Partners work together to reduce fuels as a part of Operation Slickrock
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MOAB, Utah — Starting on March 11, multiple local, state and national organizations will team up to help mitigate fire risks around Moab. Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, and partner organizations will work in the wildland urban interface within and near the City of Moab to reduce potential fire risks. In collaboration with local landowners, strike teams will clear Russian olive and tamarisk from five locations along Mill Creek and Pack Creek. Local firefighting personnel and Team Rubicon volunteers (called Greyshirts) will work together to help reduce risks of wildfire to Moab residents. This effort is a part of a multi-year project known as Operation Slickrock. This year, Project Slickrock participants will work in the Moab area from March 11-17.
Operation Slickrock in 2022 is a continuation of a successful partnership to reduce fire hazards within the City of Moab. In 2018, this collaboration was created in a response to issues present during the Cinema Court Fire. Strike teams have completed fuels reduction projects in this area in 2018 and 2019. In May of 2019, a human-caused fire was started in an adjacent area, and the Moab Valley Fire Department extinguished it quickly in part due to the fuel break created through this partnership. In addition to the Team Rubicon partnership, local fire crews continue to work to reduce fire risk to the community year-round.
“It is our pleasure to continue our partnership with the Moab community to perform this critical safety work,” said Team Rubicon Incident Commander Thomas Luoma. “We are honored to work with the state, county, and city emergency management personnel on this project and look forward to coming back to Moab again and again.”
“Operation Slickrock is a huge undertaking, but the benefits will pay off for our local firefighters and the community,” said Southeast Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator for Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands Duncan Fuchise. “Fuels reduction efforts like Operation Slickrock and the efforts of our local crews, help keep the community and residents safe.”
“We look forward to working with our partners on Operation Slickrock this year,” said Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Canyon Country District Fire Management Officer Clark Maughan. “BLM employees live and work in the communities we serve. We are happy to be involved in a project that will help reduce hazardous fuels and protect public and private lands.”
Project locations include lands surrounding Slackline Park, an area along Pack Creek east of Millcreek Drive, the area behind the Grand County High School bus shed, an area southeast of the Pack Creek Campground, and an area southwest of the Moab Golf Course. Depending on the work speed, strike teams may not make it to all locations during this operation.
The organizations involved in this effort are Team Rubicon, State of Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands, BLM, Moab Valley Fire Department, Rim to Rim Restoration, Grand County Weeds and Emergency Management departments, and Utah Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (known as VOAD.) VOAD represents the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church of Scientology, Southern Baptist Church, the Salvation Army, and The American Red Cross. The American Red Cross will also be hosting a Sound the Alarm event, where they will install free fire alarms to Moab residents, and offer emergency preparedness resources on March 12th and 15th. Anyone interested in volunteering for this event should contact Sara Paice 435-265-6324 or sara.paice@redcross.org. The involved organizations express thanks to local landowners participating in the project and the Old Spanish Trail Arena for providing the space for the project headquarters and accommodations. This is truly a team effort.
For additional information or if you are a landowner along Pack Creek who might be interested in participating in the future, please contact Duncan Fuchise with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands at (435) 210-4328. For BLM Fire and Fuels Program-specific questions, please contact JB Clay at 435-259-2184. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY) may call 711 to leave a message or question. The TTY Relay System is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
About Team Rubicon:
Team Rubicon serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service by leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to more than 150,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 1,000 operations both domestically and internationally. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Team Rubicon has not only pivoted to be able to continue to deliver disaster response and rebuild services in core mission areas. Still, it has also expanded its scope of missions to meet community needs brought about by COVID. Visit www.teamrubiconusa.org for more information.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.