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ROCKPORT — The wildfire near Rockport Reservoir forced hundreds of people to flee from their homes in August, and now crews are working to reseed the area to prevent more fires.
Habitat biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources are working to reseed nearly 2,000 acres of the land burned during the Rockport 5 fire in mid-August. Crews have 32,000 pounds of a mixture of grasses, flowering plants, and shrubs to cover the charred area.
"Hopefully to help stabilize the soils and help to restore wildlife habitat that was lost," said Scott Walker, Habitat Program Manager, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Walker said the reseeding will help to provide food for the deer and other animals that feed in the area.
The lightning-caused Rockport 5 fire forced crews to evacuate 110-homes — eight of the homes were destroyed.
Susan Smith said she was housesitting for a family at the time of the fire.
"There are still fire retardant spots on part of the deck," she said. "You'll see the fire retardant from where they sprayed it."
Like other neighbors in the area, she said she was anxious during the evacuation about losing the house.
Now that things are back to normal, reseeding the burn scar can only restore a limited amount of the land. Walker said he hopes to prevent mudslides, like the ones after the fires. However, it could take years to see the benefits of the reseeding efforts.
"This seed that we're putting down will germinate next spring," Walker said. "But it doesn't provide a lot of that soil stabilization you're looking for right now."
Smith survived a wildfire that burned on the mountain behind her Midway home 20 years ago.
"They had to reseed it. It's beautiful now. You'd never know it," she said. "Is there something else they could be doing? Or are they doing the best they can?"
Walker said there is an added layer of protection in the area. If flood waters saturate the area, the DWR is also working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to protect homes in the Rockport area from any severe weather.
"They're putting in erosion control fencing and have evaluated those areas most likely to erode," Walker said.
In the meantime, the DWR will monitor the growth in the area and collect data for future planning.
