Holbrook clears 100 tons of brush

Holbrook residents pulled the equivalent to a blue whale in weight of brush out of their neighborhood to reduce the danger of fire.

Janice Roberts said 100 Holbrook property owners removed 100 tons of brush earlier this month as part of the chapter's efforts to build defensible space.

"This is the second year we've done this project," she said. "Part of what we have to do is match the funds so we basically used sweat equity. As of today, I have a total of 2,300 hours people have put in to match the funds."

Holbrook residents have been clearing brush and piling it on U.S. Forest Service land at the end of Alba Vista.

The pile was cleared out the second week of June.

"Our success story is that we've gotten the community together to make it as safe as possible by creating defensible space," Roberts said. "But we couldn't have done it without the State Fire Safe Council or the U.S. Forest Service.

The brush was ground up by Carson City Renewable Resources.

The Holbrook Fire Safe Council was one of the first ones formed when neighborhoods started organizing in 2003.

Roberts said she moved to Holbrook in 2001 and learned about fire the hard way when the neighborhood was evacuated for the 2002 wildfires.

"I became very motivated after the Gate Complex fire," she said. "When that's at your back door, it makes difference."

The Holbrook council started by conducting meetings to prepare an emergency plan. Resource Concepts prepared a community plan for the council. The Nevada Fire Safe Council provided grants to move the slash.

"As I see new neighbors come in I visit them and try to educate them on living in this environment," she said. "I'm just excited we have opportunity to try to make a difference in community. I know we've been very successful, been pretty active."