Rim to Rim outlines $5.2 million wildfire-fuels and flood‑mitigation plan for Mill and Pack creeks

Rim to Rim Restoration representatives presented the City Council with details of a five‑year, $5,200,000 Community Wildfire Defense Grant aimed at reducing wildfire fuels along Mill Creek, Pack Creek and the Matheson wetlands and at improving flood resilience in the creek corridors.

The presentation, given by Sofia Fisher and Bryce Rogers on behalf of Rim to Rim Restoration, outlined how the award — a federal U.S. Forest Service grant subawarded through state channels — will pay contractors, support revegetation and fund public outreach and education intended to make mitigation durable after the grant period ends.

Rim to Rim said the project is a partnership that includes Moab Valley Fire Department, Grand County, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, Science Moab, Moab Solutions, the Nature Conservancy and city staff. “The grant period began last year, so it’ll run through 2029,” project staff told the council, and they described both the fuel‑removal work completed so far and how they prioritize sites.

The presenters said they apply a weighted scoring matrix that emphasizes hazard (fuel loading, ladder/fine…