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In the NewsFire Safe Councils Invite Citizens to Participate
date posted: March 17 2004
By John Cobourn, Water Resource Specialist; and Heather Segale, Environmental Education Coordinator; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
With snow on the ground, you may not be thinking about fire season. But, fire managers are already busy preparing for the upcoming fire season.
The threat of a catastrophic fire in the basin is real. Recent drought, disease, insect infestations, and a tremendous accumulation of fuels have created conditions that could host a catastrophic wildfire.
The 2002 Gondola Fire was a scare for Tahoe Basin residents, but it was just a glimpse of the damage that wildfires could cause. Wildfires in the United States during the past several years have focused national attention on the wildfire issue. Losses throughout the West have been alarming, beginning with the Cerro Grande, New Mexico fire in 2000 and including the recent Southern California fire of 2003.
Property owners are wondering what they can do, and many are seeking assistance from a fire safe council.
The fire safe councils in Nevada and California can assist private property owners by helping them form local chapters. Each community has different issues to address, different needs, and is in different stages of action. The larger, umbrella fire safe councils can work with these locally formed groups to secure funding for projects, provide technical expertise, advice, and other types of assistance.
If you are concerned about wildfire in your neighborhood, get your neighbors together to form a chapter. You can all work together to acquire resources needed to create and implement a community wildfire protection plan. A private consultant can assess the specific needs of your neighborhood and create a plan. In this plan, hazards will be identified, and projects to mitigate those hazards will be outlined.
There are some relatively simple prescriptions that can help protect your neighborhood. These include forest thinning, creating reduced vegetation buffers around the community, and making sure that there are adequate water sources and accessibility. Local chipping programs provide homeowners with a way to easily handle the build-up of fuels.
Many of Tahoe’s agencies have increased support for the local fire chiefs and fire safe councils. The TRPA Governing Board recently passed a resolution directing staff to coordinate closely with Basin agencies to achieve a number of fuels-reduction goals for Lake Tahoe. Work is currently underway to modify and streamline current regulations in order to better facilitate fuels-reduction work. Prefire planning is underway and funding is being sought.
Another likely result will be that educational efforts to teach defensible space to property owners will need to be coordinated and integrated with educational efforts to teach best management practices that help protect water quality. Fire prevention and water quality protection are not mutually exclusive concepts; they are interrelated. But, the relationship and solutions to both problems are complex and require coordination and education. Planning efforts incorporate all the agencies and stakeholders in the basin and will provide a long-term plan to guide ecologically based fuels reduction in the future.
Before the snow has melted, learn about the integrated landscape concept. The Home Landscaping Guide for Lake Tahoe and Vicinity, available from University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, is a good resource. Begin planning for defensible space projects on your property. Get your neighbors active and form a local fire safe council. Your local chapter can help foster community collaboration, work to develop relationships in and among neighbors, and make communities fire safe.
Nevada Fire Safe Council
The Nevada Fire Safe Council evolved from recognition that the threat of wildfire to human life and property has been escalating rapidly. The Nevada Fire Safe Council’s primary mission is to reduce the threat of wildfire and increase the survivability of at-risk communities. This desired outcome is accomplished by fostering the organization of local community chapters to create defensible space, complete fire plans, and implement threat reduction projects that increase community protection. Currently there are 18 chapters across Nevada, with four organized in the Tahoe Basin, including Glenbrook, Hidden Woods, Incline Village, and Tyrolean Village.
The Nevada Fire Safe Council invites any group that supports its purpose and principles to become a formally affiliated chapter. Call Elwood Miller, executive coordinator, (775) 322-2413, or e-mail firesafe@renonevada.net.
Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council
The Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council was created nearly one year ago. It is one out of 120 fire safe councils throughout California. The Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council serves the California portion of the Tahoe Basin.
The Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council’s mission is to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires to lives, property, and natural resources in the Tahoe Basin by providing leadership, education, and assistance to residents, property owners, and visitors who wish to protect Tahoe’s unique resources and beauty. The organization is dedicated to raising fire awareness, identifying fire hazards, developing projects to reduce the hazards, and securing funds to complete the necessary work.
Future projects may include community fire plans, hazardous vegetation removal services, senior and disabled assistance programs, and defensible space improvement programs.
The Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council was made possible by the Community-based Wildfire Prevention Grants Program of the Bureau of Land Management, as part of the National Fire Plan. The plan calls for increased management of private developed lands that interface with public forests.
Individuals or groups interested in becoming involved or learning more about the Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council can call Jennifer Arrowsmith, (530) 543-1501, Ext. 112, or e-mail tahoebasinfiresafe@yahoo.com.
Watch for “The Lake Tahoe Report” on KOLO-TV News Channel 8 Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to learn more. Next week, learn about the upcoming workshop on Best Management Practices (BMPs). “The Lake Tahoe Report” is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service. For more information, contact Heather Segale, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4138, or logon to www.lteec.org or www.unce.unr.edu.
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