Project Summary Form
Id Number 2006-146
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN-INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Fuels Treatment Projects
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Chelan County Conservation District
Phone: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
Type of Applicant: (enter appropriate letter in box)
L
509-664-0268
FAX: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
A. State
B. County
C. Municipal
D. Township
E. Interstate
509-664-0255
Please Call Ahead For FAX
H. Independent School District
I. State-Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
J. Private University
K. Indian Tribe
L. Nonprofit Organization
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
301 Yakima Street, Room 307 Wenatchee, WA 98801
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Mr. Mike Rickel Natural Resource Specialist
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Chelan County Conservation District
Phone: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
509-664-0268
FAX: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
509-664-0255
Call Ahead For FAX
Email:
mike.rickel@wa.nacdnet.net
Project Information
Project Title:
Chumstick Neighborhoods Fuels Reduction
Proposed Project Start Date:
01/01/2006
Federal Funding Request:
$ 250,000
Proposed Project End Date:
12/31/2007
Total Project Funding:
$
314,000
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
Only one application, but this includes work in both defensible space, which would be our first priority, and strategic fuel breaks beyond
defensible space, which would be our second priority. These would be implemented sequentially. Community risk assessment and mitigation
planning funding is expected from FY05 grant.
Brief Project Summary: Who, What, Where, Desired Outcomes in relation to NFP Goals and Community Risk Assessment and
Mitigation Plans (This should summarize page 2).
The Chumstick Valley Neighborhoods Fuels Reduction Committee is an umbrella association overseeing approximately 18,000 acres of private
land, and 1,500 people in 500 homes. $250,000 funding plus $64,000 sweat equity and equipment from neighbors and in-kind services of partners
with goals of:
1: Complete fuels treatment within defensible space to reduce hazards for 100 homes; 2: Reduce fuel hazards beyond area home-sites on 150
acres. This would reduce fuel hazards and fire risk on the extended community protection zone, including ingress and egress safety for fire
suppression personnel, and strategic fuel breaks, based on priorities developed in our community wildfire protection plan and fire risk assessment
for Chelan County and implemented here.
A fuels specialist-consultant would manage sub-contracts and conduct homeowner-landowner education and a grant administrator, CCCD, would
coordinate contracts and develop agreements.
Project Location:
Latitude: 47.644
Longitude: 120.675
County:
Chelan
Name of Federal, State or Tribal contact with whom you coordinated this proposal:
Federal Congressional District:
4
Telephone number of Contact:
Keith Satterfield, Acting District Ranger, US Forest Service
509-548-6977 Ext. 240
Len Riggin, WA DNR
509-925-0969 Ext.
Kelly OBrien, Fire Chief, Chelan County Fire District 3
509-548-7711 Ext.
Project Narrative Description
Applications for funding must include a narrative response that describes the proposal. Please do not submit responses
longer than one page, single space, 12-pitch font.
Describe project including, but not limited to:
x project relationship to the community risk assessment and
x project location (e.g., Watershed,
Address
mitigation plan
neighboring community)
these items
as applicable: x anticipated outcomes
x amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc.)
x project timeline and matching or contributed funds
x community partners and their
role(s)
x proponent’s ability to complete project
For this project, explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning, through a “Local Coordination
Group.” If you have not worked with a local coordination group, why not?
High level of cooperation, coordination, and planning with CCFD 3, USFS, WA DNR, and landowners
Is this project adjacent to a current prescribed burn project on federal lands or to one that is planned within the next
three years? (Yes/No) Yes
Please indicate planned treatments and associated acres:
* Treatment Hand Pile Burning
Acres 150
Treatment Thinning
Acres 150
Treatment
Acres 0
Treatment
Acres 0
If you have a treatment type other than standard types above:
Other 1 Pruning and chipping
Acres 150
Other 2
Acres 0
The project is located in the 49,900-acre Chumstick Watershed, 59% USFS, 36% Private, 5% State DNR, within Wenatchee River Sub-basin,
immediately northeast of the City of Leavenworth, Chelan Co., WA. We are a "community-at-risk", surrounded by Federal land. In the last decade,
large wildfires have occurred within a few miles of the project area, to the north, east, south, and west. High fuel-loading on the ground and many
ladder fuels leave the area ripe for catastrophic, high-intensity wildfire. Fire starts average 7.3 annually, about half lightening-caused and half
human-caused, including from the railroad that runs the length of the Chumstick Valley. The Fischer Fire burned 16,513 acres, including 134 acres
within the Watershed in 2004. The entire project area is in Fire Regime I, and most in Condition Class 3.
Anticipated outcomes include increasing public awareness of the hazardous fuel situation, creating defensible space around 100 homes, making
ingress-egress routes more visible and safer for firefighters and residents, and creating fuel breaks to slow potential fire spread. By receiving
education and funding to help complete work on their property, homeowners would be expected to maintain defensible space around their structures
in the future.
Community partners include the Chumstick Valley Fire Education and Fuels Reduction Committee, Chumstick Watershed Alliance, Chelan
County Fire District 3, USDA Forest Service, Wenatchee River Ranger District, Chelan County Conservation District, Washington State DNR,
Leavenworth Neighborhoods Fire, Education and Fuels Reduction Group, in addition to 500 homeowners in the Chumstick Watershed. The
CVFEFRC will oversee the project and outreach and coordinate efforts of residents and agencies. The Alliance will cooperate and share information
with homeowners. CCFD 3 and FS will cooperate in completing community wildfire protection plan and planning and implementing fuels reduction
projects on checkerboard ownership land they manage. The CCCD will administer grant dollars and oversee contract administrator. The WA DNR
has reviewed and improved this project proposal. The Leavenworth Group will continue to share their experience, and cooperate on community
education and outreach programs. Homeowners will direct work on their lands. The Forest Service is also reducing hazardous fuels on an adjacent
43,000 acres, and will begin planning fuels reduction on lands they manage in the project area in 2007.
Our "Community Wildlfire Protection Plan" will be completed in March 2005, with the Chelan County Fire District 3 leading the effort, while the
Chelan County-wide risk assessment is being led by CCCD, with a completion date of December 2005. This project is THE top priority for CCFD 3,
and also a top priority County-wide. The existing "Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies" plan completed by WA DNR for the SE Region rates
our area as one of the highest at risk. Our proposed projects would implement priorities in all these plans with funds from this grant, where
appropriate. Results from risk assessments completed for 500 homes, NFPA 299, GPS mapping of remote structures and access routes, risk
evaluation of ingress-egress routes to structures will help prioritize work. Funding from this grant is expected to complete work on defensible space
for the entire project area, but only partially fund work outside this zone, such as strategic fuel breaks and ingress-egress routes. A future grant
would complete implementation of our community wildfire protection plan.
This project would begin in January 2006, or when monies are allocated, and work completed by December 2007. Homeowners will contribute an
estimated $50,000 in matching funds in the form of sweat equity and maintenance, with CCFD-USFS-WADNR contributing an additional $14,000 of
in-kind services.
The CVFEFRC has an active core of 7 landowners that are motivated by having experienced large wildfires on adjacent lands, including in 2004,
when approximately 60 homes in project area were evacuated. Members have backgrounds in natural resources, business, law, and education. We
have strong multi-agency support for this effort. We are working closely with neighboring Leavenworth Neighbors group who have completed similar
work, and we will utilize many of the same resources, contractors, administrators and government officials to complete our project.
Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following three criteria. Be sure you address every one
briefly, yet thoroughly. Limit your responses to the area provided.
1. Reducing Hazardous Fuels (50 points)
A. Describe the community infrastructure that will be protected.
B. Explain how the proposal reduces fire behavior in high hazard areas by describing the fuels to be disposed or
removed, and the techniques and timing of the treatments.
C. How will the proposed treatments be maintained in future years?
D. How will you use multi-party monitoring to improve this and future projects?
Response:
Fire protection would be improved for 500 homes and businesses, as well as ingress and egress routes that support fire
suppression and resident evacuation, including neighboring communities of Leavenworth and Plain. Fire risk will be reduced for
commercial private timber land, two major power transmission lines, railroad tracks, and a County highway.
Defensible space in the immediate vicinity of structures, 30 to 300 feet, depending on vegetation type and topography, would be
the highest priority for treatment. Fuels removed would be based on risk assessments conducted by professional fuels technicians,
in cooperation with US Forest Service, WA DNR, and Chelan County Fire District 3. Fuels would be disposed of by chipping and
spreading, or piling and burning. Burning would take place during spring or fall, while fire risk is low and in consultation with local
fire district. Removal of shrubs and smaller trees, and pruning of larger trees would likely occur, where needed, based on risk
assessments and landowner desires. The risk assessment process would also educate landowners on other steps they could take
to lower risk of their home igniting such as roof and deck materials, rain gutter maintenance, firewood storage, sprinkler system,
and fire-resistant types of landscaping vegetation. On private property areas beyond defensible space, landowners would work
with a fuels-reduction professional to efficiently design landscape treatments. Similarly, ground and ladder fuels would be removed
to reduce potential flame length and crown fire.
Education provided by the project would encourage landowners to maintain treatments into the future, and provide them with skills
or resources such as names of local contractors, to get the job done. With this knowledge, landowners would be expected to
maintain defensible space in the future, in accordance with agreement made to accept grant dollars.
Collaborators on this project include Chelan County Fire District 3, USFS, Chelan County Conservation District, the Chumstick
Valley Neighborhoods Fire Education and Fuels Reduction Committee, and individual landowners. The Chumstick Valley
committee would monitor projects directly and seek feedback from collaborators to improve this and future projects. Our 15-acre
demonstration project at Redtail Canyon Farm in the project area will serve as an example to landowners of treatment possibilities.
Project Evaluation Criteria
2.
Increasing Local Capacity (25 points)
A. How would the proposal improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and
sustainable economic activity?
B. How many jobs are expected to be created or retained and for how long? (Please distinguish between
essentially year-round and seasonal jobs).
C. What tools and skills will be gained or utilized as a result of this project?
D. Will biomass be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much?
Response:
This proposal would fund personnel to plan fuels reduction projects in cooperation with landowners, carry out fuels reduction projects,
and administer contracts and monies. This includes personnel previously employed in other fuel reduction projects locally and should
provide a future, experienced workforce for other newly forming community protection groups. This would be the second phase of a
multi-phase project for this project area. Public education is expected to motivate adjacent groups to form and conduct similar
projects, such as Plain, Valley Hi, Icicle Valley....
This work is anticipated to provide seasonal-partial funding for approximately 12 jobs including 3 risk assessors, 1 contractor
administrator, up to 10 contractors, and 1 program oversight administrator.
Public education will be a priority. Information sharing amongst landowners and other communities, and both defensible space and
landscape fuels reduction skills will be used. Implementation will include the use of household and commercial landscaping tools
including chainsaws, chippers, and possibly use of prescribed fire.
The Chelan County Commissioners and USFS have explored biomass utilization of very small diameter material in our area. With the
lowest electricity rates in the Country, the economic feasibility of biomass utilization is poor at the moment. Future air quality
constraints may provide incentive for new product techology. Few large trees are anticipated being removed.
3.
Demonstrating Community and Intergovernmental Collaboration (25 Points)
A. How will this project implement a community risk assessment and mitigation plan? Include name of plan, date
it was prepared, and local contact to get a copy of the plan if requested.
B. How has this treatment been coordinated with adjacent landowners and local/State/Tribal/Federal agencies?
C. Identify the cooperators/partners involved in implementation of this project.
D. Describe the extent of current local support for the project, including any cost-sharing agreements.
Response:
This project will implement the CWPP currently being constructed for CCFD 3, as well as the Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Strategies plan for the WA DNR Southeast Region, completed in January 2003 - contact Len Riggin. In addition, this project will be
integrated with the community risk assessment and mitigation plan being developed for Chelan County in 2005 by Mike Rickel.
More specific information gathered at homesites already, NFPA 299, in cooperation with Fire District 3, led by Fire Chief Kelly
O'Brien and US Forest Service, FMO, Keith Satterfield, will identify specific needs and prioritize work. Local contact information is
on front page of this application.
Previous mailings, newspaper articles, local radio station interviews, door-to-door contacts, word-of-mouth, county signage, and
community meetings have been used to increase public awareness of the hazardous fuel situation in the watershed. A website was
developed by our local group [www.eleanorstravels.com/Chumstick/index.htm]. Coordination will continue with agencies and
landowners.
Cooperators-partners include Chelan County Fire District 3, US Forest Service - Wenatchee River R.D., Chelan County
Conservation District , Washington State DNR and Leavenworth Neighborhoods Fuels Committee.
Local support is very high among agencies. Support by the community is high and growing as people learn more about the project
including the current risks, mitigation techniques, and opportunities afforded by this grant. Our 15-acre demonstration project at
Redtail Canyon Farm demonstrates types of treatment. Evacuations of 500 people from homes due to last summers wildfire helped
to galvanize support.
Project Work Form
Tasks
Complete Community Wildfire Protection
Plan, not part of this grant request, but will be
completed by Dec 2005.
Complete Chelan County community fire risk
assessment and mitigation planning not part
of this grant request, but Draft will be
completed by Oct 2004.
Coordinate contract and complete risk
assessments for homeowners and GPS map
routes and structures using NFPA 299 and
funding from FY05 grant
Hire consulting fuels specialist-contract
administrator to coordinate defensible space
work with landowners, based on homeowner
risk assessments
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Chelan County Fire District 3 (Kelly
O'Brien)
Jan 2005 - Dec 2005
Jan 2005 - Dec 2005
Chelan County Conservation District,
Mike Rickel, under direction of
Chelan County Fire Marshall, Rod
Lasher.
Chelan County Fire District 3 - Kelly
O'Brien
Mar 2005 - Dec 2005
Spring 2006
Complete defensible space work
Chumstick Valley Neighborhoods Fire
Education and Fuels Reduction
Committee with oversight from
CCCD.
Contract administrator with oversight
from CCCD.
Mar 2006 - Dec 2007
Implement landscape-scale recommendations
beyond defensible space from community risk
assessment and strategic plan
Contract administrator with oversight
from CCCD.
Fall 2006 - Dec 2007
Public education and outreach
Ongoing
Chumstick Valley Neighborhoods Fire
Education and Fuels Reduction
Committee with contractors and
agencies.
Project Budget
Chelan Co. FD No.3
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
US Forest Service
Partner 1
Partner 2
Total
Partner 3
Personnel
Administrator - CCCD
Cooperators
Subtotal
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$50,000
$2,000
$10,000
$0
$62,000
$40,000
$50,000
$2,000
$10,000
$0
$102,000
$0
$0
$0
$40,000
$40,000
Fringe Benefits
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$500
$0
$1,000
$0
$1,500
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$500
$0
$1,000
$0
$1,500
$0
$0
$0
$500
$0
$500
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$500
$0
$500
Fuels Consultant
$30,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$30,000
Fuels Reduction
$180,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$180,000
$210,000
$0
$0
$0
$210,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$250,000
$50,500
$2,000
$11,500
$0
$314,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Subtotal
Travel
$0
Subtotal
Equipment
GIS/Computers
Subtotal
Supplies
Maps
Subtotal
Contractual
Subtotal
Other
Subtotal
Total Costs
Project (Program)
Income1
___________________________________
1
Program income is the gross revenue generated by a grant or cooperative agreement supported activity during the life of the grant. Program
income can be made by recipients from fees charged for conference or workshop attendance, from rental fees earned from renting out real
property or equipment acquired with grant or cooperative agreement funds, or from the sale of commodities or items developed under the grant
or cooperative agreement. The use of Program Income during the project period may require prior approval by the granting agency.