Rotary Club of Idyllwild tackles fire safety with “Great Abate”

The Rotary Club of Idyllwild is all-in on fire prevention with their latest project, “Great Abate.” Designed to enhance fire safety in the community, the initiative targets residents who cannot clear hazardous overgrowth around their properties due to circumstances like age, disability, or financial hardship. Rotarian Ygnacio “Nacho” Garcia, also a field supervisor for the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council, refers the homes he sees that are most at risk and in need to the program.

Seven other local Rotarians, equipped with weed whackers, snippers, and rakes, join Garcia in the field, clearing brush and weeds to create a defensible space. The other participants are Club President Dawn Plonsky, Bill Kenworthy, Eric Tracy, David Cutter, Chuck Weisberg, Roland Gaebert, and David DeMarco.

“This project is about neighbors helping neighbors,” said Weisbart, the program’s creator. “There is an urgency to act before peak fire season, and each property we clear makes our community safer.” Tracy added, “It feels good to be part of this effort. We’re not just maintaining properties but strengthening the resilience of our whole town.” Tracy says they hope to do at least two a month. The Rotarians also haul the green waste to the transfer station.

One resident, whose property was recently cleared by the team, expressed her gratitude; “I couldn’t possibly get this work done on my own. The Rotary Club and Nacho have been a blessing.” Tracy called the project “a shining example of how a community united can stand stronger together.”