PINE VALLEY, Utah — You may have heard of a "scoop and score."
"If you can't lift it, we'll try it," said Jay Fullerton, with Salmon River Helicopters.
But have you heard of a "scoop and straw?"
"To have the helicopter back in it causes a lot of buzz among the community members, like, what are they doing, what are they dropping, what's it for?" said Pine Valley Fire Chief Robert Hardy.
So what are they doing in Pine Valley?
"They call this straw bombing," Hardy said.
"A hundred and thirty trips today," Fullerton said.
This hay is here to help you.
"We'll probably do about a 135," Fullerton said. Put about 200 tons of hay out."
That's about two airplanes' worth of hay to help mitigate flooding.
"Certified weed-free straw that comes in from Idaho and other places and they take it up, and they drop it, loosen it up and they drop it on the burn scar," Hardy said.
It's used to absorb moisture when rain falls and to stabilize soil so that it doesn't erode as much during big storms.
The Pine Valley Fire Department said its an ongoing partnership with the Forest Service.
"We cover about half an acre a drop," Fullerton said.
It's really a multi-layer effort, and that includes seeding.
"They'll germinate and grow, but they won't reproduce," Hardy said. "That way they won't become an invasive species."
So what does this mean for you and your loved ones in Pine Valley? The latest flood reports are good.
"We got cut off a bit coming into town, but we've had no damage that I've heard of, structural damage," Hardy said.
As rough weather seems to keep coming to Southern Utah, these multifaceted efforts on land are serving as a sign of actively addressing ongoing issues of concern for people who call this volatile terrain home.
"They're doing everything they can to protect us and help us get back to whole," Hardy said.