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County completes evacuation zones and pursues grants, Firewise work and All Lands funding
Summary
Valley County’s wildfire mitigation staff reported the county now has countywide evacuation zones, ongoing Firewise grant work covering roughly 50 acres, pending grant applications for large-area projects, and participation in an All Lands partnership expected to receive $20 million.
Valley County’s wildfire mitigation director told commissioners on July 16 that the county has completed evacuation-zone mapping for the entire county and is moving to publish the maps and integrate them into public apps and county web pages.
“Whole county now is zoned out, before fire season,” the director said, adding that the zones will be posted under Emergency Management and a hazardous-risk map on the county website and that staff are working to put the zones in the Watch Duty app.
The director said ASU has distributed an evacuation survey (initially focused on Cascade) and that the county is using survey feedback to tune messaging and to understand how to reach owners of second homes and seasonal residences. The director emphasized the county’s reliance on multiple messaging channels — CodeRED, Watch Duty and sheriff’s office messaging — and noted that homeowners must register for CodeRED to receive targeted alerts.
On fuels-reduction work, the director said Firewise grants have led to roughly 50 acres of completed work; the transcript records that some grant reimbursements have been processed, though exact dollar amounts were not consistently specified in the meeting record. The director said several larger grant applications are pending: she said she applied for a grant for the “East Mountain” area (stated as $500,000) and another for “Tamarac” (stated as $240,000) and expects award notifications this fall.
The director said the county will sign memoranda of understanding in September if the All Lands partnership award proceeds as announced; the director reported the partnership has been awarded $20,000,000 and that the MOU signatures and negotiations over allowable costs and match requirements are expected in September. Commissioners were invited to participate in future implementation and subcommittee meetings if they wish.
The county is also exploring woody-biomass options with partners, including the Forest Service, to remove slash and other woody material created by fuels-reduction projects and to explore potential energy uses for the biomass. The director said a Forest Service contact (Tim Leishman) has programs to facilitate moving wood to local wood banks or converting material into energy, but she cautioned mobilization and transport remain the biggest challenges.
Several mitigation contracts were described as nearing signature; the director said she expected to bring multiple contracts back to the board next week for signatures and that site visits and implementation planning are underway. No formal county action on grant awards or MOU signatures was recorded in the transcript portion provided; the items were presented as status reports and pending next steps.
