Leavenworth wildfire coalition outlines progress, plans under federal defense grant

LEAVENWORTH — Local, regional and state partners shared progress updates on the Community Wildfire Defense Grant and remote water tank project during the Leavenworth Community Wildfire Resilience Meeting on Feb. 5.

“Our mission is to foster wildfire resilient communities and landscapes by collaborating with private and public entities to reduce wildfire risk, enhance forest health, and share information with our communities,” said Sustainable Northwest Central Washington Program Manager Gia Landis.

The Leavenworth Priority Landscapes working group is a coalition of local partners, including Sustainable Northwest, Chelan County, Fire District #3, Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue, Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition (CWSC), the Cascadia Conservation District and others, that coordinates wildfire fuels reduction projects on private lands.

The group’s work is funded through a $9.3 million federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG), which supports efforts to reduce wildfire risk, improve forest health and protect communities. The grant focuses on private forestlands near existing or planned treatments on public lands, with priority areas including the Upper Wenatchee, Chumstick and Peshastin watersheds. The funding was awarded in spring of last year, after facing months of delay due to the federal funding freeze.

“That really affected our ability to plan and implement work this [past] summer,” said Landis. “So, we really focused on planning how we're going to coordinate, and how we're going to get this work done really efficiently and effectively.”

Landis added that the group was still able to complete a significant amount of ground work and preparation. Through the grant, Chelan County Fire District #3 was able to complete 91 home assessments and 12 defensible space projects in 2025. The group was also able to assess over 2,100 acres for fuels reduction work, with implementation planned on approximately 440 acres in 2026.

One of the coalition’s largest projects involves the placement of 21,000 gallon water tanks in wildfire-prone locations that are far from existing hydrants. The water tanks, which look like shipping containers, will enable responders to refill water tenders in a shorter period of time, allowing them to fight fires more efficiently and aggressively.

“Our big push this spring is to just…get the tanks here to Chelan County, and then we're going to be relying really heavily on partners — the fire districts and the coalition — to help site those tanks and get them out on the ground,” said Chelan County Natural Resources Senior Program Manager Erin McKay.

The remote water tank project also utilizes federal appropriations secured by Rep. Kim Schrier in 2024 with matching support from Chelan PUD. While accessing the funding has been a slow process, the county has recently made headway. Chelan County secured the federal funding several months ago, and is now in the final negotiation stages with the PUD.

“That's what will be used to buy the tanks, and then the Community Wildfire Defense Grant funding will be used to actually get the tanks on the ground, keep them filled with water, and maintain [them],” said McKay.

According to McKay, the county is looking to purchase eight to 10 tanks this spring, but only a couple sites have been determined so far. While a significant amount of work is still needed, McKay said she feels “pretty optimistic” that several tanks would be placed in time for this year’s wildfire season.

The coalition has planned more outreach and project implementation for 2026, with fire districts continuing fuels reduction work in their response areas, such as Camp 12 Road, Beaver Hill and the Chumstick watershed. Cascadia CD will be focused on working with landowners in areas along Chumstick Highway, south shore of Lake Wenatchee, the Ponderosa Community and Mountain Home Road, according to Landis. Chelan County Natural Resources will take on larger forest treatments in Lake Wenatchee and Plain, then move into the Nason Creek area.

More informational meetings will be held throughout the year, including CWSC’s Town Hall and a public field tour led by Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue and Sustainable Northwest this spring. Dates have yet to be announced.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media