Sampson Road Association

   Sampson Road Fire Mitigation Project 

A progress update from Jennifer

     It has been a slow start, but progress has been made.  The county is having difficulty hiring a full crew of six employees.  The crew currently consists of 2 full time and 2 part time employees.

     The removal of Gamble Oak (a.k.a. scrub oak) has been completed on the Volkman, Tuell, and Freiberg properties.  Tree cutting at the Volkman's will be complete in a day or so, the slash piles will be chipped, and the "masticator" will go over the ground again to smooth out ruts made by the machinery and reduce the size of some of the larger wood chunks.  When that is done they will move to the end of the road and begin tree cutting on the Freiberg and Tuell properties.

     The Bobcat with the "masticator" attachment had to be taken in for repairs last week and we don't know how long it will be out.  When it comes back, Scott Halliday (crew foreman) will begin removing oak on the Ebers and McCracken properties.

     If you have not driven through, come on by and take a look at the the three properties that have been worked on.  There has been plenty of positive feedback as well as a few more folks signing on!

     If you have questions you can contact anyone on the committee.  Scott Halliday would be happy to speak with you as well (he has spoken with many of you already). They usually work Monday through Thursday.

Fire Mitigation committee,                                                                                                  Jennifer Volkman, Bonnie Kelly, Dore Strey, Cindy Johnson.  If we don't know the answer, we will work on finding an answer for you.

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     A $50,000 grant was awarded to our community.  This is a tremendous opportunity that needs to be acted upon by June 10, 2010.

     The $50,000 dollar award will be used to create shaded fuel breaks along our roads to allow safer ingress and egress of our residents and emergency equipment in the event of fire.  Significant areas along the road of Sampson, Sunburst, and Mill Hollow have been identified as possible treatment areas.  The mitigation proposed is a shaded fuel break 70 feet wide on both sides of the road.  This means that 70 feet on either side of the road there will be significant thinning, not clear cutting, of the fuels.  The canopy will be opened up:  large, healthy trees and small areas of scrub oak will be preserved.  There will be creative thinking applied in areas that residents are concerned about preserving.  The project will begin in July, 2010 and finished by September 30, 2011.  Please click here to see a map of proposed treatment areas.

     What does this mean for me?
             ·  Healthier forests.
             ·  Winter ice melting - thinning increases sunlight on driveways and roads.
             ·  Fewer power outages.
             ·  Better wildlife viewing- they are there, but you can't see them!
             ·  Safer ingress and egress for residents and emergency equipment.
             ·  Potential for improved property values.

     How can I make this happen?
             ·  Property owners must sign a License Agreement Form and return to Jennifer Volkman by June 10th.  To access this form please click here.
             ·  It is imperative that signed agreements be submitted as soon possible so that we can determine the commitment level of the community.  Once all license agreements have been collected, a final plan will be created by Jeffco fire mitigation administrators.

             ·  There will be a requirement for the community to match    400-500 hours of "in-kind hours" over the next year and a half.  In-kind hours include:  chipper rental, selling wood products (firewood) from the project area, bar oil, gas, volunteering to work in the project area or neighbors homes, providing food and drink for volunteer work parties, working on defensible space around your own home, are all considered ways to help meet the match.  If everyone participates and tracks their hours, even if they are not having grant work done on their properties, the commitment would be for each property owner about 15 hours over the next year.  Click here for the in-kind hour log.           

     How can I make an informed decision?

             · Please take the time to look at the links provided that help explain Shaded Fuel Breaks (click here) Defensible Space (click here) and Pile Burn Guidelines (click here).
             ·  We also strongly encourage you to visit Yegge Road, just off of South Turkey Creek Road (photos below).  It is a great example of what we can expect to see in our community.  

             ·  Another area to take a good look at is Pat and Maureen McCracken's property. Robin Keith, forester with the Jefferson Conservation District, indicated that the mitigation work that they have done is nearly complete.
             ·  In order to see what a 70 foot perimeter looks like, over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, the Volkman's will be marking a perimeter on both sides of the road on their property. Look for trees with 2 bands of surveyor tape around the trunk.
             ·  Other areas will be marked.  Keep an eye out for these areas in the coming days.

     The grant is not free, but darn close!!  The grant is intended to pay for the project work, but this critical work cannot be completed without a strong effort on the part of the Sampson Road Community.

     If you have questions please call one of the committee members.
        Jennifer Volkman, Bonnie Kelly, Dore Strey or Cindy Johnson