MDS responds to fires

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 23 September 2000

AKRON, Pa. -- In a race against the clock, Montana ranchers who have been fighting wildfires this past summer are trying to contain and feed their cattle before the first snowfall.

"The ranchers are just shaking their shoulders," said Jim Shelly, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) field consultant. "Their pastures are burnt. Their fences are gone."

Responding to this summer's western wildfires MDS is opening a volunteer project site in Townsend, Mont., where the Maudlow Fire consumed nearly 81,000 acres of private ranch land -- the largest private land loss of all the Montana fires.

With little time to raise funds or organize volunteers, MDS has launched this project as a leap of faith that both money and helping hands will materialize.

While no homes were damaged by the fire, MDS volunteers are helping ranchers to replace more than 180 miles of fencing that was reduced to charred posts and brittle wire by the flames.

The scorched wooden fence posts are being replaced with new steel posts that are more resistant to fire and easier to install.

Under ideal conditions, these fences could be installed mechanically. But because of the rugged terrain, an estimated 75 percent of the posts will need to be hand driven into the rocky soil.

"After driving in two or three posts, an older man will be pretty fatigued," said project director Martin Fast. "We have 180 miles of fence and that is over 40,000 posts. Our biggest concern is finding enough young men to finish the job." At least 8,000 fence posts have already been donated.

Young people are not the only ones who can help. Labor will also be needed to operate the power post drivers and string new wire. In turn, the old brittle wire must be rolled up and removed from the fields.

MDS is also struggling to find adequate equipment. While most of the ranchers have the necessary tools for building fences, they are not equipped to support large groups of volunteers. MDS is looking to purchase, rent or borrow equipment from other ranchers.

Building new fences is only half the challenge for ranchers. The second is feeding their herds, which on average consist of 100 to 200 cattle.

Even before the fire, ranchers in Maudlow were concerned about insufficient stores of hay for the coming winter. The entire region between Helena and Bozeman, Mont., has been under drought conditions for three years. Due to the fires, ranchers are digging into their winter supplies two and a half months earlier than last year. The U.S. Agricultural Department estimates that up to 6,000 additional tons of hay will be needed.

Fearing that cattle won't survive the winter, many ranchers plan to sell their calves early. Selling the calves before they reach full weight means losing up to $50 U.S. per head.

Some ranchers are bound by contracts preventing them from selling their cattle before they reach a certain weight. If enough hay is made available, ranchers may be able to keep their herds until the animals are large enough to sell.

Mennonite Disaster Service is seeking volunteers and funding to help ranchers affected by the Maudlow fire. If you are able to give of your time between now and mid-November, please phone Martin Fast, Maudlow project director, at (406) 392-7927. Financial contributions may be sent to MDS, 1018 Main Street, Akron Pa., 17501. Phone (717) 859-2210 for more information.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org