Clark Fork community discusses dangers of limited egress

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

Residents in and around the Highlands and Liberty Heights developments north of Clark Fork are working to improve and add an additional egress route to the more than 88 mountainous lots following severe December flooding, which separated dozens from their homes.

Excessive precipitation and logjams led to Spring and Lightning creeks breaking their banks; washing out the community’s only public access, East Spring Creek Road; and underscoring the need for alternative access.

“When they meet, creeks — water — have a habit of spinning,” resident Iris DeMauro told the Reader. “You can imagine a tornado being created or a tsunami, and it will just take out anything in its way.”

Emergency responders evacuated residents through Fireweed Lane, a one-way, private emergency egress route; however, that road, too, washed out shortly thereafter. 

Clark Fork Fire Chief Mike Schacht and DeMauro, owner and creator of Fireweed Lane, held a public workshop April 29 to discuss potential improvements to existing roads and possible routes for new ones.

Schacht called the 15-foot-wide lane “barely sufficient” for emergency egress, indicating that neither road is accessible for conventional firetrucks thanks to the steep, winding terrain.

“Had [Fireweed Lane] been needed for higher volume traffic, or for a much longer time, it would have quickly become unusable to all but the most ruggedly capable vehicles,” Schacht stated in the meeting announcement.

DeMauro called the flooding “totally unexpected” — a consideration that complicated Fireweed Lane’s intended limited use for forest fire evacuations. Though the road would help to save lives in such an emergency, it can only support one-way evacuation, and will likely not alleviate the destruction of property.

“If there’s a fire, you’ll be getting out, but your homes are going to go up in flames, because the fire trucks will not be able to help you, because they can’t get in,” DeMauro told the Reader.

DeMauro created Fireweed Lane in 2021 following negotiations with Bonner County, during which she requested that the county relinquish the historical right-of-way on her property. Though marked in county records, the road had fallen into Spring Creek decades earlier and therefore existed only on paper. As part of the agreement, DeMauro built the road, and the county funds and maintains it every three years and after each use. The private route is locked for most of the year and can only be opened by emergency services following an official declaration of emergency by the Bonner County Board of Commissioners. DeMauro has long advocated for additional, community-funded two-way egress to protect residents, as well as a county-issued moratorium on construction until such safety measures are in place.

“We’re not talking about replacing Fireweed Land and substituting something else for it,” said Schacht at the April 29 meeting. “I’m looking for something in addition to that.”

Not only is Fireweed Lane limited by a canyon on one side and Spring Creek on the other, but the current operating contract means residents cannot use the road when East Spring Creek Road is cut off for extended periods due to fallen trees or downed power lines. To make it public year-round, DeMauro has said that the community will have to purchase the road.

In an effort to determine other possible routes through the rocky terrain, Schacht, DeMauro and other residents turned to neighbors, historical records and the Bonner County Geographic Information System. They mapped out historic — but long-abandoned — roads, U.S. Forestry Service Access trails, private roads not registered with the county, and potential breaks in the steep terrain to see where to connect existing roads leading into Hope or down to Highway 200.

“We’ve identified a number of possibilities. Some are promising, some are long shots that would require significant work,” stated Schacht. “All will require the cooperation of the community and for some cases the civic minded commitment of a few individual property owners.”

Over the course of two hours, more than 40 attendees discussed and informally ruled out the suggested routes, mostly due to terrain constraints, and suggested several more that Schacht promised to look into. Several residents volunteered to form a committee to address funding road construction and improvements, as well as contact other area property owners who may be amenable to road easements.

 Residents hope to partner with nearby authorities, such as the USFS and the city of Hope, to connect to and improve existing roads; however, the community’s consensus was that work will be completed and funded by local homeowners. Several residents volunteered their time and heavy machinery, though no official decisions had been made as of press time.

Additional reporting by Ben Olson.