by Richard Uhlhorn
Holly Krake, Chelan/Entiat District Ranger, was the featured speaker at the Manson Community Council meeting on Tuesday, September15. Her sole topic was the district’s Active Forest Management program for the lower North Shore.
She told the councilmember and those attending that the North Shore has the highest burn probability anywhere In the valley. She said the project will build a huge protection buffer for Wapato, Manson and Chelan.
The project will include 28,000 acres of prescribed fire over the next 20 years. Each spring and fall, the district will undertake 500-1,000 acres of prescribed burning. Another 23,000 acres will be subject to non-commercial thinning.
“Twenty five percent of this zone could experience very high to extreme fire behavior,” she said. Extreme fire behavior could include crowning and potential embers spotting beyond a fire’s perimeter.
This project will begin in the spring of 2027.
In other business:
Chairman Mike Kirk told the council that Chelan County is conducting a “Safe Routes to School Study” in Manson. Local families with children are encouraged to take a survey that is available at https://app.maptionnaire.com/q/mansonsrt.
He also mentioned Chelan County’s $130,000 grant to study woody debris in Lake Chelan and reported that it would become a part of the current Lake Chelan Collaborative project.
The One Voice Coalition will be holding a community forum at the Grange Hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 24.
Kirk reminded the council that they need to start thinking about the upcoming elections on the second Tuesday in December. “We have two seats up for election,” said Kirk.
Elisabeth Jackson, Cascadian Conservation District has be scheduled to come back in October to continue a discussion regarding an Agricultural Conservation District.
Council Reports:
The council has requested a $3,500 grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Washington. The council was interviewed by the foundation board earlier in the month and will be notified in November if the council’s request is successful.
Jeff Conwell’s incorporation study has been delayed until October because of a family emergency requiring him to be out of town for several weeks.
The next meeting will be on October 20 at 6 p.m. in the Grange Hall.
All Things Lake Chelan 