For Immediate Release June 28, 2004
Contact: Steven Hall 970-244-3052

Lookout Mountain fuel reduction project to protect communication sites near Glenwood Springs

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO — The Prineville Hotshots will be working on a fuel reduction project on Lookout Mountain this week. The fuel project will thin trees and brush on 11 acres of public land and 1.23 acres of land owned by the City of Glenwood Springs.

Reducing fuels in the area will help protect the Look Mountain Communication Site from the threat of wildfire. The project will also create defensible space around structures in the area.

The Lookout Mountain Communication Site provides commercial and government communication services to the public in Glenwood Springs and throughout the western slope. The government communication services include 911 communications and emergency services for Garfield County, a Federal Aviation Administration relay site, and a radio repeater for the Bureau of Land Management.

A wildfire could destroy the facilities resulting in the loss of the vital communication services. The project is designed to reduce hazardous fuels in a manner that will prevent and or modify fire behavior, including flame length, fire intensity, rate of spread, spotting potential, etc.

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