Community Chips Away at Wildfi re Mitigation Sundance changes culture along with landscape

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A COMMUNITY brush vie for supremacy and an oc ca sional in the wildland/urban interface that took a meadow opens to a view of the mountains. long look at its wildfi re risk and decided to During the winter, snow covers the area and it do something about it. But where such a story becomes a popular ski destination. usually begins with a wake-up call in the form Like many resort communities, Sundance of a catastrophic fi re, in Sundance, , the has a mix of full- and part-time inhabitants, process began with a simple meeting. though the number of res iden tial water hook- In August 1998, a handful of res idents ups, 350, is far greater than the number of came together with state and local fi re manag- full-time adult resi dents, 70. Still, there are ers in a community fi re forum. Join ing them 11 different homeowner asso ci a tions, and were fi re experts from across the United Sundance remains unin cor po rat ed under the States, as well as a facilitator to keep the dis- juris dic tion of the North Fork Special Service cussions on track. District. One of the meeting participants was Alpine Loop Road runs through the heart Jack Cohen, a scientist with the U.S. Forest of Sundance and connects to the side roads Service in Missoula, Montana, who has that twist high into the canyon where small continued to consult with the community. cottages and multi-million dollar homes sit He saw right away that Sundance faced sig- artfully concealed. Follow Alpine Loop Road nifi cant challenges. to the crestline and Sundance gives way to “I conducted a quick assessment of the U.S. Forest Service land. community and identifi ed a number of igni- Actor and director tion factors needing miti ga tion,” he said. bought much of what today comprises The experts walked the attendees Sundance in 1969 and his Sundance Resort through a process designed to estab lish a rests at the base of the canyon, welcoming long-term fi re mitigation plan, and ev ery- visitors. Across the street is the volunteer one was left with a lengthy list of things fi re de part ment that was built on land he to do. The daylong meeting went well, but donated. Redford has described Sundance Sundance resident as one participant later recalled, “That’s as “a mixture of old and new, lush and Kathy Hammons always the easy part. Then what do you spare, sophisticated and primi tive,” and he do?” con tin ues to make a home there. In Sundance they kept meeting, once An occasional fi re down in the valley will a month, and soon they were joined by send smoke up the canyon toward Sundance, rep re senta tives from the Utah Division of giving residents a scare, but the community Forestry, Fire and State Lands and other itself hasn’t had a major burn in more than a agencies. Eight months later, after sharing century. While a wildfi re didn’t drive people a draft with area stakeholders, the group to partic i pate in the August 1998 meeting, emerged with the North Fork Wildfi re Plan, other factors did. which contin ues to guide Sundance on its journey toward sustainable, communitywide ‘A long, slow process’ wildfi re mit i ga tion. Kathy Hammons attended the meeting and was the fi rst chair of the ad hoc com- ‘A mixture of old and new’ mittee that formed in its aftermath. She cred- Sundance sits in the north fork of Provo ited the people who moved to Sundance from Canyon, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake other at-risk communities for bringing a new City. Towering above Sundance is 12,000-foot perspective. . Surrounding the town “I was raised in California where wildfi res are forests where aspen, conifer and oak- are common and a fi refi ghting infra struc ture

16 At Home in the Woods is taken for granted,” Hammons said. “The pass out fi re-safety literature. And in the early population in Utah is just starting to sprawl 1990s, strict ordinances went into effect into the more fi re-prone areas, and many new throughout Utah County, which includes people coming in understood that we were in Sundance, calling for wildfi re-oriented build- a pretty bad situation.” ing and defensible space on any new con- At the time of the meeting, residents had struction. also recently been warned by state foresters But it wasn’t until the fi re forum that a that Sundance and the other communities coordinated, comprehensive approach to along Utah’s were extremely wildfi re mitigation began to emerge and vulnerable to fi re. Against this backdrop, some longstanding paradigms began to and with the support of Redford and other change. community leaders, a fi re forum was put “It has been a long, slow process,” said together. Tom Wroe, Utah County fi re marshal since Over the years Sundance had built one 1987 and 34-year veteran of fi refi ghting. “The of the best volunteer fi re departments in dynamics of this community are different the state while also working to mitigate its than in other parts of the country. People buy fi re risks. For example, residents have long land here and move here because they want to performed “bridge watch,” which involves get away. It’s a place they come to for solitude. stopping cars on busy holiday weekends to It’s a great place to play.

Sundance homes in the interface

17 At Home in the Woods “Any community can pull its people together, organize and come up with a plan.” — Tom Wroe

“But there is a lot of work that needs district is also in charge of the volunteer to be done when you buy a mountain fi re department, it was an opportunity prop er ty.” to join the government and community Two of the biggest challenges facing together.” the fi re forum were fi nding a way to in- A second change occurred in 2002. For volve part-time residents in the community the fi rst time, the board voted—unan i - effort and overcoming resistance from those mous ly—to begin assessing for specifi c fi re opposed to changing the natural look of mit i ga tion activities, such as removing excess the area. So as the participants left that fi rst fuels, educating the public and developing meeting, there was a high degree of moti - evac u a tion plans. The board even voted to va tion, a mountain of work—and a few buy a chipper. And Olsen said there was no sur pris es. real opposition. “People don’t like to pay for “We started by forming an ad hoc com- things, but when they see houses starting to mittee, and we thought we would have to burn...” put this whole thing together and shop it,” The assessments have provided something Hammons said. “But it went the other way. else, too. There is now paid clerical support The agency representatives wanted to come to for the advisory council and committee mem- the table with us, and that just shocked us. We bers—all volunteers—who do much of the had no idea that they would want to be part day-to-day work. of this.” From the beginning, the ad hoc com- Hammons also discovered that the mere act mittee proved adept at generating outside of planning produced results. “What we found fi nancial support for its activities. through the planning process is that once “We brought in a $28,000 grant the fi rst you sit down and start, you are imme di ate ly year and put it into a demonstration project forming commit tees that are action-oriented. that showed a lot of people what we could So even though it might take awhile to fi nish do,” Hammons said. “The next year we re- the plan, the commit tees will still be moving ceived $190,000 under the National Fire Plan forward.” to continue our work.” The required 50-50 match for the grants was paid through sweat- ‘It started clicking’ equity. Today the North Fork Fire and Safety As of February 2002, in-kind donations Advisory Council is the focal point of the of labor, services, supplies and equipment community’s wildfi re mitigation efforts, amounted to more than $250,000. For anchored by a wildfi re plan that continues example, in 2000, 2001 and 2002, Brigham to evolve. Stew Olsen, a lifelong resident of Young University—which operates the Aspen Sundance and a member of the family that Grove Family Camp in the canyon—brought originally settled the canyon, was chair of the in hundreds of volunteers to spend half a day North Fork Special Service District Board for clearing out dangerous fi re fuels. Each visit several years and saw the council go through netted the community some $35,000 as an distinct phases. in-kind donation. A major change occurred when the “When I fi rst started it was always, ‘But original ad hoc committee became an we don’t have any money...’” Hammons said. ad vi so ry council under the special service “Now people are seeing that they can bring district board. “Even early on it was clear in money just by cleaning out their property that the district had to be involved on an or changing their roof—by doing what will active level, since it is the only government make them safer anyway. All of a sudden, it in Sundance,” Olsen said. “And since the started clicking that we could do this.”

18 At Home in the Woods To Wroe, it is important for commu nities “Support from the National Fire Plan may to realize what can be accomplished without not always be there. Our hope is that a couple regard to fi nancial circumstances. years of funding can help people fi gure out “There has never been the emphasis that how to work together—that would be the you must have a big wallet,” said the county big gain of this effort. Success comes from fi re marshal. “Any community can pull its people who realize they have a need or a people together, organize and come up with problem and then carry the ball.” a plan.” Jim Shell works for the U.S. Forest ‘One bite at a time’ Service and recently took over managing A look at the wildfi re projects un dertak en the pro grams that deliver National Fire in Sundance since 1998 refl ects the depth Plan dollars to states. Prior to relocating to and breadth of the commitment. Some of the Washington, D.C., Shell spent 12 years with projects include: annual evacuation meetings the forest service in Ogden, Utah. From with emergency responders; collaborative re- there, he watched and encouraged Sundance roofi ng projects; free mobile chipping; annual as it worked to address the hazards facing clean-up days; fuel reductions along major the community. ingress/egress routes; individual property “Sundance has had strong leadership,” assessments by wildfi re experts; in stalla tion he said. “I know they benefi ted from the of non-fl ammable street signs; purchase support of the National Fire Plan, but they of emergency sirens; and pub lica tion of a were already on a good course of action. monthly newsletter, called Fireline. Sundance has been working at this for quite Equally impressive is the number of awhile, and it was one of the fi rst com mu - people who have pitched in to make a differ- Sundance Safety ni ties in Utah to see the need. ence. More than 100 individuals have been Offi cer Kenny Johnson

19 At Home in the Woods awareness. Then take on larger projects and issues. It will snowball from there.” Wroe said he thinks of it as an “elephant dinner—just take one bite at a time.” Hammons said it is just as important to be patient. “What we have learned is that people do a little bit every year,” she said. “Giving them stages has worked very well here. The key is getting ev ery one to par- tic i pate to the level they can at that particular time. And then letting it take as much time as it needs to take, but to keep it moving.” For example, it took Sundance three years to agree on a plan for install ing street signs. While connecting part-time residents to the community continues to be a chal- lenge, there are signs of progress—such as the lack of opposition to the assessments, which could be an indication that resi dents Utah County Fire recognized by the advisory council for their have come to rely on the services provided Marshall Tom Wroe contributions — ranging from mone tary by the district board and ad vi so ry council. donations and volunteer committee assign - “This is the fi rst thing in Sundance that ments to property cleanup and community- has been able to bring the different groups wide assistance. together,” Hammons said. “Wildfi re crosses To fi refi ghting professionals like Kenny all denominators.” Johnson, who is the safety offi cer for the Hammons has seen the culture change in Sundance Resort and assistant fi re chief of the other ways, too. “About 10 years ago, a ho- volunteer fi re department, one of the most meowner installed a metal roof and the roof important elements of the effort is that it was above the tree line, so everyone could see has been initiated and led by the commu nity it,” she said. “The community was absolutely itself. appalled. Now it is a great exam ple of vision- “We are there as a professional resource, to ary thinking. We’ve shown that it is possible provide information regarding fi re sup pres- to have very different roofi ng and landscaping sion and what needs to be done as far as fuel looks and still meet safety standards.” reduction and awareness,” he said. “But we try When Sundance homeowner David Heaps not to say, ‘You have to do this.’ If it comes to re-landscaped he had two goals—lessen fi re people from their neighbors or their com- danger by clearing dangerous foliage away munity, I think it is more effective. The paid from the house while maintain ing core professionals can speak all they want, but if the aesthetic qualities. community is not involved it won’t matter.” “We wanted to push the natural stuff Both Johnson and Wroe regularly attend back a little but we didn’t want to encroach meetings of the fi re advisory council to offer on it too much, because the natural habitat is input and support. why we’re here,” he said. “I think it’s obvious It can also be benefi cial to focus on the that if ev erybody does their part, the whole small steps that add up to meaningful change. becomes stronger.” He also installed rock “In the beginning, start small,” Johnson said. barriers, put in fi re retardant vegetation and “Send out a newsletter and raise the level of added a sprin kler system.

20 At Home in the Woods “By developing the plan in true collaboration with the community and agency partners, you’ve always got people who want to maintain it.” — Kathy Hammons

Julie Mack, who heads the North Fork prepare for wildfi re, and Olsen stepped down Preservation Asso ci a tion, said that wildfi re as chair of the special service district board at mitigation and environmentalism should not the end of 2002, though he re mains on the be seen as mutually exclu sive. “We are prac- board. But Hammons is confi dent that the ticing forestry ecology,” she said. “Since we wildfi re plan adopted after the August 1998 are at such high risk for fi re, thin ning the for- meeting will ensure longev i ty and sustain- est and improving the health of the ecosystem ability and that the torch will continue to be makes it safer for homeowners and makes it passed. better for the environment.” “That’s why you anchor to planning — whoever comes and goes, the plan is still ‘Standing in Mother Nature’s shoes’ there,” she said. “By developing the plan in In many ways, the work in Sundance is a true collaboration with the community and never-ending job that is only just begin ning. agency partners, you’ve always got people Maintaining what has already been done is who want to maintain it.” a huge project in itself, as is the ongoing ef- From Wroe’s perspective, that is an fort to reach homeowners who have yet to obligation all residents assume when they embrace mitigation. And there are remain ing choose to live in the wildland/urban concerns—such as planning for a large-scale in ter face. evacu a tion. On a summer day, more than “Fire is a natural phenomenon that 7,000 people could be in the canyon, with cleans out the area, allowing the life cycle limited egress. to start again,” he said. “We don’t need fi re Sundance could also be tested as early if folks are willing to look at the respon - organizers and supporters give way to other si bil i ties they have. They are stand ing in volunteers. Hammons now spends much of Mother Nature’s shoes now, and they need Kenny Johnson her time helping other commu ni ties in Utah to assume that awesome respon si bil i ty.” at Sundance Resort

21 At Home in the Woods