Friday, Jun 30, 2006
Fuel and weather conditions will be the deciding factors next Monday evening when the decision is made to start or postpone Mount Rushmore’s annual fireworks celebration. With a forecast of hot and dry conditions through the weekend, and 20 fires in the Black Hills in the last two weeks, memorial officials are carefully monitoring fuel moisture levels and weather forecasts to determine if conditions will be within allowable limits to start the pyrotechnics.
An Environmental Assessment completed by Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 2003 outlined the steps necessary to be completed before beginning the fireworks show. The plan also outlined the weather and environmental conditions under which the display can safely take place. A complicated “Go/No-Go” checklist containing entries for weather and predicted fire behavior must be reviewed and signed just prior to the start of the show. If conditions are outside acceptable limits, such as winds greater than 15 mph, the fireworks show could be delayed up to 10 o’clock Monday evening or postponed until July 4th.
“We understand the frustration people would feel after waiting hours for the fireworks to begin if we are forced into a delay or postponement. However, the environmental assessment has some very strict criteria that need to be met before we can begin the fireworks portion of the program,” stated Memorial Superintendent Gerard Baker. “Safety is always our number one concern. Last year we were not within allowable limits until ten minutes before the scheduled start of the program.”
Fire behavior and weather experts will be on hand to analyze fuel and weather conditions prior to the show’s start. They will look at years of historic weather and fire data using the latest computer models. This analysis is augmented by current data from the memorial’s fire weather station and an extensive on-site survey of the forest at Mount Rushmore. This will provide park managers with solid information on conditions necessary to safely proceed with the fireworks display. If the danger of a wildfire is too great, the fireworks display will be postponed.
Photo Caption: Crews unloading fireworks material on top of Mount Rushmore.
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