2004 Western States Wildland Urban Interface               Grant Program
1	State information for:
	State Contact:				State priority for this application:
		Name:	Paula Rosenthal
		Address:	DNRC Forestry
			2705 Spurgin Road
			Missoula, MT 59804
		Phone:	(406) 542-4235
		E-Mail:	prosenthal@state.mt.us
2	Applicant Information
	Applicant Name:		Cathedral Mountain Ranch Association ("CMRA" is a Montana non-profit corporation est.1972)
	Contact Person:		Bill Clossin
		Address:	20 Skyview Trail
			P.O. Box 535
			Nye, MT  59061
		Phone:	(406) 328-6243
		E-Mail:	wclossin@alumni.arcadia.edu
3	Community Information
	Community Name:		Cathedral Mountain Ranch, Nye, MT
	County:		Stillwater County		Congressional District:			MT Dist. 1 (At Large)
	Impacted Population:		314 residents and/or lot owners		No. of Homes Impacted:			42 Residences + Lodge
	What organization in the community is providing leadership for the project
	Homeowners Association				CMRA Board (Organization, leadership & administration)
	Fire Department or Protection District				Absarokee/Nye Fire Protection District (Advisory)
	Local Government
	County Government:				Stillwater Conservation District - NRCS (Advisory)
	Corporation				Environmental Dept., Stillwater Mining Company (Advisory)
	Private Individual
		Threat Description
			Homes:		XXXX	37  Homes, 5 Condos, Lodge, new construction
			Businesses:
	Watersheds (community drinking water):				XXXX	Stillwater River watershed
			Infrastructure:		XXXX	CMRA central water system, Maintenance Bldg., Roads
			Economic Viability:
		(Check what is threatened)
4	TO BE FILLED IN BY STATE OFFICE
		Wildland Condition*			Risk**			Interface Type***
	Condition Class 1				Very High			Intermix
	Condition Class 2				High			Interface
	Condition Class 3				Moderate			Occluded
								Rural
	*10 year Strategy Definitions				**State Assessment			***WSFM Definitions
5	Project Summary
		Primary Project Type				Units of Measure
				Y or N		Number	Unit
			Assessment/Scoping:	N
			Planning:	Y
			Information/Education:	Y
			Implementation/Treatment:	Y
			Monitoring/Evaluation:	Y
						(To Report)
	Project Description: Initial project to remove dead/infested trees and ladder fuel from highest risk areas as defined by coincident hazardous fuel concentrations and home/cabin density.  Hazardous fuel removal adjacent to emergency access routes critical to egress, wildfire control and structure protection.  Coincident wildfire prevention education for CMRA membership and site specific revegetation.  Longer-term (future project phases) planning and implementation of fuel reduction in lesser risk areas and broader revegetation projects to  improve plant diversity and displace more flammable vegetation, mitigate general wildfire risks at CMR and restore wildlife habitat.  Future evaluation of potential cooperative program with USFS for more extensive reduction of hazardous fuels and improvement of wildfire control characteristics along the (CMRA) urban/wildland (Custer Nat. Forest) interface.
		Is this a continuing project from previous year/s:					Y	N  XXXX
		Briefly identify accomplishments, including Units of Measure:
	How will you mitigate the threats checked in Block 3?
	Homes: Hazardous fuel (dead/infested trees & ladder fuel) removal proximal to high risk home clusters, adjacent cabin sites and commons lands in Phase 1 project area.  Remove hazard fuels along critical roadways to ensure safe emergency ingress/egress of residents, firefighters and equipment. Watershed: Reduce overall wildfire and erosion risks by hazardous fuel reduction and concurrent revegetation of disturbed areas. Implement longer-term plan to restore more fire resistant plant communities, improve wildlife habitat and stabilize watershed conditions within CMRA property and at private/wildland interface with Custer National Forest. Infrastructure: Improve defensible status of Lodge, roadways, maintenance facility, potable water and fire protection systems by hazardous fuel removal and restoration of less fire-prone vegetation.  Remove hazardous fuels for 50 feet (or as otherwise advised) adjacent to critical roadways to ensure safe emergency travel for residents, firefighters and equipment in the event of a wildfire.
	Give a brief description of the project steps and activities to achieve objectives.
	1. Risk assessment and mitigation project planning by CMRA Board and Resident Wildfire Committee assisted by professional consultants, corporate, state and local conservation/resource advisors. 2. Cooperative dead and diseased tree (hazardous fuel) removal by trained & equipped contractors, CMRA contracted caretaker and  resident volunteers.  Non infested wood and slash will either be chipped, removed to safe burn site or stacked in appropriate locations for resident firewood use.  Blister rust spore or otherwise infested trees will be removed and safely burned. Consulting forester and wildlife specialist retained to advise CMRA re: coincident restoration and in planning longer term fire resistant revegetation and wildlife habitat improvement phase of project . 3. CMR Resident Wildfire Committee will be trained and organized for perpetual monitoring and maintenance of wildfire risk reduction plan. State and local government agencies will provide information, advise and assist CMRA in implementing an effective wildfire education program for its residents and guidence regarding wildfire defence planning for future new home construction.
	Time-line for meeting the steps listed above. Include major milestones, accomplishments and completion date.
	Feb. 28, 2004:  Document and communicate key elements and matching fund requirement of 2004 CMRA wildfire fuel and risk reduction plan to general membership. April 30, 2004: Detailed project administration plans and Initial phase of CMR Hazard Fuel and Wildfire Risk Reduction project defined and communicated to CMR membership.  CMR matching resources confirmed and allocated for project kick off. Mid May, 2004: Residents and CMR equpment crew initiate self-funded fuel removal field project commencing with easily and safely accessed hazardous fuel concentrations along critical emergency routes.  Concurrent seasonal revegetaion as advised at sites disturbed by initial tree removal activity. July 2004: Dependant on grant funding, contractors retained and scheduled for for post-fire season completion of initial phase of hazardous fuel removal and slash disposal in defined high risk area. Report project progress and plans at regular Annual General Meeting of CMRA members. March 31, 2005: Resident Committee and contractors procure prescribed seed mixtures and nursery stock for Spring revegetation component of Phase 1 project. Retain required contractor and equipment services for project implementation/completion as weather and ground conditions dictate.  Phase 1 project completion by April 30, 2005.  Showcase Phase 1 project results and present Phase 2 proposal at July 2005 Annual CMRA meeting.
6	Contributors
	Name the private, local, tribal, state, and/or federal organizations that are contributing or participating in getting the project done.
	Cathedral Mountain Ranch Association; CMR Wildfire Committee and resident volunteers; Commercial contractors for project work; Montana DNRC; Absarokee-Nye Fire Protection District; Beartooth Ranger District-Custer Nat. Forest; Stillwater Conservation Dist.- NRCS; Environmental Dept of Stillwater Mining Co.
7	Estimated Total Project Cost
	Estimate the total cost of completing the project. Include all funds (federal, state, local, private, both actual dollars and the value of gifts, supplies, materials, volunteered services, or in-kind match):     $79,800.00
8	Project Revenue (How will be project be funded?)
	Grant Request (List Below)		Other Funds (List Source in columns to right)
						CMRA		CMR Residents
				Dollars (Hard Match)		$23,840		$0
		$39,410
				In-Kind  (Soft Match)		$7,300		$9,250
				Total Match		$31,140		$9,250
	Application will  be disqualified with insufficient match identified (Federal dollars do not qualify)
9	Project Expense (How will funds be spent?)
	(List Source in columns to right)		Grant	CMRA	CMR Residents	Main cost component			Total
	Cooperators Salary/ Wages/Benefits		$              -	$                -	$       9,250	CMR resident volunteers			$           9,250
	Operating Expenses		$         7,110	$         22,090	$            -	CMR equipment operation			$         29,200
	Contractual Services		$       32,300	$           4,800	$            -	project specialists & equip			$         37,100
	Capital Expenses		$              -	$           2,610	$            -	seed & seedlings			$           2,610
	Indirect Costs		$              -	$           1,640	$            -	admin & edu material			$           1,640
	Total		$       39,410	$         31,140	$       9,250				$         79,800
			.
10	Additional Comments
	CMRA is an association of homeowners organized in October 1972 as a non-profit corporation under the laws of Montana.  The homeowner's association is governed by a volunteer board comprised of CMR home or lot owners.  Similar volunteer committees organize community efforts to control noxious weeds, manage wildfire risk and other CMR community-wide issues. The Cathedral Mountain Ranch community is located in southern Stillwater County  within the Stillwater River watershed basin and consists of 210 mountain homesites, 42 of which are presently occupied by a community Lodge, year-round residences or vacation homes.  Construction is currently in progress at 2 home sites.  The CMR property covers an area of 283 acres, adjoins the Custer National Forest on its western boundary, and is situated approximately 3 miles from the northern boundary of the Absaroka Beartooth Wildnerness.  This Phase 1 project is focused on hazardous fuel removal from an area approximately 115 acres in size containing 27 homes, or approximately 65% of the present CMR residences. Additionally, the Phase 1 project will remove dead and diseased trees adjacent to approximately 8000 feet of access roads considered critical to emergency travel for residents, firefighters and equipment should a wildfire occur on or near the CMR property.   In recent years, a blister rust and bark beetle infestation has attacked the conifer stands throughout the CMR property.  Drought induced stress in pine stands has accelerated propagation of the disease and insect infestation to levels exceeding the CMR community's physical and financial ability to control and mitigate.  This has resulted in the creation of a substantial wildfire risk at CMR from accumulations of dead and infested trees along critical roadways as well as surrounding and among existing homes.  The resultant risk from potential wildfires affects not only CRM residents and structures but the adjacent wildlands of the Custer National Forest and the nearby wilderness area as well.   Recent wildfires (2003 Cathedral Ridge and Saderbalm fires) in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness near CMR, underscored the urgency of the CMR community's prior committment to remove hazardous dead or infested trees and ladder fuels from residential areas and along critical roadways on our property.  Residents are also organizing longer term efforts to reduce wildfire risks by restoring natural, more fire resistant plant communities and species diversity at CMR in a community-wide effort to remove hazardous fuels, reduce wildfire prone vegetation and restore wildlife habitat.  The initial phase of our proposed grant-assisted project will result in an important reduction to the risk of distructive wildfire spreading onto CMR from adjacent wildlands, or conversly,  for any fire originating on CMR lands spreading across its interface with wildlands and into the dense timber stands on the adjacent Custer National Forest.