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| Douglas SWCD helping firefighters | |||
| 05/09/2006 | |||
Firefighters in the rugged Cascades Mountains of western Oregon need water to knock down blazes before they reach catastrophic proportions. The Douglas County Soil and Water Conservation District is helping to assure an adequate supply of water. In cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the district constructs fire ponds accessible by helicopters and trucks. Ponds, located on private lands, are available for use by both public and private landowners in fighting fires. Land ownership in Douglas County resembles a checkerboard pattern, with BLM, the Forest Service and private lands intermingled across three million acres. Douglas District Manager Walt Barton, who has a degree in forest engineering, designs the ponds. In addition to contracting for design and survey work, the district hires contractors and supervises construction. Standing near one of the ponds on a mountainous site owned by the Seneca Timber Company, Barton reflects on the $38,000 project. “I suspect it would be paid for with one fire,” Barton says. Forestry remains a major industry in the county, despite the loss of several mills over the past few decades. With an unemployment rate of about six percent, protecting resources and productive timber land is important. Most of the remaining mills have retooled to accept smaller diameter wood products. Much of the wood comes from private lands. In addition to constructing three fire ponds in recent years, the district also constructed a water tank. Plans call for approximately 20 more ponds, with the potential to create additional ponds in the future. Funding for the projects comes from Title III of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. Other partners include the Douglas County Forest Protection Association and private landowners. Ponds are a minimum of eight to 10 feet deep and contain at least one million gallons of water. Ponds fill in naturally once excavated “The locations are prioritized based on fire frequency and hazard. It all goes into a GIS system, and we make maps for pilots and trucks,” Barton says. “The goal is to have dippable water every two to three miles.” Douglas SWCD works with numerous local, state and federal partners on a variety of forestry, invasive species and riparian restoration projects. It works closely with the BLM on several projects, including fire ponds. “They’ve been a great partner,” says Barton. Barton’s special design skills also led to development of a six-acre wetland enhancement project in the county. Called a “ducky doughnut,” the project was implemented with grant funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners with Wildlife Program. Source: National Assoc. of Conservation Districts. Contact: Walt Barton at Douglas County Soil and Water Conservation District. Manager Walt Barton managed construction of this fire pond in the Cascade Mountains. The district completes survey and design work for fire ponds and oversees construction. More SWCD success stories |
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