Issue Three June 23, 2006 Rivera Mesa Fire . .Pg. 3 Dragoons . .Pg. 4 Arrowhead in Space . .Pg. 5 Bandelier . .Pg. 6 Chaplain’s Corner . .Pg. 22 PhilNews 2 Miles From Nowhere... Philmont BY BENJAMIN FOOTE News & Photo Men's Storm combined! In this vein, I Philnews Manager propose the following measures to save Service Staff our Ranch. I don't know about you, but I think this whole drought business has gone far enough. • If you have a car, wash it. Then leave the Editor-in-Chief windows rolled down. John van Dreese I can deal with extreme fire danger everywhere. • Wash your clothes and then hang them NPS Manager The tension and urgency of it gives my life out to dry. Stuart Sinclair the feel of an action movie. I now go through my days constantly on the look out for • Have a parade. PhilNews Manager unnecessarily large explosions or gangs of Benjamin Foote fire-thugs who only attack one at a time • Better yet, have a staff banquet. instead of en masse. PhilNews Staff • Tell Ponil, Beaubien and Clark's Fork to Angelo Pompeo I can deal with propane stoves at interp leave out all the good saddles. Kate Shipley camps, turning off the water to lather up, • Instruct all the Rangers on the trail to Eric Stann and even the evacuation of the beloved South Country. sleep without tents. Photo Manager Kimberly Banzhaf But when the Villa's pristine carpet of • And most importantly, leave your rain green, grassy goodness is in danger, that's gear at home when you go hiking. Take where I draw the line! Every scout Gor-Tex nowhere! deserves to look out from the Tooth of Table of Contents Time and see the unmistakable patch of The time to act is now! If we all pitch in, green that is the Villa Lawn, a lush, vel- even just a little bit, Murphy will have no 2 Miles from Nowhere vety memorial to Waite Phillips' wealth choice but to douse Philmont with a del- and generosity. uge of semi-biblical proportions. Then the 3 Feature good old days of charred baked goods, fif- But how to bring on the rain? teen minute showers, and extreme fire 8 World News danger only somewhere will return. And, Philmont’s Chaplains would be proud to 10 Sports most importantly, the Villa Lawn will be know that my first instinct was to turn to green forever more! 12 Concert Calendar the Bible. I thought that perhaps the story of Noah and his floating petting zoo held 14 Entertainment some clue to saving the Ranch from cer- tain waterless doom. Unfortunately, a lit- 22 Chaplain’s Corner tle research shot down this plan faster Please be aware that the views than a minibear at Sawmill: Noah's flood expressed in this column do not was catalyzed by God's anger at a world necessarily represent those of consumed by rampant vice and sin—not a PhilNews, Philmont Scout Ranch, PhilNews is a staff viable option here at Philmont. or the Boy Scouts of America. newsletter published weekly by With no plan, the Villa Lawn growing Philmont Scout Ranch. crispier by the minute, everything seemed PhilNews to be going wrong at the worst possible On the cover: time: a classic case of Murphy's Law. Cows cross State Highway 569 in News & Photo Service front of the rising smoke of the Philmont Scout Ranch Wait a minute, that's it! I thought. Rivera Mesa. 47 Caballo Rd. Murphy's Law is responsible for more PHOTO BY JOSH FEATHER Cimarron, NM 87714 rain than the water cycle, prayer, and X- NPS Photographer Feature June 23, 2006 3 Rivera Mesa fire threatens Philmont BY KATE SHIPLEY The fire was started by a lightning strike PhilNews Staff and is burning through pinion pine, juniper, ponderosa pine and grass. It has Ominous smoke may be rising in the grown to more than 10,000 acres. south, but the traditions of Philmont are continuing as they have for the past 68 Logistics began re-routing crews out of years. the south country and into the central and north regions. Since then, all crews have Officials predict total containment of the been moved north out of the area closest Rivera Fire by June 27th, which means to the fire. that the hottest parts of the fire would be put out, and the risk of spot fires and After the campers were moved out, the blowups would be eliminated. removal of staff began. The staffs of Carson Meadows, Abreu, Apache On Sunday, a “10-70” team was formed Springs, Zastrow and Fish Camp were all to deal with the situation. They have dealt evacuated by Tuesday. Two teams of with safety, logistical and other issues rangers swept the southern trails to make related to the emergency response. sure no crew was south of Beaubien. The 10-70 team hopes that after contain- On Monday, the situation was upgraded Mark Anderson explains the develop- ment the backcountry will reopen imme- to a Level II fire, which relates to the ing situation to the 10-70 team. diately. size of the fire. As a result of this classi- PHOTO BY JAMES KING fication, over 500 personnel have been NPS Photographer “We still want to deliver the magic of deployed. Water drops, made by heli- Philmont. Kids dream about coming to copters and tankers, have also been used this place,” Mark Anderson, Director of New resources are arriving daily. They to quell the flames. Program, said Tuesday. are staged at night and put in action the next morning. The populations of both Philmont and The Rivera Mesa fire, which began the village of Miami are endangered by Sunday, has grown to within three miles of Meanwhile, preparations for any the fire. Typically, firefighters follow the Philmont, but it is being diligently fought potential evacuations continue at base flame from behind, but in an effort to by firefighters from all over New Mexico. camp. The plan to make sub-camps for protect Philmont, they are attacking it anyone forced to leave the backcountry By Monday there were two Philmont fire from the front. are now ready. Facilities has portable engines, two Raton fire engines, one toilets and water buffaloes standing by. Air support dropped 40,000 gallons of engine from Cimarron, and one from retardant and 25,000 gallons of water on Miami fighting the blaze. Staff has been strictly prohibited from Tuesday alone. As of Wednesday, the hiking in the South Country. Anywhere weather report favored Philmont, pre- south of Mt. Phillips and Tooth Ridge dicting cooler temper- is off-limits. atures and small chances of rain. Trip planning has been moved from the Logistics building to the Advisor’s Since Philmont has Meeting Room. roughly 5,000 resi- dents during the sum- Logistics is also beginning to update a mer, and many struc- fire strategy for the Valle Vidal, tures, New Mexico is because of severe drought, but opti- applying for aid from mism is the prevailing mood. FEMA to combat the blaze. “We may be ready to reopen in a day or so,” Anderson said. PhilNews Feature 4 History comes alive at Philmont Museum BY ANGELO POMPEO Philnews Staff “We are living history, we research the past and educate people,” said Dennis Chappell, one of the Dragoons visiting Rayado last week from the 12th-16th. Chappell and four other adults and four high school students from Pueblo, Denver, and Conifer, Colorado explained the role of the Dragoons in and around the Rayado area, and their impact on American history. The group also included topographical engineers who would have visited this area dur- ing the Santa Fe Trail days. Dragoons clean the cannon after a day of living history demonstrations. Dragoon is a European term that refers PHOTO BY MARGARET HEDDERMAN, NPS Photographer to a mounted calvary of American sol- they proceeded to fire off into the mead- “But we love coming out to Philmont,” diers who “stayed right here in these ow behind the museum. This always he said. “The best part about coming out Rayado cabins in 1850 and '51,” seemed to be the most enjoyable part of here is…well…everything. It's beauti- Chappell said. the demonstration for the crews. ful, fun, and we get to deal with the Their primary weapon was a shortened scouts who are the best people around.” The topographical engineers taught the musket often referred to as a dragon, crews to make maps of the area from which the name is derived. “They the way they were made in the could ride in, with all types of weapons 1850s and explained to them the and equipment, then dismount and importance of this skill. fight the battle,” he said. “They could do it all.” “There were only 33 topo- “The map makers came later,” Chappell graphical engineers ever, and added, “but they no doubt would have they had an enormous impact been here to inform travelers on the Santa on America when they Fe Trail as to what the terrain was like.” mapped the Santa Fe Trail area, and the plant and animal “It's important for the scouts to learn that species that were out here.” this spot was the crossroads of history until about 1859 and what happened out The group is very experienced here in the West changed the face of and enthusiastic about what America. It made it into what it is today.” they do. Chappell said. “Our group just has a com- During their five days in Rayado, the mon interest in history, and group explained to crews that the we love to share this infor- Dragoons were stationed here because of mation, so we get together conflict with local Indians between the every year to do this.” Mexican and Civil Wars.