Portal

Firewise Plan

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June 2018

Figure 1. Central Portal, with Library (left) and Post Office (image courtesy of Barbara Miller)

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Portal Firewise Community ‐ Firewise Plan, 2018

DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY

The village of Portal (Figure 1) is located at the mouth of Cave Creek Canyon in southeastern Arizona (Cochise County). In the community’s early history (1800’s), its economy was based on a combination of ranching, mining and extraction of logs and fuel wood. More recently, Portal has become an internationally recognized destination for natural history tourism (especially birding), and for scientific research and education at the Southwest Research Station (SWRS) of the American Museum of Natural History. Scientific, educational and natural history tourism are major contributors to a local economy sustained by, and greatly valuing, biological diversity in and around the Chiricahua Mountains. Some of Portal’s many retirees have returned here after careers in biological research or astronomy (residents of Sky Village), and others have been attracted by the area’s biological riches, dark night skies, stunningly rugged and beautiful landscapes, and interactive and cooperative community spirit. Private properties, including a few ranches, are integrated into a matrix of State and Federal lands (Coronado National Forest and BLM), and some have easements administered by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Three USFS campgrounds (Idlewilde, Stuart, and Sunny Flat) serve the public, and a nationally recognized Zoological and Botanical area is accessed by a turnoff into South Fork Canyon near the entrance to Sunny Flat.

GOALS OF THE PLAN

The community of Portal, AZ, has committed to preparing for wildfires that are inevitable yet need not be disastrous to lives, properties and the environment on which our local ecotourism economy depends. By formulating an action plan, and by promoting regular and continuous attention to fuels reduction and structure safety, our community will become more resilient to wildfires in the wildland‐urban interface (WUI). Principles developed under the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have proven effective in enhancing community resiliency to wildfire, and this effectiveness drives us to seek official recognition and certification as a Firewise Community.

Our goals are three‐fold: (1) to educate members of our community about Firewise principles and methods; (2) to motivate property owners to adopt Firewise principles, and (3) to enhance community resilience to wildfire through implementation of these principles.

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FIREWISE COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES

The Chairperson is Debb Johnson (tel. 520‐558‐3266; [email protected]). Other members are (alphabetically): Dinah Davidson, Lee Dyal, Bud Johnson, Jackie Lewis, Barbara Miller, David Newton, Eskild Petersen, Helen Snyder, and Bill Wilbur.

COMMUNITY LOCATION

Central Portal (the Post Office and Library) is located at 31°54'44.50"N, 109° 8'32.87"W (Figures 2 & 3). Three routes provide access to Portal, but just one is paved throughout its length. That route is Hidalgo County (NM) Rt. 533, extending west from State Rt. 80 about 50 miles north of the border town of Douglas, and becoming Portal Rd. at the junction with Stateline Rd. Portal is located just 7 miles northwest of this junction. A second access route extends south toward Portal from Interstate 10 near the town of San Simon. The northern section of this route, Noland Rd. (I‐10 signage says “Portal Rd.”) is paved. About 17 miles south of the freeway, near the mouth of Whitetail Canyon, the unpaved route bears left (east), becoming Foothill Rd., which intersects the paved Portal Rd. about one mile SE of Portal. A third and mostly unpaved route (Forest Service Road 42) crosses the Chiricahua Mountains southeast of Willcox, AZ, and is accessible mainly to vehicles capable of traversing rugged terrain. However, if safe from fire, it may be usable during emergencies.

OWNERSHIP (WITHIN TARGETED AREA)

Portal village includes about 3340 acres of private land with approximately 230 parcels and 127 residences (Figure 4). Boosting the number of structures considerably are the many out‐ buildings associated with homes ‐ commonly 2‐4 per home and including pump houses, storage structures, garages and car ports. With a seasonal influx of part‐time residents, the local population of about 120 approximately doubles to 240 during cooler months. USFS, BLM and State lands border private properties (Figures 3 & 4).

TOPOGRAPHY

Portal village is surrounded by rugged terrain, ranging in elevation from about 4100’ at the floor of the San Simon Valley east of town, to high mountains on the western and southern sides (6839’ at Cathedral Peak, 7976’ at Silver Peak, and 8544’ at Portal Peak). Over 3500’ of this relief occurs abruptly near the edges of Portal as cliffs rise steeply from Cave Creek (Figures 5 & 6). Both steep terrain and daily wind cycles (down‐canyon evening and up‐canyon morning winds) can potentially to contribute to severe fire behavior.

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Cave Creek once ran dependably year‐round but is increasingly dry seasonally. The Cave Creek Canyon watershed, one of the longest drainages in the Chiricahuas, contributes importantly to community water wells. After Hurricane Odile, and influenced by large fires in the watershed, Cave Creek overflowed into the three campgrounds and through private properties and residences downstream. Many streamside Arizona cypress died after having their root systems exposed and battered by woody debris carried and deposited by the flood.

VEGETATION

Contributing to high biological diversity, and related to the substantial topographic diversity, Portal is surrounded by diverse native vegetation types. These plant communities include desert scrub, semi‐desert grasslands, oak‐grassland (or oak savanna), chaparral, oak woodland, and pine‐oak woodland. Unnaturally dense and continuous stands of Mesquite and Acacia have overtaken grasslands immediately surrounding Portal (explanation below). Within the communities mentioned, many local species are fire adapted; some, e.g., native bunch grasses and manzanita, possess traits that encourage burning. Manzanita is most dense near the base of canyon walls, and piles of dead or mostly dead Manzanita occur on two private properties immediately below USFS lands. Natural fire frequencies, likely in the range of 4‐8 years, have been eclipsed by decades of fire suppression and livestock overgrazing. Fuel accumulation over such lengthy time periods has left local plant communities overgrown with Mesquite and other shrubs and primed to burn. A shallowly rooted and especially flammable grass (introduced Lehmann’s Lovegrass) now lines roadsides immediately around Portal.

In Cave Creek Canyon above Portal, Southwest Riparian Deciduous Forest is dominated by Arizona Sycamore, several Madrean oaks (Emory Oak, Arizona White Oak, and Silver Leaf Oak), Arizona Cypress, One‐seed and Alligator Juniper, Arizona Madrone, several pines (Border Pine and Apache Pine, and Ponderosa Pine at higher elevations), Arizona Walnut, Arizona Ash and Gooding’s Willow. Perhaps because of its very tall stature, requiring tall water columns in transport tissues to supply leaves, Emory Oak has been hit especially hard by increasing heat and drought. Downed trunks with their abundant branches represent a new and potentially important fire hazard on private and USFS lands in the lower Riparian Deciduous Forest. The Madrean oaks shed their leaves at the end of March, and dead leaves of both oaks and sycamore carpet the ground in these woodlands during spring fire season.

CLIMATE

Fire season typically extends from late winter through early summer. Beginning in late February or early March, Portal receives strong, drying winds from the ‘tails’ of frontal storms reaching this far south without the precipitation needed to boost fuel moistures significantly (Figure 7). Although winds can be strong in November‐December, they are normally

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accompanied by precipitation during that season. Annual grasses begin to cure at the end of the monsoon, or if winter rains begin soon thereafter, when those rains cease. Lightning is rare during this season, but extreme fire weather in March through May has spread fires ignited by humans, including along remote trails by drug smugglers, at astonishing rates. The intensity of fire weather normally subsides in June and July, depending on the strength of the summer monsoon, but humidities remain low through mid‐June. A weak 2017 monsoon (at least locally around Portal) permitted a lightening strike to ignite a grassland fire in August, normally mid‐ monsoon season. Very concerning is a recent prediction that the southwestern monsoon will weaken as the climate changes (Figure 7).

WILDLIFE

Mammal species occurring regularly in our community include cougar, bobcat, black bear, Coues whitetail deer, collared peccary, coatimundi, raccoon, gray fox, striped, hooded, spotted, and hog‐nosed skunks, Chiricahua fox squirrels (a subspecies endemic to the Chiricahuas), woodrats, other cricetid, sciurid and heteromyid rodents, and 24 bat species, including the endangered lesser long‐nosed bat. Residents have repeatedly reported sightings of diurnally feeding jaguarundi, especially in years when diurnal sigmodontid rodents (cotton rats) reach outbreak densities; no photographic or other evidence is currently available. Recently, a male jaguar has been photographed in the Chiricahuas.

Among other animals, herptiles are represented by numerous lizard species, including Gila Monsters (a species of special concern), snakes, and amphibians, e.g., the Chiricahua Leopard Frog (federally listed as threatened). The coppery‐tailed trogon and a remarkable diversity of passerine birds, including some rare seasonal migrants, make this an internationally renowned birding destination. Other notable birds include the Mexican Spotted Owl (federally listed as threatened), Gould’s Turkey and an unusually diverse community of nesting raptors (hawks and especially owls). A proposal for a special designation of Cave Creek Canyon as a 130 km2 Bird‐ of‐Prey Zoological‐Botanical Area is contingent on acceptance into a USFS planning document. Fire constitutes the greatest threat to this possibly globally significant raptor breeding area, as well as to nesting by other birds.

FIRE HISTORY

No single vegetation type dominates everywhere within the boundaries of our community, and we address two prominent ecosystems here with different dominants. Immediately surrounding Portal village, native grasslands have been replaced by leguminous shrubs (Mesquite and Acacia). The high density and continuity of these now dominant stands likely reflect the combined effects of fire suppression and seed dissemination by grazing livestock, though cattle grazing has declined substantially over the past 25 years. Private properties are most numerous in this vegetation zone, and not coincidentally, most wildfires have been

5 ignited by above‐ground power lines or through human activities like brush burning and use of heavy and light equipment (earth movers, generators, and welding equipment). Faulting power lines have caused five fires. Especially on weekends and holidays, recreational use of Cave Creek Canyon attracts considerable traffic by campers and hikers on Portal Rd. and USFS Rd. 42. Along roadsides, fires have been started by vehicle malfunctions and parking over dry grass, by discarded cigarettes, and by mowing equipment. One fire of undetermined cause began in a Portal storage shed near the Post Office on a very hot June day. To date, most of the fires ignited in this zone have been extinguished quickly, with fire suppression benefitting (so far) from lack of strong winds.

Lightning strikes, especially in early monsoon seasons, have long been a factor in igniting fires at low elevations (grasslands and shrublands) and high elevations (both pine‐juniper woodlands and upper montane ecosystems). Prior to settlement times (about 1892), and based on data from Rustler Park, montane fire return intervals were ~ 3‐yrs, slightly lower than those reported for other fire chronologies in the Southwest. Puzzlingly, their frequency peaked both in the spring dry season, and in mid‐monsoon. Some evidence suggests that the relationship between climate and fire may have been disrupted by Chiricahua Apaches, thought to have used fire against enemies and in hunting practices. These early fires were occasionally very widespread but burned at low intensity and were relatively benign. In post‐settlement times, fire frequency greatly declined due to both fire suppression and disruption of fuel continuity by livestock grazing. These two factors permitted an unnatural build‐up of live and dead fuels and led eventually to high intensity crown fires that were especially hard on pines; except for Chihuahua Pine, pines do not resprout after fire.

Three major fires have affected the Portal area, directly or indirectly, over the past century. In 1994, the Rattlesnake Fire was the largest Chiricahua fire in 77 years. Ignited by lightning in late June, this intense fire crowned and burned for a month, eventually extending over 27,500 acres. During the monsoon immediately following the Rattlesnake Fire, erosion modified downstream water courses. Changes in stream paths killed off numerous trees in South Fork Canyon. Both the Horseshoe 1 and Horseshoe 2 Fires were started by smugglers on the Burro Trail in the upper reaches of Horseshoe Canyon. Beginning in late May, after a wet El Niño Winter, Horseshoe 1 burned for 10 days, into early June of 2010, and eventually spanned 3,401 acres. Horseshoe 2 started on May 8, 2011, and was far more widespread and destructive than Horseshoe 1. The many dead trees left behind by a 50‐yr freeze (February 3, 2011), followed by a dry winter, contributed to the severity of that fire. Evolving into one of the largest fires in Arizona history at 222,954 acres, Horseshoe 2 destroyed 23 structures and cost ~ $50 million to contain. Ignited long before the onset of the monsoon, it burned for 7 weeks and left over 42% of the Chiricahuas moderately or severely affected. (Affected acreages by ownership were private lands ‐ 13,934; State ‐ 2,874; USFS ‐ 192,647; BLM ‐ 1,336; NPS ‐ 12,163.) Extremely low fuel moistures and high winds (26 red‐flag days) often drove extreme fire behaviors. At its start, Horseshoe 2 razed much of Sulphur Canyon, immediately south of Cave Creek Canyon, descending 9 miles in just 12 hours. Only a few degrees of wind direction saved Portal, which was evacuated overnight. (A second, partial evacuation was implemented as fire later descended within the Cave Creek watershed.) On the east side of the Chiricahuas, both the

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Horseshoe 1 and 2 fires burned in the South Fork watershed, and Horseshoe 2 spread eventually into the Middle and North Fork watersheds. Erosion and sedimentation were extreme in subsequent monsoon seasons. Three years after Horseshoe 2, runoff from Hurricane Odile transported much sediment (and nutrients) from the mountains, greatly modified downstream drainages, and damaged local properties and structures.

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE

In addition to the Portal and Foothill roads described above, many secondary roads provide access to private properties. Secondary roads tend to be narrow (10‐12’ wide) and gravel or dirt. The community lacks fire hydrants, but water tanks at Portal Rescue hold 38,000 gallons, and an approximately 1 acre pond on the property of a local farmer and fireman is available about 12 miles from Portal.

Portal Rescue (Figure 8) is the first responding fire agency, and provides fire, rescue, and emergency services to the Portal, Paradise, Galeyville, Whitetail Canyon, and Hilltop communities. The organization responds primarily to wildland fires throughout southern Arizona (about 1‐12 fires per year) in accordance with requests from ASLD, USFS, and BLM. Portal Rescue operates in a strictly volunteer capacity with no paid personnel. Responders often must travel 10‐15 miles to the Fire Station, and fire response times tend to be in the range of 20‐40 min. Firefighters from a sister community in Rodeo, NM, about 10 miles away, also respond to fires in Portal. As evaluated by the for‐profit Insurance Services Office, Portal Rescue’s Public Protection Classification rating is 9/10. Contributing to risk are the village’s isolation, difficulties with communications (mountains and canyons interrupting cellular and VHF signals), and a shortage of stored water capacity. Portal Rescue operates from a single unmanned station. It has seven red‐carded Firefighter Type 2s, two Type 6 engines, and three Type 3 support tenders with a total capacity of 4500 gallons. A helicopter landing zone exists at the fire station, and during Horseshoe 2, private lands adjacent to the junction of Portal Rd. and Rt. 80 were used as a staging area for a large field camp, peaking at 1,379 personnel.

Communications are an essential part of response infrastructure. Allowing us to reach many community members quickly and simultaneously via email is an existing community Google Group, which passes an average of 2‐3 electronic communications per day to 400 addresses in Portal and Rodeo, as well as reaching part‐time residents elsewhere.

Portal Rescue has a confidential locator file with a file option for sorting by neighborhoods. During a fire emergency, a Portal Rescue member or volunteer who is not located in the emergency area will call homes in the emergency area. Information and instructions will be given in order to promote a safe and effective evacuation.

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Portal (together with its sister village, Rodeo, NM) also has very active, frequently used and up‐dated website (www.portalrodeo.com), where information on community events, local clubs and a community calendar are accessible.

Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) / Other Hazard Ratings

Portal Rescue, Inc. is a signatory to, and is covered by, the Cochise County Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP; December2014; https://www.cochise.az.gov/sites/default/files/emergency_services/CochiseCWPP150105‐ WebsiteReady.pdf ). Cochise County is the governmental authority for unincorporated communities such as Portal, and funded by County resources, this plan replaces unsuccessful efforts by a number of smaller communities (including Portal) to write independent plans. Portal had earlier (2009) been identified as one of 10 communities in which community values and infrastructure were at risk because of the potential for wildland fire. The Cochise County CWPP analyzed 72,919 WUI acres for potential risk to wildland fire within the combined communities of Portal and neighboring Paradise WUI; most included residences were located in Portal. The combination of mixed housing density, vegetation with high fire potential, and zones of moderate wildfire ignition history led to an evaluation of moderate‐high risk to community values. The subset of the WUI targeted in this Firewise application occupies the zone evaluated as having the highest risk level. The CWPP recommended reducing fuels on a total of 30,202 acres, most of which are federal (USFS and BLM) lands, with only about 4,495 non‐federal. Fuels reduction on private lands may elicit cooperation from federal agencies in building strategically placed fire breaks (see below).

Together with Portal Rescue Fire Chief David Newton and EMS Chief John Yerger, Mayra Moreno (AZ‐DFFM) performed a community‐wide risk assessment on 04/19/18 and determined that the community faces moderate risk (score of 64). Among the community risks recognized were: (1) A single paved primary route is available to evacuate campers and residents in homes near the canyon mouth, and the road is narrow (outside turning radius < 50’). Over the past several years, non‐native and highly flammable Leyman’s Lovegrass has colonized the sides of this road. Cochise County is responsible for mowing here, but they do so inconsistently. The grass (fine fuel) can ignite light brush and lead to fires that inhibit access by fire crews. (2) Fire suppression over the past century has allowed build‐up of ladder fuels, higher than natural tree densities and accumulated dry, downed wood on private properties and along secondary and tertiary (dirt or gravel) roads. (3) A number of those roads dead end and lack sufficient turning radius. Many residential addresses are inadequately signed, and many residences are inadequately prepared to resist wildfire. Rarely occupied homes and cabins present a special challenge. (4) Ignition threats producing past Portal fires include above‐ground power lines along road corridors and on private properties, as well as some by power equipment, trash burning, discarded cigarettes, and vehicle malfunctions. (5) On a number of properties, propane tanks are located too close to (<10’ from) structures or other flammable materials. (6) A shortage of water sources is a concern (see above).

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Community Accomplishments

Past hazardous fuels treatments (per supervisor Jeff Gee) – During the early 2000’s, local fire‐ fighters competed successfully for four successive but non‐consecutive 50:50 grants, cost‐ shared with AZ State Forestry, and ranging from roughly $18,000 to $24,000. In total, the grants treated about 50 to 60 properties, and under each award, local work crews, comprised mainly of firefighters, worked over 5‐6 weeks to haul 5000‐6000 cubic yards of brush off site. The community was credited for in‐kind work and typically met between 150%‐200% of its required contribution. A secondary benefit of these projects was that firefighters became familiar with locations of various properties.

Community clean‐up day – Our first community clean‐up day coincided with National Firewise Preparedness Day on May 5, 2018 (see final section of this plan).

Progress under leadership of the Firewise Committee – A local Firewise Committee was formed on November 29, 2017, and has met five times since January 3, 2018. Two meetings were open to the public. Based on local expertise and data from the Cochise County Recorder, ownership was established for all local properties from Foothills Rd. to SWRS up canyon. Addresses of owners were compiled for future Firewise mailings. Mayra Moreno and Lee Ann Beery (Northern District Coordinator, AZ‐DFFM) taught a two day course in Firewise assessment to an audience of 34 participants from the Portal community, and 24 people qualified as assessors. Seven course participants have gone on to assess local properties. A letter offering free assessments was sent to both full‐time and part‐time property owners in the circumscribed area. Risk assessments have been completed on 50 local properties ‐ mostly homes of full‐time residents. The Committee will be contacting community members who have not responded to letters and emails. A record‐keeping system is being developed to maintain data from assessed properties, properties with work done, and properties with defensible space. Firewise films were shown to an audience of 37 locals at a community event, and spirited discussion of Firewise principles followed. Many attendees signed up for a fire‐fighting course offered on two successive weekends in the Portal Rescue Classroom (May 12‐13 and May 19‐20, 2018). Some who completed this course will go on to become fire‐fighters, but others wanted to increase their knowledge of fire behavior, in order to better protect their own properties. Finally, two community members were identified and approved to haul brush (at the property owner’s expense) to a safe and available burn site.

Educational event – On May 26, 2018, a Firewise Education Day was held at the local USFS Visitors’ Information Center in conjunction with an annual Garden Party organized by Friends of Cave Creek Canyon. Brochures, leaflets and a video presentation were available at our table, and Smokey the Bear provided swag for children. Approximately 200 people attended the Garden event.

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Individual property assessments – A new assessment form was developed to better serve a community where out‐buildings are common. This form can be filled out electronically and emailed to property owners as pdfs. Many local residents have begun to work on fuel reduction and structure protection using the Firewise Guide to Landscaping brochure as a reference. Some of the fuel reduction work has been performed by prison crews, and other work was accomplished by locally hired help or by property owners themselves. To date, about 50 properties have made significant progress toward wildfire survivability, including structure protection measures like sanding and caulking, removal of firewood and propane tanks away from structures, elimination of a large fuel storage unit, and installation of 1/16” screen in vents and other places of concern. The Committee will be applying for grants to help community members who lack the resources to reduce fuels on their properties.

Firewise recommendations attempt to create a sustainable balance between safety and the homeowner’s desire to maintain environmental harmony in a WUI setting. Individual homeowners must balance these two goals on their private properties but can make better (more informed) choices by employing Firewise principles to reduce vulnerability of the home ignition zones during wildfire.

Community Project Goals

Future fuel/vegetation treatments – Through Portal Rescue, we will apply for grants to support fuel reduction efforts on private properties. Of special concern are unoccupied homes, many listed for sale, and homes of elderly folks with limited resources. We will also seek grant funding to reduce grass and brush along secondary and tertiary roads, as well as ingress routes to homes. We are already working with USFS personnel to pre‐identify optimal routes for a future FS fire line which exploits natural and constructed features (e.g., gullies and roads) that can be widened by trimming overhanging vegetation. Finally, using email communication via our established Google Group, as well as posted advertisements, we will identify and recruit workers willing to be hired by homeowners for fuels reduction and various projects addressing vulnerabilities in structures.

Future Firewise event plans – When temperatures cool down in July after the start of 2018 monsoon rains, existing grant funds will be used to make a large trailer available for hauling brush from private properties to a safe burn site. (See also plans outlined in the final section below.) To prepare for a future, but still unscheduled, evacuation drill, we will be meeting to organize a test of our phone tree alert system. Once that system is operational, and after notifying community members through email and posted notices, we will hold a practice evacuation drill. Alerts will go out by phone, and residents will be asked to evacuate, probably to a new restaurant in the San Simon Valley below Portal. This test will be useful in planning to avoid traffic congestion during evacuations.

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Future Firewise education or notification plans – Community meetings will be held every few months, in order to reinforce the need for property owners to meet and maintain Firewise standards. Our annual Oktoberfest and February Soup’s On event offer great opportunities to connect with local residents. Members of the Firewise Committee will also pay visits to local homeowners to encourage additional follow‐up after earlier assessments. Of course, assessments will be available to any community member requesting a home evaluation.

Community Investment

Annual community’s minimum investment – Dramatic images of destructive California wildfires ‘lit a fire’ under Portal residents, many of whom worked energetically at reducing fuels during this exceptionally dry winter and spring. Including the months of January through May of 2018, residents reported a total of 1182.7 work hours and $25,461 in expenditures. Together, residents more than satisfied the requirements for annual community Firewise contributions, based on a population size of 240. . Plans to achieve minimum investment going forward – Based on this year’s investments, work known to be proceding, and community appreciation for Firewise as a continuing process, we do not anticipate problems with meeting requirements in subsequent years. Additionally, if Portal competes successfully for 90:10 grants, some property owners who felt they could not afford to participate this year will be motivated to participate in the future.

Community Firewise Day

Activities during Our Annual Firewise Day (May, 2018) – Fourteen community members worked from 8:00 AM until noon under hot sun, reducing fuels around the Portal Post Office and Library (Figure 9). Approximately 600 cubic feet of leaves, grass and trimmings were hauled away to a safe burn site. Additionally, some residents deposited brush from their private properties.

Future Plans for Community Firewise Day Events – Additional community volunteer clean-up days are planned for sometime around the upcoming Labor Day, for early November, 2018, and again for early March, 2019. Activities will continue to focus on central Portal, i.e., around the Library and Post Office, and also sides of secondary roads.

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Figure 2. Portal (X) is situated in Cochise County, in southeastern Arizona.

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Figure 3. General location of Portal, AZ, on the eastern slope of the Chiricahua Mtns, in relation to nearby geographic features. Also shown is land ownership in the vicinity of Portal.

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Figure 4. The Portal Firewise Community is comprised of two blocks separated by USFS land, including campgrounds and a visitors’ center. Land ownership in the vicinity is color coded.

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Figure 5. The town of Portal (top), circumscribed (approximately) by pale white line, and extending up through scattered homes in the section of Cave Creek Canyon with combined flows of the North Fork and Middle Fork (bottom). Images have been clipped from drone video footage at: http://www.outintherain.com/ccc/images/frameimages/cccmain.html

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Figure 6. Steep and complex topography above Portal, as viewed from the saddle between the two Cathedral Peaks towering over the village. The main channel of Cave Creek lies to the right in this image, and carries flows from the North and Middle Forks. The world famous birding area along South Fork Creek enters from the left (southwest). (Photo courtesy of Eskild Petersen)

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Figure 7. Portal weather data, courtesy of Richard and Marjorie Schreiber, who maintain a personal weather station on Limestone Hill, located approximately 1.7 miles NW of the Portal library at an elevation of 5355 ft. The station has monitored and recorded weather data at 15‐ minute intervals since being activated in 2007, and provides a comprehensive view of weather at one particular site in the Portal area. Wind speeds in Portal are greatest between March and May (A), and humidity lowest between mid‐April and mid‐June (B). These two factors contribute to a late spring ‐ early summer fire season. Precipitation peaks during the July‐ August monsoon (C), and temperatures are highest in June, dropping somewhat under cloudy skies in July through the remainder of summer (D). Graphing cumulative precipitation over annual cycles from 2013 to 2017 (E) reveals values typical of long‐term averages in 2013 through 2015, but the 2016 and 2017 summer monsoon seasons were disappointing. Archived data from this weather station can be made available for anyone interested in further analysis.

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Figure 8. Portal Rescue Station on a small hill across from the Portal Café.

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Figure 9. Scenes near Portal Post Office before and after volunteer activities on National Wildfire Preparedness Day, May 5, 2018.

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