The Tribal Youth Ecological Forestry Training Program crew spent 5 days last week in Chiloquin, learning about wildland fire response and completing the coursework to earn their “red cards”—the basic certification of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group required to work in wildland fire and prescribed burning.
As part of the training led by Lomakatsi’s Fire Operations Manager Sean Voorhes, the crew constructed fire line and received a first-hand glimpse into the field of wildland fire – setting the stage to carry drip torches during prescribed burn operations planned on tribal homelands around Chiloquin this fall.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with the tribal community to help build capacity to heal your land, to bring it back to where there’s food for the animals, the forest is healthy, we have clean water, and this is a fire-adapted community,” Voorhes told the crew during fire school. “Our partners at the Chiloquin Fire Department had calls coming in from community members who are excited to see this work and training on the ground, right in the heart of town.”
We thank Chiloquin Fire and Rescue and the tribal community for continued support and hospitality as this program gets underway! Special thanks to the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission for funding this program through an Oregon Conservation Corps grant.
