Protecting critical communications infrastructure from wildfire.

How Rangeland Fire Protection Association volunteers and federal and state agencies worked together to fight the wildfires of the summer of 2024. October 16, 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

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.

High Desert Partnership's Summer Monitoring Crews play an important role in furthering collaborative work in Harney County. September 13, 2023.

Crowdsourcing wildfire detection with ALERT Wildfire cameras. August 16, 2023

The goal is to be as prepared as possible well ahead of the upcoming wildfire season. June 7, 2023

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.

Testing how to decrease the potential for and impacts of large-scale wildfires in Harney County.

National Environmental Policy Act approved Pueblo Mountain Pilot Project focuses megafire prevention studies.

How did Harney County ranchers make a seat at the table to help prevent, minimize and fight megafires?

Gaining a seat at the table.

An alternative model for wildfire response.

Though they’re small in number, the members of High Desert Partnership's Summer Monitoring Crew have played a crucial role in forwarding the important work the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative continues to do in southeast Oregon's sagebrush steppe.

Striving for ecosystem resilience in the age of invasive annual grasses. This special issue of Rangelands is authored by presenters at the December 2020 Invasive Annual Grass Workshop. The success of the workshop led to an opportunity for a special peer-reviewed issue of Rangelands journal to be developed. The authors in this Rangelands special issue came together with their respective research and management perspectives to provide a comprehensive picture for effectively coordinating and collaborating in managing invasive annual grasses at a landscape scale.

It's been a relatively wet April and May in Harney County but there's more to the story.

According to researchers, the American West is experiencing a 22-year megadrought—the driest conditions it’s seen since the 1500s. Nearly 73% of the entire U.S. West—a group of nine states—and 76% of Oregon are in severe drought. In Harney County, all but a slither is in extreme drought. March 2022.

Creative entrepreneurs are using natural resources in renewable/sustainable ways. February 2022

Jacob Gear, RFPA liaison with the Burns Interagency Fire Zone and Dale Martin, president of the Silver Creek RFPA discuss the role of RFPAs in Harney County. Nov 29 2021

Learn about this important wildfire resilience project in the Stinkingwater Mountains. Autumn Muir (coordinator of this project's subcommittee) and Ron Whiting ( landowner and active participant with the wildfire collaborative) share the latest about this project.

Meet Josh Hanson, High Desert Partnership's Forest & Range Ecological Coordinator supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative and the Harney County Forest Restoration Collaborative.

It was a hot, dry summer, creating extreme drought conditions for the majority of Harney County. This in turn negatively impacted hay production, rangeland health and cattle operations as well as wildlife and the area’s waterways. September 2021

While the 2021 wildfire season was predicted to start early thanks to drought conditions in Harney County, Jeff Rose, District Manager for the Bureau of Land Management in Burns, said those predictions didn’t really pan out. While fire crews stopped several wildfires from spreading with initial attack, the 2021 fire season saw fewer fires than
normal.

August 18, 2021

July 16, 2021

One of the reasons some wildfires turn into megafires in the Great Basin is because invasive annual grasses essentially create a carpet of fuel. One way to thwart such wildfires is to replace those invasive annual grasses with native plants that green up in the spring and stay green. EcoSource is a non-profit that collects, cleans, produces, and stores genetically appropriate native plant seeds.

A radio interview with RFPA Liaison Jacob Gear about Rangeland Fire Protection Associations and his role helping these "neighbors helping neighbors" assist with wildfire fighting efforts.

A lot of factors are taken into consideration when determining what the objectives should be when planning a prescribed burn. From helping to eliminate invasive weeds to burning duff and fine fuels, prescribed fire is a useful tool.

Local Harney County radio interview with Kim Valentine about her Bureau of Land Management career and the possibilities for the 2021 fire season. May 2021

During the spring, it’s always a roll of the dice to try and predict what the upcoming fire season might look like. Late season rains can help bail out a year that has been drier than usual. However, at this point local fire experts believe this fire season might start earlier than normal.

Locals travel to help fight catastrophic fires elsewhere in the west.

Fire experts in Harney County weigh in on science behind fire behavior.

Giving local youths exposure to careers within Harney County in hopes they might one day choose a career path that could have them living in Harney County.

Harney County Wildfire Collaborative prepping for the upcoming 2020 fire season.

Cooler, wetter summer meant fewer wildfires to fight this year.

How does a community successfully prevent, suppress and restore the effects of megafires?

Why rangeland fire protection associations matter.

Tackling together the reality of megafires.

Crowd sourcing wildfire discovery and observation.