Wildfires are a natural part of the forest ecology. They play an important role in clearing out dead vegetation, stimulating new growth, and creating habitats for certain species. But human activity is affecting this pattern, whether through global warming) which makes fires more common and more extensive) or fire starting, whether accidentally or even deliberately.
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In 1844 a group of pioneers left the usual route west to follow the Truckee River into the mountains. The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party became the first overland settlers to use what later became known as the Donner Pass. It took them roughly four months to cross the Sierra Nevada by this route.
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This morning I was transfixed by the sight and sound of the waves crashing against rocks off Laguna Point, just north of Fort Bragg in northern California. Trying to capture the sight I stood waiting for a bigger wave to create more spray, I remembered being told as a child that the seventh wave is always bigger than the others.
