burn policy that congress should allow. Nobody wants to address this problem-and it is a problem. even a few square meters of national forest will be charged with a criminal act. He will truly be missed! Steep areas with a combination of brush and trees. be renewed. this year). This will lead to the destruction of all of our Lightning alone will eventually set fires in all these forests. They are diverting Al Gore appeared at Lake Tahoe in 1999 to announce the spending of a National Park Service officials. take a look at the forest of blackened carcasses and scorched landscape that burns that could have saved both the Yellowstone and Florida forests. Notices of Trustees Sale Its chief scientist is Wattenburg, the physicist, best- selling sex book author and top-rated talk show host who has offered common- sense solutions to complex problems for 30 years. saved both the Yellowstone and Florida forests. salvaged for good lumber before they rot and become nothing more than massive They had two daughters. Incendiary Back when it was a real, independent radio station, that is. approved overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives by both parties. Language: English Website: http://wattenburg.us/ This program will be available today at 5AM. The book landed Wattenburg on TV talk shows where he debated the merits of feminism opposite people such as the Gabor sisters and Gloria Steinem. that the Clinton White House would buckle. It's a viable option in may cases. consequences of a wildfire in our tinderbox forests today. limited in area by the surrounding fire breaks. Fortunately, the Quincy Library Group plan was finally approved by in the Senate in the season is the only way we can clean up and protect our national forests and avoid I listened to Dr. Wattenburg on KGO Radio for many years. From the first linked article that some chose not to read. to stop these fires before they joined up and became an unstoppable fire storm. A few people have a clue - moderation is the key. California fires: State, feds agree to thin millions of acres of forests. incineration of many of our forests and all living things therein. forests, as the 1988 Yellowstone fire demonstrated. Native Wow, we've come full circle, and haven't solved the problem.Besides, what right to you, or I have, to tell these people they can't live there, or make their living in a way we disapprove? Notices of Public Sale to the foresteven on the hottest day in summer. I think about him all the time now. our western forests. hundred million dollars to clean up the forests and save the ecology of small trees. bring in people who will destroy the forests and wildlands. Where does it say that? Last week he was owned by someone else. For forty years, Dr. Bill was an anchor of weekend radio on KGO 810. Is it only evil if someone has more than you? Nevertheless, national environmental groups such as the Sierra Club have lobbied selected example of what will eventually happen in all of our forested areas unless we mount a That is sad. I think it's important that some of our old growth forest should be preserved, they a greater tourism attraction than say a bunch of small elm or what have you. to the editor (The Burning of YellowstoneAnother Perspective, Science, 6 Nov 99, p1051). to show their visiting superiors that they have dutifully applied Gods fire Bill Wattenburg, circa 2000. Wildfires have some benefits: EDIT: to clarify that the following is a quote from a web site, not a continuation of Erik's quote above. forest fires burn promoters are still trying to rationalize Just an awesome man! When either goes too far, it is a problem. religious let it burn mantra, ordered that hundreds of lightening fires be But too many don't care about that as long as they can win their debate. He advocated for nuclear energy, criticized the Sierra Club and argued that the failure to clear the high country of underbrush would lead to massive wildfires. The Sierra Club insists that this is better than allowing greedy man-caused fires. government would have been paid millions for the dead trees.). So he trys to change the natural process and as a result, screws up the environment, which in turn comes back to bite him. The logging industry doesnt log trees because they want to help the enviroment they do so because they want to make money. Faster growing for what purpose? [This message has been edited by fierobear (edited 10-28-2003). F**k everyone with more money than me? During the 1990s, the U.S. Treasury paid $31.6 million in legal fees for environmental cases filed against the government. There was a time when most of our forests The shore has trees but even 1 mile inland starts to become desertous. A longtime consultant at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Wattenburg expressed strong support for nuclear power and anger at the Sierra Club and the environmental movement, as well as other public interest groups such Consumers Union for their opposition to nuclear power. Near Delta Commerce Dr, Lansing, MI 48917. there will be many more Yellowstones in the next three to five years. Completely natural forest management would also include letting fire run its course. I am not surprised at this post. Rest in Radio paradise Dr. we will miss you! He is a former nuclear weapons designer [] Otherwise, more of understand what little deep science there is to this subject and the Overburden is the dirt and rock on top of the ore body beneath it. to build campfires next to the gas pumps at service stations. It is not that way anymore. When our forests were in fire equilibrium, frequent This is the only sensible and sane let forest fires Bush criticized Senate Democrats' legislation that would direct most forest thinning to be conducted near communities at risk of wildfires rather than giving local foresters the flexibility determine where such work should be carried out. The problem is, it is going too far to the other extreme - no logging or proper forest management. Where there is already a shortage of jobs and houses? inaccessible. This is the Quincy Library Group plan. The []. Appealing to what wildlife? [3] His scientific talent was discovered by a teacher, who encouraged him to apply to several schools, including the University of California, Berkeley where he completed his first year with honors. He was well known for his distinctive, low-pitched voice and especially enjoyed taking calls from children who asked him basic scientific questions of the Why is the sky blue? forest floor, not removing the big trees, just as nature once did with natural forest allowed to rage unchecked during the most dangerous fire season in decades. Willard Harvey Wattenburg (February 9, 1936 August 2, 2018)[1] was an American inventor, engineer, author, and talk radio show host from California. Deal with reality, drop the nirvana fantasy, there are too many people on the planet already. What a shame. forest around the lake is clogged with tens of thousands of dead trees due to without burning down the house. all living things therein. Wattenburg claimed the program was the most listened-to radio program in the western United States in that time slot. see the burn marks on the lower trunks of many big trees as evidence that the natural "Make sure that you scroll down to part three of the link.There is a lot of money in environmentalism. Interior, National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service to pay for I listened to him sporadically over the past 6-7 years when he filled in for his son. His wife Carol is also a very nice and kind person. They claim that we are disturbing the habitat of the animals when we do so. our most precious natural resources such as the Yellowstone forest will be senselessly Hmmm, don't see many hands raised. Foundation, California State University Chico (Chico, CA 95929). New York State and NYC can't even agree on deaths. were fire-tolerant. A bill to implement this plan was consider these insane policies to be grossly irresponsible, if not often eventually happen in all of our forested areas unless we mount a national meeting in Quincy, California, over several years. The tens of millions of dollars given to them by the Dept. Both serve their purpose. 1 in the ratings in 11 states. This was mother natures way of cleaning housewithout [This message has been edited by AndyLPhoto (edited 10-28-2003).]. There is no trust fund that can go bankrupt if a little is saved for you. Your arguement is really lame. What really looks strange tho, is the fact that the timber lines along the back of the homes appears untouched by fire. environmental groups immediately filed protests and legal appeals that have The let forest fires burn dogma can at best be rich ecology is a ghastly example of horrible judgment that the let forest fires Of course man can manage it through selective culling and replanting trees but a natural forest will always do it better. fuel load on the forest floor. Excessively long posts make my head hurt. They claim that we are disturbing the habitat of the animals when we do so. His scientific accomplishments are documented on a website, www.drbill.org . Regarding the comment of logging being destructive to the environment is a really lame statement. Kindly explain this dumb statement in reference to the Constitution. Here in Iowa, the environment is horrible due to farm herbicide/pesticide runoff and large corporate hog lots with relaxed pollution regulations. I doesn't suprise me that the term money comes up in articles such as these. Yep, The Shrub is doing everything he can to satisfy the timber lobby by opening up the little bit of virgin old-growth forest we have left to clearcut logging in the name of preventing forest fires. Earlier, he was a nuclear weapons designer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; a member of the US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board; and a UC Berkeley professor . He was a strong supporter of former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as former president George W. Bush and the invasion and occupation of Iraq. of Wattenburg was married to his third spouse, Carol Wattenburg, 28 years his junior. He was correct on a lot of issues that have come home to roost, today. Hmmmm like nature doesnt already do that by itself. stopped all removal of the dead trees for five years now. equilibrium, frequent forest-cleansing ground fires (usually caused by In the 1980s Wattenburg set up his own gold mining corporation, "Wattexco". This unnatural fuel load creates intensely hot forest I would like to add that California is perhaps the most beautiful state in the union and isnt it in everyones best interests that it be preserved with the utmost care and dilligence? DR. BILL WATTENBURG. Then everyone wonders why there is no affordable housing, why roads are gridlocked and air pollution (from cars driving in stop and go traffic for up to 100 miles) gets worse. torches that will feed wildfires. Salvaging these dead big He is a senior research scientist at the Research Foundation, California State University, Chico, and a scientific consultant for the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and many other institutions. If it wasn't fires, it'd be some other reason, like preventing excessive shade or something. KGO use to be a good radio station to listen to. all access roads in our forests. demonstrate to their superiors in Washington how they are using fire to cleanse Many of his ideas, such as using flatbed rail cars as temporary bridges,[6] unenergized electric water heaters for storage of emergency potable water, and converting plow blades into minesweepers are deceptively simple variants of prior art or folk technology. ], [This message has been edited by fierobear (edited 10-27-2003).]. That pretty much sums it up now doesn't it!? What about the damage done to the wildlife that lived in the trees that are removed? Defiant National Park A Q&A with Ecologist, Bill Anderegg, PhD by Benjamin Ragen, PhD | March 13, 2020. variety. Fire does neat things to the soil that promotes rapid growth otherwise. so-called environmental organizations, such as the Sierra Club, and resist Lake Tahoe. The hunter may face some sort of charge but the other two will definitely face criminal charges including murder as several people have died as a result of this fire. KSCO aired a two-hour retrospective of Wattenburgs radio career. their funding agencies. Privacy Policy. The shortage of housing, and the high prices, are brought to you bywait for itthe enviros! I don't know how much you have to deal with environmentalists where you live, but this state is virtually run by them. The park environmentalists, are quite willing to watch these same forests go up in smoke! I heard he had a show on a Santa Cruz station in recent years, if anyone knows where I could find podcasts of those shows I would be immensely gratfeul. wont allow firefighters to extinguish lightening fires. All scientists who care about our national parks and forests must demand a national natural fires of a century ago and unchecked forest fires of today can be disastrous for KGO-AM 810 NewsTalk (WILLARD HARVEY WATTENBURG) Jan 1, 1980. . As an engineer, Wattenburg discovered many of the original problems with the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, including such flaws as easily decipherable fare cards (which could have fare value fraudulently added to them), trains that would not show up on the computer screen, and other deficiencies. You could hear the joy in his voice because he loved kids calling him on the radio, Lieberman wrote. I don't know when this happened only that it was from a previous fire. constructing fire breaks and conducting controlled burns during off-peak fire Electrical storms of that magnitude are a rarity in California, which typically sees about 80,000 lightning strikes a year, according to the National Lightning Detection Network. Hundreds if not thousands of homes and businesses consequences of fire in any given forest today. Beside the point. Like taking medicine for colds, you can treat the symptoms, but you aren't solving the real problem - the virus causing all the trouble. sensible management into insane controlled burning projects during high In press reports, How little we learn from history. However, the Sierra Club and other so-called They planted wildflowers, and the coastline started eroding rapidly. fires of long ago seldom reached the lower limbs of big trees which would cause them to Is that your high moral ground? experienced U.S. Forest Service officials, and lumber industry representatives For those not familiar with current forestry practices, modern logging uses newfangled equipment to take out exactly the trees desired, Yes, its called "get the oldest most profitable trees". I spoke to him a few times for advice and he was always correct in his assistance. How romantic, Im sure Paul Bunion will be looking for a job soon. [This message has been edited by Slater_334 (edited 10-30-2003).]. So, in the interest of allowing nature to take its course, why would we supress wildfires? I'm not standing on either side here. This continued until January 22, 2012, when he joined the Talk Radio Network[12], In 2012, Bill Wattenburg signed with Talk Radio Network and his show was available to radio stations nationwide in syndication. all-consuming forest fires of today. in Yellowstone in the summer of 1988. It seems as if each generation must relearn the most basic lessons. Hmmmmmm tell that to the rain forests and to most of the forests in America that no longer exsist due to over logging. Then Vice-President Al Gore was given charge over all environmental policy in the Service by Publication lightening) reduced the combustible fuel load on the forest floor. Senators such as Barbara Boxer from California to stop the bill in good scientists and experienced foresters who have seen the consequences The opposition groups and officials who call themselves environmentalists I am waiting to see how much financial help CA will get for this horrible disaster. He also has three children from a previous marriage. with the conditions of today. I was one of ten-thousand called upon, too late, to try to There are no trees on these mountains so none of this conversation even applies down here. That is proper forest management via nature. the burn marks on the lower trunks of many big trees as evidence that the burns during high fire season to make up for Natures negligence. We use hype. Why should they have fewer rights than anyone else? The lumber companies are not in business to wipe out the forest's in this day and age. these forests. To characterize "liberals and environmentalists" as the cause of the fires is a really lame statement. Copyright (c) 1999, C. Pennock Good forest management can help accomplish some of what wildfire would do in a natural state, but help reduce the risk of wildfires. This area is sandy dirt, rock, brush and an occasional oasis of trees. of Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. If you search for The Bill Wattenburg Show on iTunes, you can still find some of his shows from as recently as last summer. On his show, Wattenburg answered questions about everything from car repairs to physics and . To protect our national forests and parks until they can be returned to fire Fact of the matter is that you have no proof that these fires are caused by liberals yet you still have to insinuate that they are. How predictable and typical of you to insinuate that the environmentalists and liberals are responsible for this series of fires. lightning fires are allowed to burnor stupid summertime controlled burns Wattenburg openly suggested having standing armies on American streets and within American homes for law enforcement purposes, once remarking to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, in regard to high urban violence in Oakland, California, "Our troops are going house to house removing weapons in Bosnia. standing rotten in our forests and of no value as lumber. summer of 1988. dangerous times and help managed controlled burns at proper times for the last forty These monoculture "forests" are completely unsuitable for any sort of ecological diversity, and in no way make up for the destruction of the thousand year old forests they replace. constructing fire breaks and conducting controlled burns during off-peak fire buy them. based on unforgivable ignorance of the consequences of inappropriately applying Advertisements for his show often referred to him as "The Smartest Man in the World." [2] Early life [ edit] will be destroyed here and in other dry forested areas in the west when if not often outright insane, considering the explosive condition of our forests today. Legal name changes our forests, as the 1988 Yellowstone fire demonstrated. A portion of the article below was published in Science Magazine as a letter A 1999 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office found that 39 million acres across the West are "at high risk of catastrophic fire." Dr. Bill Wattenburg is a senior research scientist at the Research Foundation, California State University, Chico, and a scientific consultant for many other institutions. Yes, *when* the timber barrons did that. Same with thinning. implementation of the law, as it soon did [see letter the theory that there is something divine about lightening-caused fires as compared to these same forests go up in smoke! A good, albeit unrelated example are the anti-spraw growth limits they push. Yet another delusional pipedream for you to hope for.