Summer fire season is just around the corner—are you ready?

By Janet Boyer

Believe it or not, the summer fire season is just around the corner. Sunnyside Rural Fire District is hosting a “Firewise” presentation for the area residents on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the Sunnyside Fire Station.

Kip Kemak, Fire Prevention and Mitigation Specialist for the Nez Perce Tribe, will explain how you can prepare your home to better withstand a wildfire in your neighborhood.

There are many simple, effective steps you can take this spring to prepare your home before it is in danger. 

One of the most effective ways to reduce your risk during a wildfire is to reduce the level of flammable vegetation surrounding your home. This can also increase the moisture content of the remaining vegetation.

You will learn how to keep your home safer during fire season while still retaining its rural appearance.

Sunnyside Fire Station is located at about mile marker 7 on the Cavendish Highway.

If you have any questions, please contact Janet Boyer, Sunnyside Firewise Coordinator, at 208-476-0102, or Rich Hull, Fire Chief, at 208-827-0127.

Municipal Fire Damage meeting Feb. 22

Another fire meeting, this time covering the Municipal Fire that hit the Orofino area last summer, will be held Monday, Feb. 22, 6 p.m. at Orofino City Hall (217 1st St.)

The purpose of this meeting is to share with the public the results of a study done by the Corps of Engineers and Forest Service BEAR team. These studies looked at the damage done by the 2015 fire and the possible impacts.

They will discuss the possible landslide and debris flows along Orofino Creek and what the city and county are doing in relationship to the risk. They will also share what individuals can do.

Winter weather to close some Dworshak recreation facilities

AHSAHKA, Idaho - Dworshak Dam and Reservoir recreation staff will close Viewpoint restrooms, Dam View Campground, Canyon Creek Campground and Merrys Bay Day-Use Area for the winter season on Dec. 1, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at the dam.

Dent Acres campground will remain open until Dec. 15 at noon, weather permitting, to accommodate hunters. If winter conditions create unsafe access, staff will close the campground earlier. Notices will be posted in the campground and on Dwoshak Dam's Facebook page www.facebook.com/dworshakdam/. The cost of off season camping at Dent Acres is $10 a night. 

Big Eddy, Bruce's Eddy and the fishing wall area below the dam will remain open for use during the winter season. Seasonally closed facilities are slated to reopen in the spring of 2016 as weather conditions allow.

As always, safety is the Corps' greatest concern - boaters should wear lifejackets and avoid drinking alcohol while boating. The road leading to the recreation areas, especially the boat ramps can be icy and potentially hazardous during the winter, so please drive safely.

For more information about Dworshak facilities and current conditions, call 208-476-1255 during business hours. The Dworshak Dam Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Corps extends public comment period on Dworshak Nutrient Supplementation Environmental Assessment to March 17

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District is extending the public comment period on an Environmental Assessment (EA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the “Dworshak Reservoir Nutrient Supplementation Pilot Study.” The comment period extension will now end Saturday, March 17. This is a 30-day extension of an initially announced public comment period ending today. The Corps extended the public comment period to accommodate wider public input.

The Environmental Assessment is the next step in Corps’ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance as it plans to resume this reservoir ecosystem restoration pilot study in 2012. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to the Corps effective Oct. 15, 2011 after its environmental review and consideration of public comments. The NPDES permit allows application of liquid fertilizer to Dworshak Reservoir as an ecosystem treatment.

With the extension, public comments on the Corps Environmental Assessment must be postmarked, faxed or e-mailed to the Corps by March 17, 2012, to be included as part of the public record.  E-mail comments should be sent to DworshakNutrientSupplProj@usace.army.mil.

Faxed comments should be sent to 509-527-7832. U.S. Mail comments should be mailed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Environmental Compliance Section, ATTN: John Leier, 201 North 3rd Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362-1876.

The EA and draft FONSI documents are available for viewing at the Corps’ website at www.nww. usace.army.mil; Orofino City Hall at 217 First Street, Orofino; Clearwater County Courthouse, 150 Michigan Avenue, Orofino: and Recorder’s Office, Room 100, Nez Perce County Courthouse, 1230 Main Street, Lewiston.

To learn more about the Corps of Engineers and its mission in the Walla Walla District, see the District website at http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/.