Drought

We all know the drought is bad around here so the <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/03/23/build/state/50-drought.inc" target="_new">news story</a> about it today was no big surprise. I did find one part of the article really interesting.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Ray Nelson of the Northern Rockies Fire Coordination Center in Missoula said it's too early to guarantee a bad fire season. While conditions in Montana are bad, it's not necessarily snow or the lack of it that points to imminently bad fire seasons, he said. <br />n<br />n"June moisture, that's the best predictor of a fire season,'' he said.</blockquote><br />n<br />nAs somebody who lives with the land I totally agree with this but it leads to a question. Where did <acronym title="<a href="http://governor.mt.gov/governor/govbio.asp">Gov. Brian Schweitzer</a>">The Second Coming</acronym> get his information? A little while ago he was <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4525790" target="_new">all</a> <a href="http://www.vermontguardian.com/dailies/0904/0321.shtml" target="_new">over</a> the <a href="http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/03/05/c15.wst.wildfires.0305.html" target="_new">news</a> with his <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/04/montana.governor.ap/" target="_new">statement</a> that he wanted National Guard troops home to fight the fires because the state is "a powder keg" and his statement,"I know it's going to be a bad fire year" was his prediction.<br />n<br />nSo who is right, Ray Nelson who works in the area of fighting fires or <acronym title="<a href="http://governor.mt.gov/governor/govbio.asp">Gov. Brian Schweitzer</a>">The Second Coming</acronym> who's wild predictions made so much noise? I realize that as Governor he should be prepared but did he consult anybody who knows more about the fire situation or was he just shooting from the hip. Listening to information is just as important as acting on the information.<br />n<br />n<b>Public administrators would get along better if they would restrain the impulse to butt in or be dragged into trouble. They should remain silent until an issue is reduced to its lowest terms. Calvin Coolidge</b>