Jessica Cejnar / Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 @ 5:54 p.m.
Wildfire Plan Identifies Areas Of Concern In Greater Crescent City; CCPD To Transition To A More Thorough Reporting System
Bill Gillespie presented the Crescent City Council with an updated plan that was useful in combatting the Slater Fire as well as identifying other risky areas in Del Norte County. Photo courtesy of Bill Steven
A plan outlying Del Norte County’s wildfire risk identified several neighborhoods in the greater Crescent City area as “areas of concern.”
Identified as potential sites for fuel reduction projects, these areas include timber-heavy lands between Church Tree and the Bertsch Tract to the east of Crescent City; land surrounding the Del Norte County Airport and Point St. George to the north; as well as the Howland Hill Road area leading to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, according to Crescent Fire and Rescue Chief Bill Gillespie.
Irene Jerome, the countyâs Firewise coordinator, said the CWFP is updated annually.
The program helps organizations and property owners reduce fire danger and has been funded by the Secure Rural Schools payments.
She said she had been the âgo-toâ about anything that has to do with fire prevention in Grant County.
In February, she said, Oregon Fire Prevention invited her to give a presentation about how Grant County has successfully established Firewise in various communities throughout the county. She said the group was impressed, given the challenges with being geographically spread out.
She said the Firewise program, like everything else in 2020, has been affected by the pandemic.
Tommie Cline Martin, 69, a lifelong resident of Gila County, with roots going back several generations, died Thursday, Dec. 10 in the Valley after recovering from a life-threatening viral infection earlier this year. She would have celebrated her 70th birthday Jan. 11, 2021.
Martin had served as Gila County District 1 supervisor since 2005 after being elected in 2004. She was just reelected to a fifth term in office this year. She was also on the county planning and zoning commission from 1991 to 1998.
Following a serious viral infection in May and emergency hospitalization in June, the popular Rim Country supervisor was back to work attending meetings throughout the summer and fall, up to the most recent Board of Supervisors meeting this past week.