LIVINGSTON — With wildfire season approaching, a small Cessna 210 soared above Park County this week, giving community leaders and residents a bird’s-eye view of both past fire scars and the landscape’s current risks.
WATCH: From the sky, the scars of past wildfires tell a powerful story. 🛩️ Park County is planning ahead
Aboard the flight were local officials, landowners, representatives from Park County Emergency Management, and more — all eager to see, from the sky, how decades of fire activity have shaped the terrain.
Veteran wildland firefighter and current fire and fuels consultant, Ashley Sites, who has battled blazes for 37 years, served as the guide. As the plane banked over ridgelines and valleys, Sites pointed out burn areas.
“We’re coming up on the Fridley Fire scar from 2001,” he said over the headset. “You can see what stopped it — all the undergrowth.”
Sites noted that a dry winter and ongoing drought pose significant challenges. “Given the state of drought in the western United States, there’s going to be a lot of activity at the same time,” he said. “That’s going to stretch firefighting resources really thin.”
The hour-long flight swept all over park county from Gardiner to Jardine, with a pass over the site of the 2020 Bridger Foothills Fire.
The tour was part of a broader push to prepare the county for wildfire season. Creating a community wildfire protection plan for Park County.
“The community wildfire protection plan is a framework for identifying the issues and initiatives we need to focus on for fire preparedness,” Sites shared.
The Park County Environmental Council partnered with EcoFlight, a nonprofit that uses aerial perspectives for environmental advocacy, to host the flights.
EcoFlight pilot Chris Benson said the goal is to turn those in-air views into on-the-ground action. “We know wildfire is a major risk,” Benson said. “If we can put a little planning in now, it can go a long way.”
After landing, participants swapped ideas for the wildfire protection plan — from reducing risks around rural homes with limited escape routes to ensuring firefighter safety in remote areas.
“All that input will help us write a plan that’s more responsive to communities’ needs and priorities,” Sites said, “and hopefully encourage people to help, not only with their own properties but with local fire departments.”
If you want your input to be heard regarding this protection plan visit this link to take the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebcwinoGEu4ok57-1y_mzJJzQxM6KocmkroO0xPE9zov1D1g/viewform
Or you can attend an open discussion for this wildfire protection program on these days:
Thursday June 25th in Pray at the Paradise Valley Fire Service Area Fire Station (1140 East River Road) from 5pm to 8pm
Friday June 26th in Livingston at the Park County Rural Fire District Station 1 (304 East Park Street) from 5pm to 8pm
