Friends and colleagues,
Wildfires are raging across the state right now and I’m thinking of you all. I’ve been on the phone with some of you and we know this is impacting folks personally, the communities we serve, and our treasured landscapes. First and foremost, we hope you and your loved ones are safe.
We are in this together. Already we’ve seen McKenzie River Trust, Greenbelt Land Trust and Deschutes Land Trust stepping up to help their local communities. You’ll find ways to help and resources, below.
I know this is scary. But we are resilient. Our lands are resilient. Fire is a natural part of our ecosystems and we’re hopeful Oregon’s lands will recover. However, in many areas, these wildfires are extreme—burning hotter and are more severe than they would have historically, often as a result of a changing climate and decades of fire suppression. Many of our special places, and our communities, will be changed and will need our work, management, passion and advocacy more than ever. We will get through it. Heartfelt thanks to Oregon’s firefighters, logistics crews, health officials, evacuation volunteers and all the caring individuals stepping up to support our communities in need. Including you!
Stay safe.
Sincerely,
Kelley
Ways to help—ideas from COLT members
- United Way of Lane County’s Wildfire Response Fund (from McKenzie River Trust)
- Fire response volunteer sign-up (Eugene area, from McKenzie River Trust)
- Benton County Wildfire Response (from Greenbelt Land Trust)
- United Way Mid-Valley Wildfire Response (from Greenbelt Land Trust)
- Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (from Deschutes Land Trust)
- Wildland Firefighter Foundation (from Deschutes Land Trust)
Fire map, resources & news
- MAP: Daily situation map (Northwest Interagency Coordination Center)
- MAP: InciWeb, near real-time fire status map (InciWeb, interagency incident information management system)
- General resources: Oregon Wildfire Resources (State of Oregon)
- Safe: Let people know you are safe and well (American Red Cross)
- Roads: Travel alerts closures (Oregon Department of Transportation)
- Air quality: Live Air Quality Map (The World Air Quality Project)
- Checklist: Fire and Evacuation Checklist (USFS)
- News: KEEN, Clackamas Community College launch wildfire relief efforts (Portland Business Journal)
- News: Smoke from Western wildfires has blown thousands of miles to New York (CNN)
- News: Why many Northwest animals and plants need wildfire (OPB)
- News: The Wildfires in Photos (The New York Times)
- Video: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: Dozens of people are missing in wildfires (USA Today)
- Video: Oregon Governor Kate Brown calls wildfires a “wake-up call” on climate change (Face the Nation, CBS News)
