Front page of the West Hawaii Today featuring our recent CWPP meetings. Great article to read to learn about what CWPPs are all about.
From the Source:
"Work to reduce wildfire threat on Hawaii Island continued this week as a community meeting was held to generate concerns and solutions.
Feedback garnered Wednesday evening at Konawaena Elementary School will be used to produce an updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan for South Kona. It’s one of four plans being created for free by the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. Other areas getting an updated plan are Volcano, Ka‘u and Ocean View. The North Kona plan will be developed in the near future.
Community Wildfire Protection Plans are authorized and defined in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, which gives the public the opportunity to influence where and how agencies should work with communities in implementing fuel reduction projects and protecting resources from loss.
These plans are a prerequisite for federal funding for projects, such as building dip tanks and firebreaks, providing critical education, outreach and field training, getting fire equipment, and upgrading infrastructure and property. Such plans serve as a mechanism for community input and are key to identifying specific projects intended to mitigate fire risk and areas of concern in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, said Ilene Grossman, Community Wildfire Protection Plans project manager."
"Residents have until March 1 to provide input on the draft plans and can do so by calling the organization at 885-0900 or emailing admin@hawaiiwildfire.org."
Above: "Federal, state, and county firefighters teamed together to suppress a wildland fire burning through ohia forest in Kealakekua mauka in late 2009 and early 2010." Credit - National Park Service/Al Aviles