Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 14, 2004
In light of the Biscuit Fire and the continuing wildfire
risk inherent in the wildland urban interface (where houses
meet the forest), Josephine County has begun a compre-
hensive and innovative community fire planning process.
The basis of the process is a cutting-edge risk assess-
ment tool that incorporates four factors: 1. risk – the likeli-
hood of fire occurring; 2. hazard – resistance to control
once a wildfire starts; 3. values protected; and 4. structural
vulnerability of buildings. Using GIS technology, these
factors are then color-coded onto a map of the county that
clearly indicated areas of risk.
Community meetings will begin this spring in I.V.,
Wolf Creek and Williams that will allow neighborhoods to
review and refine the Risk Assessment Map. Besides iden-
tifying areas where on-the-ground hazards or thinning
work may have been overlooked, the meetings will allow
people to list other points of value to the community that
should be protected and incorporated into the assessment.
When completed, the risk assessment will be used to
target areas for appropriate interventions like fuels reduc-
tion and fire prevention education. What is different in this
approach than other programs, where individual properties
are treated, is the goal of developing multiproperty projects
that will have a landscape effect of reducing the probability
that a fire will spread through the area.
Fuels reduction will include creating defensible space
around homes, improving safe access by thinning along
driveways, and secondary fire breaks and thinning to re-
duce the chance of fires spreading.
The goal, too, is to increase participation in these pro-
grams by special needs population (the elderly, handi-
capped, low income) by involving social service agencies
to conduct outreach and means tested subsidies.
In another novel approach, the county will apply for
National Fire Plan projects to improve coordination and –
hopefully – the amount of funding. The Commission on
Family and Children will administer the Outreach/
Education grant, while IVCRT will administer a grant for
fuels reduction. The amount being requested for fuels re-
duction is $1.5 million. This is in addition to the $250,000
grant to the CRT already approved and awaiting funding,
which will serve as a pilot to build the systems for the lar-
ger grant to be implemented in 2005.
The fuels reduction grants will be designed to use local
contractors to conduct the work. This adds a job creation
aspect to the program that is very beneficial and a goal of
the CRT. Another similar program that has just received a
$30,000 grant from the Weyerhauser Family Foundation
will employ local contractors to conduct a small pilot res-
toration program in the Biscuit Fire area. The restoration
work will be jointly designed and monitored by the com-
munity and the Forest Service.
Marcus Kauffman, from EcoSystem Workforce at Ore-
gon State University at Corvallis, has agreed to provide
training in stewardship contracts – a contracting authority
that gives more flexibility to the forest service to (in part)
make it easier for small contractors to successfully bid on
forest service contracts. The grant will also provide train-
ing to local contractors on how to prepare and submit suc-
cessful bids to federal agencies.
IVCRT Organizational Development
The CRT Board completed the last OD session with
our consultant, Mary Ward, on the 13th. The new Commu-
nity Outreach Committee is preparing a letter and survey
that will be sent to the general members, describing some
of the outcomes of this process along with preparation for
the annual meeting in March.
Outstanding business,
individual sought for
chamber recognition
Nominations for exem-
plary service by individu-
als or businesses/
organizations in Illinois
Valley during 2003 are
sought by I.V. Chamber of
Commerce.
The deadline for nomi-
nations in the annual pro-
gram is Feb. 15. Forms are
available from the chamber
office in the I.V. Visitor
Center. The phone number
is 592-3326.
Last year’s winner for
2002 (in the business/
organization category) was
I.V. Fire District and I.V.
Volunteer Firefighters As-
sociation in connection
with protecting the valley
during the Biscuit Fire.
Although I.V. firefighters
were not directly involved
in fighting the wildland
flames, they provided tre-
mendous support for the
wildland firefighters who
were brought in, while
continuing to protect the
valley and its populated
environs.
The specific achieve-
ments and contributions by
volunteers and district staff
comprised the basis for the
recognition.
The top citizen award
for 2002 went to T. Lund,
director of music for I.V.
High School and Lorna
Byrne Middle School.
To nominate someone
for this commendation,
nominators must provide
specific examples of the
nominee’s achievements
and contributions.
Also sought are de-
scriptions of demonstrated
leadership qualities, volun-
teer services, commend-
able activities, and other
club or organization in-
volvement.
Plaques will be
awarded to the top nomi-
nees chosen by chamber
directors. They will be
given during a special
chamber gathering to be
announced.
RCC’s YES! gains $8,000 grant
The YES! (You Expect Success) resource center at
Rogue Community College has received an $8,000 grant
from Trust Management Services LLC.
The YES! Center, working with the college’s Moving
On program, will focus on domestic violence and sexual
assault awareness issue. Billie Miracle and Alexa Priddy
will coordinate the grant-funded program.
EVERGREEN ELEMENTARY ACHIEVERS - Evergreen
Elementary School Students of the Month for Decem-
ber were honored with a celebratory lunch at Pizza Pit
on Friday, Jan. 9. Accompanying the students were
administrators Lise Van Brunt (right) and Mindi Law.
Students are (not in order) Sky Vaughn, Caitlin Cro-
well, Alicia Warner, Jonny Mason, Kori Krauss, J.R.
Loose dog
meets fate
following
I-5 hassle
A dog running at large
on Interstate 5 near Grants
Pass snarled traffic and led
public safety officers on a
not-so-merry chase for 2
1/2 hours Sunday after-
noon, Jan. 11.
The animal, which had
been running in and out of
traffic in the vicinity of
Highland Avenue and
N.W. Vine Street with an-
other dog, slipped through
a wire fence onto the lanes
for southbound traffic.
Page 9
Renckens, Abigail Miller, Danielle Speulda, Rachel Ma-
son, Fred Nults, Myana Dhenin, Ben Milner, Robert
Lowden, Laurissa Tausaga, Ally Cowan, Scandle Wil-
liams and Casey Robertson. (Not shown: Bryan Sowell
and Jesse Bethke). The students were nominated for
the special honors by their teachers for outstanding
achievements of many types. (Michelle Binker photo)
As vehicles slowed
and stopped to avoid strik-
ing the dog, Grants Pass
Dept. of Public Safety offi-
cers observed a semitruck
skidding to a stop to avoid
a collision with stopped
cars. Josephine County
Animal Control and Ore-
gon State Police were sum-
moned to assist.
The dog eluded every
attempt to capture or redi-
rect it away from traffic.
Finally a Grants Pass
officer located the animal
behind unoccupied busi-
nesses on Highland Ave-
nue. Due to the continued
threat of accident or injury
posed by the dog’s ac-
tions, the officer shot and
killed the dog when it was
safe to do so.