California Condor Eben McMillan 4 October 1963 Whereby visibility was lowered to a few feet and further progress made unwise, so we gave up the planned hike into Nines Peak and returned to Ozona Guard Station where we chatted briefly with the three men who were in the shop building there, doing some planning. We were told that other personnel of this station had gone with a Seeder to the Re-Vey area on Santa Barbara Pottatos. They said that a bulldozer was clearing brush there now and that seeding would follow as soon as this work was done. It was also substantiated that District Walden Morse would be in his Office in Cuyama providing we could get there before five o'clock. We arrived at U.S. Forest Service Office in Cuyama at 4:10 P.M., and were cordially greeted and invited into his Office by Ed Morse. Ranger Morse briefed us in on happenings in his district during the recent costal deer season as well as the openings of fire closures in his area. Ranger Morse related how the opening of fire closure areas in the Las Padres area works. He said that openings of fire closure areas to hunting, whenever weather conditions permit, have been something that has been discussed among district Rangers in the Las Padres forest for years and the fact that these areas were only allowed to be opened in late years is the result of a change in administration at the supervisor level and that "a more progressive Supervisor" now is sympathetic to such actions. Mr. Morse said that the former supervisor was old and did not care to tackle new problems. Mr. Morse is strongly in favor of opening fire closure to hunting whenever weather conditions will permit such acts.