Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Letters of thanks are now accepted at a limit of 75 words. We reserve the right to reject or edit letters for length, clarity or frequency of submission. Only one letter per author within a 30 day period. She said she was referring to the creation last month by the Mountain Disaster Preparedness board of a new body that will focus on grass roots involvement in creating a more fire-safe environment on the Hill.
Admission is free.
There will be information tables featuring, among others, the MDP, the Red Cross, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District, waste disposal agencies and hazard abatement service organizations. A computer database of land and resource management information, the GIS has been in development since 1987 but received a major boost from a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant in 1997. Money from that same grant also is being used to pay for this Town Hall meeting, Ms. Edwards said. Photographs and video footage have been combined with extensive data on geographical and vegetation features on the Hill to produce a multi-layered picture that can be used to spot potential fire hazard trouble spots, among other things. For example, the GIS model is sensitive to such matters as how well homeowners in any area are cutting back growth on their property, Mr. Hamilton said.