Local forestry team and water district outline fuel‑reduction, watershed projects in Calaveras County

Pat McGreevey of the Calaveras‑Amador Forestry Team and Kelly Gherkinsmeyer of the Calaveras County Water District described ongoing fuel‑reduction and watershed‑protection work across Calaveras County during the Be Prepared Calaveras radio program.

The officials said the work centers on a mapped system of strategic fuel breaks along key ridgelines — primarily the Highway 4 Corridor and adjacent areas — designed to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire and to protect water infrastructure that serves local communities. "Our goal was to prevent any future catastrophic fire like Butte," McGreevey said, referring to the 2015 Butte Fire that burned large areas of the county.

Why it matters: McGreevey told listeners that the Hunter Reservoir facility is a top priority because of its role in the county's water distribution: "That water that they pump up there feeds, I think, it's over a thousand fire hydrants," he said (estimate). Losing that facility to fire, he said, would threaten both firefighting capacity and…