Statement of Special Circumstances Relative to Witch Creek

Fire...

For the California Newspaper Publisher's Association:

Were deadlines a significant factor? Yeah, especially when every house around you is engulfed in fames and you have nowhere to go.

I wrote 95 percent of the stories and took 75 percent of the photos as well as did the entire layout and design. I did most of the work while the Witch Creek Fire burned all around me in Rancho Santa Fe, Del Dios, and North San Diego County. Actually, the fire stopped at my doorstep and destroyed all the homes around me. I was one of the very few people who actually witnessed the apex of the struggle and am THE ONLY JOURNALIST who was at the major battle that stopped the Witch Creek Fire.

Were deadlines a significant factor? Yeah, I worked 24-7 for more than a week, going through roadblocks and every imaginable obstacle to create the definitive coverage of this event -- coverage seen by only a few thousand people due to the small circulation and lack of promotion by the parent news company. I worked until the absolute drop-dead issue deadline to get the most significant and useful report to my readers.

Sincerely,

Yours Truly

Wildflowers break loose along Del Dios Highway

Blooming "fire followers" in the form of California golden poppies -- the state flower -- and purple or blue phacelias have turned Del Dios Highway west of Lake Hodges Dam into a tourist attraction.

The phenomenon of wildflowers taking over the landscape burnt out in the Witch Creek Fire began in late February. The bloom, best seen in early afternoon, is expected to continue through April,

Beautiful colors, but the social phenomenon attendant to this event appears equally striking. Crowds of onlookers have begun descending on these hills, coming from near and far, very far.

A lot of the photo-taking enthusiasts have taken to parking in a small dirt lot near the dam. The lot had been posted with no parking signs for years. It was rare to see even one car parked there and sheriff's deputies ticketed cars they saw.

But the Witch Creek Fire that destroyed the habitat also vaporized the no parking signs. So, as some started to park to view, their numbers multiplied.