Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge Lends Support to Local Area Through Rural Assistance Fire Protection Grant

For the second year in a row Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge has secured partnership funds to support local area Rural Volunteer Fire Departments. This year the refuge obtained $7,500.00 for Boundary County through the Rural Fire Assistance Grants Program, which is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The grant is one of the key parts in the 2000 National Fire Plan which the agency uses to enhance protection for homes in the Wildland Urban Interface areas. Protecting homes in the Wildland Urban Interface is a high priority for the Plan, and the USFWS is working with rural fire departments throughout the Nation in areas that adjoin refuge properties to achieve that goal.