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Toutle Lake Middle School students are introduced to the work of researchers seeking to identify the best location for a wildlife crossing during the fall of 2023. Photo: Clare Sobetski, DNR

It’s a Monday afternoon in late January 2024. Bailee Perleberg’s classroom at Toutle Lake Middle School is abuzz with nervous energy as students put final touches on presentations and finish illustrating their wildlife crossing designs.

The students are about to share their final projects with a panel of experts including Glen Kalisz and Anna Arensmeyer from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Brian Stewart from Conservation Northwest, Fraser Shilling from UC Davis, and Clare Sobetski from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The students have spent the first part of the 2023-2024 academic year participating in a research project to identify the best location and design for a wildlife crossing over or under Interstate 5. The classroom projects are inspired by the ongoing work of the Washington Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Working Group. Comprised of government, nonprofit, tribal, and academic partners, the group is working to identify undeveloped areas along I-5 that are heavily trafficked by wildlife.

The southern linkage, a priority area of study near the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers, is only 20 minutes by bus from Toutle Lake Middle School. This makes it an ideal location to bring students out for hands-on educational activities associated with ongoing research. Including students in the research was a priority for Shilling, a professor at UC Davis and a lead researcher on the project.

“Including students in environmental research like the I-5 Wildlife Connectivity Project helps empower them to make a difference,” Shilling said. “It helps them understand the problems that wildlife face as they move through the landscapes around us … For their families and communities, student inclusion in research helps demystify the scientific process, reducing barriers and making scientific knowledge accessible to more people.”

Art created by Toutle Middle School student Corban depicting a group’s design for a wildlife crossing over the highway. Photo: Will Rubin, DNR

The multi-partner collaboration with Toutle Lake Middle School is an ideal example of project-based learning DNR looks to support with its Youth Education and Outreach Program (YEOP). Connecting Washington students with natural resource professionals for outdoor, educational activities related to authentic land management needs is a growing point of emphasis for the agency.

Quality project-based learning starts with a great launch event. For these students, that event took place in October of 2023 when students met with professionals on DNR-managed land to learn about the research project, install their own wildlife cameras, and practice identifying animal signs like tracks and scat.

The students impressed the professionals by demonstrating how much they already knew about local wildlife and how quickly they could interpret camera images. The four cameras the students installed during the field trip weren’t just for show – they are part of the larger, ongoing research project. 

They returned to the site about six weeks later to retrieve the memory cards from their cameras and learn how to translate images into a data sheet for analysis. There was a good deal of enthusiasm as students pulled up the images on tablets to see what exciting wildlife their cameras captured.   

“Of the four cameras installed by the students, one documented an elk, which was only the second camera of over 40 in the study area to do so,” said WSDOT Habitat Connectivity Biologist Glenn Kalisz. “Another camera documented a cougar, which was the second cougar documented west of I-5 out of over 20 cameras and many monitoring days. We’re getting good data out of it!”  

As part of this second field experience, students also toured infrastructure that local wildlife is currently using to traverse I-5, including the underpass at the Toutle River bridge. This information informed their final presentations, as all students chose an overpass design because of the drawbacks of a dark and loud underpass.   

Students visit the Toutle River bridge site to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the current infrastructure wildlife uses to cross the highway. Photo: Clare Sobetski, DNR

Students who participated in this hands-on learning module were all enrolled in Perleberg’s natural resources class at the middle school. The class is part of the school’s Career and Technical Education offerings. Perleberg designed curriculum and facilitated classroom learning about local wildlife species, population dynamics, and human impacts to support the outdoor experience. Perleberg also worked with YEOP staff to develop a plan for students to deliver final presentations to project partners before the end of the semester.

Presentation groups sorted by the four cameras installed by the students created slides addressing three key topics: why a wildlife crossing on I-5 is necessary; what the data from their wildlife camera revealed and what limitations the data carried; how the data students gathered should inform the design of a wildlife crossing. Each group was responsible for the creation of charts and graphs to visualize their data, as well as an artistic rendering of a wildlife crossing.

A prolonged snow and ice storm in January threw a wrench into the project timeline, but the students pushed through to finish their work in time for final presentations. All the partner organizations agreed the multi-pronged effort was a roaring success. 

“I saw the students light up,” Perleberg said. “They were excited to have an experience outside and to participate in hands-on learning. As a teacher, I am trying to create functional members of society. In this project, my students had a chance to learn about things that matter to their community and that have real-life applications.” 

This initial collaboration went so well, in fact, that all of the partners committed to a second iteration this spring for students in Perleberg’s second semester natural resources class. That project will adopt a similar structure but include more resources for students to learn about considerations in wildlife crossing design and more data analysis of the tracks and scat they observe.   

“I hope these field trips inspire the students to get outside and start making observations about wildlife,” Arensmeyer said. “Engaging students in this manner can also be beneficial for kids that don’t thrive in a traditional classroom setting and provides them with a learning experience that might be more conducive to their learning style.” 

Toutle Lake Middle School students are introduced to the work of researchers seeking to identify the best location for a wildlife crossing during the fall of 2023. Photo: Clare Sobetski, DNR

It’s a Monday afternoon in late January 2024. Bailee Perleberg’s classroom at Toutle Lake Middle School is abuzz with nervous energy as students put final touches on presentations and finish illustrating their wildlife crossing designs.

The students are about to share their final projects with a panel of experts including Glen Kalisz and Anna Arensmeyer from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Brian Stewart from Conservation Northwest, Fraser Shilling from UC Davis, and Clare Sobetski from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The students have spent the first part of the 2023-2024 academic year participating in a research project to identify the best location and design for a wildlife crossing over or under Interstate 5. The classroom projects are inspired by the ongoing work of the Washington Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Working Group. Comprised of government, nonprofit, tribal, and academic partners, the group is working to identify undeveloped areas along I-5 that are heavily trafficked by wildlife.

The southern linkage, a priority area of study near the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers, is only 20 minutes by bus from Toutle Lake Middle School. This makes it an ideal location to bring students out for hands-on educational activities associated with ongoing research. Including students in the research was a priority for Shilling, a professor at UC Davis and a lead researcher on the project.

“Including students in environmental research like the I-5 Wildlife Connectivity Project helps empower them to make a difference,” Shilling said. “It helps them understand the problems that wildlife face as they move through the landscapes around us … For their families and communities, student inclusion in research helps demystify the scientific process, reducing barriers and making scientific knowledge accessible to more people.”

Art created by Toutle Middle School student Corban depicting a group’s design for a wildlife crossing over the highway. Photo: Will Rubin, DNR

The multi-partner collaboration with Toutle Lake Middle School is an ideal example of project-based learning DNR looks to support with its Youth Education and Outreach Program (YEOP). Connecting Washington students with natural resource professionals for outdoor, educational activities related to authentic land management needs is a growing point of emphasis for the agency.

Quality project-based learning starts with a great launch event. For these students, that event took place in October of 2023 when students met with professionals on DNR-managed land to learn about the research project, install their own wildlife cameras, and practice identifying animal signs like tracks and scat.

The students impressed the professionals by demonstrating how much they already knew about local wildlife and how quickly they could interpret camera images. The four cameras the students installed during the field trip weren’t just for show – they are part of the larger, ongoing research project. 

They returned to the site about six weeks later to retrieve the memory cards from their cameras and learn how to translate images into a data sheet for analysis. There was a good deal of enthusiasm as students pulled up the images on tablets to see what exciting wildlife their cameras captured. According to Glen Kalisz, Habitat Connectivity Biologist for WSDOT,  

“Of the four cameras installed by the students, one documented an elk, which was only the second camera of over 40 in the study area to do so, said WSDOT Habitat Connectivity Biologist Glenn Kalisz. “Another camera documented a cougar, which was the second cougar documented west of I-5 out of over 20 cameras and many monitoring days. We’re getting good data out of it!”  

As part of this second field experience, students also toured infrastructure that local wildlife is currently using to traverse I-5, including the underpass at the Toutle River bridge. This information informed their final presentations, as all students chose an overpass design because of the drawbacks of a dark and loud underpass.   

Students visit the Toutle River bridge site to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the current infrastructure wildlife uses to cross the highway. Photo: Clare Sobetski, DNR

Students who participated in this hands-on learning module were all enrolled in Perlberg’s natural resources class at the middle school. The class is part of the school’s Career and Technical Education offerings. Perleberg designed curriculum and facilitated classroom learning about local wildlife species, population dynamics, and human impacts to support the outdoor experience. Perlberg also worked with YEOP staff to develop a plan for students to deliver final presentations to project partners before the end of the semester.

Presentation groups sorted by the four cameras installed by the students created slides addressing three key topics: why a wildlife crossing on I-5 is necessary; what the data from their wildlife camera revealed and what limitations the data carried; how the data students gathered should inform the design of a wildlife crossing. Each group was responsible for the creation of charts and graphs to visualize their data, as well as an artistic rendering of a wildlife crossing.

A prolonged snow and ice storm in January threw a wrench into the project timeline, but the students pushed through to finish their work in time for final presentations. All the partner organizations agreed the multi-pronged effort was a roaring success. 

“I saw the students light up,” Perlberg said. “They were excited to have an experience outside and to participate in hands-on learning. As a teacher, I am trying to create functional members of society. In this project, my students had a chance to learn about things that matter to their community and that have real-life applications.” 

This initial collaboration went so well, in fact, that all of the partners committed to a second iteration this spring for students in Perlberg’s second semester natural resources class. That project will adopt a similar structure but include more resources for students to learn about considerations in wildlife crossing design and more data analysis of the tracks and scat they observe.   

“I hope these field trips inspire the students to get outside and start making observations about wildlife,” Arensmeyer said. “Engaging students in this manner can also be beneficial for kids that don’t thrive in a traditional classroom setting and provides them with a learning experience that might be more conducive to their learning style.” 

“It’s the enabling ingredient to everything!”

Dan Kipervaser, shared stewardship coordinator for the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS), shared the above “sediment” recently about a core material for forest restoration: rock.

In adequate amounts and convenient locations, rock is a necessary lifeline for timber operations, as well as countless other activities on a national forest. Many rock pits across the national forests in Oregon and Washington (also known as U.S. Forest Service Region 6) were abandoned at the turn of the century following several years of budget cuts.

Santino Pascua, a zone engineer for the south zone of the MBS, shared that while MBS staff would ideally maintain as much as 920 miles of forest roads annually, budget restrictions have compressed this number all the way down to just 168 miles in 2023. There are 2,390 road miles weaving through the MBS. As unfinished projects have piled up, the MBS has racked up an estimated $5 million in deferred road maintenance.

Erosion events like the one pictured at left have become increasingly frequent on western WA forestlands. Photo courtesy Santino Pascua.

Pascua explained that due to current costs and timber markets, some timber sales barely break even, much less generate enough funds to cover the high upfront costs of investing in rock pit re-development.

Stockpiles of crushed rock produced by the now-shuttered pits had been used up long before the summer of 2023. Region 6 forests could no longer afford to crush and stockpile new rock; the MBS had not produced any rock through a public works contract for 20 years. Without active rock pits, rocks had to be shipped in from outside sources, which increased the financial and time costs of most projects and made some projects financially infeasible. Important projects languished on the shelf for years while safe public access and forest health continued to decline.

The tide began to turn over the summer, however, as one key rock pit came back online thanks to a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and DNR. The Forest Resilience Division at DNR provided a total of $150,000 for rock-pit redevelopment in the south zone of the MBS. The Region 6 office saw an opportunity to leverage their funds and added an additional $300,000 to make the project a reality at the scale needed to make a difference on the ground.

After a USFS geologist tested several abandoned pits for rock feasibility, one pit located a few miles east of Greenwater was chosen as the clear winner. The reborn rock pit is located near popular recreation areas for camping, hiking, fishing, and target shooting, as well as several potential future timber sales. Crews started cutting and crushing rock at the end of May of 2023, and completed work by mid-August. In total, the project produced 34,000 cubic yards of rock.

Rock being crushed for future use on projects across the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Photo courtesy Santino Pascua.

The cost savings were almost immediate. Taking advantage of economies of scale and a central location, the MBS crushed rock cost $13 per cubic yard. For comparison, rock shipped in from off-forest can cost more than five times as much. Local contractors have already started using the rock – they had placed more than 2,000 tons of fresh gravel on local roads by the end of August. Staff believe this new rock stockpile can support projects for the next 15 years.

While rock is most obviously needed for the creation, repair, and maintenance of forest roads, it opens new possibilities for so much more:

Rock means timber and restoration

Most timber sales are put out to bid with the condition that the contractor “rock the roads” to the sales. This not only ensures that the roads are safe for timber hauling, but also protects nearby streams from erosion caused by traffic and rain. This same rock is also needed when installing a fish passage to remove barriers to salmon migration. The price of purchasing and hauling tons of rock to repair road infrastructure is one of the most significant pain points on the MBS and can often determine whether a contractor bids on a project, let alone whether a timber sale is profitable.

With a new rock source now located in a central spot within the on the south zone of the MBS, area projects will cost less both in terms of time and resources. This also means timber sales are more likely to sell, and thus generate revenues that the MBS uses to fund habitat and watershed improvement projects – a compounding benefit to the forest.

Rock means match

While the rock itself does not equate to dollars, it can serve the same purpose as direct funds, acting as a matching contribution in grant applications. For example, according to Pascua, the MBS can now offer materials to offset the costs of repairing damaged roads after a significant flood event through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program. Similarly, rock can be used as in-kind match for an agreement with Weyerhaeuser to share maintenance and repair costs for roads used by both the company and the public.

Rock means partnerships

Over the years, MBS staff have had to turn down many excellent offers of support from groups and individuals due to tight budgets and a lack of staff capacity. Thanks to the newly available rock, many of these collaborative projects will become a reality. For example, a horseback riding group in the area has wanted for several years to help improve trails in the region. While the group is willing to volunteer their time and equipment to make improvements, rock was never available for the projects. The MBS can now provide the rock for those, and many other projects driven by volunteer- based recreation organizations.

Left: a road in the Olympic National Forest covered with debris and eroded materials. Right: The same road after repairs and the addition of new rock. Photos courtesy Bret McNamara. Rock means roads

With a limited budget, the MBS has had to take a triage approach to forest road maintenance – putting funds only toward roads that receive the greatest public use and delaying maintenance and repair for all others. Some roads have been left unmaintained for years, or even decades as a result. Thanks to the shared investment in redeveloping a rock pit, staff can begin working through the backlog, which means safer roads and more comfortable rides for the visiting public, a reduced risk of washouts and riparian habitat damage, and improved access to restoration project areas.

Rock means safer and more effective wildland fire operations

Wildland firefighters use networks of forest roads to access and fight wildfires. Well-maintained roads are required for large engines to utilize these direct access points to emerging incidents. Rock and gravel are also a non-combustible material used by wildland firefighting teams to build fire control lines, which help to contain or redirect an active fire. Gravel can also be used to build control lines for potential future fire operations.

Well-rocked roads help wildland fire teams complete their operations safely and efficiently. Photo courtesy Kate Williams. Rock means recreation

Roads carry visiting recreators to trailheads, lakes, vistas, and campgrounds throughout a forest. Without a rugged, high- clearance vehicle, visitors are taking chances with their suspensions when traveling anywhere off the main road system. The roads leading to and around the Ranger Creek Campground, for example, are considered some of the worst on the south zone of the MBS. For the first time in 30 years, the MBS has rock to repair those and other roads.

Long-term planning to maintain network of national forest roads

“We’re still actively looking for partners that can help us unlock this critical resource that supports everything from recreation to restoration,” Kipervaser said.

In addition to years of delayed maintenance on the MBS, all western Washington national forests, including the Olympic and Gifford Pinchot, are experiencing more frequent large erosional debris events on an annual, if not seasonal, basis. These emergency events cost each forest huge amounts of time and resources when they are already low on funds.

As overdue challenges collide with new crises, the need for innovative partnerships and creative solutions is greater now than it has ever been. The MBS is working to develop its own long-term, sustainable solutions. For example, the MBS is examining how best to secure a road maintenance crew, as well as the heavy equipment needed to do much of the roadwork and maintenance, rather than contracting out the work. Staff with the MBS are also researching how to procure mobile rock crushing equipment.

“The MBS has a reputation in the Pacific Northwest region as a national forest that can put funds to good use,” further explains Pascua. “When there are additional funds to spend, we know we can spend it, and spend it well.”

“It’s the enabling ingredient to everything!”

Dan Kipervaser, shared stewardship coordinator for the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS), shared the above “sediment” recently about a core material for forest restoration: rock.

In adequate amounts and convenient locations, rock is a necessary lifeline for timber operations, as well as countless other activities on a national forest. Many rock pits across the national forests in Oregon and Washington (also known as U.S. Forest Service Region 6) were abandoned at the turn of the century following several years of budget cuts.

Santino Pascua, a zone engineer for the south zone of the MBS, shared that while MBS staff would ideally maintain as much as 920 miles of forest roads annually, budget restrictions have compressed this number all the way down to just 168 miles in 2023. There are 2,390 road miles weaving through the MBS. As unfinished projects have piled up, the MBS has racked up an estimated $5 million in deferred road maintenance.

Erosion events like the one pictured at left have become increasingly frequent on western WA forestlands. Photo courtesy Santino Pascua.

Pascua explained that due to current costs and timber markets, some timber sales barely break even, much less generate enough funds to cover the high upfront costs of investing in rock pit re-development.

Stockpiles of crushed rock produced by the now-shuttered pits had been used up long before the summer of 2023. Region 6 forests could no longer afford to crush and stockpile new rock; the MBS had not produced any rock through a public works contract for 20 years. Without active rock pits, rocks had to be shipped in from outside sources, which increased the financial and time costs of most projects and made some projects financially infeasible. Important projects languished on the shelf for years while safe public access and forest health continued to decline.

The tide began to turn over the summer, however, as one key rock pit came back online thanks to a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and DNR. The Forest Resilience Division at DNR provided a total of $150,000 for rock-pit redevelopment in the south zone of the MBS. The Region 6 office saw an opportunity to leverage their funds and added an additional $300,000 to make the project a reality at the scale needed to make a difference on the ground.

After a USFS geologist tested several abandoned pits for rock feasibility, one pit located a few miles east of Greenwater was chosen as the clear winner. The reborn rock pit is located near popular recreation areas for camping, hiking, fishing, and target shooting, as well as several potential future timber sales. Crews started cutting and crushing rock at the end of May of 2023, and completed work by mid-August. In total, the project produced 34,000 cubic yards of rock.

Rock being crushed for future use on projects across the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Photo courtesy Santino Pascua.

The cost savings were almost immediate. Taking advantage of economies of scale and a central location, the MBS crushed rock cost $13 per cubic yard. For comparison, rock shipped in from off-forest can cost more than five times as much. Local contractors have already started using the rock – they had placed more than 2,000 tons of fresh gravel on local roads by the end of August. Staff believe this new rock stockpile can support projects for the next 15 years.

While rock is most obviously needed for the creation, repair, and maintenance of forest roads, it opens new possibilities for so much more:

Rock means timber and restoration

Most timber sales are put out to bid with the condition that the contractor “rock the roads” to the sales. This not only ensures that the roads are safe for timber hauling, but also protects nearby streams from erosion caused by traffic and rain. This same rock is also needed when installing a fish passage to remove barriers to salmon migration. The price of purchasing and hauling tons of rock to repair road infrastructure is one of the most significant pain points on the MBS and can often determine whether a contractor bids on a project, let alone whether a timber sale is profitable.

With a new rock source now located in a central spot within the on the south zone of the MBS, area projects will cost less both in terms of time and resources. This also means timber sales are more likely to sell, and thus generate revenues that the MBS uses to fund habitat and watershed improvement projects – a compounding benefit to the forest.

Rock means match

While the rock itself does not equate to dollars, it can serve the same purpose as direct funds, acting as a matching contribution in grant applications. For example, according to Pascua, the MBS can now offer materials to offset the costs of repairing damaged roads after a significant flood event through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program. Similarly, rock can be used as in-kind match for an agreement with Weyerhaeuser to share maintenance and repair costs for roads used by both the company and the public.

Rock means partnerships

Over the years, MBS staff have had to turn down many excellent offers of support from groups and individuals due to tight budgets and a lack of staff capacity. Thanks to the newly available rock, many of these collaborative projects will become a reality. For example, a horseback riding group in the area has wanted for several years to help improve trails in the region. While the group is willing to volunteer their time and equipment to make improvements, rock was never available for the projects. The MBS can now provide the rock for those, and many other projects driven by volunteer- based recreation organizations.

Left: a road in the Olympic National Forest covered with debris and eroded materials. Right: The same road after repairs and the addition of new rock. Photos courtesy Bret McNamara. Rock means roads

With a limited budget, the MBS has had to take a triage approach to forest road maintenance – putting funds only toward roads that receive the greatest public use and delaying maintenance and repair for all others. Some roads have been left unmaintained for years, or even decades as a result. Thanks to the shared investment in redeveloping a rock pit, staff can begin working through the backlog, which means safer roads and more comfortable rides for the visiting public, a reduced risk of washouts and riparian habitat damage, and improved access to restoration project areas.

Rock means safer and more effective wildland fire operations

Wildland firefighters use networks of forest roads to access and fight wildfires. Well-maintained roads are required for large engines to utilize these direct access points to emerging incidents. Rock and gravel are also a non-combustible material used by wildland firefighting teams to build fire control lines, which help to contain or redirect an active fire. Gravel can also be used to build control lines for potential future fire operations.

Well-rocked roads help wildland fire teams complete their operations safely and efficiently. Photo courtesy Kate Williams. Rock means recreation

Roads carry visiting recreators to trailheads, lakes, vistas, and campgrounds throughout a forest. Without a rugged, high- clearance vehicle, visitors are taking chances with their suspensions when traveling anywhere off the main road system. The roads leading to and around the Ranger Creek Campground, for example, are considered some of the worst on the south zone of the MBS. For the first time in 30 years, the MBS has rock to repair those and other roads.

Long-term planning to maintain network of national forest roads

“We’re still actively looking for partners that can help us unlock this critical resource that supports everything from recreation to restoration,” Kipervaser said.

In addition to years of delayed maintenance on the MBS, all western Washington national forests, including the Olympic and Gifford Pinchot, are experiencing more frequent large erosional debris events on an annual, if not seasonal, basis. These emergency events cost each forest huge amounts of time and resources when they are already low on funds.

As overdue challenges collide with new crises, the need for innovative partnerships and creative solutions is greater now than it has ever been. The MBS is working to develop its own long-term, sustainable solutions. For example, the MBS is examining how best to secure a road maintenance crew, as well as the heavy equipment needed to do much of the roadwork and maintenance, rather than contracting out the work. Staff with the MBS are also researching how to procure mobile rock crushing equipment.

“The MBS has a reputation in the Pacific Northwest region as a national forest that can put funds to good use,” further explains Pascua. “When there are additional funds to spend, we know we can spend it, and spend it well.”

Weather restricts fire suppression and repair work   Current Situation: Rain and snow continue to fall on the Goat Rocks, Siouxon, and Sunset fire areas. Roads above 4,000 feet in elevation have received up to three inches of snow. In the interest of safety, firefighters are not travelling on snow-covered roads. Rain and snow are expected to fall intermittently into next week.   On the Goat Rocks Fire, fire personnel have completed removal of pumps, hoses, and portable tanks from the neighborhoods west of the fire. These supplies have been transported back to fire camp to be tested, cleaned, and reconditioned, after which they will be returned to a local fire cache and made available for use on other fires, a process known as “backhaul.” Where roads are safe to travel, firefighters are patrolling the fire area, addressing any remaining heat that they can safely engage. Some areas with a heavy canopy of branches and deep duff continue smoldering, along with logs, stumps, and...

Goat Rocks, Siouxon and Sunset Fires UpdateWednesday, October 26, 2022 – 10:00 a.m.Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team ThreeBill Waln, Incident Commander Goat Rocks Fire Statistics:Size: 6,196 acres Containment: 10%Total Personnel: 149Location: Packwood, WAReported: August 9, 2022Cause: Lightning/NaturalSiouxon Fire Statistics:Size: 2,359 acres Containment: 0%Total Personnel: 102Location: 13 miles NW of Stabler, WAReported: September 22, 2022Cause: Abandoned Campfire  Sunset Fire Statistics:Size:  277 acresContainment: 0%Total Personnel: 13Location: 8 miles E of Moulton, WA Reported: October 16, 2022Cause: UndeterminedWeather restricts fire suppression and repair workCurrent Situation: Rain and snow continue to fall on the Goat Rocks, Siouxon, and Sunset fire areas. Roads above 4,000 feet in elevation have received up to three inches of snow. In the interest of safety, firefighters are not travelling on snow-covered roads. Rain and snow are expected to fall...

Inciweb will be down for maintenance starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26. Today's update will be posted as soon as the system comes back online. In the meantime, please visit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GiffordPinchot/) for the latest information on the Goat Rocks, Sunset, and Siouxon

Inciweb will be down for maintenance starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26. Today's update will be posted as soon as the system comes back online. In the meantime, please visit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GiffordPinchot/) for the latest information on the Goat Rocks, Sunset, and Siouxon

Cedar Creek Fire October 25, 2022 Daily Fire Update Cedar Creek Fire Quick Facts Size: 127,283 acres                         Origin: 15 miles E of Oakridge, OR            Resources: 4 engines; 2 crews; 1 helicopter; 2 MasticatorContainment: 55%                          Cause: Lightning                                          Total personnel: 231                      Start Date: August 1, 2022                          Weather:  A Pacific storm system on Tuesday evening brought heavy amounts of precipitation to the fire area, with heavy snow accumulations at higher elevations. On Wednesday, rain and snow will linger into the afternoon, with up to two more inches of snow in the mountains. Temperatures on Wednesday will be in the 30’s to 40’s for a high, with westerly wind gusts of 10 – 25 mph on the ridges. Thursday and Friday should be drier and a bit...

Loch Katrine Fire Daily Update, October 25, 2022, 11:00 AM   Fire activity on the Loch Katrine Fire is limited to smoldering in areas of deep duff and heavy fuels. Fire moderation will continue as rain showers, cooler temperatures, and high-elevation snowfall continue through the week. The last IR flight was on October 19, so acres have not changed, remaining at 1,918 acres. The main activities on the fire now are repair, patrol, and mop up. Crews are installing water bars on handlines and dozer lines to reduce the risk of erosion. Mop up activities include opening up stump holes and other areas of remaining heat to expose them to rain. Suppression repair needs are being assessed and implemented as conditions allow. Evacuation: No evacuation orders are in place. Weather: Another cold front is moving in today (Tuesday). Expect isolated showers increasing to widespread rain in the evening. As much as an inch of rain could fall by Wednesday morning. Rain is forecast through the week...

Lewis County lifts evacuations; fire operations slowed by weather   Current Situation: Yesterday, all evacuation notices were lifted for areas near the Goat Rocks Fire. Emergency managers, in consultation with fire officials, determined that enough precipitation had fallen to reduce fire behavior in the coming days and weeks. Additional rain is expected the rest of the week, with snow likely at higher elevations.   Snow, slick road surfaces, and falling trees are restricting access on many forest roads. Some firefighters are patrolling the area, looking for opportunities to safely work on cooling remaining pockets of heat. Other personnel are pulling more hoses, pumps, and other supplies from around structures in neighborhoods west of the fire. They are also removing flagging and cleaning up any other items left behind by the firefighting efforts.   The Siouxon and Sunset fires also experienced soggy weather, although scattered hot spots still remain in areas with heavy...

Lewis County lifts evacuations; fire operations slowed by weather   Current Situation: Yesterday, all evacuation notices were lifted for areas near the Goat Rocks Fire. Emergency managers, in consultation with fire officials, determined that enough precipitation had fallen to reduce fire behavior in the coming days and weeks. Additional rain is expected the rest of the week, with snow likely at higher elevations.   Snow, slick road surfaces, and falling trees are restricting access on many forest roads. Some firefighters are patrolling the area, looking for opportunities to safely work on cooling remaining pockets of heat. Other personnel are pulling more hoses, pumps, and other supplies from around structures in neighborhoods west of the fire. They are also removing flagging and cleaning up any other items left behind by the firefighting efforts.   The Siouxon and Sunset fires also experienced soggy weather, although scattered hot spots still remain in areas with heavy...

 Cedar Creek Fire October 25, 2022 Daily Fire Update   Cedar Creek Fire Quick Facts Size: 127,283 acres                         Origin: 15 miles E of Oakridge, OR             Resources: 4 engines; 5 crews; 1 helicopter; 5 crews; 1 helicopter; 4 Masticators Containment: 55%                          Cause: Lightning                                          Total personnel: 301                      Start Date: August 1, 2022            ·The level 1 Evacuation Order has been lifted in Westfir, Oakridge, and the High Prairie area.  Weather:  The western side of the Cedar Creek Fire received over half an inch of rain yesterday, with the eastern side receiving around two tenths of an inch. Today, a break in the wet weather is expected until later in the day when the next weather system arrives from the Pacific. Rain estimates are between one quarter and three...

Cedar Creek Fire October 25, 2022 Daily Fire Update   Cedar Creek Fire Quick Facts Size: 127,283 acres                         Origin: 15 miles E of Oakridge, OR             Resources: 4 engines; 5 crews; 1 helicopter; 4 MasticatorsContainment: 55%                          Cause: Lightning                                        Total personnel: 301                      Start Date: August 1, 2022 ·The level 1 Evacuation Order has been lifted in Westfir, Oakridge, and the High Prairie area.   Weather:  The western side of the Cedar Creek Fire received over half an inch of rain yesterday, with the eastern side receiving around two tenths of an inch. Today, a break in the wet weather is expected until later in the day when the next weather system arrives from the Pacific. Rain estimates are between one quarter and three quarters of an inch for the west side and once again less...

[Reposted from the Lewis County Emergency Management website]NEWS RELEASE Date: 10/24/2022 Released: 11:30 AM On Monday, October 24, 2022, at 11:30 AM all evacuation notices for the Packwood area to include all areas north of Butter Creek (Goat Rocks, as well as Lower and Upper Timberline, River Dance, and parts of High Valley) will be lifted.Marine moisture began to move into the area on Friday, which brought cooler temperatures and recordable precipitation. This precipitation allowed for fire behavior and conditions to become much more favorable and easier to manage. The decision to lift evacuations was considered late last week, but emergency managers, in consultation with fire management, wanted to ensure that the rain event that was forecast for the weekend arrived and will reduce fire behavior in the coming days and weeks.Fire personnel are removing fire suppression equipment (i.e. hose lines, blivets, and water tanks) in many areas. Though this equipment is being removed,...

Loch Katrine FireDaily Update, October 24, 2022, 10:00 AM   Fire activity on the Loch Katrine Fire has been limited to smoldering by the recent rain showers, cooler temperatures, and high-elevation snowfall. The last IR flight was on October 19, so acres have not changed, remaining at 1,918 acres. The main activities on the fire now are repair, monitoring, and mop up. Crews are cleaning up dozer lines in the Phillippa Creek area, installing water bars, and backhauling equipment. Mop up activities include opening up stump holes and other areas of remaining heat to expose them to rain; smoldering will likely continue within the fire area until significant snowfall. Suppression repair needs are being assessed and are beginning as conditions allow. Evacuation: No evacuation orders are in place. Weather: Late last night and into this morning, a new cold front is rolling in with ridgetop winds and rain beginning early today (Monday). This evening may see a break in the rain, but showers...

Winter Weather predicted for Goat Rocks, Siouxon, and Sunset firesCurrent Situation: Light rain and some snow fell on the Goat Rocks Fire Sunday, with heavier rain and gusty winds expected today. Snow level is expected to drop to 2,000 feet before rising again late today. Fire personnel are running into snow-covered roads and fire lines in some areas, restricting work opportunities. Fire personnel are changing their plans to work in areas without snow. Yesterday firefighters removed structure wrap, hoses and pumps from around the structures by Packwood Lake. They also began removing portable water tanks, pumps, and hoses from the Timberline neighborhoods.On the south edge of the fire, damaged trees are frequently falling onto Forest Road 41. Crews had been patrolling this road to check fire spread south toward Lake Creek. The level of hazard to firefighters from falling trees has been determined to be greater than the risk of the fire spreading south under the current weather...

Fire size: 1,918 acresResources assigned: 418Containment:  63% Nakia Fire returns to local WADNR management CAMAS, Wash. Minimal fire activity occurred last night. Containment is 63% and precipitation is expected on the fire through tomorrow. Today firefighters will continue mop up toward a goal of 100 feet of cold ground interior of containment lines. Equipment and hose that is no longer needed is being removed. At 7:00 p.m. this evening, ODF IMT2 will transfer command of the Nakia Creek Fire to the local WADNR Pacific Cascade Region. This will be the last update for the Nakia Creek and Black Hole Fires.  The following road closures remain in effect to assure safety of the public while suppression and rehabilitation activities continue: Dole Valley / South Rock Creek Campground Larch Correction Center East end of Rawson Rd at the school bus turn around (1400 Rd) where the pavement meets the gravel Livingston / L1000 Rd near the intersection with the 1021 Rd. Jones Creek RV Park...

Incendio Cedar Creek 24 de octubre, 2022 Información al día Resumen del Incendio Cedar Creek Extensión: 127,283 acres              Origen: 15 millas E de Oakridge, OR             Recursos: 4 camiones; 5 Grupos; 3 helicópteros; 1 bulldozer; 4 MasticadorasContenido: 55%                               Causa: Relámpagos                                                Personal: 319                                   Fecha de Inicio: 1ro agosto, 2022              Condiciones climáticas:  Condiciones climáticas alteradas, se introducirán en nuestra área por la mayor parte del día de hoy con cierta cantidad de precipitación entre 0.5 y 3/4 de pulgada. Las temperaturas se mantendrán frescas, presentándose altas temperaturas dentro de los 50’s. Estas condiciones climáticas brindaran ráfagas de vientos en las cumbres y en el lado Este del...

Cedar Creek Fire October 24, 2022 Daily Fire Update   Cedar Creek Fire Quick Facts Size: 127,283 acres                         Origin: 15 miles E of Oakridge, OR             Resources: 4 engines; 5 crews; 3 helicopters;1 Dozers; 4 MasticatorContainment: 55%                          Cause: Lightning                                          Total personnel: 319                     Start Date: August 1, 2022                           Weather:  A rain producing weather disturbance will move into our area for most of the day, with precipitation amounts between one half and three quarters of an inch. Temperatures will remain cool, high temperatures in the low 50’s. This weather system will bring gusty winds to the ridgetops and the east side of the fire. Relative humidity remains high.   Operations:  With several days of variable amounts of rain in the forecast,...