Musselshell Meadows and pond located just a 1/4 mile down the road from Musselshell Work center. The pond is a popular hang out for moose, deer, and waterfowl throughout most of the year.
The Musselshell Helitack Crew is a 10 person helitack module based at the Musselshell Work Center, located approximately 12 miles east of Pierce, Idaho on the Clearwater National Forest. We utilize a Type III helicopter to provide initial attack fire suppression, water bucket support, crew transport, cargo transport, aerial ignition, aerial recon, infra-red detection, wildfire rehabilitation, and other helicopter support operations to the Clearwater and Nez Perce National Forests. This website documents the operations, activities, and people that are Musselshell Helitack.
The Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests, located in North Central Idaho, are zoned together as one fire management organization, with a combined responsibility for approximately 4 million acres of steep, densely forested and rugged terrain. The Clearwater NF is made up of the Powell, North Fork, Lochsa and Palouse Ranger Districts. The Nez Perce NF is made up of the Red River, Moose Creek, Salmon River and the Clearwater Ranger Districts. Along with the zone's 8 ranger districts are 2 helitack programs, the Grangeville Air Center (home of the Grangeville Smokejumper Base, a SEAT base, aerial detection aircraft, and an air attack platform) and the Grangeville Interagency Dispatch Center. The Clear/Nez Fire Zone has one of the busiest fire programs in the nation, with a 10-year average fire load of 380 fires/year (Clearwater -180 and Nez Perce -200).
