They did some upland grass areas yesterday, today they burned the old lake bottom. A couple of quick ones (it's late) and I'll try to get the rest up soon.

Looks good

quote:

---

need more controlled burns!!!!

---

As the currently healing would on my wrist shows, even controlled burns are rarely controlled. But they are just the prescription for quality habitat.

I've been meaning to get some photos up but rather than start an entirely new thread will just tag on to Canyon's. We've had a very early spring this year in Kansas. Trees are in full bloom in mid-March (with hard freezes 3x this week - no fruit this year!) and the grass is growing. So it's a good time to burn!

One of the areas that is going to be a new food plot.



The area on the "top" half of my place that I began reclaiming last year. It was covered in trees, mostly locust, hedge and cedar. I cut it last year (leaving the stumps tall for mowing purposes) and the native grass jumped back pretty quick - but so did the non-native brome grass.



I also burned some timber which I always find more difficult. The winds are never consistent and it's tough to keep a good fire moving through heavy timber.



I did get a nice fire through one of my hinge cut areas. It's made for good bedding cover with a lot more light reaching the ground since I cut.



And it's always nice to have a creek as a firebreak.



As always, there was an unintended casualty. In addition to this rake I bumped into a small tree and knocked a nice red coal off into my glove. There is simply no way to get a glove off fast enough when you have a live coal inside there up against your wrist...



Burning uncovers a lot of things. Not sure how long this guy had been tucked into the underbrush but my guess is a looooong time. A Carling Black Label lager. Old school, opened with a real can-opener.



Overall, while I would have liked to have gotten a more thorough burn in the timber I was pretty happy with the way everything turned out. Sad I don't have a bigger place because my burning is over for the year. Now I can see the locust seedlings so I need to get to cutting & spraying!

Sean- do you have to get any permits or assistance to do the burn on your property? What about some sort of training or education on the process- in a formal setting?

Or do you just look for favorable conditions and burn, baby, burn?

Sean, no problem, welcome the bump.

Speaking of permits, we are under a burn ban. I have no idea if the feds got special dispensation from the county for the burn, or just did it because "we're the feds and to heck with you". They did have county units out watching the perimeter.

Neat pictures. Have driven through there hundreds of times up through Umbarger and on to Canyon/Amarillo.

Will do more later

quote:

---

Neat pictures. Have driven through there hundreds of times up through Umbarger and on to Canyon/Amarillo.

---

I have quite a few Buffalo Lake photos. I may try to put more up later.

Finn, we have to obtain a burn permit (annual permit) and then call and obtain permission the day of the burn to ensure conditions are favorable. That occasionally gets a little touchy because the best burn conditions bump right up against unacceptable burn conditions, usually wind related. When burning timber or if they are aware you have a really good firebreak situation you can sometimes get special permission.

As for training there is none required. I've assisted with parks and wildlife burns for a few years and have learned a lot through trial and error. Even with a very good for plan it seems there is always at least one situation per burn that makes me uneasy.

Proper preparation and man power can limit the danger a lot, but fires can do odd things sometimes.

I don't have nearly the training or experience that many on here do but have done just enough to feel comfortable.

I wondered what that was south of the house yesterday. I'm glad you posted.

quote:

---

I wondered what that was south of the house yesterday. I'm glad you posted.

---

Smoke hit an inversion about 1000 to 2000 feet up and headed east. I tried to see if I could spot it on satellite images at the time, but no luck.

A few more. For those who know the area, the first two are just below the dam to the east.





And this is a view to the NW, on the upstream side of the dam.....if we ever got enough rain to fill it again.



And for those who don't know the area, here's the locationL

Google Maps


And that concludes my boring you with this. I think I might do a Buffalo Lake photo spread on the Panhandle Board. I'll let you know.

I wonder why they were doing a control burn of the lake bottom? Do you think they might try to fill it up again? I remember going there as a kid.

Awesome, thanks for posting. I miss the Panhandle.

Looks like they're mostly burning salt cedars out there?

quote:

---

I wonder why they were doing a control burn of the lake bottom? Do you think they might try to fill it up again? I remember going there as a kid.

---

I went water skiing there as a kid, too.

Things have changed in the drainage area. First, we're in a drier cycle than the 60s and 70s when the lake was last full. Second, the irrigation drawdown of the aquifer has killed or at least lowered the production of springs in the area. Third, irrigation practices have changed. In the 60s, folks would irrigate the heck out of fields, and fill the ditches and playas with excess water. Then when it rained, lots of runoff would go downstream. That doesn't happen any more.

In 1978, there was a huge rain event in the area, some 20 inches in one day on the Palo Duro, leading to floods in Canyon. Here on the Tierra Blanca, it wasn't that bad, but it filled Buffalo Lake. The dam was built in the 30s, and officials were worried about the dam's integrity. Tierra Blanca also goes through Canyon, so they drained the lake to prevent the chance of a breach.

I believe the dam has been repaired since. I assume they would let it fill if a sufficient rain event occurred, but I don't know that. We haven't had that kind of rain in a while, maybe one day we will.

A secondary consideration for burning the lake bottom is farming. There are lots of feedlots upstream of the lake (Hereford) and significant nitrate accumulation in the sediment. Again, we haven't had a lot of big rains, and the feedlots are regulated more closely now.

The philosophy of the refuge in the past was to have someone local farm the bottom, to help remove the nitrates. The farmer was required to leave what was normally the landlord's 1/3 share of the crop in the field, for wildlife food.

I'm not sure if someone still farms the lake bottom. I've seen some activity out there, but it looks very small scale. Perhaps the lake bottom has grown up too much to farm, and they are burning it to start farming again.

quote:

---

Looks like they're mostly burning salt cedars out there?

---

Salt cedars aren't really a problem out there. The trees you see in the photos are introduced chinese elms and cottonwoods. Salt cedars are in the Palo Duro Canyon downstream, but not here.

Okay, I lied. Went out yesterday, got a couple of close-up pics. Following each pic is a Google Maps link to location. For those who knoow the area, the lake bottom and along 168 were burned. The west and SW parts, including the area around the ponds on the very south end were not.



location one



location 2

I may have mentioned before that I started a thread on the Panhandle/Plains board, with photos from Buffalo Lake. Added a few more today, will add a few more through the evening. Really, really spectacular sunset tonight.

Teaser below, full size photos at

https://texags.com/forums/39/topics/2774278

Pic 5 looks just like where I found Eggbert the Con Owl a few years ago.

carpe vinum said:

---

Pic 5 looks just like where I found Eggbert the Con Owl a few years ago.

---

1) English translation, please.

2) Just added a few more photos on the P/SP Board, done for the night.

zombie deer.

Yeah, I find that one amusing. But I think there are a lot of good ones there, too.

no doubt. i really enjoyed it. thanks for posting.