South Thurston County residents are invited to share their ideas, concerns and hopes for the South Thurston Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) at a pair of upcoming meetings.
The first of two community meetings will be held at the West Thurston Regional Fire Authority’s station at 10828 Littlerock Road SW in Olympia on March 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
“Attendees will learn about the plan that is currently under development, access resources to help prepare for wildfire and emergency preparedness, and share their ideas regarding wildfire risk and resilience,” organizers said in a news release.
This is a family friendly event with hands-on activities and light refreshments, according to the news release.
The South Thurston CWPP is a joint effort of more than 20 community stakeholders who are working together to address wildfire risk in South Thurston County, according to the news release.
“This plan will help the community identify their specific wildfire protection needs and priorities, and to improve resilience within the community,” organizers stated in the release.
The Thurston Conservation District is contracting with Ross Strategic to complete the plan by June 2025.
“The final plan will reflect community goals and values as well as regional fire behavior, on-the-ground conditions, and critical infrastructure in the area,” organizers stated in the release.
For the purposes of the South Thurston CWPP, South Thurston County refers to a combined 388 square miles in southern Thurston County served by the West Thurston, South Thurston, Southeast Thurston and Bald Hills fire districts, according to the release.
“This project is important as wildland fire is becoming a growing risk in Thurston County,” organizers stated in the release. “According to the recently completed Thurston County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazards Mitigation Plan, about 65% of Thurston County’s population resides in areas mapped as Wildland-Urban Interface or Wildland Urban Intermix, posing a risk to public health and property to almost 200,000 people and nearly 70,000 structures. According to the University of Washington’s publication ‘State of Knowledge: Climate Change in Puget Sound,’ increased air temperature and drier conditions are expected to increase wildfire activity in the Puget Sound region, even though the area is not thought to have been fire prone historically.”
This CWPP will set a strategy to help South Thurston County prepare for wildfire events to protect communities and structures, according to the release.
This event is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA).
The CCA puts cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health, according to the release. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
