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Resources

Many resources follow from the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative. More can be found here at a website dedicated to Harney County Wildfire Collaborative resources.

2024

  • The sun beats down on a group of young adults, nets in hand, as they wade through a cool stream
    in the Malheur National Forest. To the casual observer, it might appear they're simply enjoying a
    summer day in nature. But these individuals are part of High Desert Partnership's (HDP) summer
    crew. This summer, HDP assembled its largest crew ever—eight members split between stream and
    habitat teams that provide monitoring support to the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative, the
    Harney County Forest Restoration Collaborative and the Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative. September 18, 2024

  • The focus remains on removing juniper, reducing the amount of dry, invasive grasses and securing additional funding. The goal is to create true fuel breaks that can significantly impact fire behavior across this vast landscape. While it takes time, money, and planning, the collaborative remains committed to enhancing wildfire resiliency in
    Southeast Oregon, protecting communities, and restoring ecological balance to the high desert ecosystem. July 3, 2024.

  • During the past two years the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative implemented the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resiliency Project (SOWR) which consisted of more than 80,000 acres of critical fuel treatments to enhance wildfire resiliency across sagebrush steppe landscapes in Southeast Oregon thanks to funding from Oregon Senate Bill 762. Mid 2023 the door was opened to apply for additional funding which could enable round two of the SOWR project to be implemented; as a result of the application, $3.8 million is coming into Harney and Malheur Counties. With this funding the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative partners will implement wildfire resiliency treatments on an additional 22,000 acres of public and private land in southeast Oregon beginning this year and into 2025. January 17, 2024

2023

Stinkingwater Mountains and the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resilience Projects

  • During the past two years the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative implemented the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resiliency Project (SOWR) which consisted of more than 80,000 acres of critical fuel treatments to enhance wildfire resiliency across sagebrush steppe landscapes in Southeast Oregon thanks to funding from Oregon Senate Bill 762. Mid 2023 the door was opened to apply for additional funding which could enable round two of the SOWR project to be implemented; as a result of the application, $3.8 million is coming into Harney and Malheur Counties. With this funding the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative partners will implement wildfire resiliency treatments on an additional 22,000 acres of public and private land in southeast Oregon beginning this year and into 2025. January 17, 2024

  • In 2021, Oregon Senate Bill 762 passed, allocating $220 million to help Oregon modernize and improve wildfire preparedness. Because of the groundwork laid by the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative, the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative applied for and secured more than $5 million to address wildfire issues in the southeast corner of Oregon in Harney and Malheur counties through the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resilience Project.

  • Though seemingly open and empty to the naked eye, these lands are teeming with life; countless species rely on the sagebrush biome for food and shelter. However, sagebrush ecosystems are some of the most delicate in North America. May 3, 2023

  • A harsh yet vulnerable place that is home to a diverse species of mammals, reptiles and birds. March 22, 2023

  • Funding being used to address fire suppression, prevention and restoration of the Southeast Oregon sagebrush sea landscape. February 8, 2023

  • Targeting sites for seeding grasses as part of the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resiliency project is one piece of the puzzle toward making the sagebrush more resilient.

  • By treating the invasive annual grasses, and cutting Juniper trees, landscape fuels for wildfires are being reduced making the landscape more wildfire resilient.

  • The Harney County Wildfire Collaborative partners are targeting strategic sites for Juniper removal for restoration work happening under The Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resiliency Project. In areas where Juniper trees have been removed, more resilient, fire-resistant landscapes are already beginning to take hold. Just as Juniper encroachment quickly pushes out native species, Juniper removal creates room for them to take hold once again.

  • The $5 million in funding for this project is being used to address fire suppression, prevention and restoration of the Southeast Oregon sagebrush sea landscape.

  • This funding will be used to address fire suppression, prevention and restoration of Southeast Oregon sagebrush sea landscape.

  • Harney County Wildfire Collaborative looks to unite agencies and landowners with common goals.

  • After doing some work in the Pueblo Mountains, this is the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative’s second major project.

Pueblo Mountains Wildfire Resilience Project

Rangeland Fire Protection Associations

2019 - 2022


Invasive Annual Grass Workshop

A two day workshop hosted by the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative and the SageCon Partnership explored the barriers and opportunities for addressing invasive annual grasses in Oregon and beyond the state.

"That was a gathering that brought expertise and courage to the table and generated hope for the future of our rangelands in me. One of the best workshops I have ever attended! You folks hit a home run! This conference stimulated conversations at every level of the IAG problem and brought together an appropriate and dynamic group to delve into the realities of the challenge before us. Your preparation of speakers for each forum was extremely helpful and the moderating was superb! People from all over the west listened in. Researchers and managers got discussion opportunities. Fire and weed people got to compare notes. The visual notes were fabulous. I am left pondering the next steps! Thanks so much!"  ~Mark Porter, Integrated Noxious Weed Manager, Oregon Dept. of Agriculture

To watch sessions from this workshop and access other resources, visit the Invasive Annual Grass Workshop Resource page.


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