By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
In anticipation of drafting Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is hosting open houses in each electoral area over the next two weeks. The open house for Electoral Area H – which encompasses Valemount, McBride and the surrounding areas – will be held at Dunster Community Hall on Tuesday, October 15th, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Colby Molcak, an Emergency Service Coordinator for the Regional District, told The Goat the open houses are meant to inform residents that the plans are being drafted, and educate them on the risks wildfires pose to local homes and businesses.
“We want to understand from local people that live in the community what their concerns and priorities are to reduce wildfire risk – what they would like to see done,” Molcak wrote.
The open houses each include a presentation at 6:30 p.m. According to Molcak, the presentation will cover what the goals and content of the plans will be. It will also educate residents on the data collection project conducted earlier this summer by the company Forsite Consultants, who collected data on tree density and the levels of woody fuels present throughout the district.
Residents who cannot attend the open house for their electoral area can attend an online open house on Monday, October 28th, at 6:30 p.m.
Additionally, the Regional District is circulating an online survey about the plans. It asks respondents what their top priority is for improving wildfire resiliency in their area, and what kinds of activities – such as fuel management treatments – they think should be prioritized. For those who attend an open house before completing the survey, it asks for feedback on the direction the Regional District is taking for community wildfire resilience planning.
The survey is open until November 1st. According to Molcak, there will not be an opportunity for further public input once the survey closes. However, input from the survey will be considered as the district finalizes community wildfire resilience plans. To register for the online open house or fill out the online survey, visit: rdffg.ca/CWRP
