By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald
Congressman Greg Walden made a two-day stop in Harney County last week, Feb. 21-22, to meet with locals on a variety of topics including the handling of last summer’s Egley Fire Complex, the High Desert Partnership and federal priorities and concerns in Harney County.
On Feb. 22, Walden organized a roundtable discussion on the 2007 Egley Complex Fire at the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center. According to Stan Benes, Malheur National Forest Supervisor, the Egley fire, which was started by lightning on July 6, burned about 149,000 acres, which included wildlife habitat and grazing land.
At the Feb. 22 roundtable, representatives from the county, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and other federal agencies were present as were representatives of ranching and farming groups, law enforcement and the cities of Burns and Hines.
Those present were each given a few minutes to explain of how they felt their agencies responded to the fire, which several acknowledged to be an especially severe event.
Benes stated that about $20 million was spent on suppression of the Egley fire. Taking into account the 100-degree temperatures and the lightning storms, “This was absolutely a worst case scenario,” he said. Benes noted that despite the well-trained firefighters and all the equipment used on the fire, it was simply more than everyone could handle to perfection. He said that while there was much room for criticism, overall, he felt those fighting the fire did a good job.
Burns District BLM Manager Dana Shuford stated that the BLM coordinated with numerous agencies during the fire and called in an incident management team as they were dealing with six uncontained fires on July 7, the day after the Egley fire started.
Now the BLM is currently working on installing fences, cattle guards, re-seeding and weed treatment in the Egley area. They’ve also been working with ranchers on ways to supplement displaced grazing.
He noted that the agency needs to:
• have a discussion about fire management on private land;
• figure out a way to update private citizens on a fire’s daily activity;
• work more closely with local fire associations;
• invest in and help with the development of a group of locals who can assist incident management teams who are not familiar with the area.
Shuford also mentioned the BLM’s “Earning Bridges” program, which involves strategies for effective community relations before, during and after a fire.
Walden agreed with Shuford in the utilization of local expertise during times of crisis.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup talked about using local resources as well. “We have to have local involvement on the ground with these fires,” he said. He used the example of bringing in firefighters from West Virginia who clearly aren’t familiar with the area. “If it hadn’t been for our local firefighters, we could have lost several homes, including the judge’s (County Judge Steve Grasty),” he said.
A little understanding of the land, weather and people goes a long way. Glerup remembered another instance during the fire in which a landowner stood on his porch with a gun and threatened to shoot firefighters who were about to start a backfire.
Leon Peilstick, Harney County President of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, also heard frustration from local ranchers, who felt their concerns fell on deaf ears. Ranchers couldn’t see the reasoning behind the large back burns and wondered why the firefighters didn’t start out earlier in the morning to fight the fire.
During the roundtable, other concerns regarding invasive weed management and salvage operations were also discussed. Harney County Judge Steve Grasty underlined the importance of salvaging what is left of the burn. “Time is critical. We can’t wait on this,” he said.
Walden agreed. “It makes no sense to let this resource go away while it has value,” he said. Yet, as the issue gets tied up in political loopholes, the salvageable trees sit and wait.
As far as fencing and reseeding goes, funding is an issue. While Harney County is a priority, there are $56 million worth of requests to help various areas in the United States with restoration after fires. Unfortunately, there is little money to go around. Funding is given out on a first come first serve basis and Harney County is number 110 on the list.
After listening to almost everyone speak, Harney County Commissioner Dan Nichols offered his two cents. “People are tired of fighting,” he said. While the collaborative process has improved, Nichols noted that many people are still stymied by federal regulations and the threat of litigation that limit the utilization of local resources. “Congressman,” Nichols said addressing Walden, “We have to overcome that or it’s a perpetual cycle.”
