This spring, Lomakatsi partnered with Latgawa Nation, the City of Central Point, and local non-profit Direct Involvement Recreation Teaching (DIRT) with support from Jackson County Fire District 3 to launch a long-term ecocultural stewardship effort on 10 acres of city land west of the Boes subdivision in a riparian area near Bear Creek.
In April, Lomakatsi’s Tribal Ecological Forestry Training Program crew cut and raked dense woody debris into piles at the site, removing invasive blackberry and hemlock to reduce wildfire risk near homes and improve streamside health. In addition to reducing wildfire risk, a project goal is to prepare the site for the return of cultural fire, and the planting of species with cultural and subsistence value to the tribal community.
Last week, Lomakatsi’s fire management team, led by Fire Operations Manager Sean Voorhes, Restoration Technician Manager Ryan Puckett, and Crew Leader Antonio Lopez, worked closely with JCFD3 to burn the piles. Both the Tribal crew and our Rogue Valley Ecological Forestry Training Program crew helped burn and mop up the piles. In total, 25 personnel were on hand to ensure a safe operation, supported by two JCFD3 Type 6 Engines and a patrol car, and Lomakatsi’s Type 6 Engine.
With the seasonal controlled burn window now closed and the final weeks of these two forestry training programs for young adults drawing near, this project presented a unique and valuable opportunity for crew members to execute a technical burn plan under the guidance of experienced professionals, while making the community safer.
