Garden Valley Fuels Reduction Project
ESPRI was involved with a fuels reduction pilot project in the Garden Valley/Crouch area that eventually led to the awarding of a $210,000 Western States Wildland Urban Interface Grant for the Castle Mountain Creeks Homeowners Association in Crouch. Since that time, the Terrace Lakes subdivision has also received a grant to conduct hazardous fuels treatment work.
An initial meeting on April 15, 2003 identified fuel-loading problems in the Garden Valley area of Idaho. Community coordination and agreement over treatment areas were discussed, as well the need for assistance with grants for private landowner fuel reduction and intergovernmental coordination needs. ESPRI has written a grant for fuel reduction under the National Fire Plan for a specific community and will assist in the implementation of thinning work if the grant is received.. Based on ESPRI's experience, two templates will be created that may be utilized in any rural-urban interface community to (1) conduct an initial risk assessment and apply for grants and (2) implement a thinning program. ESPRI will assist two more communities in the Garden Valley area this summer with initial assessments and grant applications.
Working in conjunction with the West Central Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D), ESPRI has helped the Castle Mountain Creeks subdivision located near the towns of Crouch and Garden Valley, Idaho secure a grant in the amount of $210,000 in order to lessen the potential for damage from catastrophic fires. The towns are located approximately 50 miles north of Boise along the Middle Fork of the Payette River. Crouch and Garden Valley are in a heavily wooded area in what is often referred to as wildland/urban interface (WUI). ESPRI is now in the process of helping the local homeowners association implement the grant on the ground with the aid of local and regional contractors.
Recently, the Bureau of Land Management commissioned a study to assess wildfire risk in the Garden Valley-Crouch area (pdf). The study, undertaken by the Dynamac Corporation, characterizes the area as one of extreme fire risk. It recommends that the buildup of flammable fuels should be reduced in the area and that hazardous fuels should be cleaned up around residences. It also recommends road improvements and the installation of additional water sources. ESPRI is assisting subdivisions in these rural communities in locating funding sources for hazardous fuels reduction work, creation of tertiary emergency evacuation routes, and the purchase of water tanks and fire hydrants for use in fire suppression.
In July of 2003, a demonstration project was conducted at Castle Mountain with financial contributions from the BLM FIREWISE program and RC&D. ESPRI helped Castle Mountain prepare the application for the 2004 Western States Wildland Urban Interface Grant that was recently funded. A grant application is available as an Excel spreadsheet.Before Fuel Reduction
After Fuel Reduction
This page last reviewed May 2006