American Notes CALIFORNIA

Southern California has long been a place where new ideas take wing, sometimes literally. The latest example: using hang gliders to spot forest fires before they burn out of control.

The volunteer patrols will be conducted by three hang-gliding clubs in the Angeles National Forest, where firebugs have started at least 20 blazes this year. The radio-equipped gliders will alert rangers if they see an arsonist at work. Says U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jim Stump: "Every little bit the hang gliders can do helps."