As Oregon enters another wildfire season, the importance of local organizations throughout the state focusing on wildfire prevention is amplified.
Northwest Youth Corps is a youth organization based in Eugene that performs conservation projects and partners with organizations across the Pacific Northwest, including those focused on wildfire prevention.
NYC is the parent organization of Twin Rivers Charter School, which has been involved with vegetation management projects in Eugene, most recently on June 24 at Skinner’s Butte. As part of the project, a crew of two leaders and five students performed invasive species removal and removed dry vegetation to decrease the severity of possible wildfires.
One week later, a half-acre brush fire broke out at the top of Skinner Butte on July 2 and was quickly contained by Eugene-Springfield Fire. Sarah Worthington, Community Wildfire Protection Corps director, said she believes the school’s efforts helped contain the fire and ensure that it didn’t spread quickly.
“Wildfire vegetation management is extremely important,” Twin Rivers Charter School Principal Kristin Humphrey said. “Our students are very dedicated, they work very hard, they are invested, they understand how important fire mitigation is and how important invasive species removal is for our native plants.”
Humphrey said a lot of work on wildfire prevention efforts was done on Skinner Butte in preparation for the 4th of July holiday. The school worked on these projects alongside some members of the Eugene Rotary Club and in partnership with the Eugene Parks and Open Space Division.
The Community Wildfire Protection Corps is a program that is part of NYC and works to reduce wildfire risk through meaningful land management in Oregon. CWPC members work to create a buffer of defensible space around surrounding properties and infrastructure to slow the spread of wildfires.
CWPC’s fire containment strategies focus on creating an immediate fire perimeter around residential homes, structures, communities and critical infrastructures such as community gathering spaces for people to go to in the event of a wildfire.
Worthington said that it is important to ensure wildfires do not break out of control if they occur, making sure that there’s a high chance of things being saved and that individuals have places to stay in an emergency.
“I think the work that they do is really essential,” Worthington said. “It’s been researched that work in the Home Ignition Zone definitely works to prevent these fires and the loss of structures and homes in our communities.”
The CWPC receives its funding from Oregon Senate Bill 762, a $220 million bill passed to help Oregon modernize and improve wildfire preparedness. The bill launched initiatives to develop strategies that include a safe and effective response, creating greater resiliency of landscapes and fire-adapted communities.
NYC received a $12 million grant from the USDA Forest Service to engage young adults in urban forestry stewardship programs such as tree inventory and removal during the summer, along with a $4 million investment to fund these programs and activities.
“We work to provide conservation efforts,” Humphrey said. “Educating the public, educating other students and working with other students at other schools potentially, it could be able to spread that knowledge to decrease the chances of wildfires and increase environmental awareness.”