Manager’s Message – August 2025

Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

Summer is in full swing, bringing lazy days at the lake, outdoor activities, backyard barbecues and, unfortunately, wildfires.

In recent years, wildfires have emerged as a growing public safety concern throughout the West. Although wildfires have many causes—from lightning to unattended campfire sparks—electric cooperatives recognize they have an important role to play in preventing wildfires.

Due to the extreme fire danger in our region, Northern Lights changed how we operate during times of extreme high fire weather conditions. When these types of weather conditions exist, such as very high winds, high temperatures, and low humidity, NLI may choose to temporarily shut off power to reduce the chance of our power lines being the cause of an ignition. Additionally, we have enabled added levels of system protection, wildfire settings that could lead to longer and more frequent outages.

If you depend on medical devices, it is important to create a backup plan in case of extended power outages.

We will communicate with our members during forecasted extreme wildfire weather events. Our social media accounts and website are great places to find current information on system conditions.

With our dry conditions, keeping vegetation away from power lines continues to be a priority for NLI. We are constantly trimming trees and removing vegetation in our utility’s easements to remove fuel for fires and keep trees and limbs from coming into contact with lines to reduce fire risk. If you see any vegetation near NLI’s power lines, call our office or use the “Request Tree Clearing” form on our website.

Enjoy the August weather and be safe. When we work together, we can keep the lights on and reduce our fire danger.

Sincerely,
Annie Terracciano
General Manager