The St. Helens Pilot

[Guest]

I googled Mt St Helens Salvage Logging and found a really cool web site put up be a Weyerheauser guy. 183 pictures including helio ones. Sorry, I forget how to do the link thingy.

wow, they really cant make volcano proof loggin equipment, lol

http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?t=17826

http://tappi.micronexx.com/JOURNALS/PDFS/00MAY37.pdf

http://books.google.com/books?id=h9CuL-pnOAAC&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=Mt+St+Helens+Salvage+Logging+Weyerhaeuser&source=bl&ots=heyPMjJw0o&sig=tftKRSCJ_7YVXSgyBMytK7Zc54U&hl=en&ei=WkOnTIqdGIH6lweWu9nKDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwADge#v=onepage&q&f=false

[bipedalist]

Awesome pics of the moonscape aftermath and tremendous destructive power and nature's regenerative power.

[Guest]

The one thing you don't understand is that we are part of the eco system.

Then can someone please explain this to me????

I agree we are part of the ecosystem. Carlin had a great ditty about humans impact on Earth.

[Guest]

Put me on the list with those that do not understand a cover up.

While our recent experience with the Coast Guard and BP gives some credence to the idea of the USG doing favors for Big Timber, I remain unconvinced that this could extend to the hundreds of people involved in any such cover up after Mt. St. Helens.

Show me pics or affadavits from people who moved other animals out, and I could BEGIN to believe the other part.

Again, for WHAT reason would dead animal carcasses be removed? Counted, I can see...But why removed?

How sure are we that this part even happened?

Would a FOI request answer that question?

I have missed this place, good to see some familiar avatars!

Smitty

(Now in Florida)

[BobbyO]

Show me pics or affadavits from people who moved other animals out, and I could BEGIN to believe the other part.

Again, for WHAT reason would dead animal carcasses be removed? Counted, I can see...But why removed?

How sure are we that this part even happened?

I found this :

Animal Carcasses

• Disposal of animal carcasses can be an issue in disasters, especially in floods.

• Often times, a storm will cause a farmer to not have access to the animals, which can cause additional deaths.

• Farmers and/or animal owners should be responsible for the disposal of their animals, but when large numbers of animals are affected, it may be beyond the means of the farmer to properly dispose of the animals.

Disaster Debris Management

Governor’s Office of Emergency Services 28 January 2005

• Additionally, particularly in floods, animals may have washed into trees and onto public and private property. To determine ownership of these animals would often be impossible.

• In a large-scale flood, wild animals will also be a problem for collection as well as disposal.

• Disposal of animals presents an environmental/health issue.

o The health and safety of those doing the cleanup as well as the citizens at large must be considered.

o Long-term environmental impacts of its disposal must be considered.

o The traditional method for disposal is burying. However, for large numbers, this may present a health issue. Composting and incineration are also effective means of disposal, but must be evaluated against environmental regulations.

From this :

http://www.stopwaste.org/docs/disaster_debris_management_training_manual.pdf

Found this too, from Oregon :

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/oeph/docs/FloodDeadLivestock.pdf?ga=t

& here are some numbers on Animal Deaths which, if you then add them to the other links, i'd be amazed if there was no removal made, wouldn't you be ??

Throughout all the complex eruptions of Mount St. Helens, millions of animals and people were destroyed. Thirty-five individuals lost their lives, and twenty-five people were missing and presumed dead. Sixty seven thousand, fifty-two animals died from the initial eruption and lava flows, and one million, four hundred eighty three thousand, nine hundred died as a result of ash fall. Crop loss was estimated at one hundred million dollars, or seven percent of the national crop value for that region. Fifty percent of the alfalfa hay crop was ruined. On the other hand, the wheat, potato, and apple crop was above normal, due to decrease in destructive insect populations. One hundred million dollars worth of timber was destroyed, and three billion, two hundred thousand dollars board feet was salvage. Mudflows destroyed houses, logging camps, and other developments. The mighty Columbia River was closed to freighter traffic for several days as the debris was dredged out. However, wildlife was the greatest loss. Birds and insects burned up or suffocated by ash fall. Mud and rocks cascaded down streams killing everything in them. Superheated gas with ash and pulverized rock hurtled down the face of Mount St. Helens into Spirit Lake killing more water animals. One million, five hundred thousand game birds were lost as a result of eruptions and ash fall. These numbers do not include the eleven million salmon and other fish killed, along with the untold non-game animals, amphibians, and insects.

From this :

http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/facts/

Edit : Sorry, forgot to add a link..

Edited October 7, 2010 by BobbyO

[Guest]

As always, Bobby, I appreciate the information.

Now, if we can just find that in the specific case of the Mt. St. Helens eruption animals were removed...And how many, and by what method and to where.

Smitty

[Guest Spazmo]

Nice post Bobby!

[Guest ajciani]

I would also like to find something to verify that animal carcasses were collected, flown out, and destroyed after the Mount St. Helens eruption.

I have tried to do some internet research, and could find all kinds of stuff about survivors and the occasional human corpse being flown out, but I found nothing at all to indicate that animal remains were even collected, let alone removed and destroyed.

[BobbyO]

o Long-term environmental impacts of its disposal must be considered.

o The traditional method for disposal is burying. However, for large numbers, this may present a health issue. Composting and incineration are also effective means of disposal, but must be evaluated against environmental regulations.

From this :

http://www.stopwaste.org/docs/disaster_debris_management_training_manual.pdf

It's obviously not direct to MSH but.......................... no ??

[Guest ajciani]

That information is about destroying the carcasses of agricultural stock killed in disasters. Usually, these are bodies found around human trappings after the disaster, which require disposal. Sometimes, animals will be trapped in the farm yards, and there might be large piles of bodies inside barns and what not.

I have never ever heard of disaster cleanup crews going into undeveloped or unimproved lands looking for carcasses to dispose of. If a cow died in a flood and was washed into the woods, then it will decay in the woods. If a herd of cows was swept into the woods, then the woods is where the herd stays.

ed: emphasis

Edited October 8, 2010 by ajciani

[Guest]

Has anyone considered a FOIA request to the Forest Service?

[BobbyO]

Has anyone considered a FOIA request to the Forest Service?

No way, that means we might possibly get an answer...

Edit : Go for it Mulder, good luck..

Edited October 8, 2010 by BobbyO

[Guest nycBig]

It does seem doubtful that they would collect bodies that were far into the woods, but I can see it plausible that any corpses closer to human habitats would be collected. And anything human or human-like would be collected no matter where it was found.

[Guest Spazmo]

It does seem doubtful that they would collect bodies that were far into the woods, but I can see it plausible that any corpses closer to human habitats would be collected. And anything human or human-like would be collected no matter where it was found.

Logical, sensible reply.

[indiefoot]

Below is info I found on this issue:

“â€During a tour of the devastation by helicopter in 1985, the Viet veteran helo pilot mentioned a similar tale to Bobbie Short saying there were military helos that choppered out nets full of burned and semi burned elk, deer, bear and something with hairy charred arms hanging out of the drop nets. They were taken to a common pit where the bodies were burned to avoid disease and contamination of the rivers.â€â€

http://beforeitsnews...Government.html

I think this quote from the OP probably makes the most sense to me. The plant cover was gone, there was nothing to filter the runoff pollution from the decaying bodies, so all of the contamination would go the the streams and rivers with nothing to stop it.