Fire Update

7.10.15 update

The fire commanders have given the go-ahead to reopen the trails in the Sage Hills, Foothills North and Horse Lake Reserve to non-motorized recreation beginning today. The trail access points at Day Drive, 5th Street, and Maiden Lane are open, as well as the Balsamroot Trail access point at the end of the pavement on Horse Lake Drive. The Horse Lake road is closed at the gate at the end of the pavement, as is the Horse Lake Reserve Trailhead. 

The fire was very intense in many places. Though cross-country travel may look easy and harmless now, the landscape is very fragile just after a fire. Please don't cut switchbacks or hike or ride off-trail. 

Because the vegetation is gone, these hillsides and trails will be extremely susceptible to heavy erosion during any rainstorms. There is no guarantee the trails will be safe for travel due to potential erosion issues. Please do not use trails during or immediately after a rainstorm. 

Our stewardship staff have been out monitoring the trails and report that lupine is already popping up. It will be interesting to watch the land bounce back after the fire. Thank you for following these guidelines and doing your part to help the land recover after the fire. 

6.30.15 update

Staff was out again today on the CDLT property affected by the fire and attended informational meetings with Incident Command. Read on for the latest information we have and view a map of the fire areas and photo gallery.

While it pales in comparison to the loss of homes and businesses, we want to update you on the impact of the fires to land that Chelan-Douglas Land Trust owns or manages.

• Horse Lake Reserve (1700 acres) – 25 to 30% burned. Both barns survived, with the fire burning primarily east and south of the homesteads. The burn extends about half way up the Homestead Trail, and did not reach the old ranch road or the apricot orchard. The fire crews put in a 3.5 mile long, 10’ wide fire line with a dozer that will require extensive restoration.
• Foothills North (435 acres) – close to 100% burned, at a higher intensity than the 2012 fire. The northern part of this area had very high quality mule deer habitat, including big sagebrush that were relied on for cover, and unfortunately the sagebrush are almost completely gone.
• Sage Hills (32 acres) – looks like the majority burned, but we have not been on the property yet.

While it is sad to see the blackened foothills, it helps to remember that the shrub-steppe landscape is well adapted to periodic fires, and as we learned after the 2012 fires, it will recover fairly quickly.

Trailheads: The Day Drive trailhead was not damaged, although the fire burned right up to it. The Horse Lake Trailhead did sustain damage, with wood fencing and some interpretive signs burning, but the majority of the trailhead is undamaged.

Trails: The fire commanders have closed all trails and trailheads in the Sage Hills, Foothills North and Horse Lake Reserve, as well as Horse Lake Road itself beyond the end of the pavement. We ask the public to respect this closure, as there are still fire crews actively working. We have not yet walked most of the trails, but those we have look to be in good shape. We will update the trail conditions section of our website when trails reopen, as well as post it on our Facebook page. The fire did not reach Castle Rock, Jacobson Preserve, Saddle Rock and Dry Gulch, and those trails and trailheads are open.

Volunteer: We have tentatively scheduled a volunteer work party for Thursday, July 9th at 7:30 am to clean up burned fence posts, wire and nails at the Horse Lake trailhead. RSVP required by emailing [email protected] or calling the office at 509-667-9708. We likely will meet at the end of the pavement on Horse Lake Road, but this is subject to change depending on conditions, so please RSVP. We have excellent aerial photos from John Marshall on our website, as well as pictures on our lands and a map showing the extent of the fire, and we will continue to add photos and information there and on Facebook.

6.29.15 noon update

Such a devastating night for our community. Our hearts go out to all those whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

As we saw in 2012, the land itself is amazingly resilient and will recover. Land Trust staff were allowed up on our Horse Lake Reserve this morning to inspect the fire impact. The fire burned the lower part of the Reserve, including around the trailhead and the viewpoint, and the Lone Fir Spur trail, but it did not burn around either barn. The fencing around the trailhead burned as did the interpretive signs along the trail to the viewpoint, but the rest of the trail head survived. 

The Foothills trail is closed until further notice. We will post updates here and on Facebook as we get them.

Here are a few resources if you are looking for a way to help or you need assistance: Community Foundation Fund and Wenatchee World list of resources.