The view from Panther Stadium has been less than stellar in recent weeks as smoke from western wildland fires wafts into the Basin, all but obscuring Heart Mountain and surrounding peaks. You can smell it in the air and see it like a thick fog in the distance.

The haze potentially causes many health issues and, for area athletes, it reduces performance levels according to coaches and health officials.

The smoke is a concern for Park County District 1 coaches. Athletic Director Scott McKenzie and Powell Middle School instructor and coach Chanler Buck track air quality every day, coordinating with athletic trainer Alan Hill. 

Together, the three of them make decisions on whether to “allow outdoor practices or to lower physical activity expectations at practices,” McKenzie said. “We alert coaches whenever the air quality is 150 or higher and we give final decisions after school on whether to proceed or not.”

They track the air quality through an online application and have noticed trends. 

“We tend to see the air quality improve around 3 p.m. each day,” McKenzie noted.

Air quality ratings above 50 require their attention. From 51 to 100, they keep an eye on athletes who are sensitive to air pollution. From 101 to 150, they know it can be unhealthy for groups with underlying health issues; for example, they closely monitor athletes with asthma.

Air quality rated from 150 to 200 forces the group to make decisions on the level of strenuous exercise allowed at practices. The health of all teammates becomes an issue at that point, McKenzie said, adding that the “worse our air quality is, the harder it is for our athletes to compete at an optimum level.”

Anything higher than 200 shows air quality isn’t good enough to have athletes outside. Their highest reading this year has been 148 at the time of a practice, McKenzie said.

Cross country runners are affected more than other athletes, according to Dr. Dean Bartholomew at 307 Health. Once they start running, they’re breathing heavily for an extended period of time, compared to sports like tennis and football, Bartholomew said. 

“They’re not breathing hard the entire time. But they’re still exposed [to the smoke].”

High school cross country coach Ashley Hildebrand is constantly on the lookout for issues. 

“It’s typically hard on my runners with asthma. We keep a close eye on those runners and limit their running on [bad] days,” Hildebrand said. 

Hildebrand shortened the team’s Tuesday workout for everyone because the air quality was bad, irritating runners without lung issues. “We’ve even canceled practices in the past due to the air quality,” the cross country coach said.

It has become a national issue, prompting warnings from the federal government. The Environmental Protection Agency has been monitoring air quality due to the wildfires and reports that while not everyone has the same sensitivity to smoke, it’s still a good idea to avoid breathing it if you can. “When smoke is heavy, such as can occur in close proximity to a wildfire, it’s bad for everyone,” they reported in a recent press release.

“The biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles,” according to government scientists. “These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into your lungs. They can cause a range of health problems, from burning eyes and a runny nose to aggravated chronic heart and lung diseases.”

Bartholomew said he has seen an uptick in issues for those with asthma. 

“We have patients who are calling in to refill their albuterol inhalers who haven’t used them for a couple of years,” the doctor said. 

Even those without asthma are suffering from symptoms common with severe allergies. 

“People just have to step up their therapies because they are just that much more symptomatic,” Bartholomew said. 

Bartholomew is concerned both as a doctor and a parent. His son is on the tennis team. He worries about the long-term effects of his son breathing in excessive smoke. 

“Is there a possibility that there could be some long term damage? I guess there always is. But, I think that’s a risk that most students and parents are willing to take right now.”

Yet fire seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer every year. Just in the early part of the week, one new large fire started and 84 large fires and complexes continued to burn. This season about 2.7 million acres have burned across the nation, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Several hundred additional fires have burned in western and central Canada.

Cross-continental air currents have carried smoke and ash thousands of miles and many people are feeling the air contamination in their eyes, noses and lungs. The question becomes, when does it become too much?

Officials and the scientific community have been wrestling with how to control western wildfires for years and recent drought conditions in the West are forcing the issue as a national debate. More than 37,000 wildfires have been caused by people this year, the Fire Center reports. States with the most human-caused wildfires are California, North Carolina, Texas, Minnesota and Georgia.

More than 18,000 acres are currently burning in Wyoming. The closest is the Crater Ridge fire in the Bighorn Mountains.