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Deer Lodge County begins Washoe Park cleanup to reduce wildfire and safety risks
Summary
County CEO Bill Everett and the Anaconda Fire Chief announced a multi-contractor effort using a long-held $78,000 mitigation account to remove deadfall and dense brush at Washoe Park. County officials say the work improves public safety and reduces fuel for wildfires.
County officials announced a targeted cleanup and fire-mitigation project at Washoe Park, citing decades of overgrowth and a build-up of dead and hollow trees that pose a safety and wildfire risk. CEO Bill Everett said the county identified roughly $78,000 in a long-held grant account and has contracted three local logging companies to begin clearing undergrowth and hazardous trees.
"We've had $78,000.00 sitting in an account for nearly twenty years...that is our biggest fire threat we have right now to our local community," Everett said. Anaconda Fire Chief Cody Tocher added that hollowed trees and "widow makers" create dangers for firefighters and increase the chance a fire will spread quickly through the area. The county estimates about $70,000 in work will be completed in the first phase, focused on the park's west entrance and away from sensitive creek areas.
Commissioners described the work as a long-overdue safety measure and noted the county's intent is not to clear large, healthy specimen trees but to remove deadfall and hazardous stands. Officials asked residents to view the site after the work begins and said crews will attempt to preserve historically significant landscape features where feasible.
