The Double Arrow Ranch Land Owners’ Association (DARLOA) and its landowners have made fire safety and preparedness a priority and will continue to do so. We all learned valuable lessons from the Jocko Lakes fire 10 years earlier and the Rice Ridge Fire last summer. First and foremost, we learned that being good neighbors and being there for, caring for and helping one another in a time of crisis/challenging times, is one of the most (if not the most) important attributes and values of any community. During the Rice Ridge fire, we were in near-constant contact with fire officials and held two meetings with fire officials which provided a great opportunity for Double Arrow Ranch landowners to get answers to their questions.
As an association, DARLOA is committed to programs and projects that mitigate the risk of harm to individuals and damage to property caused by the threat of forest fires. Here is a recap of some of the major fire fuel mitigation initiatives DARLOA has undertaken in the past fives years:
• Since the Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) began administering fire fuel mitigation grants in March 2013, DARLOA landowners have mitigated (or are in the process of mitigating) 96 lots, totaling 365 acres, receiving $273,000 in grants funds and contributing a similar amount in wood revenue and out-of-pocket payments. This is estimated to be in excess of $500,000 of financial resources devoted to fire fuel mitigation efforts on The Double Arrow Ranch.
• We have undertaken two roadside treatment projects (first project was on Double Arrow Road and Grizzly Drive; second on Stagecoach Drive) treating a total of 11 roadside acres along 36 properties with $24,400 received in grant funds and $8,000 of DARLOA funds expended.
• We have encouraged individual landowners to schedule assessments with fire officials for the purposes of making recommendations for fire-wise construction and defensible space.
• DARLOA will be recognized for 10 years of certification as a Fire-wise Community at the Pure Montana Tales presentation “Inside Wildfire” event Thursday, June 14, 7 p.m. at the Barn.
• DARLOA recently received a $500 grant from the National Fire Protection Association partnered with State Farm to host a project for National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 5. Our project is a community clean-up day to remove the winter downfall along Double Arrow Road and Grizzly Drive.
Although we still have much work to do and will continue to make improvements to mitigate the risks associated with the imminent danger of forest fires in our area, we are committed to ensuring that this remains a priority.
We also want to take this opportunity to recognize the members of the DARLOA Fire Safety Committee and advisors to the Committee: Director Joann Wallenburn, Chair of the Committee; Director Shana Marx; Landowners Larry Anderson, Randy Gazda, Kathy Hendricks, Dave Koskella and Curt McChesney; Advisors Cory Calnan (Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation), Michael Greer (Seeley Lake Volunteer Fire Department Interim Chief) and Signe Leirfallom (Community Forester).
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