The Impact of the February 2023 Snowstorm was devastating to the Whale Gulch Community, causing the breakage and falling of thousands of trees. All access roads were blocked and 75 homesteads and their residents were stranded in their homes,cut off from their water supplies, and any emergency services or means of external communication (telephone and internet).

The primary purpose of this three phase fuels reduction project is to reestablish safe defensible space on the 6 Whale Gulch Community access roads, community members' properties and community watersheds. 

We plan to continue the work begun by community members and the Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Company Fuels Reduction Crew in the immediate aftermath of the storm, to restore all ingress/egress for residents use and safety, ensuring the safe navigation of emergency fire and medical apparatus and evacuation routes as well as access to, and use of, the communities’ fire suppression water storage sites and resident’s water sources.

This Post Snowstorm fuels reduction project will greatly reduce the risk of wildfire and increase the chances of survival for Whale Gulch residents should a wildfire occur. This will be accomplished by the cutting, chipping or burning of downed tree brush and small limbs. The large tree trunks will be left on the ground to decompose naturally and provide habitat for flora and fauna with the exception of those trunks which are impeding upon any roadway or water course or those which are precariously perched above them. This is not a live tree removal project, therefore the cutting of standing trees will only include the removal of storm damaged broken or cracked branches dangling dangerously over roadways or trails to water sources. Large rootballs from giant trees or a rootball composed of a clumps of trees will be left to decompose naturally where it is safe to do so.  Upturned rootballs which have created large holes will be removed or secured in place if possible and the holes will be filled with appropriate material, dirt or gravel when necessary. The green waste large diameter logs will be processed and disposed of onsite to the extent feasible without compromising the objective to reduce fire risk and fuel load. 

Phase 1 of this project will take place on a one mile stretch of the Thompson Creek access road and one large hole in the dirt road’s surface will be filled. 

Phase 2 of this project will take place on the remaining 5 community access roads as follows:

A two mile stretch of the Yellow Dirt Road, the 0.4 tenths of a mile on the High Road ,

A 0.7 tenths of a mile section of Spring Hill Road , A one half mile section of the Whiskey Hill Road and 

A 0.3 tenths of a mile section of the Briceland-Thorn Road.

Phase 3 of this project is the same fuels reduction plan described above applied to the private driveways and water source trails of any of the 85 Whale Gulch Community homesteads not able to receive assistance from insurance or FEMA individual disaster funding. 

This project also greatly assists Whale Gulch by creating additional job opportunities within the community for the Volunteer Firefighters on the Whale Gulch Fuels Reduction Crew.