Published April 17, 2026
Lomakatsi’s Inter-Tribal Oregon Conservation Corps (Oregon Youth Works) crew put their new certifications to work this week pile burning alongside our experienced restoration Forestry & Fire crews in the West Bear All-Lands Restoration Project.
Last Friday, nine Corpsmembers became certified Firefighter Type 2 Crewmembers after completing the 32-hour “Red Card” training and coursework for wildland fire incidents and successfully passing the pack test. This provides foundational skills that allow them to contribute to fuels reduction and prescribed fire operations while also building a strong foundation for future careers in wildland fire and natural resource management. These nationally recognized qualifications—issued by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group—ensure trainees understand fire behavior, safety protocols, and the physical demands of the job, preparing them for field work. Some additional Lomakatsi staff also joined the course last week as part of the required annual refresher training to maintain their Red Cards.
Working in West Bear this week, the Inter-Tribal OCC crew supported wildfire risk reduction in the wildland urban interface west of Bear Creek and the I-5 corridor, between Talent and Jacksonville. Their work contributes to over 4,000 acres of hazardous fuels reduction on private and public lands to date, working toward a goal to treat 10,800 acres of the 27,000-acre West Bear project footprint to achieve a substantial reduction in the risk of severe wildfire to communities and the ecosystem.
Since their program began, the Inter-Tribal OCC crew has also earned certifications in First Aid/CPR, S-112 Chainsaw operation, and Incident Command Systems 100 and 700. They have worked across mixed conifer, riparian, and oak habitats in Klamath, Jackson, and Josephine counties on Forest Service, BLM, private, and municipal lands—reducing hazardous fuels, applying prescribed fire, and activities for post-fire recovery and revegetation, riparian restoration, and technical forestry, including monitoring inventory and tree marking for the Chi-WUI project near Chiloquin, Oregon.
Thank you to our crews for your hard work, dedication, and mentorship of up-and-coming crewmembers, and congrats to all the newly certified wildland firefighters!
