While the county roads are in reasonable shape, the Angeles Crest Highway, our primary access route to Mount Wilson that is maintained by Caltrans, is certainly another matter. The Pasadena Star News published a report with photographs showing the effects of the January bout of storms that produced washouts in several places. The article mentions the road reopening in "March, if not later." From the extent of the damage plus the continuing El Nino storm behavior, my bet is on "later." On the other hand, Caltrans very aggressively worked to reopen the ACH after the Station Fire, and they may be able to pull off this repair equally quickly. The storms and resulting road closures are certainly affecting our work at Mount Wilson. For example, a group of researchers from the University of Michigan arrived on the mountain on January 13 for a two-week run at the CHARA Array in order to work on beam combining systems of their design. Regrettably, we had to ask them to leave just three days later because of the major storms then approaching Southern California accompanied by a road closure notification. CHARA normally uses the winter months for engineering activities to prepare for the primary observing season that opens in April. It is clear the winter preparations will be impossible to complete this year, so the storm/road situation will have an impact on research in 2010 long after the rains are gone. Saturday, 23 Jan 2010, 8:00 am PST - This powerful series of storms is now moving out of Southern California. Larry Webster reports this morning that these systems poured 14.8 inches of precipitation on the mountain much of which, thankfully, was rain. Still, there are just under 18 inches of "mixed composite snow" on open, level ground on the mountain. This is a blessing in terms of replenishing the Observatory's wells, and Towercam shows a beautiful view back towards the east of Mount Wilson. Larry also comments that the precipitation was "not quite the 20 inches predicted, but almost half the amount the Observatory would receive in a 'normal' year." Power to the mountain dropped out Thursday night without coming on again until about 9 am yesterday morning. It is stable now, which is a good thing because the Observatory's backup generator remains unrepaired. Parts for the damaged radiator fan bearing were delivered to the mountain by a crew from Seawest Enterprises who also brought up materials for broadcasters, but there may be a mismatch between the delivered bearing and the one that failed. Hopefully, this is not an immediate issue. The damage to the Angeles Crest near La Canada Flintridge is unknown to us although it appears that the road will not reopen for an extended period of time. Seawest came up an alternate route with an LA County escort, and we very much appreciate their helping us out. Adding to the challenge of the broken generator is a problem with our primary snow plow truck. Our very overworked crew on the mountain (Larry, Jake and Steve) still have the Bobcat to dig them out of the snow, and I know they are relieved that more isn't about to come their way. The photo below was taken yesterday by CHARA Array Operator Chris Farrington and gives one a good idea of how things are on the ground. Thursday, 21 Jan 2010, 7:30 am PST - The overnight precipitation on the mountain turned out to be relatively light. Larry measured 2.23 inches of total precip in the last day that resulted in a total of just under 7 inches of "thick, icy snow" on the ground. The morning conditions were "fog, light winds, 32 degrees." It could have been much worse. Towercam is back on the air and displaying a wintry scene in the direction of the 100-inch telescope. There is not yet more news about the condition of the Angeles Crest Highway and whether or not the undermining near mile marker 28.4 was worsened overnight. We also remain in the dark about the conditions of other access routes to the Observatory. I expect we will learn more once the storm ends and thorough road condition inspections are carried out. Wednesday, 20 Jan 2010, 3:00 pm PST - Larry reports that it is "currently snowing rapidly with 5 inches on the ground." Here it comes. Wednesday, 20 Jan 2010, noon PST - There may be some interest in how the current Southern California storms are affecting Mount Wilson Observatory, and so I am updating this website for the first time in over two months. As anticipated in my earlier reports below, we are now experiencing the after effects of the Station Fire in the form of mud slides and other road problems from the several storm systems that have hit the San Gabriels following the fire. Our first serious storm occurred in early November. Our only prior rain, which was gentle in nature and not a downpour, was encouraging in that no serious slides occurred. But the November rain was another matter. One Observatory staff member decided to leave the mountain before the rain started but was only midway down to La Canada-Flintridge when she was caught in a downpour. She pressed on hoping to make it out of the mountains before anything happened. A couple of miles beyond Clear Creek (for those of you who know the area) her luck ran out, and she encountered a large mud slide covering the road. She temporarily lost steering control when she attempted to brake before getting into the mud, but by the time she regained control she was mired in it up to mid-wheel level. Her engine died and would not restart. She then abandoned her car, hiked five miles in the dark accompanied by the sound of rocks falling down the slopes to the Forest Service fire station just above La Canada-Flintridge. The fire crew was assigned elsewhere, and the station empty of all humans. She was able to get inside and call the CHP, but it turns out there were other substantial mud slides farther down the road, and it was eight more hours before they could get to her. It would be weeks before the slides were cleared and the road re-opened to through traffic. That episode had a happy ending, and it resulted in the implementation of a new Observatory policy regarding travel up and down the Angeles Crest during a predicted rain period. We also set provision stocking standards for mountain residents who would face potentially lengthy periods of isolation on Mount Wilson. We may be encountering one of those periods as I write this. Our most recent expenditure from the Fire Recovery Fund, to which many of you have so generously donated, involved the replacement of the existing 500-gallon propane tank on our emergency generator with an 1150-gallon tank. This more than doubles our generation time capacity whenever California Edison power is lost to the mountain. This $3500 swap out was done this past Tuesday, just before the first of the phalanx of storms came in off the Pacific. The very next day, Edison power did drop out for about an hour, and the eight-cylinder generator came on line. Unfortunately, a bearing on the radiator cooling fan gave out, the fan self destructed, and the engine overheated somewhat before it automatically shut down. Dave Jurasevich, who is off the mountain at present, is attempting to get replacement parts up there as early as today, but he received a report this morning from Caltrans that a significant undermining of the Angeles Crest Highway has occurred at mile marker 28.4, a short distance uphill from the aforementioned fire station. The erosion presently extends inward to the road's centerline, and although Caltrans has installed K-rail barriers to help divert water flow, the incoming storm is likely to do further damage. It seems probable that it will be weeks or months before the Crest is repaired and reopened. In the meantime, our inventive mountain staff (consisting of Larry Webster, Steve Golden and Jake Hodge) have a jerry-rigged electric fan in place to cool the generator radiator whenever power drops out again. But, they encountered a problem indicative of diminished compression in one of the engine cylinders that may have resulted from overheating. There are additional staff still on the mountain associated with the several research groups at the Observatory, but they do not participate in Observatory maintenance. One group of astronomers from the University of Michigan who was installing new equipment at the CHARA Array was asked to leave early and did so before authorities closed and locked all roads into the San Gabriels this Sunday in advance of the storm. This conservative reaction resulted from some 90 automobiles being temporarily trapped in the mountains during a weaker storm in December. Larry has installed accurate precipitation measuring equipment at the Observatory, and he reports nearly seven inches of precip since the first storm began. The good news is that most of this has been liquid in nature, and they have so far only had to cope with the plowing of about two inches of snow. We were fearful of up to a few feet of snow from this storm series. There is more yet to come, and it does seem likely that much of it will be snow rather than rain. But our snow plow and Bobcat are all ready and well fueled to handle it at the expert hands of Larry, Jake and Steve. Aside from a bit of anxiety about the state of our generator and glitchiness with our mountain internet connection, Mount Wilson Observatory staff and residents are thus far riding out the storm with no problems. We won't know until the weekend the status of the road situation other than the known serious problem with the most direct route up from the Los Angeles basin. I'll post more news as I get it. Wednesday, 11 Nov 2009, 1:55 pm PST - The Los Angeles Times carried an article yesterday describing the residual "smokes" that are popping up from time to time and made it clear what is meant when a fire is "contained" rather than "out." The article didn't make entirely clear the degree of continued vigilance of U.S. Forest Service firefighters, both regular engine crews and Hotshot teams, who continue to patrol the Angeles National Forest looking for smokes and flare ups and then promptly dealing with them, either by hand crews who hike into rough terrain or by using helicopter water drops. These folks are doing an excellent job at this stage of fire management, and I am confident they will continue to do so until the Station Fire really is "out." A number of people have asked me "how close did it get?" Dave Jurasevich kindly provided me with the photos below taken from the Angeles Crest Highway looking back on the north slope of Mount Wilson. In the first image, you can clearly see the result of a sweep of flame coming up slope just to the north west of the 100-inch telescope dome. That upslope burn was extinguished by water-dropping aircraft, but I estimate that it came to within 500 - 700 yards from telescope "W1" of the CHARA Array. W1, one of six telescopes comprising the state-of-the-art CHARA facility, would surely have been consumed by the flaming forest immediately adjacent to it, and the W2 telescope and the old "Bunk House," used by the builders of the 100-inch telescope dome in the WWI years, would have been next to go. There are plenty of forest fuels there, and the fire would have swept to the east taking out CHARA telescopes E1 and E2 as well as a house used by UC Berkeley scientists in connection with their Infrared Spatial Interferometer facility on the mountain. I can envision the flames spreading to the west and south of W1, skirting just to the west of the massive 100-inch structure after causing severe damage to the CHARA central Beam Combination Laboratory and then on to our assistant superintendent's house, the central maintenance facility, and the 1930s vintage Astronomical Museum before crossing the main road into the Observatory and heading up to the solar telescopes. I could go on imagining this frightful scenario, but I think the point is clear that this was indeed a very, very close call for Mount Wilson. I only saw the mountain myself from this perspective three weeks ago, but we didn't have a camera with us at the time. I had no idea the fire had reached this close until seeing that hair-raising tongue of burnt forest and envisioning the flames homing in on us. That view completely changed my perspective on precisely why the Observatory was spared. I had earlier concluded that nature's whimsy had simply led the fire in other directions away from Mount Wilson and that the incredible efforts of the firefighters were defensive in nature had the fire decided to come after us. Now, it is clear to me that the fire did indeed decide to come after us and would have swept the mountain had firefighters not mounted the massive offensive operation to beat back this potentially devastating intrusion. So, it is absolutely the case that the hundreds of men and women waging war on Mount Wilson against the Station Fire in late August and early September did not just defend the Observatory - they saved it. Thursday, 5 Nov 2009, 6:30 am PST - More "Smokes News" from Larry who emailed the following to me last evening: "Once again, a Forest Service Patrolman pulled up looking for smokes on the north side. This time it's located on the northeast slope below the hand line our beloved Helena Hotshots made into the canyon. This one was serious enough that they actually did 2 helicopter water drops on it! As of 15:00 PST, we didn't see anything from the top of the ridge, but the patrolman was going to walk down the rim trail to try and get a better vantage point on it. He also mentioned there are a few others spotted in the area. So the saga continues." During the rainfall we had last month (its been bone dry since then), some five inches fell on Mount Wilson. The tenacity of these smoldering remnants of the Station Fire is very impressive, and we very much appreciate the Forest Service's steadfastness in watching for them and then responding as they did last evening. Monday, 2 Nov 2009, 3:00 pm PST - Looks like only the winter snowfall will finally put out all the "smokes" on the north slope of Mount Wilson. CHARA Site Manager Larry Webster sent me this report last Thursday evening: "As I was walking home for the day I saw an Angeles [National Forest] engine crew pull up. They had a report of a smoke seen on the north side of Mount Wilson, so I took them down the rim trail. On the northern side past the switchbacks we found the smoke way down in the canyon, in "Rush Creek," due north of the 100-inch [telescope] dome at around the 4,400 foot level. Smokin' quite nicely at times in puffs and the strong winds we had the last 2 nights must have stirred it up." "A Hot-Shot crew joined us, but by then it was getting a little dark to head down into the canyon. What I think they'll do is watch it overnight and attack it in the morning." The engine crew did return the next day along with a crew of Little Tujunga Hotshots and hiked down to the smokes. It turns out that spotters along the Angeles Crest Highway identified two other smokes as well. Larry reported today that there is no sign of active smoking for now. But, stay tuned... This sort of activity is due to smoldering inside a hollowed-out tree or in a tree stump below ground protected from rainfall or moisture and can go on for very extended periods. Part of the mopping up activity for a fire like the Station Fire is to monitor it for smokes that might reignite into flames, particulary in Red Flag conditions. The team now in place for this fire is obviously quite diligent in looking for these flare ups. On another front, I described our bear in my 20 October entry. The fellow is still around and is having a fine time getting into trash bins overnight. CHARA Array Operator Chris Farrington heard and then saw the bear digging into a trash barrel by the 100-inch telescope just before 4 am yesterday. Chris wisely decided not to chastise this mess maker. Another interesting Mount Wilson creature that has been spotted recently is a juvenile mountain lion. All this within a few miles of 18 million people! Wednesday, 21 Oct 2009, 1:10 pm PDT - Turns out it was a large house fire, rather than a brush fire, high up in the Pasadena foothills. One firefighter was injured. Wednesday, 21 Oct 2009, 12:35 pm PDT - A new fire is reported on the south slope of Mount Harvard above Altadena. Towercam has been pointed in that direction and smoke is clearly visible. That's all I know at this moment. Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 1:15 pm PDT - The photograph below, taken by Larry Webster this past Saturday morning, shows that we have an ingenious bear roaming the mountain in search of food. It appears that this fellow climbed aboard the trash bin, loosening the bear guard in the process, and proceeded to peel back the lid like a sardine can. I, for one, can testify that the lid is very heavy steel, so this is one strong bear. Larry also reported that scat found in the area is loaded with manzanita berries and recommends that staff avoid the manzanita thickets close to the eastern CHARA telescopes at night when this guy is likely to be gorging himself. Larry has seen the bear on a subsequent night when the animal set off the Webster's dog alarm, a pooch named Ritchey. Larry said that when he looked out the window to see what set Ritchey off, "all I could see was a very large dark mass on the moonless night." Trash cans elsewhere on the grounds have also been "trashed," but the main dumspter has not been molested since Larry reinforced the bear guard on the lids. A few years ago, a bear decided to gain entry to the Galley, the small night lunch building between the 60-inch and 100-inch telescope domes, by pushing in a wall-mounted air conditioning unit and crawling in the hole. It was reported that he was particularly appreciative of a supply of mangos laid in by some fruit-loving astronomer. The thought of a bear crawling in your kitchen window, left cracked open for some fresh night air, is not very amusing, of course. Friday, 16 Oct 2009, 2:40 pm PDT - After a frustrating six days in California, I'm closing out from my office in Atlanta the report on the effects on Mount Wilson Observatory of the rain this week in the San Gabriels. The purpose of this visit to the mountain was to participate in the filming of a documentary about the Observatory that would have appeared on KCET next month. The threat of mudslides and unpassable roads fortunately did not materialize into reality, but they did prevent the filming. When the rain began on Tuesday morning, Caltrans logically closed the Angeles Crest Highway to all traffic. Even those who worked in the mountains and had previously been issued entry permits were denied entry because of the apparently perilous situation brought on by the first rain of the season. There was a much larger than normal incidence of rock slides that required clearing, and there remains a chance of more significant slides even as the ground now begins to dry out. Thus, the road is still officially closed and, we understand, may be opened today or tomorrow. Work is also taking place to reinforce a section of road that is in danger of otherwise being undermined. Clear and sunny weather is predicted for the next week. You can almost hear the sigh of relief from the surviving chaparral rootstock as they get their first drink of water in months. Speaking of water, Larry Webster set up an official National Weather Service rain gauge on the mountain and recorded 5.58 inches of rainfall during this storm. This has been informally confirmed by an "unofficial" rain gauge comprised of a waste basket inadvertently left out in the rain that had 6 inches of water in it. Rainfall amounts can vary greatly from point-to-point in complex mountains like the San Gabriels, but it does appear that substantial water did come down on Mount Wilson. Thus, this storm was a pretty good test of the susceptibility of the barren slopes to slides from this first rain episode. Tuesday, 13 Oct 2009, 2:30 pm PDT - Larry reports that it is "raining rather hard at the moment" (2 pm), and the JPL CLARS weather station on Mount Wilson indicates that 0.32 inches have fallen on the mountain as of 2:21 pm today at the rate of 0.15 inches per hour. This is the first recorded rainfall this month. If it continues at this rate through tonight, and the forecast implies the hourly rate will increase, then the mountain will receive a substantial amount of water before the system clears out tomorrow afternoon. Monday, 12 Oct 2009, 4:54 pm PDT - Larry and Elisa Webster have returned early from a vacation to get back to their home on Mount Wilson before the rains really begin. Larry, who is Site Manager for the CHARA Array, has lived on the mountain for 30 years. The Websters have been anticipating the potential isolation resulting from mud and rock slides as well as washouts of road sections and have stocked up on provisions for an extended stay. No other Observatory staff members will be on the mountain with them. Unlike during the height of the fire danger, the Observatory is perfectly safe and will not be affected by landslides. This is certainly not the case for a number of foothill communities downstream from massive and unstable areas that feed into drainages towards them. There is no analogy to fire fighting in this situation, and we can only hope for the best and that threatened homeowners heed warnings if the mud slides do indeed materialize. The nature and extent of this threat is detailed in this article in today's Los Angeles Times. Monday, 12 Oct 2009, 11:10 am PDT - Susan and I are back on Mount Wilson as of this past Saturday evening and planned to stay here until the upcoming Saturday morning. However, the first rain storm of the season is arriving with an expectation of two to four inches in the mountains. The condition of the Angeles Crest Highway is such that there is potential for massive rock and mud slides, so I've decided to drive down to Pasadena this afternoon and wait out the storm in a hotel rather than risk being stranded on the mountain. This is going to be a remarkable winter with conditions that have never been seen on the Crest Highway. The road remains closed although Caltrans issues passes to residents and workers at facilities in the National Forest. The drive up the Crest was once again a depressing and distressing experience even though we've done it a number of times now. The extent of the arsonist's work is incredible and even more visible now that the fire is out and there is no residual smoke to obscure the vistas of destruction. Caltrans has done a superb job replacing guard rails and some signage, but the road remains treacherous. CHARA staff members who drove up this morning reported active rock slides which will only worsen as the moisture increases. They are leaving the mountain as I write this. We will follow in an hour or so. One very promising signal of forest recovery is the sprouting of small green shoots at the base of plants along the roadside that otherwise appear to be burnt to a crisp. No doubt this is what evolution has enabled these plants to do so that forests can renew themselves after massive fires. Sunday afternoon, we drove beyond the Red Box turnoff to the Observatory to get a view from a pullout of the mountain's north slope. There were a couple of Little Tujunga Hotshot trucks there and so we chatted with the crew superintendent and one of his staff. They were monitoring a smoke on the very steep north slope between the Observatory and Eaton saddle and had sent a team hiking to the source to take care of it. They anticipated that it was no threat, just a single tree slowing burning like a log in a fire place. The view to the Observatory was quite clear, and I was startled to see just how close fire got to us. There was an obvious large run up the mountain just north of the 100-inch telescope that probably reached within 0.2 miles of CHARA's westernmost telescope. That fire run had been stopped by water drops from helicopters, but it surely would have spread across the Observatory grounds had fire fighters not attended to it. Time to pack up. Wednesday, 7 Oct 2009, 1:00 pm PDT - Shortly after the protective backfires were set, we noticed some browning of leaves on trees in the immediate vicinity of the 100-inch telescope and naturally wondered if this were a result of the heat beneath the trees released by burning ground cover. Shown below are Towercam images from before and after the fire situation, and the post-fire image clearly shows that a fraction of the trees are now browning up that appeared to be healthy well before the fire. We need to explore the Towercam archive to find images of this area just before the backfire operation on 1 Sep to be certain that these trees weren't already unhealthy prior to the fire. If these trees are indeed dying, their removal will represent a non-trivial cost to us, but that is a small price to pay for the important protection afforded the Observatory by the backfires during the height of the fire crisis. Saturday, 3 Oct 2009, 4:00 pm PDT - Larry Webster reported to me that a large fire has broken out on the backside of Mount Baldy (also known as Mount San Antonio), the highest peak (10,064 ft) in the San Gabriels. Click on Towercam to monitor the fire. Saturday, 3 Oct 2009, 3:00 pm PDT - The CHARA Array was back on the sky this past Thursday night for the first time since August 26. All systems performed well although there were the usual start-up glitches inevitable in such a complicated instrument. The primary observing group that night was a team from the l'Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, located in Grasse, France, who are one of CHARA's principal colloborators. The Grasse group had been in Pasadena since September 21 and lost nine of its ten nights assigned at the Array. Some 13 different observing programs were scheduled during the fire closure, and CHARA will examine its remaining schedule for 2009 to see if modifications are needed to minimize the science lost as well as the impact on Georgia State astronomy graduate students working toward their PhD degrees. CHARA Senior Scientist Laszlo Sturmann has developed a dust meter that will be used to monitor blowing ash and dust, which we expect will be a continuing annoyance for months. An inspection of the telescope primary mirrors Friday morning showed that several did indeed require cleaning with a carbon dioxide snow gun, which utilizes fine particles of dry ice to knock dust, ash or pollen particles off the aluminum coating on a mirror's surface. We expect will need to do this cleaning more frequently than normal. If allowed to accumulate, particles will bond to the aluminum coating if conditions of relatively high humidity provide them with a significant moisture content. There has been some interest in whether or not we should expect to see more wildlife on the mountain that might have relocated there as a result of the fire. Aside from a black bear that has been seen during the last few days, we don't have any evidence of the mountain being utilized as a fire refuge by displaced animals. Tuesday, 29 Sep 09, 2:35 pm PDT - Cleanup and assessment is now underway at the Observatory following the initiation of a pass system for mountain staff members that has allowed them to return to work. The 150-ft solar tower telescope is back in operation, and we expect that CHARA will attempt to go on the sky tomorrow night. CHARA staff have been very busy the last couple of days cleaning fire retardant off telescope enclosures and the beam combining laboratory building. Assistance has kindly been provided by fire crews as well. That operation is now nearly finished and you can see from the photo below (provided by Ellyn Baines) the nature of the material involved. We still have not completely assessed the cleanup situation at the 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes. The telescope primary mirrors were closed, as they always are except during observing, so we do not anticipate any serious affect on their reflective aluminum coatings. The doors to the 100-inch catwalk were intentionally left open during the height of the fire danger to allow firefighters free access to the catwalk for surveillance purposes. Thus, there is likely to be considerably more ash on the dome floor of the 100-inch than at the 60-inch. As there are no near-term 100-inch observers scheduled, we will place emphasis on ensuring the readiness of the 60-inch telescope so as to resume its outreach program when the road opens. (More on that below.) The fire is now under the administration of a local "type 3" team charged primarily with rehabilitation. There are still "smokes" scattered around the 160,000 acre fire boundary, including an occasional smoke source on the north slope on Mount Wilson. There are several fire crews still patrolling the Observatory and broadcast areas who monitor smokes and put them out if they are accessible. Most are on very steep and treacherous ground and are allowed to smolder. The weather forecast calls for breezes tomorrow evening, but there are currently no Red Flag conditions to worry about. Thus, the Observatory remains free of any threat from the remants of the fire. The Angeles Crest Highway, maintained by Caltrans, remains closed with the expectation that work on the stretch between La Canada and the turnoff to the Angeles Forest Hwy at Clear Creek will be completed this week. Work will continue to the Red Box - Mount Wilson Rd intersection for another week or more, at which point the Observatory may reopen to public access. We hope to be able to resume the 60-inch telescope program by the middle of October, and we will continue to keep groups with reservations informed about the status of their nights. The Angeles Forest Hwy, which is maintained by Los Angeles County rather than Caltrans, remains closed and we have no information as to when it will reopen. I will continue to update this blog with reports of our reopening status and other related news that I think may be of interest. Friday, 25 Sep 09, 9:00 am PDT - I believe we can finally declare Mount Wilson free of any further danger from the Station Fire. Structure defense has now ended and fire fighters are rolling up the hoses that had been laid out along roads three weeks ago. Although the Red Flag warning has been extended through tomorrow evening with very low humidity and high temperatures dominating the area, the wind is no longer an issue. Additionally, a helicopter-flown infrared camera has shown that there are no longer hot spots on the north slope near the Observatory. There will be a transition this weekend to a new Incident Command Team that will be devoted to rehabilitation with a general organization as described on the Inciweb Station Fire report. Access to mountain personnel may ease up at the beginning of the week, and we hope to have more substantive information on that perhaps later today. We will now focus on clean up in order to resume routine science operations as soon as possible. The protective spraying of fire retardant gel on four of the six CHARA telescope domes and selected other structures, during the recent Red Flag/Santa Ana combination will require a good deal of work to remove the residue which, when dry, turns into fine flakes that are amenable to being blown onto telescope mirror surfaces by even light winds. So, that will delay CHARA's restart for a few days. We also must inspect the vacuum light tube joints, which are linked with wide neoprene sleeves that may in a few spots have been affected by underlying heat from the back fire. Any damaged sleeves will be identified and replaced. Each of the science programs at the Observatory is likely to have its own restart problems, but I am optimistic for a quick recovery. At that point, we will initiate a vigorous program of fire danger mitigation made possible by those who have so kindly and generously donated to our Fire Recovery fund. When the plans for that effort have been finalized, I will post a report on our website giving the details and schedule. While we have work ahead of us that we never anticipated one month ago, I can only reflect on the unimaginable alternative of a catastrophic outcome on Mount Wilson from the Station Fire. We will always be indebted to the fire fighters who have worked so vigorously to ensure the Observatory's preservation. Wednesday, 23 Sep 09, 8:35 am PDT - Larry Webster reported to me that last night was relatively calm, so we continue to be lucky that the winds are not as bad as forecasted. Dave Jurasevich has reported that he has experienced relatively high winds in the Arroyo Seco and Clear Creek areas in driving through there the last couple of days. Fire fighters re-applied gel (not foam as reported earlier) to selected structures and made great progress in spraying Phos-Chek along a broad line starting behind (north of) the Museum and presently extending to the area north of CHARA telescope W1, the most remote of the two telescopes on the west arm of the CHARA Array. We expect that this effort will continue toward the northeast corner of the mountain so as to defend the east arm of the Array as well. The photos below that Larry sent me this morning show propane tanks on the north side of the CHARA Optical Path Length Equalizer building wrapped with reflective blankets with a similar treatment of the windows of the Kapteyn Cottage. Towercam is presently showing an out break of smoke near Twin Peaks to the northeast, showing how areas can re-erupt when weather conditions (winds and low relative humidity) turn to favor the fire. The current Red Flag situation is expected to last into tomorrow. Inciweb (linked above) continues to provide excellent up dates on the fire, which is now 94% contained. Tuesday, 22 Sep 09, 9:00 am PDT - I was traveling yesterday and unable to post an update. From reports this morning from Dave and Larry, I learned that the Santa Ana event has not yet kicked up and the NOAA weather forecast for the mountain has reduced the predicted wind gusts to 23 mph. Very extensive helitanker activity has taken place to wet down the hot spots on the north slope, but Dave reports there are still a few areas of obvious smoke activity. Fixed wing aircraft yesterday reinforced the fire retardant laid down two weeks ago on the fire line off the northeast of the mountain. There are four or five engine crews on the mountain, along with a similar number of scouting trucks and a couple of Phos-chek tankers. Limbing and some tree cutting has continued around structures, particularly the CHARA telescopes, and reflective materials applied to building windows and propane tanks. During the night, class-A foam was sprayed on the eastern and western CHARA telescope enclosures as well as on the north facing side of the long CHARA laboratory building. I have not yet had a chance to talk with the fire supervisors at the Observatory but expect to do so shortly and will add and update then. The Los Angeles Times has an article about this situation in this morning's edition. I am hopeful that this particular Santa Ana event won't live up to its forecast, but there are no doubt more of these to come while the fire still smolders. Sunday, 20 Sep 09, 4:30 pm PDT - Helitanker water drops continued today to suppress the smoke centers on Mount Wilson's north slope. Our staff report seeing no active areas of smoke - testimony to the great success of the operation. Structure fire protection on the Observatory grounds is accelerating as a precaution against dormant heat that is not presently producing visible smoke being stoked by the winds to produce active flames. This is always a danger in a wind situation, and Hotshot crews are cutting trees close to structures. Plans are also underway to protect structures with foams, gels and mylar wraps starting Monday afternoon as an aggressive precaution against new fire activity. Much of these precaution will focus on the CHARA telescope domes, which are relatively fragile and vulnerable to extreme fire induced heat in comparison with such structures as the massive 100-inch telescope dome. I will know more about these plans later tonight or in the morning. Saturday, 19 Sep 09, 11:00 am PDT - Here is a summary of a briefing moments ago from Matt Topoleski and Andy Verdugo, the current Mount Wilson Division Supervisors, to Dave, Larry and me. I subsequently spoke with Marc Peebles, the Public Information Officer for Station Fire Incident Command. The area along the north slope of Mount Wilson is one of the few remaining sources of smoke within the Station Fire perimeter. There are no fire fronts anywhere in the Angeles National Forest, and helicopters equipped with infrared cameras regularly fly to seek out hotspots and identify their coordinates with GPS units for continued surveillance. The Mount Wilson smoke activity has been monitored on a 24-hour basis by lookouts stationed along the Angeles Crest Highway to the north of the mountain with a good south-facing view of that very difficult terrain. The smokes have been stationary and have not been producing flame ups, and there has been no need for putting them out. They are located in extremely difficult terrain innaccessible from the ground and their lack of development has not yet required attention from air tankers. Indeed, they help reduce fuels that could feed future wildfires and the longer they can burn harmlessly the better protected the mountain will be. However, the forecast change in weather conditions calls for a moderate wind event starting Sunday night and into Monday with winds from the northeast of 15 to 20 mph, gusting to 35 mph, accompanied by increasing temperature and decreasing relative humidity (expected to be 102 degrees and 15% in the valley). This is not a Red Flag condition but still represents a change in the currently benign weather pattern. On the basis of that forecast, Incident Commander Mike Wakoski ordered the air operation described in last evening's press release. That operation is likely to start as I am writing this and will involve four heavy helitankers capable of dropping 800 gallons each. The aerial activity will be supplemented on the ground by a tactical water tender equipped to disperse fire retardent on fuels up-slope from the bombarded smoke centers. This is expected to be quite effective in relieving the mountain's vulnerability from the north. The Mount Wilson - Red Box Road will be closed both ways during these operations. As always, fire fighters have prepared for any contingency, and, in addition to crews assigned to perimeter defense, four engine strike teams equipped with fire retardant foam and gel are standing by for mountain structure defense in the unlikely event they are needed. I am delighted with all these activities and continue to be impressed with the careful and expert planning and implementation undertaken by fire fighters from all levels in this complex battle they have waged with the Station Fire. Friday, 18 Sep 09, 8:30 pm PDT - Good News:--Five engine crews arrived on the mountain at about 7 pm this evening with a total crew of more than 20 fire fighters. Even better news:--This evening's press release from the Station Fire Incident Management team states that "Due to an anticipated increase in temperatures, wind, and a decrease in humidity over the next few days, Station Fire Incident Commander Mike Wakoski has ordered additional aircraft which include 4 heavy helitankers. In addition, a tactical water tender equipped with fire retardant has been ordered to treat fuels on the north slope of Mt. Wilson." "The intent of helicopters and the tactical water tender is to extinguish remaining interior hotspots and reduce the risk of embers igniting additional fuels, both prior to and during the anticipated hot, dry and windy weather. These hot spots are located in steep and rugged terrain, which is inaccessible by ground crews." "Helicopters are scheduled to begin the aerial assault mid-morning on Saturday, September 19, 2009 and will continue daily through the weekend and into next week as needed. As a result, residents and visitors may see increased helicopter and ground force activity in the Mt. Wilson area. The tactical water tender will participate in pre-treatment as soon as Sunday morning, September 20, 2009." This could really, once and or all, turn the corner on this fire. Friday, 18 Sep 09, 4:45 pm PDT - There is concern that conditions on Mount Wilson may be going south over the next few days. A dozen or more smoke centers are still active low on the north slope of the mountain, and the forecast is for Santa Ana-like wind conditions turning on by Tuesday. This could result in re-activating fire from the smolder centers that would be blown up-slope on the mountain. I expect to speak with the current Mount Wilson Fire Division supervisors Saturday morning and will report on their current thinking and plans. Will this thing never end?! Thursday, 17 Sep 09, 9:20 am PDT - I spoke with Dave last night who reported on his experience driving back up the Angeles Crest after being off the mountain for two days. On the stretch of the road from La Canada to the Clear Creek turnoff, about three-fourths of the guard rail vertical supports are in place with virtually none yet repaired from Clear Creek to Red Box. This repair strategy is not unexpected since there are many hundreds of commuters a day who connect to the lower portion of the Crest at Clear Creek with far fewer coming from deeper in the mountains. Dave and I both agree that while the Palmdale commute route might reopen soon, it will be weeks before the public is allowed beyond Clear Creek and on up to the Mount Wilson - Red Box Road, which ends at the Observatory. This schedule has been confirmed by a Caltrans official who told Dave that before the road is re-opened, public safety must be assured by the installation of new guard rails, replacement of burned-out regulatory signs, and the stabilization of certain steep slopes most likely to collapse onto the roadway. It may be as long as four to six weeks before this level of repair has been achieved. In the meantime, Observatory staff and critical repair and support personnel are now able to reach our site, but non-essential visitors are not. This will lead to continued cancellations of public outreach activities at Mount Wilson including our very popular group reservations of observing nights at the 60-inch telescope. As mentioned above, this will have a very negative effect on our income from this important revenue source. Dave observed a dozen or so centers of smoke on the north slope of the mountain from Red Box to the Observatory including one immediately on the road side at mile marker 3.85. These are smoldering remains of the wildfire and are probably harmless so long as we are free of Santa Anna winds, which could arrive at any time. Fire crews appear on the mountain daily, with Hot Shots from Big Bear and Kings River, CA there yesterday as well as a Bureau of Land Management crew from Palm Springs. The BLM guys jumped right in to assist us with laying a new stretch of fire pipe that had been cut off by a necessary leak repair just before the Station Fire surprised everyone. As seen in the photos added this morning, this involves digging a trench through pretty hard decomposed granite soil, and we are much indepted to the Palm Springs BLM crew for their work which was overseen by volunteers Ken and Larry Evans who originally discovered the leak and capped it. The "Evans Brothers" have a long history of volunteer service to the Observatory, and I don't know what we would do without them. Another equally important team of volunteers is headed up by John Harrigan, our expert on renovation of the ancient electrical wiring on the mountain. John and Tom McCarthy were at work repairing the fire alarm wiring that had been damaged by the back fire days ago. Their efforts will get the alarm pull stations back on line, and they will go forward with permanent repairs to the burned out pull box that shorted out the fire alarm to turn it on, dropped power to the fire pump, and killed our Internet connectivity during the height of the fire danger. I will file another report later today after talking with MWI and CHARA staff on Mount Wilson. Wednesday, 16 Sep 09, 6:20 pm PDT - Unfortunately, I haven't had time late today to prepare an evening update as I promised. But, I will do so tomorrow morning. Fire fighting activity continues on the mountain, and at least one small spot fire was put out today. Several concentrated areas of smoke are still active on the Red Box Road, and new Hot Shot crews have been on the Observatory grounds. Several of our devoted volunteers have been on the mountain today. I'll provide details and some photographs from Dave tomorrow as well as a more detailed update and news as we understand it about the Angeles Crest Highway tomorrow. Tuesday, 15 Sep 09, 4:00 pm PDT - As of this afternoon, the Station Fire is 91% contained with a containment date anticipated for this Saturday. The Incident Command that oversaw the fire fighting effort under the leadership of Chief Mike Dietrich has been replaced by a new Incident Team to carry forward to containment. On Mount Wilson, the activities described in my report from yesterday afternoon continued today under the direction of local fire division supervisors Greg Burch and Matt Topoleski. The remaining big question is the opening date for the Angeles Crest Highway. Dave Jurasevich has learned informally from a Caltrans official that the opening may be three to four weeks away. The challenge is the very extensive work on guard rail replacement. I spoke with the public information officer for Station Fire Incident Command this afternoon, and he had no specific information but will contact their liaison with Caltrans and let me know tomorrow what he finds out. I suspect he will confirm that the road will remain closed to all but essential personnel until well after fire containment is achieved. Monday, 14 Sep 09, 4:45 pm PDT - The level of activity of fire fighters has very significantly reduced today. Fire staffing has consisted of one incident supervisor, Quinn MacLeod, and one engine crew to provide a monitoring and quick response capability should any flare ups occur from the back fires. Another crew was winding up fire hose from along the hand and dozer fire lines. Larry Webster reported an old fallen cedar trunk smoldering with some flame and considerable smoke in the vicinity of the wells and alerted Supervisor MacLeod, but that event is not considered to be significant. The mountain has experienced a good deal of fog today - a good thing from the perspective of elevated humidity but not a good thing in terms of ash adhering to telescope mirrors and attacking aluminum coatings. Several CHARA staff members returned to the mountain today, and we expect staff from other projects to return tomorrow. A permitting process is now in place that permits workers and residents only to drive into the Angeles National Forest for the next few days, but there are indications that the public may be allowed entry by the weekend. I will continue to provide late day postings for the next few days until I feel there is nothing interesting to report. Indeed, my hope is that there will soon be no further "interesting" repercussions of the Station Fire. Sunday, 13 Sep 09, 11:33 am PDT - (Please note that I have reinserted several images from earlier posts that were removed temporarily due to a then unknown server problem.) I had an interesting conversation with Brian Savage who is an engine captain with the Culver City Fire Department, about the organization of the effort to contain the Station Fire. He is a permanent member of Team 5, one of 14 such National Incident Management Teams, under the command of Michael J. Dietrich who retired as Chief of Fire and Aviation Management for the San Bernardino National Forest earlier this year but continues his service with the Incident Management Team system. Team 5 has approximately 50 people assigned to it who are activated during an emergency such as the Station Fire and who then attach as many additional fire fighters as is needed. Captain Savage is a Team 5 Division Supervisor, and there were as many as 26 divisions active at the height of the effort when more than 5,000 people were assigned from fire jurisdictions all over the country to Team 5. He typically spends 40-60 days a year assigned to Team 5 incidents, otherwise he resumes his normal Culver City duties. Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Corey Rose was a Division Supervisor Trainee during his service on Mount Wilson and completed all the requirements for certification at that level for future service on an Incident Management Team. Quinn MacLeod, of Boulder, Colorado, is a Forest Service contract employee with Division Supervisor status and was brought in specifically for the Station Fire. I understand that he will be relieving Captain Savage today or early tomorrow and head up a "Type 2" transition team for rehabilitation of the site and continued monitoring for hot spot breakouts on the mountain. As a part of this rehab effort, the hand and dozer fire lines will be refilled with brush and allowed to grow over again. Captain Savage told me that approximately 10,000 gallons of excess Phos-Chek that had been mixed in a mobile plant at the Station Fire staging area will be brought to Mount Wilson and sprayed using the hose system already laid out on the grounds so as to mitigate exposure to fire at particularly vulnerable locations around the Observatory. One such location is the south slope beside the Monastery, the Observatory's 18-room residence for visiting astronomers. JPL also has a facility in that area which should benefit from this application of fire retardant. I have learned from Dave Jurasevich that the Helena Hot Shots are inspecting the 50 acres of unburnt forest in the vicinity of our water wells clearing some ladder fuels and scraping around the bases of trees, but it now seems unlikely a back fire will be set in that area. The Helenas, who have done such a wonderful job on the mountain cutting hand line, clearing our grounds, felling trees and working the back fire operation, will be departing Mount Wilson at 6:00 am Monday morning. We won't soon forget them. While there is no longer any immediate threat to the Observatory, there are still hot spots on the north slopes, and, while the back fire effort is considered quite successful, there are patches of green fuels that could provide fire with access to the summit. Those fires will smolder for weeks and it will take a good rain to extinguish any lingering threat from the Station Fire once and for all. The fire hose laid throughout the Observatory will remain in place indefinity, just in case there is a break out somewhere. I also understand from Dave that a considerable amount of surplus hose will be left with us permanently to supplement the Observatory's fire fighting capability. Sunday, 13 Sep 09, 7:44 am PDT - The leadership of the Station Fire activity on Mount Wilson for the last week or so has been provided by Brian Savage, a captain with the Culver City Fire Department and Quinn MacLeod, a U.S. Forest Service consultant, Corey Rose, a battalion chief with the city of Los Angeles Fire Department, and Fred Thompson, superintendent of the Helena Hot Shots. As a very positive sign of accomplishment, only Brian Savage and the Helena Hot Shots remained on station last night, and the Helenas are expected to depart early Monday morning. Dave reported that cleanup started with the removal of food and other supplies, and the large parking lot below the Pavilion is now empty except for three portable toilets. That lot has been packed with vehicles and personnel of all types for over two weeks. Dave also reported that "Smoke is still evident in the 'bowl' by Channel 2 and some light smoke on the N side of Newcomb Ridge. There is one 50 acre parcel around our water wells that was inspected today by Fred and Nick of Helena and may receive some attention tomorrow or may be left as is depending on their findings." The Station Fire has now become a memorable part of the history of Mount Wilson Observatory. Saturday, 12 Sep 09, 9:00 am PDT - Dave reports that today is mostly a demobilization day after which the Helenas will remain with some additional crews arriving for structure fire protection. Images from Towercam this morning show a very stable situation, although there was a flare up during the night that Larry and Jake went to inspect. It was an old slash pile that caught fire, but there is no smoke from that location this morning. The weather continues to be highly favorable for the completion of the backfire. One island of green in the vicinity of the mountain's water wells, several hundred feet lower in elevation than the summit, will be lit today, so expect some new smoke. The Observatory well housings are brick with metal roofs, but two other wells, one belonging to the Forest Service, have been wrapped with fire resistant blankets to prevent their ignition. There are also pull boxes linking PVC conduits that will be identified to the Helenas and protected so as to prevent any power interruption. Jake Hodge is leaving the mountain this morning to go to the Incident Command Headquarters at Sante Fe dam to obtain permits from the LA County Sheriff's Department for our critical staff members to pass through the road blocks to return to the Observatory. Dave, Larry and Jake are going to go into 2-day rotations so they can finally have some much deserved time off the mountain with their families. Their unrelenting devotion to protecting the Observatory and providing assistance to fire fighters continues to be inspiring. Things are clearly going forward superbly thanks to the careful planning by authorities and expert implementation by fire fighters. The station fire is now 84% contained and has consumed more than 160,000 acres. I, as are so many of you, am very much looking forward to Mount Wilson being declared contained in the near future. Friday, 11 Sep 09, 8:50 pm PDT - Dave just sent this image from the mountain - his last for the night. The dome in the foreground is CHARA's W2 telescope, one of the six in the CHARA Array. The contents of that little dome are worth about $1M. While this image seems unsettling, the flames remain a perfectly acceptable result of the back fire. Of course, now that I am back in Atlanta this is pretty hard for me to take, but I can only rely on the solid reassurances of those who remain on the scene - Dave, Larry, Jake, and, of course, our ever vigilant Helena Hot Shots who, along with the Cherokees (overnighting on Newcomb's Ridge) continue to watch over Mount Wilson. Friday, 11 Sep 09, 5:30 pm PDT - If you have looked at Towercam recently you will see that it has been repointed to the northwest of the Observatory and shows CHARA telescope W1 with smoke just to the north of it extending westward. You can see the remnants of an old fire line that Larry believes was cut in the 20's as a result of George Ellery Hale's concern about the mountain's exposure to wild fires. I've spoken with Dave, Larry, and a senior representative of the Mount Wilson fire division on duty this evening. All the smoke is a result of the backfire that has been set westward using the "ping pong ball" igniters along a line from the Observatory along the north slope to connect back towards Eaton Saddle. The fire is being set in strips parallel to the front we see and proceeding down slope. While the smoke and proximity to W1 appears alarming, fire officials are not concerned and remain pleased with the effort to lock off this approach from wild fires. Dave has sent more incredible photos that I have added to the above collection of back fire images. Susan has told me that she has had several emails from people who I apparently confused with an earlier report about the Angeles Crest when I said it was open in both directions. My intent was to convey that it was mostly a two-lane road at present as a result of Caltrans' work on rock and dirt slides. I did not mean to imply that the road was open to public access. The Angeles National Forest remains closed at all entry points, and no one can drive up without permission from Incident Command. Friday, 11 Sep 09, 10:30 am PDT - Dave has relayed me information from this morning's fire fighters briefing on the mountain given by Brian Savage and Quinn MacLeod, both of the U.S. Forest Service. The overall feeling is that the operation is going in textbook fashion and was lit by last night from the northeast corner of the mountain, down the hand line to the dozer line and on to Newcomb's Pass. Today and tomorrow will be mop-up operations. The fire has also been conducted westward from the hand line, and there is a pocket of green in a bowl near the channel 2 tower that will be lit today. A helicopter might be brought in again to supplement the hand lighting. The mountain fire fighter numbers are being brought down significantly, signaling the optimism of the fire managers. Of the five Hot Shot crews involved in fire lighting yesterday, only the Helena and Cherokee remain on station. Thursday, 10 Sep 09, 6:30 pm PDT - Dave just called with more details. At 9:00 am this morning, four crews went downslope from the mountain with drip torches. The lead crew was the Helenas, followed by the Augustas from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Cherokees from the Cherokee National Forest of Tennessee, and the San Juans from Durango, Colorado. By 2:30, they were two-thirds of the way down slope to the hand/dozer line transition. By 3:25, the Helenas reached the dozer line and two hours later the lead crew was at the first "Klump pump," stationed on a knob several days ago by helicopter. At that point, the Helenas handed off to the Lewis and Clark Hot Shots from Great Falls, Montana, who then continued the drip torch burn on to Newcomb's Pass. Three crews will stay on the ridge line tonight to keep watch on spot fires. Each of these amazing Hot Shot crews contains about 23 individuals. Thus, well over 100 men and women have been involved on the fire line in setting and managing this important back fire. Meanwhile, many more fire fighters are stationed around the Observatory grounds in the unlikely event things go wrong. Thursday, 10 Sep 09, 6:05 pm PDT - Larry Webster just called to tell me that the source of all the smoke from just north of the 100-inch is the result of the dropping of fire igniters by helicopter on the slope to the north of the 100-inch. A slightly northerly wind is blowing that smoke so as to obscure the fire line effort. There is no cause for alarm. Larry earlier reported by telephone an hour ago that a test fire was set this morning by the Helena Hot Shots who subsequently proceeded down the steep fire line they had cut days ago to hand light with drip torches. After they completed their lighting, a helicopter dropped many "ping pong ball" igniters in an attempt to light the fire along the dozer line. I had understood that helitorches, dripping what amounts to napalm, would be used, but a decision was apparently made to use an alternative approach. There has been uncertainty as to how those fuels might ignite, and the ping pong igniters apparently have not been very effective. The Helenas were then told to continue along the dozer line with drip torches. Thursday, 10 Sep 09, 9:00 am PDT - Dave Jurasevich reported to me by phone that the fire operation will go forward this morning according to the plan briefly described in my last post. Fire fighters in the zone to the east of the Mount Wilson division successfully completed a hand line operation and back fired that yesterday to complete the tie-off of the burn on its eastern edge. That precaution will ensure that the burn covers precisely the planned area, i.e. the north slope of the complex ridge line that will then protect the Big Santa Anita watershed as well as the Observatory from wild fire intruding into that area. The lighting operation will take about three hours and the burn should be concluded by the end of today. This is great news! Everyone is confident of success after all the extraordinary preparatory work. Dave will be positioned at Echo Point to photographically document the operation as he has done with most of the activities during the last two weeks. Much of the activity should be visible from the UCLA Towercam. During our drive down the Angeles Crest last evening, we saw that Caltrans has begun very active road work, clearing rock and dirt slides, removing burned out guard rail, and mobilizing vehicles and work crews. Although the road was open both ways, except for the occasional slide, because the crews had quit for the day, there were several flagman signs, so I conclude there are several one-way stretches associated with local repair work. We fly back to Atlanta this morning with a feeling that Mount Wilson will officially and finally be out of danger this evening from the Station Fire, started 15 days ago by an arsonist. Wednesday, 9 Sep 09, 5:00 pm PDT - Not much more to report as we prepare to leave Mount Wilson. If all the stars align right, the firing will begin at 9 am tomorrow. Fred Thompson, Superintendent of the Helenas, told me that the fire will be hand lit down the steep fire break line and then lit by helitorch along the dozer line. Stay tuned to Towercam. I regret that duty is calling me back to Atlanta. Wednesday, 9 Sep 09, 11:30 am PDT - A briefing is now underway for the Mount Wilson strike teams in the CHARA conference room. Because things are still not complete in the next division to our east, there will be no back fire lighting today. The anticipation is that the "Victor" division will finish their work by mid-afternoon, but that is too late to start the fire on this end. So, tommorrow morning now seems likely since all preparation work should be in place. There is a high pressure system moving into the area with increasing temperatures and likely changes in wind direction. It may be that weather now becomes the determining factor rather than preparation of fire lines, but that is just my speculation. I will be leaving the mountain late this afternoon to head back to Atlanta, but Dave, Larry and Jake will remain on station. My updates will continue as I get information from the mountain from them, and I will post a final update from Mount Wilson today before Susan and I leave. We will also post one or two more videos on Youtube including one of our first drive up the Angeles Crest Highway. Wednesday, 9 Sep 09, 6:55 am PDT - The mountain temperature is 61 this morning, and a marine layer has lapped up to Mount Wilson, obscuring the LA basin. The wind at this altitude is from the east. I don't know if the wind along the burn line is also easterly, but that could affect the decision to light the back fire. The only fire fighters on the mountain thus far are the Helenas who, I learned after chatting with a couple who were packing up their bedrolls, returned to the summit from their work on the fire line about 9 o'clock last night. Tuesday, 8 Sep 09, 10:15 am PDT - No go today. The Mount Wilson fire group just completed a briefing (shown below) of their strike teams saying the back fire will not be lit today. Completion of the check line of the east perimeter of this burn has not yet been achieved and that last remaining piece is essential to the safe completion of the burn out. Their intention, assuming all is in place, is to light the fire during the interval 11 am - 2 pm Wednesday with the goal of finishing it in one period of perhaps of 12 hours. Tuesday, 8 Sep 09, 9:25 am PDT - The expectation is that the back fire will be set this morning, dependent upon the completion of a check fire line in the adjacent zone to the east. The weather is expected to divert from its presently favorable conditions later this week, and the Station Fire Incident Command wants to complete this operation. The delay has resulted from the tremendous challenge to Hot Shots in the next zone to the east of the mountain who have been cutting a fire break in difficult terrain in the face of active fire. The fire will be started at the northeast corner of the mountain and proceed eastward along the north side of the fire break clearly visible in the right portion of the Towercam image. It will go down beyond the point and connect to the next fire zone. Fire fighters are back in position on the mountain with hose strung all over the grounds. Although it is unlikely to occur, if the back fire does turn and climb the mountain, structure protection will go forward using the hoses. Dave has calculated that our water supply will last for 30 hours at continuous maximum demand. I'm confident it won't come to that, but it is very reassuring to have these fire crews at the ready up here. If the operation does start, the Mount Wilson - Red Box Road will be closed to all traffic in both directions. I will post a note when I have definitive information about the back fire. Monday, 7 Sep 09, 3:04 pm PDT - The fire, which I've been calling a back fire but is actually a "burn out," won't be set today and will most probably go forward tomorrow depending upon weather and level of readiness. Fire hose is now strung all over the Observatory roads all the way to the Monastery, and fire units from numerous jurisdictions are in position just waiting for the process to start. But not today I heard from a Station Fire Public Information Officer that there is a rumor making its rounds on the Internet that 'there is a rich guy from Florida who was helicoptered up to the mountain along with his wife to get a front row seat on the fire activity.' I guess this sort of thing happens in a situation like this, particularly when people have been dispossessed from their homes, possessions, pets and livestock with no word as to their current status or idea when they might be able to return. I can only imagine the stress of being in those circumstances. The only "civilians" at Mount Wilson Observatory are: David Jurasevich, Observatory Superintendent; Larry Webster, Site Manager for the CHARA Array; Jake Hodge, Assistant MWO Superintendent; and me, Hal McAlister, CEO of the Mount Wilson Institute, Director of Mount Wilson Observatory and Director of Georgia State University's CHARA Array. My wife Susan is with me. We are here at the specific request of the fire authorities to provide technical and logistical support to fire fighters in connection with their use of Observatory infrastructure. I'm a college professor from Georgia and drove a rental car up the mountain. David Jurasevich was flown back up to the mountain early last week after being evacuated when things looked dire. He was needed to repair our fire pump and fire alarm systems that both suffered power failures. His quick return to the site was clearly imperative, and he was given a ride on a helicopter that was coming towards the mountain anyway. We have three residents of the mountain who remain unable to return as well as the operational staffs of the various research programs up here. We don't know when our routine observing programs will commence. That last hardship doesn't compare with what mountain and ANF residents are enduring, and I sincerely hope they will all return to find homes and property intact. Monday, 7 Sep 09, 11:10 am PDT - I have been told that, due to logistical complexities, it is unlikely that the back fire out Newcomb's Ridge will be set today. In the meantime, the 1.5-inch hoseline out the ridge is being laid, and preparation is now underway to lay hose all over the Observatory grounds to fight structure fires should the back fire fail and get out of control. Monday, 7 Sep 09, 9:15 am PDT - Here's a photo for my office wall for years to come - The Helena Hot Shots. Their Superintendent Fred Thompson (at right) got a radio call during the pose. Immediately afterwards, they hefted on their packs and headed off to the hose installation. Monday, 7 Sep 09, 7:50 am PDT - It's a beautful morning on Mount Wilson with crystal skies and temp in the high 60s. This may be D-Day up here. It appears to be a perfect day for the back fire operation, although we haven't heard anything official about that yet. The plan as I understand it is to complete the laying of about 20,000 feet of fire hose along the break they cut from the mountain out along Newcomb's Ridge to continue outward along the dozeer break. It will take about 1840 gallons just to charge the hose line. They will either use water from our large tank or bring in "pumpkins" and supply them by water tenders coming up the mountain. They will then light the back fire either with Hot Shots on the ground using drip torches, phospherus grenades and other hand lighting devices. The fuel for the drip torches is a 3 to 1 ratio of diesel fuel to unleaded gasoline. Alternately, they will fly in a helicopter with a torch on a long sling that dispenses a napalm-like material. Either way, the fire will be lit methodically and will burn for days before the area is an effective, completed controlled burn and declared "black." Operations such as this require a lot of logistics to occur in proper sequence as well as favorable winds and relative humidity, so there is always a chance the back fire may not be lit today. I'll post a note when I know more. Susan and I took a trip off the mountain yesterday afternoon to reprovision ourselves and the three Observatory staff members as all of us were out of food. We obtained a written return authorization from the fire chief on duty up here. They wouldn't guarantee that would work, but fortunately the CHP officer manning the road block above La Canada was still on the spot when we returned from Ralph's and Trader Joe's. He was very friendly and asked questions about the Observatory. We've had a number of officers on the mountain since I've been here, and they are all fascinated by the place. One LA County Sheriff's deputy told me he and his buddies built an 8-inch Dobsonian telescope in high school and another knew all the details about the orbit of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Susan took a number of photos along the Angeles Crest Highway as I drove back up the mountain. I'll post some of them this later morning. Sunday, 6 Sep 09, 11:15 pm PDT - Susan and I just took a last walk around the central grounds to inspect the view of the local fire center to the northeast. There was Capella again, and beneath it Mount Waterman continued to be lit up by fire, including a glow from the north slope otherwise invisible to us. We hope the best for the ski areas of the Angeles National Forest. The 100-inch dome gleaming in the moonlight naturally attracted us to walk over to it and return to the Kapteyn via the footbridge to the Galley. As we approached the famous spot where Einstein posed with Walter Adams, William Wallace Campbell and other luminaries in 1931, we saw half a dozen unfamiliar shapes laid out here and there on the ground around the 500,000 gallon fire water tank and quickly realized they were Helena Hotshots in their sleeping bags on the ground under the moonlight. We proceeded quietly across the footbridge so as not to wake them. We both agreed it was one of the most moving experiences we have ever had. Sunday, 6 Sep 09, 9:55 am PDT - The plan for the day, which I got from several Helena Hotshots, is for "plumbing" the fire break installed over the last couple of days along the northern perimeter of Mount Wilson and heading out Newcomb's Ridge to the powerlines supplying communities well east of Pasadena. About six miles of fire hose, delivered by helicopter slings, will be laid along this line in preparation for the back fire that is likely to be set today or tomorrow on the northside of the break. The air tankers are staging again now, most likely to finish painting fire retardant along the south side of the fire break to discourage the fire from jumping the break. Once again, this is all being done to keep the fire out of Big Santa Anita Canyon and threatening Monrovia and Sierra Madre. Mount Wilson is, of course, a beneficiary of this amazing effort. Sunday, 6 Sep 09, 12:15 am PDT - A last look for the night. I walked around from the Kapteyn Cottage to the path to Echo Rock to a clearing next to the Berkeley ISI facility to look off to the northeast. A gibbous moon, a few days past full, illuminated the landscape and the gleaming 100-inch dome so that a flashlight was mostly unnecessary except for my habit of watching out for the mountain's healthy population of rattlesnakes that like to soak up the residual heat from asphalt. The parking lot by the 100-inch was nearly empty except for the three "buggies" of the Helena Hotshots who I assumed were sleeping in the Hooker dome as they had done for several nights now. Off in the distance, there is a glowing wall of flame diminished in brightness by smoke blown towards Mount Wilson climbing to the summit of Mount Waterman. The star Capella, one of my favorites, is about five degrees immediately above this scene. Closer to Mount Wilson, Big Santa Anita Canyon and more distant terrain are filled with smoke with an area in the far distance glowing from active fire below. A truck pulled up beside the CHARA control building and a group of four fire fighters assigned as lookouts for the night walked towards me shutting down their flashlights at about the same time I switched mine off. I identified myself and they asked directions to Echo Rock. They thanked me and walked off in the moonlight to survey the current hot areas in our vicinity of the Station Fire. Saturday, 5 Sep 09, 7:00 pm PDT - The tanker operation has subsided now due to the shadows produced by the nearly setting sun. I should have made it clear in the earlier post that this activity is not solely devoted to Mount Wilson but is a result of their concern that the fire will get into Big Santa Anita Canyon and exposes Sierra Madre and Monrovia. A fire official told me that once the fire retardant drop is complete, the north slope will be fired and a control burn should proceed down the north slope away from the fire line. This controlled burn will produce a burn barrier with the goal of isolating Big Santa Anita from the fire. We'll post a spectacular image or two from this operation shortly. Saturday, 5 Sep 09, 5:45 pm PDT - As I write this, a massive aerial tanker action is underway to paint the newly cut fireline along Newcomb's Ridge, which connects to the northeast corner of Mount Wilson, with fire retardant. Four are five large tankers are being directed into their drop positions by a lead plane that lays smoke over the drop zone. Our Superintendent Dave Jurasevich, who is an uber-photographer, is taking some magnificent images that we will post as soon as we can. About 15 drops have been made thus far involving some of the most astronishing aerial acrobatics I've ever seen. The operation is probably only about 60% finished at this time. The resources being expended to protect this mountaintop are extraordinary. It is impossible to imagine that more could be done than has been done. This operation follows a two-day effort involving perhaps 60 Hotshots as well as Ventura County fire fighters to lay in the fireline in steep territory of Mount Wilson to connect with the dozer line brought in along the more horizontal ridge top. The world of astronomy owes the leaders of this effort to combat the Station Fire a deep expression of gratitude. Saturday, 5 Sep 09, 11:00 am PDT - Things are quieter this morning on Mount Wilson - a good sign. There are no fire engines on the grounds whereas for days almost every driveway or pullout has a rig stationed there. There are several teams from Los Angeles County who are assigned as mobile lookouts to the mountain, and the Helena Hotshots and El Cariso Hotshots with assistance from the Ventura County Fire Department are laying more line off to the northeast to tie into dozer crews cutting in from lower elevations. The expectation is that areas on the northslopes, on the other side of this line from us, will be intentionally lit as a major fire break. Dave just read me the weather forecast from the morning's incident report that calls from winds blowing to the north and northwest in the morning switching to south and southwesterly winds with gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon. There is a risk that if the fire transitions across the West Fork of the San Gabriel River it could make rapid upslope runs although ridgetop winds are expected to limit penetration across the containment lines. Pyrocumulus eruption NE of Mount Wilson and N of Cogswell Dam on the afternoon of 4 Sep 09. Ice crystals form at the top of the powerful fire driven updraft of such features. The cloud collapsed quickly by about 5:30 pm (photo by Susan McAlister) Saturday, 5 Sep 09, 9:20 am PDT - As many of you know, Mount Wilson Observatory is operated by the Mount Wilson Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation registered in California with offices on the Georgia State University campus in Atlanta. Our income derives primarily from site fees paid by the scientific projects here and some outreach activities. In normal years there are budget shortfalls that we cover out of a slowly diminishing reserve. As a result of the events of the last week, we are going to be sorely pressed for resources to take care of cleanup and further preparation and mitigation activities. If you are interested in helping us with the process of transitioning back to normal operations, we welcome your tax-deductible donation in any amount. Donations can be sent to: The Mount Wilson Institute, Fire Recovery Program, P.O. Box 1909, Atlanta, GA 30301-1909. Among upcoming expenses will be the removal of a number of trees that appear to have succumbed to the backfire operation. In addition we need to install fire water lines to hydrants at the Monastery that were capped due to a major leak located in that vicinity. We want to install steel fire shutters on the night Monastery building. To assist fire fighters in future situations like this, we must install clearly marked road and directional signs as well as a "Knox box" at our electric gate to provide gate codes and maps to arriving fire crews. To protect our water source from power failure, we must run power underground that was installed on vulnerable poles some years ago. There are safety issues for our personnel and visitors that must be addressed including: emergency lighting in the 100-inch and 60-inch telescope buildings and particularly in the shelter-in-place area in the Hooker telescope dome; several self-contained breathing apparatus sets; oxygen bottles for emergencies including heart attack; and, several sets of Nomex fire suits for our core staff. Our actual needs list is many times larger than what I have indicated here and involves a good deal of labor that will have to be supplemented by contractors and temporary help. Any assistance you can provide Mount Wilson Observatory at this remarkable time in its history will by deeply appreciated. Friday, 4 Sep 09, 10:05 pm PDT - After supper this evening, a group of us (Dave, Larry, Jake Hodge, Susan and I) walked out from the Kapteyn Cottage to Echo Point to inspect the activity off to the northeast. Things are looking really good tonight. There were some bright fire runs off in the distance and glows and smoke nearer to us, but the monster pyrocumulus outburst from that area collapsed hours ago, and the inferno producing it seems spent. There will be more activity out there tomorrow, but it appears to be heading away from us. Crews remain on site overnight and will continue mitigation activities tomorrow. While at Echo Point, we had the good fortune to have a nice visit with Fred Thompson, Superintendent of the Helena Hotshots of Helena, Montana. I had listened to Fred brief his 23 person crew, 18 men and 5 women, this morning before they headed off to their day's work. We could see them coming back up to the summit from their flashlight beams at about 9:00 pm. During this long day, those people cut of mile of firebreak - using chain saws, rakes and shovels - that was 30 feet wide and 18 inches deep. Can you imagine?! The terrain they were on is incredibly steep and treacherous, and much of Fred's briefing to them this moring was reinforcing doctrination about watching one's step on such steep terrain and through material that he described to them "was like walking on ball bearings." Before and after the briefing, they had silent time during which he told us they conducted controlled breathing and mind focusing meditations, or perhaps prayer. It was like watching a briefing conducted by an Army Ranger officer before going off on a combat mission. The Helena Hotshots are bunking down tonight, as they have for the last several nights, on the ground floor of the 100-inch telescope. I asked several of them why they chose that location, and they said it was great - indoors and relatively quiet. They told me that they often have to dig a shallow grave-like trench on the side of some steep mountain so as to not roll down the mountain during the night, and the 100-inch concrete floor sure beats that. There are other Hotshots here as well including the El Cariso Hotshots out of Lake Elsinor, California. I got to speak with one of them briefly when they assembled near the CHARA headquarters building at about 5:30 this evening. They had returned from an all day job on the south slope below the broadcast facilities, and I thought they were knocking off for the evening. Nope. They were replenishing some supplies before heading down the northeast slope to join the Helena crews. Amazing. Friday, 4 Sep 09, 5:00 pm PDT - My wife Susan and I arrived on the mountain yesterday afternoon at about 3:00 pm. I haven't had time yet to write much, but I wanted to post an update on the current situation. The current status is that no damage to any structures has occured on the mountain. Much of the press coverage, from what I can tell, has declared the Observatory saved, but the situation is far more complex. The danger is still there in that there has been extensive burning off to the east-northeast, and Towercam has been displaying a spectacular pyrocumulus cloud that developed from the tremendous energy being released from the massive fuel supply in that area of the ANF. The fire seems presently to be headed in the direction of Mount Waterman, but what it does is going to be determined by many factors, not the least of which is the wind direction. Fire officials here on site tell me that Mount Wilson remains in a precarious situation depending upon what happens to this current very impressive burn. But, the wind remains favorable while a crew of tremendously impressive Hotshots from Helena Mountana this morning started down the northeast point of the mountain cutting a fire line down the steep slope to attempt to meet a dozer crew at lower elevation. The very fact that the Hotshots haven't returned here to the summit is a good sign that the fire is not turning back on us. I should add that fire is still burning on the slopes of the north ridge of the mountain, but a massive effort involving firelines, tree thinning and cutting, fire retardant and water drops to increase the moisture content in the upslope fuels is providing an excellent buffer on that front. The Observatory grounds have not been in such great shape for fire mitigation in memory. The back firing worked beautifully, fire lines have been cut and dug around structures, including the residences, and aggressively limbing and tree cutting has left this place in superb shape for defending, should that become necessary. The buzz of chain saws all day was music to my ears. Fire fighters remain confident in their ability to avert disaster up here. I could probably write a book on the events of the last week, but I do want to record a one impression here briefly. The Angeles Crest Highway, California Highway 2 - a National Scenic Byway - is now mostly a path through utter desolation. Many have described it as a moonscape. The best I can describe it is as a landscape in a perpetual, ashen gray winter. There are places here and there where the whimsical nature of the fire has left an acre or two with chaparral in place, but what one mostly confronts - from the arson point a few miles up from La Canada all the way to the Red Box turnoff - is this eery, wintry landscape as far as the eye can see. By contrast, the Red Box Road is mostly in good shape. In one sense, once this fire is history, we can expect for a very long time to have serious rock and dirt slides on the Angeles Crest, and I expect there will be massive slides during the forthcoming wet season. More later. Friday, 4 Sep 09, 2:05 pm PDT - Thanks to the efforts of Rob Jablonsky and Mike Cranneman of AT&T and CHARA's Larry Webster and Nils Turner, the burnt Internet connection was repaired, and we are back on the air! Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, 5:25 pm PDT - These comments will likely not be updated for perhaps as long as this coming Sunday evening. My wife Susan and I are flying out to LA tomorrow to spend some time on the mountain. Deputy Chief Powers has arranged for a fire department escort from La Canada to Red Box through all the road blocks, and we plan on staying on the mountain - in the Kapteyn Cottage - if we can. I'll be reporting back here with my impressions of this remarkable event and hope to have photographs and mpegs of our Observatory for you. The situation remains as it has been all day. The Observatory grounds are in the best possible shape, the fire fighters remain determined and in position, and we expect to survive this unless the approaching fire obtains far more aggressiveness and complexity than it now presents. But, the fire to the north, against which all the back fires and preparation of last night were mounted, still lurks. I remain optimistic, but we cannot declare the end to any danger until the fire is declared contained by authorities. That date, as of the latest Inciweb report, has been set back to September 15. So, there's still much watchful waiting ahead. Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, 2:45 PDT - I regret the confusion this will no doubt cause, but we have relocated the Mount Wilson Observatory website temporarily to www.chara.gsu.edu/CHARA/MWO/index.php. My Station Fire Updates will revert back to the MWO website at www.chara.gsu.edu/CHARA/MWO/fire.php. Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, noon PDT - There is a great deal of interest in the UCLA Towercam on Mount Wilson, in particular as to when it might be returned to service. All internet connectivity to the Observatory was lost in the back fire setting process yesterday. Yet another lesson we've learned is not to use fiber glass pull boxes. The burning of ground cover melted the lid on one of the few boxes of that type we have on the mountain and then destroyed telephone lines and lines carrying our T1 Internet signals. We don't know when the Internet connection will be restored, but it is likely to be out for a number of days. This disappoints many people, not the least of whom is me, who have relied on those images as their eyes on Mount Wilson. Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, 9:19 am PDT - The situation on the mountain remains stable with very good prospects. No more backfires were set last evening, so only the long defensive backfire on the northerm perimeter was lit. Additional backfires on the east and south slopes will be set only if deemed necessary. Heavy man and equipment power remains on the mountain and will stay there until, hopefully, an all clear is given. If and when that happens remains uncertain, of course. Tim Rutten has a wonderful opinion piece in this morning's Los Angeles Times. Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, 6:00 am PDT - The Mount Wilson Observatory website will be relocated to our GSU webserver later today. Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, 5:56 am PDT - A briefing by Incident Commander Dietrich is underway as I write this. He reported that Mount Wilson "is still in good shape" and described their difficulties in communication on the site due to the intense radio frequency interference emanating from the broadcast facilities on the mountain. The Super Scooper dropped 7500 gallons of fire retardant gell yesterday. Wednesday, 2 Sep 09, 4:47 am PDT - I learned before turning in last night that John Harrigan and Larry Webster repaired the power to the pump house within an hour of their arrival on the mountain. Fire fighters thus have access to the nearly 750,000 gallons of water in our fire and potable water tanks, and our three MWO folks remain on site to assist with any further problems that may arise. No other news this morning, which I regard as good. I hope our folks are still sleeping as I start the day here in Atlanta. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 7:21 pm PDT - Much to report! I just got off the phone calling Larry Webster's office on the mountain hoping to confirm his arrival. Instead of Larry, the phone was answered by LA County Deputy Fire Chief Jim Powers who is in charge of protection for structures at the Observatory. Wow, do I feel much better. First, Larry, Dave Jurasevich and John Harrigan arrived safely on site. When I identified myself, Chief Powers asked if I would like a briefing. You can imagine my answer. Here's what I know. Fire fighters arrived earlier than I previously reported and by 8:00 am they had started their prep work. They began at the northeast corner of the Observatory using drip torches all along a line from that point traversing the northern perimeter to the boundary of the antenna areas. They are currently applying the same treatment to the east and southern boundaries of the site and expect to complete that this evening. These fires will clear ground debris and burn down slope with the intention of meeting any approaching fire with depleted fuel. Many of you watched the Super Scooper drop a major load of water, which was deposited downslope from the backfires and not on the Observatory grounds. That has been supplemented by other aerial tankers and helitankers for more precision dropping at crucial locations. The goal is to slow down encroaching fire, disperse it and make it more manageable. Chief Powers expressed his absolute confidence that they will save the Observatory. He said that while it may have appeared over the last day or so that the Observatory was being neglected, that they never lost sight of the importance of Mount Wilson's preservation and it is now their highest priority. He flew up to the mountain yesterday, was delighted with what he found and knew they could achieve success here. There are now 150 fire fighters on Mount Wilson. Not only are the crews from Calaveras County (Cal Fire) back up there, but there are Los Angeles County fire fighters and even a crew from Helena, Montana. They have eight engines equipped to spray fire retardant on structures in addition to the crew engines. Chief Powers told me this army of fire fighters is "not going anywhere. They are very hard working and talented people who will get the job done." After this uplifting briefing from Chief Powers, Dave called me from the CHARA conference room where he will be bunking down for the night. He filled in with some other information he'd learnd from the Chief prior to my own briefing. The fire is slowly coming up to the mountaintop through the canyon containing the remnants of the old Strain's Camp. Mountain water wells are located above the old tourist camping site. They are also anticipated as coming up the steep eastern canyon located between the Berkeley ISI facility and the CHARA machine shop - due east of the 100-inch telescope. The back fires will burn all the way down this canyon to disable this approach. Dave reported seeing fire on the way up at Eaton Saddle down towards Camp High Hill. There is no structural damage on the mountain. A short in a pull box produce by old flimsy splicing was compromised by the back fires and power lost to the high pressure fire pump system. (We have also obviously lost our internet connection to the mountain.) John Harrigan and Larry Webster were shopping at "Mount Wilson Depot" - the electrical storage area in the 100-inch telescope building - for materials to construct a new power line to the fire pump building. This should present no difficulties at all for those guys. Our facility is in great shape for defensibility and in the hands of a group of enthusiastic, highly experienced and absolutely devoted fire fighters. I want to acknowledge my predecessor Bob Jastrow for initiating a brush clearing program that we have continued, and I thank folks like the W. M. Keck Foundation for helping us a few years ago with funding for that activity. Chief Powers assured me that there is never a need to fully evacuate our site and it is essential that we leave knowledgeable personnel on site to assist them and ensure that our fire fighting and support infrastructure is functional. "They are as essential to your protection as smoke alarms," Chief Powers said. That makes me feel so much better about letting Dave, Larry and John go back on site. Hearing the absolute confidence and expertise in Chief Powers' voice has given me great optimism for, what the Chief said himself, would be "another hundred years for Mount Wilson Observatory." Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 3:40 pm PDT - Battalion Chief Cam Todd has requested that Dave Jurasevich return to the mountain to assist with some electrical problems the fire fighters are having. Accompanying Dave will be John Harrigan, an electrical engineer who has done extensive renovation of many of the original electrical systems on the mountain. Larry Webster is also returning with them. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 3:30 pm PDT - I understand the Martin Mars Super Scooper is preparing a major watering operation involving Mount Wilson. Chris Farrington has provided this link that will show the water drop. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 2:26 pm PDT - The Battalion fire chief on Mount Wilson has just called both Larry and Dave to ask how to turn off the fire alarm up there! His name is Cam Todd and he's a Cal Fire chief with crews from Calaveras County. These are the same fire crews who did such a fantastic job prepping the place over the weekend before they were withdrawn yesterday morning. Chief Todd confirmed that these are indeed backfires and he said his guys are doing a heck of a job and their efforts are going just great! Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 2:15 pm PDT - The Mount Wilson webserver went down moments ago, most likely due to a backfire infiltration of a pull box containing telephone lines that bring us our T1 internet service. All future updates will be posted here. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 2:04 pm PDT - CHARA Site Manager Larry Webster, who left the mountain yesterday morning, has told me that what we see on the TV feeds is exactly what the fire fighters told him they would do to deplete flammables on the ground. Their plan, which they would have implemented earlier had they not been withdrawn, was to start these groundlevel fire and literally walk along with them to keep them controlled. This is why we see no flames. The fires will consume the accumulation of needles from the many pine and fir trees as well as other scrub growth that could flame up and ignite lower limbs that would them permit the blossoming of the entire tree into flames. All the smoke we see is entirely consistent with this procedure. Larry and Dave are both delighted to see what's going on, but I've got to say that seeing smoke next to those domes is very unsettling to me. Still, I know what the fire fighters are now doing is necessary to save the Observatory. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 1:25 pm PDT - Go to www.ktla.com for live feed (click at the top of their homepage) from the mountain showing fire between the 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes along the south vacuum tube lines of the CHARA Array. White knuckle time, but if these are indeed backfires as we believe, then we are in good shape. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 12:58 pm PDT - A mirror site has been set up for the UCLA Towercam by Alex Avtanski. His link will help reduce congestion on the Towercam server, and I very much appreciate this kind service. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 12:32 pm PDT - I have been out of the office for an hour and many of you have told me about the live video coming from CBS in LA. A good place to watch that feed is www.wildfiretoday.com. We believe there more engine crews have arrived a the Observatory and that backfires are being set. In particular, a fire was seen adjacent to CHARA's "W1" telescope, which is about 200 meters north of the 100-inch. That particular spot is densely filled with chapperal, and it is a logical place to set a backfire. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 10:10 am PDT - Some good news. U.S. Forest Servie Fire Dispatch has informed us that as of 9:40 this morning ground crews were back at the Observatory. As of 8:00 am, air tankers were back in operation. The dispatcher expressed his opinion to Dave that as long as the fire continues to press the mountain from one direction "you are going to make it." Furthermore, there is some light rain developing in places in the Los Angeles basin, and there is a possibility for some thunderstorm activity that could lead to dry lightning. The humidity is up and the temperature is a bit lower, so, all in all, things are looking more promising than they have in the last few days. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 8:40 am PDT - Before I forget, I want to acknowledge the great service that UCLA Professor Roger Ulrich's group at the 150-ft Solar Tower Telescope has provided us with their Towercam. Its steadfast watch on the mountain has been the only real link we have had up there for more than 24 hours, and the stable scene it is displaying is a real source for optimism. Tuesday, 1 Sep 09, 7:15 am PDT - I wish I had some fresh substantive information to post this morning, but I do not at this point have any news - only what we can all deduce from Towercam and other sources. Towercam scenes continue to show thick smoke on the mountain with a concentration on the right side of the image implying activity on the mountain's north side. It clearly has not reached the mountain and, if advancing towards us, it is only doing so slowly. The alternative website is not yet active, so please keep returning here for whatever news I can give. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 5:30 pm PDT - As I mentioned earlier, we have lost the new backup power to the mountain. In anticipation of a possible loss of all power to the Observatory, where the MWO webserver is located, this update site will be relocated to http://joy.chara.gsu.edu/CHARA/fire.php. I will continue posting material on the current server, but if and when it goes dark, please make a note now to try the other URL if you are interested in keeping in touch with this situation from our perspective. In this event, the Towercam will also go dark. In the meantime, please keep coming to this site. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 2:46 pm PDT - CHARA Array operator PJ Goldfinger reported that at about 2:00 pm she monitored an LA County Sheriffs Department transmission advising a pullout from Red Box, the major staging area near the mountain. I just spoke with Sherry Roman, Public Affairs Officer of the Angeles National Forest. She could give no updates as to the status of the fire in the Mount Wilson vicinity except that the USFS still considers that passage of fire across Mount Wilson is imminent and will be fought aerially rather than with ground personnel. Once the fire is through the area, they can assess the damage by air after the event before they can send in ground personnel. She also confirmed what PJ's monitoring implied, that firefighters have been removed from Red Box. This roller coaster has taken a dip downward. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 1:10 pm PDT - My day has been preoccupied with press inquiries, all of whom want to know what the situation is on Mount Wilson. The bottom line is that we don't really know. I've spoken with several officials of the USFS, and the last recorded report that they could give me was from 9:30 am PDT when a ranger reported that fire had not reached the vicinity of the Observatory. There was no word about proximity, direction, etc. or, indeed the level of threat to the Observatory. The information fog is demonstrated by contradictory statements within a single article in the LA Times, and I fear it will remain that way for the near term. Dave Jurasevich has learned from California Edison that the new 33 kV power line installed to the mountain has been knocked out, but the original 16 kV line is as yet unaffected. So, Towercam, which remains our only "presence" on the mountain, is for the time being functioning. Current images show plenty of smoke but no flames - a comforting sign. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 7:50 am PDT - At 6:25 this morning, fire crews were instructed to withdraw from Mount Wilson. Larry Webster and Dave Jurasevich left the mountain with them. I have just spoken with Larry and Dave when they reached the bottom of the Angeles Crest Hwy in La Canada, and they report minimal fire activity in the immediate vicinity of Mount Wilson. It is not clear why the withdrawal decision was made nor whether or not the fire crews will return. Those fire fighters joined other crews deployed at the Red Box turnoff to Mount Wilson, five miles from the Observatory. So, they are still within close proximity for redeployment. Thus, the good news is that the fire in the Observatory's vicinity seems to have diminished. The bad news is that there are no fire fighters presently on the scene. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 6:10 am PDT - Larry and Dave report that fire fighters are preparing to set more back fires below the broadcast towers, but otherwise things are calm on the mountain for the present. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 5:50 am PDT - Sky and Telescope magazine posted this story late last night. Monday, 31 Aug 09, 4:50 am PDT - No reports from the mountain yet this morning. Towercam shows new fire encroachment. The Inciweb update is eight hours old - 42,500 acres, 2,575 personnel - and two fire fighters lost. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 8:07 pm PDT - A critical aspect to the survivability of the Observatory should the fire sweep across it is whether or not fire fighters will be on site during such an event. The U.S. Forest Service continually assesses the danger to fire fighters in any scenario and will withdraw fire crews in situations that are particularly precarious. Such an evaluation took place on Mount Wilson in the last half hour with the decision for the fire crews to remain in place tonight. That's very good news. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 6: 35 pm PDT - The LA Times has released this article in the last hour. Our reports on site are not presently so dire, but the "fog of war" certainly exists in a situation like this. Every preparation is being made for this scenario, and it may indeed yet happen. I remain optimistic for now. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 5:32 pm PDT - Dave Jurasevich is back on the mountain courtesy of the Forest Service. His helicopter ride included a survey of the fire in its entirety, and it is clear that the major activity and growth is not in the immediate vicinity of Mount Wilson. That's very good news. Furthermore, the activity during the day by the fire crews now stationed on the Observatory grounds, which consist of units from Calaveras County, California, is extraordinarily gratifying. They have occupied the day with very significant brush clearing and preparation of flammable wooden structures that diminish their vulnerability to save the prime science and historic facilities of the Observatory. We have opened visiting astronomer housing for them to use for showers and rest. These are extraordinary people who say they are just doing their job, whereas to us they are preparing to save a world-class observatory. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 5:32 pm PDT - Dave Jurasevich is back on the mountain courtesy of the Forest Service. His helicopter ride included a survey of the fire in its entirety, and it is clear that the major activity and growth is not in the immediate vicinity of Mount Wilson. That's very good news. Furthermore, the activity during the day by the fire crews now stationed on the Observatory grounds, which consist of units from Calaveras County, California, is extraordinarily gratifying. They have occupied the day with very significant brush clearing and preparation of flammable wooden structures that diminish their vulnerability to save the prime science and historic facilities of the Observatory. We have opened visiting astronomer housing for them to use for showers and rest. These are extraordinary people who say they are just doing their job, whereas to us they are preparing to save a world-class observatory. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 4:31 pm PDT - Larry Webster reports that aircraft are now laying down Phos-Check fire retardant adjacent to the broadcast towers. In spite of the optimism of my last report, it seems that the anticipation of fire spreading down the Mount Wilson ridgeline has increased. Observatory Superintendent Dave Jurasevich is in route back to the mountain via a Forest Service helicopter. Should the worst occur, there is a very secure shelter-in-place area designated in the 100-inch telescope coude room if personnel have to ride through a fire. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 2:07 pm PDT - Towercam now shows significant outbreak of flames on the west slope of Mount San Gabriel. Fire fighters have indicated this is not of great concern since the exposed east slope towards the observatory is relatively barren granite. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 2:00 pm PDT - This article has appeared in The Los Angeles Times this afternoon. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 12:30 pm PDT - CHARA Site Manager Larry Webster has been given permission by GSU officials to return to Mount Wilson to assist fire fighters and to continue preparing CHARA Array facilities for the situation. He arrived back on the mountain at about noon and reports that extensive preparations by fire crews continue. Larry counted five Hotshot crews (of approx. 15 members each) and estimated 15 fire trucks in the large lower parking lot between the antenna site and the Observatory. There are thus ~ 150 fire fighters stationed on Mount Wilson. The Hotshot crews are cutting fire breaks and thinning fuels adjacent to buildings. Our Superintendent Dave Jurasevich, who we hope will also be able to return to the mountain, spoke by telephone earlier this morning with the battalion fire chief on site and reports considerable fire mitigation activities on the Observatory grounds by fire fighters who have access to all Observatory facilities and equipment to assist their efforts. We are very fortunate to have such extensive resources devoted to defending Mount Wilson, and I feel very good about our prospects up there. Sunday, 30 Aug 09, 7:30 am PDT - Now that we no longer have staff on-site, we can only dig around through various sources to get the fire's status. The Inciweb.org report, which is 10 hours old at present, indicates that the danger for significant expansion of the fire exists today as it did yesterday. Towercam images during the night showed Red Box area flaming dying down, which is good news, but current Towercam scenes are obscured by smoke. The temperature is supposed to drop a few degrees compared with yesterday - good news for fire fighters. Saturday, 29 Aug 09, 7:45 pm PDT - Just got off the phone with Dave Jurasevich who had arrived at Wrightwood after he and Larry finally left the mountain. They both desperately wanted to stay, but yielded reluctantly to my insistance otherwise. Larry was going to join his wife Elisa's family who lives in the interior of the San Gabriels, but an evacuation has been ordered for their area as well. The dedication and love for Mount Wilson of Larry and Dave is shared by many, and I can't thank them enough for devotion to duty. Nevertheless, I'm relieved to have them off the mountain. The fire spread from 5,000 acres at the start of the day to 20,000 acres at last report. It is expected to back off tonight with cooling temperatures and then revive in the heat of the day tomorrow. Mount Wilson Observatory is in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. These are extraordinarily talented and devoted people who I know will do their best to protect this world science heritage site and save the continuing forefront science programs from our mountaintop. I will post additional news from the mountain as soon as I get it. Hal McAlister, Director hit counter