In July 2013, the Mountain Fire, which started on private land across Highway 243 from the Forest Service’s Keenwild Station, burned more than 27,500 acres. Most of this burned acreage was in the San Jacinto Wilderness Area. Last week, the Forest Service announced it has formulated a plan to reforest a portion of the burned…

Idyllwild residents live in one of the most wildfire-prone forests in the country, with vivid, scorched reminders of past blazes dotting the evacuation routes from the Hill. But Hill communities are far from being proverbial “sitting ducks,” with no recourse to protecting their homes, properties and lives. Oftentimes, the only thing that stands between a…

Second place winner of the IWD poster contest is seventh grader Scarlet Nowlin shown with President Charles Schelly. PHOTO BY PETER SZABADI