Hello everyone,
Our 7/22/2024 Mill Fire YouTube Livestream and 7/23/2024 newsletter featured commentary about the widespread structural challenges to maintaining wildfire-resilient vegetation conditions in forested subpisions. We covered this topic because it falls within the purview of our coverage of forestry, fire, and rural culture.
As our video was focused on a fire in Eastern Plumas County, we used the Gold Mountain/Nakoma Resort subpision, near the Mill Fire in Eastern Plumas County, as an example. We did this because Gold Mountain’s history contains many of the recurring themes in the development of other forest subpisions in the American West.
Since recording this story, several Gold Mountain community members have reached out to express their concerns with what they feel was an inaccurate description of their wildfire preparedness.
We apologize for any distress that our story may have caused anyone who lives or works at Gold Mountain, especially in light of the trauma they are experiencing with the current wildfire threat to their homes and properties.
It was not our intention to call out specific wildfire hazard-related problems at Gold Mountain, rather to use the community’s history as a storytelling device.
We plan to do a follow-up story on the Lookout Livestream about the positive impact ongoing wildfire resilience work at Gold Mountain has had during firefighting operations on their current wildfire.
The email below (lightly edited for clarity), is shared with permission from Gold Mountain resident and former President of the Community Services District, Cary Curtis. It describes ongoing wildfire hazard reduction activities at Gold Mountain.
Zeke Lunder
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Cary Curtis <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jul 23, 2024 at 8:55 PM
Subject: Gold MountainHi Zeke,
All I can say is WOW!!!How can you paint such a poor perception of Gold Mountain without talking about everything we, as a community, we have accomplished over the past 10 years.
We have actually led Eastern Plumas County in Forest Management, partnered with the Fire Safe Council on projects, (one of our residents is the vice chair of Plumas Fire Safe Council), and we have helped to lead the formation of Portola Firewise. We have for the past 3 years, contracted and paid for a respected Federal Forester to analyze and lay out fuel reduction projects within and outside of Gold Mountain. In the last 2 years alone, we have treated over 350 acres, more than 1/4th of our community, to implement community funded projects and to extend our southern fire break on private property for more protection for our community. Yes, we paid full boat for the projects on private property. You, solely, are contributing through your broadcast, a negative perspective of our community.
I’m am so disappointed, Do you realize we have the best funded wildland protected community in Eastern Plumas? Do you know we have established a wildland fire cadre in the community and now have a Plumas Forestry wildland vehicle to respond within the community? Do you realize we are about to pull the plug on a fully managed fuels reduction program that is only achieved by very large communities, such as Northstar.
The true story is that due to community efforts, Gold Mountain does not have fire infiltration into our community (from the Mill Fire). That IS the success story!! You have painted Gold Mountain in a very negative light. Please get a grip and before you go out bashing a community, you’d better check with those in the community first.
Cary Curtis
Gold Mountain CSD Forest Management
An evacuated resident