When: Thursday, April 2, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Doors open at 9 a.m.
Where: Crystal Ballroom, Madera clubhouse
Who:
• Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management
• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
• Green Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Quail Creek POA
• Quail Creek Firewise Task Force
What:
• Learn about our new Quail Creek Firewise Program and how wildfire risks will be reduced here.
• Find out what you can do on your own property to protect your home from wildfire.
• Learn about invasive plants and the fire risks they pose.
• Hear about wildfire risk mitigation on the Experimental Range adjacent to Quail Creek.
• Learn about emergency preparedness.
You might think wildfires in our area can happen only rarely. This was once true but not anymore. Over recent years, non-native invasive grasses have moved into our Southern Arizona desert and began filling our washes and open spaces around saguaros and other native plants. These can then create blankets of potential fuel for fires started by lightning or by man (man is the most common cause of wildfires) and enabling the fires to rapidly spread.
As a result, property damage in Arizona caused by wildfires has substantially increased over the last 10 years. Even for those of us not directly affected by wildfires, homeowner insurance rates have increased, because we all share the costs of wildfires, wherever they occur.
But it is not all doom and gloom. Many communities are now actively working to reduce wildfire risks and homeowner insurance costs. As of this year, Quail Creek is one of those communities. You can learn more about what’s happening and will continue to happen in our community by attending the Quail Creek Firewise Awareness Day on April 2. More information about Quail Creek Firewise plans can also be found on the Quail Creek website at quailcreekhoa.org/group/quail-creek-hoa/firewise-program.