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opinionn Cortez reader writes: Job

well done.Page 4A

sportsn Fourth of July sporting event continues its successful growth.

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livingn Campers learn math, science, engineering using LEGO®s.Page 1B

Serving Cortez and Southwestern Colorado for more

than a century.

VOL. 123, No. 042

saturday

FIFTY CENTS

July 7, 2012

By Michael MareshJournal Staff Writer

Despite Montezuma County’s short reprieve from recent rains that dropped daytime high tem-peratures below 90 degrees for a few days this past week, those temperatures are expected to climb again this weekend.

Jim Andrus, meteorologist cooperative weath-er observer for the National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Admin-istration, said monsoon storms resulted in a small amount of rain July 4-6, but he expects this monsoon pattern to move out by early today.

During the month of June this year, the tem-perature exceed-ed 90 on 20 days.

Andrus said even with the .08 inch of rain and the mois-ture in the air on Wednesday, July 4, the tem-perature still reached 91 degrees, with the high on Thursday in the low 80s, the high 80s on Friday and into the 90s this weekend.

Hot tempschase awaymonsoonsEarly rains providerelief but little moisture

Lighting up the night

Journal/Sam Green

R.C. Kautz stands back after lighting a fountain display Wednesday at Parque de Vida. For more pictures of the Cortez Fourth of July celebration, see page 11A of today’s Journal.

By KiMBerly BenedictJournal Staff Writer

“Fire is part of the ecosys-tem.”

Looking at the burned hill-sides of Weber Canyon on Thursday, June 28, strike team leader John Henry reiterated the sentiment.

“Fire is important. Fire is necessary.”

As wildfires continue to rage in the United States, many with devastating con-sequences, researchers, forest managers and firefighters are offering reminders that fire, in its natural state and environ-ment, is an important part of forest ecology, and continued suppression efforts only serve to strengthen blazes that en-croach on the wildland-urban interface.

“We have seen a manage-ment evolution away from fire and have become very good at suppressing fire in the for-est,” said Henry, a firefighter

from the Lassen National Forest in California. “That is why we are getting these cata-strophic fires, like in Colorado Springs. We are undermining what the environment needs.”

Fire has long played a role in forest management and the culture of those who live on the land.

Tree Escalanti, crew boss for a fire squad out of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation in California assigned to the We-ber Fire, said Native Ameri-cans have recognized, and revered, the role of fire in the ecosystem for centuries. Es-calanti is Mescalero Apache.

“To us, fire is our strength,” Escalanti said, resting for a

moment in a burnt stand of piñon and juniper in Weber Canyon on Thursday, June 28. “Our way is to believe that fire is part of who you are and who we are as a people.”

Firefighters on the Fort Yuma Reservation are re-quired to attend classes taught by tribal elders on the historic role of fire in clean-ing, renewing and restoring the environment.

“They used fire, and al-lowed fire, to clean things and make things new,” Escalanti said. “We talk about a fire in a canyon that the tribe could not stop, no matter what they

‘Fire is important. Fire is necessary.’Periodic wildfire plays an integral role in forest health

JournAl/SAm Green

Strike crew leAder John Henry, from Lassen National Forest, discusses the necessity of fire for forest ecology while standing in Weber Canyon on Thursday, June 28.

Outside firefighting teams’ ef-forts to fight the Weber Fire near Mancos have concluded.

Russ Reimers’ Type 3 Incident Management Organization was expected to hand off control of the scene to the Bureau of Land Management’s Tres Rios Field Office on Saturday morning. On behalf of his group, Reimers ex-pressed deep gratitude to the community and the cooperating agencies working on the Weber Fire.

The fire, which began late in the afternoon on June 22, burned 10,133 acres and one outbuild-ing. No homes were destroyed.

Precipitation Wednesday night helped cool hotspots inside the fire line, although smoke will continue to be visible from iso-lated logs and stumps well with-in the fire’s perimeter. Agency standards require that the fire be completely mopped up at least 150 feet inside the line in the vi-cinity of structures, and 75 feet inside the perimeter elsewhere.

Most firefighters either re-turned to their homes or were transferred to other wildfires on Friday.

Lightning-strike fires con-tinue to be reported throughout Southwest Colorado. Such fires can smolder undetected for sev-eral days before emitting smoke and flame.

Weber Fire isofficially over

“It was defi-nitely hotter than normal. It was 10 to 15 degrees hotter than average.”

Jim Andrusmeteorologist

cooperative weather observerNational Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

See monSoonS on Page 7A

INSIDE ■ Senator wants statewide fire plan.

Page 9A

See fire on Page 9A

By Michael MareshJournal Staff Writer

More than a week after the fi-nal primary election ballots were cast, Will Furse appears to have tri-umphed in his bid to unseat 22nd Judicial District Attorney Russell Wasley.

With all votes in both Mon-tezuma and Dolores counties now tallied, Furse received 1,941 while Wasley came up just short with 1,923 votes. Because of the extremely narrow margin — just under the limit of one half of one percent — the race automatically qualifies for a recount. One-half of

one percent of the ballots cast in the DA race would be 19.32.

“I’m thrilled. These results are the joyful consequence of so many wonderful people’s hard work and dedication,” Furse told a Journal reporter late Friday. “This election represents a new day for our de-serving community.”

Wasley, however was not yet ready to concede defeat.

“I do not know at this point if there will be a recount” he said. “I do want to congratulate Mr. Furse on running an effective cam-paign.”

Furse holds on to DA winNarrow 18-vote margin triggers automatic recount

Furse WasleySee furSe on Page 12A