Crooked River Ranch Fire

Crooked River Ranch Fire

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
A key House committee heard from Rep. Greg Walden and the Crooked River Ranch fire chief a few days ago about a plan to protect Crooked River Ranch from catastrophic wildfire. The hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands is a major step forward for Walden's bill called the Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act .

"Because of misguided federal land policies, the overstocked land adjacent to Crooked River Ranch presents a serious fire threat to homes in the area," said Walden. "I want to thank Fire Chief Hoffmann for speaking before the panel on the dangers this community faces and the obstacles in the way of his department's ability to protect property and lives. I'm pleased the Natural Resources Committee has moved forward on the plan so we can ensure the BLM is being a good neighbor and help protect the residents at Crooked River Ranch."

Elsewhere, Washington's Fort Flagler State Park is one of two in the system that could be part of a pilot program to bring in more private business development.

The Peninsula Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/27SBljJ ) that the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is considering seeking proposals for private development of some park amenities, like cabins or food service, at Fort Flagler or Millersylvania.

Fort Flagler is on Marrowstone Island and Millersylvania is about 10 miles south of Olympia.

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