Watch: Why were these cows let loose in southeast Kelowna?

• Local ranchers played their part in wildfire mitigation
• It's been wet, but all that grass posed a potential threat

A couple of cowboys have helped wrap up a project that, despite some objections from locals, will hopefully remove wildfire risk for the wider community in southeast Kelowna.

Rob Dinwoodie, a range manager with the Ministry of Forests for 30 years, and Colin Thomson, a fourth generation farmer and rancher in the area, are part of the experimental pilot scheme.

It used grazing cattle to remove the flammable grass on Crown land above Field Road and Gallagher’s Canyon.

The five-week grazing over a 120-hectare area, some of it city land, too, has finished.

“Often, a wildfire is initiated, whether it’s a lightning strike or person caused, it’s in the fine fuels which are the grasses,” Dinwoodie he told Kelowna10.

“And then it moves up into the Crown [land] and when you get a wildfire it’s usually a crown fire that jumps from tree to tree.”

He said wildfire prevention activities include removing some timber to lesson the density of forests, then have cattle graze the fine fuels once a year.

He explained how the southeast Kelowna project has proven to be one of the most effective in terms of mitigation given nearby golf courses, recreation, and housing.

“If it’ll work here, it’ll work anywhere.”

Wet weather no reason to be complacent

Despite the heavy precipitation in recent weeks, Dinwoodie said the risk remains for fires.

“A wet spring like we encountered this year will actually enhance that fine fuel growth,” he said. “We’re still going to get the heat. That will produce probably double the volume of fine fuels."

Meanwhile, Thomson’s concern when accepting the task of bringing his cattle to the targeted grazing site was his herd roaming on unfamiliar land and potentially ending up where they shouldn’t like the nearby golf course.

Community concerns

That concern was felt among the nearby community.

A petition was circulated expressing worry that access to the trails and recreational activity on the rural lands would be compromised. That’s because while the cattle would be around for five weeks, the fencing erected to keep them in one spot stays in place.

The fencing also involved the installation of eight gates with springs to allow horses through but not cattle, and 14 man gates.

“Earlier on there was some anxiety within the community about the change in their backyard. That’s understandable,” Thomson said. “I’d say we’ve been witness to a lot of change in our family over the years. I understand what it’s like to have something that’s uncomfortable in your backyard.

“At the end of the day after some great communication with the community and getting everybody onboard and working together on the project, I would say the project has been embraced by the community,” he added.

He added that walkers, hikers, and horseback riders have contributed by monitoring the gate and the state of the fencing.

The results were clearly visible with a side-by-side comparison. On one side of the fence, wild grasses grew tall, while there was very little left on the ground on the cattle side.

For Dinwoodie, the project is a crucial tangible step towards tackling a very dangerous threat to the whole community, rather than leaving things to chance.

“We’ve got a lot of communities that are extremely vulnerable to wildfire,” Dinwoodie said. “The tendency is to cross your fingers, hope the wind is blowing in the right direction and the wildfire season will pass.”