This seems to be the most active thread on this, so I'll post here. I have been out of the Texags loop for a few days and late to the discussion, but still....
Burn bans are something we are going to contend with often. It is just a fact of life when living in this area and not being on state owned property. Having said that, ideas are always being looked within the situation at hand. We moved into our current location partly to try and mitigate the hazard of burning deep in the woods where access was limited. That's a start, but there are other factors to deal with as well and we have to start working on those much earlier than the days before Burn.
Robertson County's Commissioner's Court is not to blame here. They are rightly concerned about the safety of their residents but also try to work with us to find a way. They were no way obligated to hold three meetings this week and could have simply set it on Monday and been done. It is just too dry for them to feel like the ban can be safely lifted. The fire danger chart that was posted earlier in this thread is not what is used. The KBD index is the primary deciding factor. Over 575 and they typically put on a ban, the current average in Robertson County is 639.
While enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity are always encouraged and welcome PLEEEAAASSSSSEEEE coordinate with SB leadership before making calls this late in the game. The last thing the judge said as we walked out of the courtroom was "There is not going to be a challenge to this, right?" Obviously, she was asking if it would be illegally lit under a ban, but trying to do an end around at the last minute is going to possibly leave a bad taste in her mouth. Next season, we may have to now answer questions about why this was attempted. Exemption ideas (including training) have been floated but none of them have been very fruitful. Maybe we can find a way to make it work in the future, but Tuesday afternoon was not the time to try this.
I don't have the exact numbers, but suffice it to say that donations were generous Tuesday night. Leave no doubt, this sets us back significantly, but we are not sunk. One thing that has always shown through is that Aggies will adapt and overcome. I don't see this being an exception. There are lessons to learn here and hopefully they will provide us with a clearer path in the future. This is the third burn ban SB has faced and the decisions faced in each one were never taken lightly. You can argue right or wrong on all three of them to no end, but each time the end result I see is the Aggie family shining through.
The Stack is not planned to be lit on Thursday. Next week sometime, the decision will be made on the best time to try and get it done. Meanwhile, please do not go out there unless you are called out by a Redpot or another authority figure.
I hope everyone is having a good Thanksgiving and ready to watch us beat the hell outta tu.
Scott Coker '92
Edited to fix strange characters added by the phone...
[This message has been edited by COKEMAN (edited 11/25/2010 12:49p).]
[This message has been edited by COKEMAN (edited 11/29/2010 10:38a).]
