Getting back to work

The Montana Conservation Corp has picked up where they left off clearing and cutting deadfall, low branches and other ladder fuel when the pandemic closed borders a couple of years ago. The group of 20-22 volunteers began work on Monday and will finish for the year on March 24.

They are working on the Bureau of Land Reclamation land surrounding Pine Haven, cleaning and creating a buffer area, according to Fire Chief TJ Gideon. The group will begin just outside the state park boundary east of town and move south and east.

Councilman Don Lancaster, a volunteer fireman and former department chief reported, “In future years, they’re going to continue all the way around with it. This isn’t just a onetime project with the Bureau of Land Reclamation. We’ve got it set up so it’s going to cycle through; once they finish going around the town, then, a minimum of every ten years, they’ll go back through and redoing the area just to make we keep it clear.”

Gideon is asking for local volunteers: “The fire department is going to try to help them as much as we can, too. If anybody is interested in even helping them for a day, get a hold of me and I’ll put you in the right spot.”