If you live in a fire-prone rural area, the government will pay you wages to reduce the risk of losing your home to a forest fire.
Up to $1,000 per home is available, according to Crystal Hagerman, a Gallatin County Extension Service field technician who administers the program.
That money can be used for things like gas, mileage and work gloves.
"Keep your receipts," Hagerman said.
The program will even pay you $15 an hour for your labor. Or, you can hire a contractor.
"There's money available and that's what I'm here for," Hagerman said.
The program pays 50 percent of costs up to $2,000.
The theory behind the program is that it's cheaper than firefighting, plus it reduces the risk of fire spreading from one property to another.
The money pays for work like removing brush, pruning or removing trees and removing vegetation along driveways so that firetrucks can enter, exit and turn around safely.
Lars Forsberg, owner of Andesite Property Rehab in Bozeman, is one of many contractors who work with Hagerman's program. A former firefighter, he now works full time on fuel reduction projects.
"The money is an encouragement for people," he said. "And the guidelines are within reason."
When people apply for the program, Hagerman schedules a site inspection, then makes recommendations. Forsberg said he sometimes adds his firefighter's perspective to what cleanup needs to be done.
Hagerman said some of the high-risk areas in Gallatin County include the Bear Canyon, Big Sky and West Yellowstone areas, among others.
In Park County, high-risk areas include Smith Creek, Cooke City, the West Boulder, Pine Creek and Mill Creek drainages, among others.
The program is run by the Northern Rocky Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Area in cooperation with Gallatin, Park and Meagher counties. It is funded by government grants, Hagerman said.
For more information, contact Hagerman at 388-3213, or at 201 West Madison, Suite 300, Belgrade, 59714.
On the Web: www.gatinextension.com
Scott McMillion can be reached at scottm@dailychronicle.com
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