Most of the staff arrived at Camp Davidson today, and we have had a productive first-day of staff orientation. Everything is still a "go" for Camp Davidson. The fire is now 100% contained -- yet fire crews will be on-hand for the next several weeks to make sure that no flare-ups of the fire occurs. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully, and take every precaution.

Campers -- we look forward to your arrival on Sunday, from 2-5 p.m. Please enter near the big A-frame building. There is plenty of parking room, and that is where registration will take place. Parents, please do not drive onto camp itself, as vehicles are restricted there.

Good Sabbath to all.

8/2/2002

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I am pleased to announce that Camp Davidson is a "go!" I am as thrilled as you are that we will be able to conduct camp as planned. My family and I are looking forward to seeing you there. If you know someone who is not on e-mail and is attending camp, please let them know about this message.

Pastors. In a separate message, I will send you a list of people to call in your area who are not on e-mail.

Staff. Please finalize your preparations and initiate your plans to be at camp by Friday, August 2 at 1:00 p.m.

Fire. I made phone contact with the fire officials in Sisters, and I checked various forestry and agency websites. The reports are consistent: the fire is now at 85% containment, and it has stayed at that level for at least 12 hours. The fire has not grown -- it is still within the same 4,200 acres that it has been for the last 24 hours. Santiam Highway (highway 20) has been reopened since yesterday. They even plan on allowing the residents of Black Butte to start returning to their homes sometime tomorrow. Despite the high winds on Tuesday, all fire-lines were held. There are now 1,000 fire-fighters on the scene.

What I also found encouraging was a satellite website that I have been monitoring about all of the fires in Washington and Oregon. The Cache Mountain Fire is no longer showing up as "red" on the images, only "yellow." Red means a hot, active fire. Yellow indicates burned-out areas or a less-active fire.

I also wish to remind everyone that Camp Davidson was never in any direct danger, such as the Black Butte area was. Suttle Lake was never evacuated. Any movement in the fire during the last few days has been away from that area. The same holds true for the winds.

Approach. All of the above being said, I do wish to emphasize that we will continue to take a most conservative and cautious approach to this situation. We have never based any of our decisions on predictions or estimates -- only on the facts at hand. That will continue to be our perspective until everyone is safe at home at the conclusion of camp. We will have plans and actions in place at camp to monitor this fire on an on-going basis, and to evacuate in a short-time period should that be necessary. We would not though, be going forward with camp if we thought there was even a possibility of an evacuation. However, forest fires can be unpredictable, so we will have vehicles ready should that be necessary.

We also still have a major advantage: while we are giving a "go" for camp at this time, we still have at least 48 hours to continue to monitor this situation. If anything should turn bad with the fire, we can still notify all campers before they even leave their homes. Granted, most of the staff will already be at camp -- but I know they would be willing to endure the inconvenience of going back home on short notice to ensure the safety of the campers. Staff will obviously have their own vehicles in most cases, so departure would be speedy and efficient.

I will driving through this area myself on Thursday, on my way to the Walkers in Bend. This will allow my wife and I to get a first-hand look at the fire, and to talk with officials in the area.

I will send another message out by no later than Friday, August 2 at 8 p.m. for a further update. Again though, Camp Davidson is a "go," unless you hear from me otherwise.

One item while I think of it, unrelated to the fire: The evenings at Camp Davidson have been in low 40's and high 30's. So make sure you have a good jacket, sweatshirt and/or sweater.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. I am now in Washington and will be monitoring my e-mail on a regular basis. Please continue to pray about this situation -- including thanking God for His mercy that the fire is being effectively brought under control.

7/31/2002

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We just completed a thorough teleconference with the pastors in the Northwest and key members of the Camp Davidson staff. Obviously the main topic of our discussion was the Cache Mountain fire, burning approximately 3-4 miles south/southeast of Camp Davidson. The camp team thought it would be good if I brought everyone up-to-date about the fire, as well as our plans for camp.

The Fire. I have been in direct & regular phone contact with the fire authorities since this fire started last Tuesday. We have been monitoring official websites regularly. In addition, Larry & Karen Walker made a trip to the town of Sisters, to the command center for this fire. They heard direct updates from fire officials, and discussed our plans for camp with rangers.

The good news is that this fire is a high priority for the fire teams. More personnel and equipment continue to be brought in. The fire -- at this time -- continues to slowly move away from Suttle Lake and Camp Davidson.

However, there is still danger. The fire has grown to 4,200 acres. Some high winds still make this fire unpredictable. The main highway, Santiam Highway (20), is closed right now (although they hope to open it soon). The fire is currently about 1/2 miles from Santiam Highway. If it should jump the highway, that would create a whole new situation. Currently, the fire is approximately 25% contained.

The fire officials are optimistic that the fire will be brought under control, and that it will continue to move away from Camp Davidson. However, we will be watching the actual developments very closely during the next 48 hours. These include weather, fire size, fire location, level of containment and advice from local officials

Plans for Camp. During the teleconference, we discussed the various details about this fire and factors we need to consider when making a decision about whether camp should go forward or be cancelled. Obviously, we cannot eliminate all of the risk. However, we can put plans and equipment into place to manage the risk -- as long as that risk remains within acceptable levels. Such plans and equipment would include buses to evacuate camp (if needed); a well thought-out evacuation plan that is rehearsed with the campers; a 24-hours-a-day fire watch under the guidance of fire officials; continual updates from authorities.

Right now, we plan to make a decision about whether camp is a "go" or is cancelled by no later than 12 noon PDT on Wednesday, July 31. At that time, I will send around another e-mail to all of you. In the meantime, we will continue to watch all developments with this fire, so we can make an informed decision.

Needless-to-say, the safety of the campers and staff is our first and primary priority. While we most certainly want camp to take place and we are continuing with all of our plans for camp, the well-being of the participants will remain the most important factor. At this time, we are cautiously hopeful that camp will take place. But we will wait until Wednesday to make a final decision.

What Can You Do? There are a few things that staff, campers and parents can do in the meantime, to make sure that you are well prepared, should camp go forward.

1. Continue to pray for God's intervention with the fire, and that we will make a wise decision on Wednesday.

2. If you or your child have tendencies towards asthma or other breathing difficulties, please consult with your doctor about which medications and precautions are right for you or your child. While the air has generally been normal and clear at Camp Davidson, some days may be smoky. (Of course, if the air is too bad, we will curtail all sporting activities.)

3. If you know of campers or staff who have not yet sent me their e-mail addresses, please remind them to do that immediately. E-mail is the fastest method of communication we have in this situation.

4. Pack in such a way that you can carry all of your luggage at one time, if necessary. This would be important in the event of an evacuation. One suggested method would be to have one main suitcase, a daypack, and then sleeping bag.

5. Make sure you child has the necessary phone numbers where you can be reached, if necessary. While we also have that in our files, a second set of this information does not hurt.

Conclusion. I think that is all I have for now. We are hopeful that camp can go on, and we will do everything possible to see that it takes place. It is a highlight for all of us, as we know it is for the campers. Yet at the same time, we plan to be "wise stewards" in our responsibility towards you and your children, and make sure they are safe and well-taken care of. Let us pray to God that He will provide us the way to meet all of these goals.

Sincerely,

Matthew Fenchel
Director -- UYC Davidson

513-576-9796 (Office)
513-943-4574 (Home)

7/30/2002

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I thought I would provide all of you a further update about what I know with regards to the Cache Mountain Fire, which is just south of Suttle Lake and Camp Davidson. Most of this information is thanks to Karen Walker, who has kept up-to-date with the latest developments and who talked with a member family whose son is fighting the fire. I also just talked with a couple of the emergency agencies involved.

The fire is now at least 3,300 acres large (that information is at least 12 hours old) and is 0 percent contained (that is current). They have now closed Santiam Highway from the junction of 20 & 22 to just beyond the town of Sisters, about a 20 mile stretch of highway. For those of you not familiar with this area, Camp Davidson is about halfway between this junction and Sisters. In other words, if camp were starting today, we could not reach the camp site. The fire has now reached and burned at least two homes in the general area of Black Butte. The entire Black Butte residential area has been evacuated, about 1,200 homes.

The wind has been the major problem. >From what the fighter told Karen, and the agencies told me, the fire jumped all fire lines. The fire is basically out of control, and they have called in any available crews. Weather predications are not good -- more wind, low humidity, no rain, hot temperatures.

The NW pastors will have a teleconference tomorrow evening. Also tomorrow, the Walkers will drive into Sisters to the command center to get first-hand information from the rangers involved. As was announced in all NW congregations yesterday, we have a plan in place to make a decision about camp, and to notify everyone. However, I still need e-mail addresses from a number of campers and staff. Please remind those in your area to get that information to me as soon as possible, if they have not already done so.

Please pray for God's speedy intervention and mercy for the firefighters and people directly affected. Thank you, and all the best.

Office Phone: 513-576-9796

Home Phone: 513-943-4574

E-mail: Matthew_Fenchel@ucg.org

7/28/2002

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Since I sent you the first message, I have had a chance to call both the Camp Davidson site and the Forest Service at the Deschutes National Forest. Here is the information.

The fire around the Suttle Lake area is called the Cache Mountain Fire. It started yesterday, and it has now grown to 500+ acres. It is 0% contained. There are three (3) different camps around Suttle Lake, and one of those camps (not Camp Davidson) has voluntarily evacuated. The Forest Service is not asking for evacuations at this time, but they have put residents in the area (including Camp Davidson) on the highest state of alert. Camp Davidson is continuing to run its programs, until they are told to leave.

More storms are expected today, but they are hoping for more rain and less lightening.

As I know more, I will keep you updated. Thanks for your prayers, and the prayers of the brethren.

7/24/2002

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I am sure all of you have kept up with the news about the many fires in the western half of the U.S. -- especially in Colorado. Currently though, the state with perhaps the most fires raging is Oregon. I have been watching this with some concern, as Camp Davidson begins in about 10 days.

I just received a call from Karen Walker (wife of Larry Walker, pastor in Bend, Oregon). The Walkers live about an hour from the Camp Davidson site. She just found out that a forest fire has now started in the Suttle Lake area. Camp Davidson sits on Suttle Lake. Apparently Oregon has recently had a number of electrical storms that have started hundreds of fires.

We would certainly appreciate your urgent prayers for God's intervention in this regard -- not just for the camp, but for the many thousands of people who will certainly be affected in that state. Of course, please ask also for a miracle that Camp Davidson is spared, and United's summer camp can be conducted there. I am sure it goes without saying that camp is very important to our youth, and it would be a real disappointment if we had to cancel.

I have asked Larry and Karen to stay up-to-date about this situation. I will send further reports to all of you as I hear them.

Thank you for your prayers.

7/24/2002

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