The U.S. Forest Service says that roads and trails covered by debris following the Willow Creek Fire have been cleared, and that the massive holes have been filled in that were dug along private property. Greys River District Ranger Justin Laycock met with a small group of landowners in the area on Thursday, Oct. 3 to provide and update, saying most of the restoration work has been completed.

“Any of the roads and trails that were listed on the forest management system have been cleared,” stated Laycock. “The bulk of the work is done, but restoration is ongoing and will resume in the spring if needed.”

Pulling out a map of the roads and trails, Laycock spoke with those in attendance to determine any other areas that may have been missed.

The issue came to light following the Willow Creek Fire, which burned 4,066 acres of forest service land in the Fish Creek and Willow Creek areas south of Smoot.The fire was first reported on August 22 and forced the closure of the forest and a temporary evacuation of adjacent residences.  After the fire was brought under control, some residents noticed that a handful of the roads and trails located north of the fire had been destroyed by equipment operators who pulled full trees and brush across the trails, making them impassable. There were also large holes dug at various access points into the forest from private property.

One of the immediate concerns caused by the blockage was the inability for ranchers to access their areas where livestock was located in an attempt to find cattle and remove them from the forest before the deadline. One local rancher confirmed to SVI Media that the trails they typically use for cattle had been adequately cleared enough for cattle to pass through. “The forest service listened to our concerns,” he said. “They did a great job opening back up for horses and cattle and they did it quickly.”

During the group meeting on October 3, some landowners asked about accountability for the forest service. “If one of us had done this, we would have been thrown in jail,” stated one person.

Laycock said directions given to crews for post fire suppression efforts became construed as it went through the chain of command. “I do take ultimate responsibility for what happened,” explained Laycock. “Nobody blatantly did not follow instructions. What took place was not what I intended and directions were distorted as they were passed down.”

Others at the meeting still had concerns regarding the amount of destruction that took place, and the condition of the roads after the cleanup. One landowner described what used to be a small two-track road that is now a “mud fest.”

“Horses sunk up to a foot on a ride,” said local landowner Kent Eischen. “My wife tried mountain biking last week before the rain and still was sinking and had to hike with her bike for a lot of the trail.”

As the group identified additional routes and trails that may still need to be cleared, whether for use by livestock or the public, Laycock said the forest service will work to reopen any additional trails necessary. However, some of the offshoot trails not on forest service maps that have been recently created by unauthorized motorized use would not be cleared.

The future of public access and use in the area north of the Willow Creek Fire will continue to be discussed. Currently the only public access to the area is from Fish Creek Rd. which enters the forest off Highway 89 from the Salt Pass. The location of the forest where the road damage occurred was to the north, bordering private property with no public access points except from coming over the ridge from Fish Creek. According to Laycock, future discussions will take place regarding what kind of motorized and other public use will be allowed.