Ranger Report

The end of October means it is time to give you the quarterly update from the Lincoln Ranger District. I'm sure you all had a busy summer and fall. The staff at the District did as well, and I'd like to take some time to hit the highlights for you.

Fire season was once again incredibly busy for most of our folks, especially our primary firefighters. We were quite fortunate not to have any large fires on the District. Your local fire crews responded to six fires, including an unattended campfire and an assist to DNRC with a fire up Rogers Pass.

Given all of that, a good question would be, why were you incredibly busy? There were close to thirty of our staff that spent six months fighting fires across the west in a very active fire season. Part of our job is to support others in their time of need to ensure we have support when needed here in Lincoln. As part of fire preparedness, we retain a base level of crews locally to cover initial attack District fire needs throughout the summer.

Our seasonal firefighting workforce finished their work tours the end of October, so the few fire folks that remain will start our fall and early winter prescribed burning in the next few weeks when the right weather conditions are in place. This work will occur in the Ogden Mountain, Poorman Creek, Marsh Creek and Flesher Pass areas.

The summer season ending also means our seasonal workforce in trails and recreation have finished their work tours. Recreation and backcountry use was high this year, and our workforce focused on keeping up with required maintenance in campgrounds and trails while working to add new trails and structures. From constructing new OHV trails in the front-country to re-building trail structures in the Scapegoat Wilderness, the crew had a busy summer. Many of these crew members also supported the fire suppression effort across the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.

District field work continues into the winter, as we'll have timber crews out in the Hogum Creek area preparing the Hogum Timber Sale. The required environmental analysis was completed over the summer, and the project is now moving to our implementation phase. The timber sale contract should be offered for sale late next spring.

The Lincoln Ranger District remains open from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday with public service being provided outside on our front porch. Our main phone line (406-362-7000) remains available during office hours or leave a message and we'll return your call.

Please feel free to stop by the District or give me a call if you have any questions or concerns. For those that hunt, good luck and enjoy the season. And it's not too early to think about Thanksgiving!