Partner Feeds
It’s no trick: The bats at DNR’s Woodard Bay are a treat
As guardians of the home of the largest bat-breeding colony found in the State, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants you to know that bats are a real treat – on Halloween and every day of the year.
There’s something batty going on with these little mammals. They actually look like flying mice. It makes sense why the German word for bat is “Fledermaus”, meaning, “fluttering mouse.”
You can go and check these little guys out for yourself at Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area. The NRCA is open year-round. Even though bats become popular around Halloween, the best time to see them is actually in the summer. Come to Woodard Bay any clear summer evening to watch the bats emerge at dusk from the old logging pier that they call home. Or, you can wait until after April when bats will return by the thousands to roost.
Bats might seem a little scary, but they’re actually just plain cute. They tend to get a bad rap because of the misconceptions that surround them. No, our Washington species don’t eat blood. No, they don’t get in your hair. And, no, you won’t get rabies from them unless you happen to handle and get bitten by the rare individual carrying rabies. Bats are good to have around – really good.
Bats are some of the most diverse and amazing animals in the world. In fact, they are the second most varied mammal group behind rodents. There are more than 1,300 species of bats in the world with the highest diversity in tropical realms such as Columbia and Indonesia. Yet bats occur in virtually all non-polar environments.
In Washington, we have 15 species of bat, some of which migrate in the cold months to either hibernaculum sites (often suitable caves) or places where insects are available. Little brown bats have been found to migrate 200-800 km (125 to 500 miles) to hibernate. We actually know very little about bat migration.
What do they eat?Bats are important for keeping insect populations in balance. The yuma myotis and little brown myotis bats at Woodard Bay eat mostly smaller insects such as mosquitoes, midges, and flies. They can consume up to 600 of them in just one hour.
Residents from Henderson Inlet to Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey benefit from their bug-devouring ways. Locations as far away as Capitol Lake, Black Lake, Long Lake, and Pattison Lake are also confirmed feeding sites for this colony.
But chances are that wherever you live in Washington, you have local bats treating you to summers with fewer bugs.
Bats hunt by emitting high frequency sounds that bounce off their flying insect prey, (yes, just like a radar), and this enables them to locate prey even in total darkness. They also use this amazing ability to fly in places full of obstacles and navigate in darkness. Toothed whales (like dolphins or sperm whales) also have this ability and even a few tiny shrews.
Bat Populations at RiskBats are in trouble. Besides being sometimes reviled for reasons of superstition or wrong-headedness, there are big environmental troubles out there.
White Nose Syndrome has been decimating bat colonies in hibernation in the eastern United States. It is a fungus that can live in the cool, moist conditions where clustered bats congregate during hibernation. Their respiratory systems clog up and they die — by the millions.
It is feared that up to 80 percent of eastern U.S. bats have perished in recent years. Unfortunately, a case of this disease was detected in Washington state just last year. Please contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife if you find a sick or dead bat, or if you notice bats unable to fly. You can report your observations online.
Learn more about DNR’s Natural Area Preserves and Natural Resources Conservation Areas that serve to conserve and restore lands for species like Washington’s bats.
Read before burning
Fall is here and with it comes rough weather conditions that wreak havoc on your property. Storms can quickly create hazardous trees or limbs, but there’s no need to compound the adverse event by raising the risks of a runaway wildfire.
As we round the end of the year, take advantage of periods of sunshine with little to no rain to assess your property and see if you have any trees or limbs that could be a hazard during the next storm or bout of bad weather.
Because outdoor burning is a leading cause of wildfire ignitions (yes, even in the wet months), think about options other than burning when you need to clear away yard and tree debris. Outdoor burning not only can be a fire hazard, but it can also create unhealthy smoke for your surrounding community.
Especially on the west side, keep an eye on the forecast for winds that are expected to come through the Cascade gaps. This is never good news if you are doing any type of outdoor burning. East winds bring dry, warm air, which can make outdoor burning a high risk of starting a fire.
Want to know what happens when an outdoor burn pile gets out of control?
Listen below.
Many communities, like Virginia Grainger Elementary School in Okanogan, are having clean up or compost parties. This not only brings neighbors together, but it also is a chance to get your property lean and clean before a wildfire comes through.
Before any burning, check with your local clean air agency to see if there is an air quality burn ban in place and look at local monitors to see current air quality levels.
Outdoor burning is a cause of smoke and certain pollutants. This smoke can be unhealthy because the small particles in smoke are so tiny, they can easily get into your lungs. People most at risk are children, patients with respiratory illnesses, and adults over 65 years old.
If you must burn, know the rules, and choose the right weather for burning. If you have a burn barrel, don’t use it. Burn barrels are illegal in Washington state.
Fortunately, there are burning alternatives, such as chipping and composting, which are easy and practical ways to dispose of many organic materials or convert them to another use.
Alternatives to outdoor burning
- Compost it – It’s a practical and convenient approach for disposing of forest debris. Any vegetable matter can be composted. Organic material, such as fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and the remains of garden plants, make excellent compost. Used as mulch for paths where it will eventually decompose and become compost to use in your garden. Check with your local county extension office, city, or county for schedules of composting classes.
- Chip it – Turn large branches and debris into mulch. If you don’t already own a chipper, check with your local equipment rental agency. Invite your neighbors to join in to make it more cost efficient for everyone.
- Use curbside pickup – Check with your local government or waste management company to see if your area offers curbside collection of yard waste.
- Take it to an approved landfill that accepts forest debris – Many counties have forest debris waste composting facilities.
- Host a neighborhood cleanup day
Remember, escaped wildfires are investigated and, if found guilty, you can be fined. If burning is allowed in your area, the only material that can be burned is natural vegetation grown on the property where the burning occurs. Be sure to check DNR’s webpage on silvicultural outdoor burning.
Finding Family Connections in Capitol Forest
Bob Bordeaux’s father, Bruce, wasn’t the reminiscing type.
Growing up, Bob was fairly naive to his father’s family history. He knew his dad came from a respected logging family, but beyond that, his vision of his dad’s childhood was blank.
“My dad’s life, to me, existed once he got married,” Bob said. “He never talked about anything before that.”
Bruce’s grandfather, Bob’s great-grandfather, was Joe Bordeaux, one of the original brothers Bordeaux, the trio that built a small mill town near Capitol Forest. In the early 1900s, the town of Bordeaux was bustling with activity, with more than 400 workers employed at the brothers’ company, Mason County Logging.
Bruce lived in this town as a small child, one of the last of the Bordeaux line to live in the area before it became a ghost town. Bob said his father rarely, if ever, spoke about this part of their family history. In the years since his father’s passing, Bob has found himself aching to learn more about his family.
“The older I get, the more I kind of wonder, ‘Well, what was dad like?’”
So he set out to find a literal connection to his family’s roots.
He reached out to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to get a piece of a tree from the Bordeaux forest, an area the agency now manages as part of the Capitol State Forest. He wants to use the wood to make commemorative keepsakes for his family, “so everyone can have a piece of Bordeaux.”
A PART OF HISTORY
Brandon Mohler, DNR’s Black Hills district manager, said this was the first time he’d ever gotten a request like this, but was happy to help Bob find something for his project.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Mohler said. “Especially with a family connection like this, there’s so much history. And it’s a part of DNR history, too.”
Mohler and Bob met up to walk through an area where timber harvest activities had recently been completed by DNR. This project is especially important to Bob because he doesn’t have many objects to remember his father’s side of the family by—he wasn’t a collector, he said. Bob cherishes the items he does have, like an antique table he inherited.
Brandon Mohler, DNR’s Black Hills district manager, walks Bob Bordeaux through an area of Capitol State Forest to find a piece of wood for his family project.“I’m happy every day that it is there,” he said. “It’s nothing fancy, scratched up after years of service, but it is pretty cool.”
As the two sifted through pieces of wood in the forested area, Bob reminisced about the time he spent in the area as a child. Despite his family’s history there, he can count the times he’s visited Bordeaux on one hand.
The small logging town experienced a sharp decline after a succession of forest fires gave the Black Hills their name. By 1941, it had become a ghost town.
Bob grew up in Yakima, but remembers swinging by to pick blackberries in the area when he was in grade school and thinking to himself, “No, there wasn’t a town here.” It was so overgrown and desolate, it was inconceivable to think his family once lived there, along with many others.
Indeed, it is tough to imagine the town was occupied by anything other than deer and Douglas-fir. Besides the shadows of a few forgotten structures, there’s no sign of the booming logging industry that once was.
Although his father was quiet about his time in Bordeaux, his grandmother, “was even more tight-lipped than my dad,” he said.
But as an adult, he’s having more conversations about his family’s colorful history with his mother and siblings.
“Now that I’m in my 50s, my dad has passed, I’m the youngest of the kids, you don’t need to protect a lot as far as the family stories,” Bordeaux said.
Once Mohler and Bob had pulled a couple of suitable tree scraps for the project, Bob pulled a small vintage suitcase from his truck, inscribed with the initials, “BB.”
Bob Bordeaux shows off old photos passed down from family members which give an idea what Bordeaux was like in the past.“My dad’s,” he said with a small smile. It’s one of the few personal items he has to remember his father by. Bob pulled publications and photographs from the case that he’s collected over the years, all of which documented what life was like in Bordeaux in its prime.
“It fascinates me what life must’ve been like,” he said. He pulled out a photo of a group of loggers dated around the 1920s. “You can almost smell them just from the photo,” he said with a chuckle.
Bob wants to surprise his family members with the keepsakes he’ll make from the wood he got from Bordeaux. He’ll pass them along to his wife, daughter, mother, and two siblings, hoping to surprise them with a real-life connection to their family’s logging history.
This Bioenergy Day, We Check in with School’s New Wood-Pellet Heating System
Happy Bioenergy Day!
Today, we’re celebrating a significant accomplishment of bioenergy at a Washington school district. It’s been about a year since a new wood pellet boiler was installed at a Northport school in northeast Washington, a project in collaboration with the Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the state Department of Commerce, and the Washington State University (WSU) Energy Program.
Bioenergy Day is a celebration of the ecological, social, and economic benefits of using organically-sourced energy.
What is Bioenergy?
Bioenergy is an efficient, sustainable form of energy that uses organic material to generate heating, cooling, or electricity. Commonly used materials include the byproducts of forest thinning, such as smaller trees, and agricultural and urban food waste.
The Northport boiler gets its juice from wood pellets, a much more sustainable option than the previously installed diesel-fueled heating system. These pellets are often made from byproducts of timber harvests or forest restoration activities – a convenient, sustainable use for organic material that might otherwise go unused.
The pellets are renewable and clean-burning, created in pellet-mills around the United States. These mills create jobs in heavily forested areas, often serving rural communities in need of sustainable jobs. Northport’s wood pellets come from Hauser, Idaho, but School District Superintendent Don Baribault has heard some talk within the community about hopes for local sourcing in the future.
It’s estimated that 1 million residences or businesses use wood pellets as a heating source, according to the Pellet Fuels Institute.
The First Year Report
First and foremost, Baribault says the wood pellet boiler has given some much needed warmth to the school, especially since the old system had begun to fail. Northport was in search of something that would be reliable and long lasting.
“Based on screening schools across Washington, Northport appeared among the most suitable sites for converting from oil heat to densified biomass,” said David Van Holde, senior energy engineer with the WSU Energy Program. “More importantly, the engagement and support by the superintendent and school board throughout the process ensured the project’s success.”
(Left to right) Superintendent of Northport School District Don Baribault, David Van Holde, senior energy engineer with the Washington State University Energy Program, commerce senior energy policy specialist Peter Moulton, Department of Commerce Director Lisa Brown, Anne Nelson with Department of Natural Resources and Andrew Haden, president of Wisewood Energy gather in front of the Northport wood pellet boiler.Last year, Baribault said the boiler went through approximately 50 tons of wood pellets. According to the Energy Information Association, one ton of pellets is the energy equivalent to 2.8 barrels of distillate home heating oil.
Although the audit hasn’t been fully completed, Baribault said he believes the pellet boiler will save at least $10,000 a year.
The school’s campus serves roughly 200 students, many of whom thought the project was pretty “cool,” Baribault said, especially the youngest of the group who saw the crane installing the boiler and asked if they were getting a rocket ship.
To learn more about the Northport boiler, check out this blog from last year. You can learn more about Bioenergy Day here.
Prescribed Fire Operations Update (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
10 miles of new trail open in Darrington’s North Mountain Bike Trail System
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to come visit the North Mountain Bike Trail System, located adjacent to the community of Darrington, WA, with over 10 miles of new trails officially open beginning Saturday, October 19.
In partnership with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Darrington community, legislative leaders, Washington Conservation Corps, DNR trail crews, volunteers, Skagit and Snohomish Counties, DNR is opening the North Mountain Bike Trail System. About an hour from Everett, this trail system offers breathtaking views of Whitehorse Mountain and the Stillaguamish Valley.
Click to view slideshow.“With around 10.5 trail miles opening on North Mountain’s upper slopes, new downhill trails provide a variety of challenges for riders with advanced skills. This higher elevation trail system complements the 4-miles of lower North Mountain Bike Skills Area trails opened in 2017, offering skill-building for riders to eventually progress to the upper mountain shuttle zone,” said Sam Jarrett, DNR’s Trails Program Manager, who led DNR project management.
As the winter season approaches with more consistent precipitation and potential for snow on upper elevation trail segments, visitors should carefully consider the weather and resulting trail conditions before visiting. Several advanced difficulty skill level trails are built to a more primitive development standard, trail crews will be tackling maintenance needs throughout the winter and spring months as trails wear in.
“Working with project partners, we are planning an in-person grand opening celebration event to occur spring 2020, at that time we expect to have a final trail connection in place that will link the upper mountain trails to the skills area. This will allow visitors an option to descend the longest available system trail, starting near the roughly 3,800’ elevation North Mountain summit, and ending near local businesses in Darrington,” says Jarrett.
This project could not have happened without support from leaders at the town of Darrington, local businesses that supported various components of the project, including HiLine Helicopters Inc. and Three Rivers Cutting, and the hundreds of hours of donated volunteer labor contributed to developing the trails.
For more information about the trail system and to download a map visit DNR’s project web page at dnr.wa.gov/DarringtonMTB. Insert trail system map or link on the project page
Background
DNR held the two open houses for the project in Darrington and Arlington in November 2015. You can view the comments we received at public input stations at the Darrington and Arlington open houses.
Share your thoughts
To connect with our project manager, send us an email. To hear more about the project, sign up to receive updates on this project through our Darrington Mountain Bike E-news and connect with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Class 1 electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) will be allowed on trails as a pilot project in our Darrington/North Mountain trail system.
This pilot project is expected to last through October 2020 and will provide one source of data gathering to help inform long-term suitability of e-bike usage on DNR lands. WA Bill 6434: “Class 1 electric-assisted bicycle” means an electric-assisted bicycle in which the motor provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour.”
To participate in a project survey, including feedback on eMTB use on North Mountain, please visit the following survey link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/3NQCFGL
October 1991 – A storm of wildfire wreaked havoc in eastern Washington
Imagine 62 miles-per-hour wind gusts blowing in your neighborhood.
Twenty-eight years ago, Washington state experienced the fire of the century, titled ‘Fire Storm’ because that’s exactly what took place. The conditions were just right to create the perfect storm.
On October 16, 1991, 62 mph wind gusts were recorded in eastern Washington. The forests, brush, and grasslands were extremely dry. Because of a harsh combination of dry, unseasonably warm, and windy conditions, 92 wildfires quickly started.
Approximately 90% of the fires started because gale-force winds snapped power lines or trees fell into power lines.
During this time, northeast Washington was in the midst of high population growth. Many more homes were built in what we call the wildland urban interface (WUI), where homes and forest mix. These homes presented a challenge for firefighters; the majority of structures lost to wildfire were located in the WUI. One fatality occurred during the fire and 114 homes and numerous other structures were destroyed. Wildfires have become more disastrous as people move into the WUI.
Lessons learned and state mobilization established
Homeowners affected by Fire Storm were caught with a lack of knowledge about the wildfire risks where they lived. As a result, the National Fire Protection Association developed Firewise, a program to educate and assist homeowners in protecting themselves from wildfire. Firewise created a website for a national audience to provide the best available information on home wildfire safety. The website provides popular videos and instructional materials for nurseries, landscape professionals, and home owners.
Research dating back to the 1960s shows that the two major risk factors for homes during wildfires are:
- A flammable roof, vulnerable to the embers thrown during a wildfire
- Vegetation close to a house that generates enough heat or flames to ignite siding or other parts of the home
During Fire Storm, local firefighting resources were overwhelmed with the number of fires. As a result, the State Mobilization Plan was created. The plan quickly and efficiently brings in Washington Fire Service personnel and equipment from around the state when a wildfire exceeds a local fire department’s capacities.
These resources can include fire engines, firefighters, aircraft, heavy equipment and Incident Management Teams. These teams – part of the National Incident Management System – are made up of Department of Natural Resources, federal and fire service personnel.
Check out the mobilization process that is under the authority of the Washington State Patrol.
Fire Storm has resulted in a greater local and statewide awareness of the problems associated with people living in the wildland urban interface.
For more information, read the Fire Storm 1991 Case Study
Quick facts about Fire Storm 1991
Maximum wind gust: 62 mph
Homes destroyed: 114
Acres burned: 35,000
Homes threatened: 511
Separate fires: 92
Firefighters at fire: 4,000
Fire engines responding: 400
Fatalities: 1
Largest single fire: 13,840 acres
9-1-1 calls received, first 24 hours: 3,000
Great #ShakeOut Playlist
The Great #ShakeOut is nearly here! While you’re preparing to drop, cover, and hold on during the drill, pump up with our earthquake-inspired playlist. This combination of rockin’ tunes is dedicated to everything related to shaking, rattling, and rolling.
Malheur National Forest Prescribed Fire Operations Update (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
How prescribed burns can prevent wildfires and renew ecosystems
Plumes of black smoke rising ominously over the horizon. Bright orange flames licking up from the forest floor with dizzying speed. A canvas of black and white scorched earth left behind.
The destructive images from the wake of a catastrophic wildfire are easy to remember. But it’s just as easy to forget the renewal and growth that smaller fires can bring.
From our coastal prairielands to forests in eastern Washington, many habitats in our state depend on a cycle of low-intensity fire. For more than a century, however, the power of fire was stifled by well-intentioned wildfire fighting efforts. This fire suppression resulted in the overgrown, unbalanced ecosystems we see today in prairies and many of our central and eastern Washington forests.
Historically, low severity fires would burn periodically, reducing litter build up and paving the way for new life. Flora and fauna within these habitats evolved, adapting to the wildfire cycle and, in many cases, became dependent on their occurrence.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working to bring the wilderness back to its original splendor through prescribed burning – controlled burns for forest maintenance or habitat restoration. These controlled burns are designed to mimic low-intensity wildfires that would naturally occur.
“Prescribed fire can play a major role in the natural world by creating healthy ecosystems for plants and animals to flourish,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who leads the DNR. “With proper planning and oversight, we can put fire to work for us and reduce the fuels that contribute to dangerous, severe wildfires.”
DNR is focused on two general types of habitats: The agency’s Natural Areas Program has been burning in prairies for years, and DNR’s Forest Health and Resiliency Division is launching a Prescribed Fire Program to restore the dry ponderosa-dominated forests of central and eastern Washington.
Prairie restoration burning
In prairies, without frequent fires to clear moss and deep thatch accumulation, native plants suffocate. There has been a substantial loss of habitat from encroaching trees and shrubs from surrounding forests; the native prairies of today are thought to be limited to only 3 percent of their former extent.
On a mild, sunny day in October, DNR conducted a controlled burn at the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve.
“Mima Mounds is one of the largest remnants of the native prairies that occurred in this region historically,” said David Wilderman, Natural Areas ecologist for DNR. “Fire is a key component in maintaining prairies.”
This particular burn was long-awaited, and nearly didn’t happen thanks to soggy western Washington weather. Conditions have to be just right to conduct an effective, safe prairie burn, Wilderman said. And, it’s not just the weather that can halt a prescribed burn – fire crews have to pay particular attention to wind conditions.
One way this burn will renew the prairie is through the elimination of some fire-intolerant invasive species, like Scotch broom. Mima Mounds is dotted with areas of this green, brushy nuisance. The plant reproduces by seed, which can stay viable for nearly 80 years, Wilderman said.
“(Fire) also helps rejuvenate native prairie plants and wildflowers,” he said, citing camas as an example. “Camas is an important native food plant for Native Americans and an important nectar plant for butterflies in the spring.”
Even the smoke from controlled burns can have a positive effect on the landscape. Wilderman said for some native species, contact with smoke can result in more effective seed germination.
Forest restoration burning
Many forests can also reap benefits from a controlled burn. Frequent, low-intensity burns clear built-up woody debris, diminishing the types of fuels that lead to high-severity fires, which are difficult for forests to recover from and put our communities at risk.
A controlled burn can help manage invasive species and weeds, as the majority of native plants are adapted to the wildfire cycle whereas many invasives are not. In addition, controlled forest burns can prevent plant diseases, cycle nutrients in the soil and increase habitat for grazing wildlife.
The forests of central and eastern Washington have grown too dense and homogenized over time, resulting in a loss of varied habitat. A truly healthy forest is ever-changing, alternating with sections of fresh burns, young growth and established old growths. Several animal species, such as the Canada Lynx, depend on a morphing forest for survival as they use different habitats for hunting, raising babies and mating.
Read more about the state’s 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan to restore forest health and reduce wildfire risk here.
A wind storm worth remembering
Wind storms are a fact of life in Washington state, but were you around when the Columbus Day Storm hit in 1962?
One of Washington’s most severe windstorms hit 57 years ago today, however, many Washingtonians weren’t born yet and won’t remember it.
Considered the ‘granddaddy of all windstorms’ in these parts, the storm claimed 46 lives (seven in Washington state) and injured hundreds more in less than 12 hours. In the Willapa Hills of southwestern Washington, a wind gust of 160 mph was recorded.
More than 11,000,000,000 board feet of timber was blown down in northern California, Oregon, and Washington combined. After an intense timber salvage effort, many back country roads were created and continue to be used by hunters, recreationists, and loggers today.
The aftermath of the Oct. 12, 1962 Columbus Day Storm.Severe weather events may be infrequent, but the anniversary of the Columbus Day Storm serves as a good reminder to be prepared.
What can you do to prepare for the ferocious wind storms that strike our state almost every winter?
Take a moment to remember or learn about this storm and use it as motivation. Prepare your trees, ready your boats, and check out the Washington State Emergency Management Division’s “Windstorms in Washington State” publication for survival tips. It could prevent your boat from sinking, keep you from losing power, or even save your home.
Whatever storms you’ve experienced, DNR encourages you to join other Washington residents in preparing your trees before the next big one hits. Take action now to reduce the damage caused by windstorms.
If you need tree care advice, remember to take always contact a certified arborist.
Funding for local and rural fire districts is here: Applications open Oct. 15
Rural fire districts play an essential role in managing wildfires in Washington. But without the proper resources, their work can only go so far.
That’s where the Department of Natural Resource (DNR) Fire District Assistance Program can help. We administer grants to help local fire districts and departments obtain the best means to fight wildfire.
Qualifying fire districts and departments can use assistance grants to purchase general fire equipment, as well as fund a variety of eligible fire-improvement projects.
This U.S.D.A. Forest Service funding provides a 50 percent match of what the recipient spends.
The grants are available to fire protection districts and departments in Washington state that respond to wildland fires on private, state, or federal lands and:
- Serve communities with a population of 10,000 or fewer residents, or
- Serve communities of more than 10,000 residents AND a service area that includes a rural community of fewer than 10,000 residents.
DNR’s Volunteer Fire Assistance Phase 2 grant applications are open Oct. 15 through Dec. 1.
Grant requirements, including district eligibility, and types of projects eligible for funding can be viewed at DNR’s Fire District Assistance Program webpage starting Tuesday, Oct. 15.
More about the program
DNR’s Fire District Assistance Program is the conduit for fire districts and departments to participate in the USFS Firefighter Property and Volunteer Fire Assistance programs.
These programs reduce costs for taxpayers and improve local and state agencies’ response to wildfires. For example, local fire districts and departments can obtain used excess military equipment and help pay for its conversion to wildland fire use. Eligible fire districts can apply to DNR for assistance from these programs.
Is there such a thing as ‘tree month?’
October is Urban and Community Forestry Month (aka tree month), and for all that trees do for us, it’s only fitting that we return the favor.
This is the eighth year Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has officially proclaimed October as a month dedicated to trees. To celebrate, the state departments of Enterprise Services (DES) and Natural Resources (DNR) are collaborating to plant 100 new trees on the Capitol Campus between October 2019 and April 2020. DNR will buy many of the trees, and DES will plant and maintain them.
The DES/DNR partnership dovetails with the 100-themed “Centennial Challenge” issued by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) in recognition of the organization’s 100th anniversary. NASF is a non-profit organization made up of state foresters from across the country and exists to support the states’ delivery of programs, such as urban forestry, that promote responsible management and protection of forests on non-federal lands.
Trees serve as living, breathing assets that make our communities healthier, cleaner, and more vibrant. A healthy tree canopy scrubs the air of pollutants, absorbs stormwater runoff, attenuates noise, buffers winds, conserves energy, provides wildlife habitat and beautifies the landscape. With plenty of moisture and crisp, cool weather, autumn is a great time to adjust the saplings to their new home.
The first of the new trees on the block will be planted in conjunction with an event to celebrate Urban Forestry Month on the Washington State Capitol campus on Friday, October 18th. The public is invited to join the event in Olympia at noon, at the corner of Capitol Way and Sid Snyder Ave. S.W.
Fall is a wonderful time in Washington as our trees and forests reveal the natural magic of their fall colors. Washington’s native deciduous trees, such as bigleaf maple, cottonwood, aspen, birch, and the western larch, specialize in shades of yellow fall colors, whereas our urban forests, planted with many non-native trees, paint our cities and towns with hues of orange, red and purple that stir the human spirit.
Throughout the month of October, DNR’s social media feeds on Twitter and Facebook will feature tree care tips, suggested trees to consider planting, and info on the many benefits of trees.
Trees are a gift to us all, so come out and join us on the 18th to celebrate.
Happy Urban & Community Forestry Month!
Possible ignitions on units in Silvies Valley (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
Malheur National Forest Prescribed Fire Operations Update (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
Pomeroy Ranger District implements prescribed burn (2019 Umatilla NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
Breaking the Stigma: Supporting Firefighters’ Mental Health
It should have been a routine workday for Walter Escobar.
The assistant fire unit manager in the Department of Natural Resources’ Southeast Region had a young firefighter cut down a burning tree.
As the firefighter followed Escobar’s assignment, the unexpected happened – a large, burning branch fell and struck the firefighter.
Because the firefighter was looking up, he was able to duck out of the way. The branch clipped his arm and left a nasty bruise, but the incident still haunts Escobar.
If the firefighter hadn’t been following protocol, he could have been killed.
“That was my call,” Escobar said. “It was my decision.”
Escobar isn’t the only person in the fire industry awake at night thinking about the “what-ifs.” The stressors of a severe wildfire season don’t dissipate after the fires have been extinguished. When the ash settles and wildfire crews have gotten their hard-earned break, they are carrying much more than their gear home.
‘YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME’
Every year, fire crews head out into the Washington state wilderness, primed to take on the beast that is wildfire. Firefighters work grueling hours, providing plenty of time to form close bonds with their counterparts. Many crews connect deeply through the experience of doing tough work with service-minded people.
“You spend so much time with your crew, they become your home away from home,” said Escobar, who worked on a 20-person hand crew for the majority of his career. Hand crews go back into landscapes that are inaccessible to vehicles, using tools like chain saws and Pulaskis to create fire lines. Although some are career firefighters, many of them are hired only for fire season.
Heading back home after the primary fire season can be a burden on some firefighters, especially those who work seasonally.
Seasonal workers spend six to eight months with their crewmates, forming a tight-knit community at work. When that newly formed family is taken away at the end of a season, some can struggle to readjust, said Josh Mohler, North Unit Assistant Fire Manager for Lewis, Grays Harbor, and Pacific counties for DNR. Mohler has worked seasonally for the majority of his firefighting career.
Some find it hard to find jobs in the off-season and connect with their old communities, he said, but for others, the issue dives even deeper.
“A lot of folks, we invest our personalities into our jobs,” Mohler said. “When I started as a volunteer, I was that guy wearing all the shirts, buying all the firefighter paraphernalia, spending whatever free time my wife would allow me down at the fire station. I was all in.”
A firefighter’s essence can become rooted in the thrill, pressure, and camaraderie of the work itself. When wildfire season ends, some feel like they are losing not only their family, but part of their identity, too, Mohler said.
“Anytime you’re removed from something that you’ve invested so much of your personality into, it leaves a gap that you don’t know what to do with.”
FIGHTING THE ‘TOUGH-GUY’ TYPECAST
Despite the struggles seasonal and permanent wildland firefighters deal with, mental health isn’t a topic frequently brought up among crews. Mohler, Escobar, and other DNR fire employees are working to change that.
In recent years, there has been a reported increase of mental health issues within wildland firefighter communities. Mohler doesn’t deny that it has become more of an issue, but believes it has been lying under the surface for years.
“I think these things have existed through generations, there’s just a few things in society that have changed. The fact that we’re having the conversation on breaking the stigma and talking about it is different,” Mohler said, adding that open conversations about mental health were not happening 20 years ago. “Old-timers were stoic about it, went about their life and kept it to themselves.”
Negative connotations associated with mental health were, and to an extent, still are prevalent among fire crews.
“There was a time when you didn’t dare talk about it,” Escobar said.
Gabe Baez, a safety officer with DNR, said this could be due to mental health issues being equated with weakness. Baez recognizes the well-established “tough-guy” wildland firefighter typecast which many may feel pressure to live up to.
Mohler sees the lack of communication around mental health as a serious issue and worries about those who may be bottling their emotions due to stigma. He uses an analogy of pebbles being placed in a pocket. Each stone signifies a struggle — if you add more and more stones to the pocket without sharing them with others, eventually, they’ll overflow.
Although there aren’t strong statistics on mental health for wildland firefighters, many firefighters have been affected, or know a crewmate affected by the issue.
“I’ve had several people within my close circle of comrades and workmates that have been severely affected by the compounding effects of the job,” Mohler said.
The Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue lost one of their own on Sept. 19, 2019. The group is mourning the loss of Battalion Chief Mike Zainfeld, who took his own life after 25 years of service at Cowlitz 2. Zainfeld worked in both wildland fire and incident management along the way, also as a seasonal wildland firefighter for DNR. Due to his struggles with PTSD as a result of job-related incidents, Cowlitz 2 considers his death a line of duty event.
Battalion Chief Mike Zainfeld’s memorial procession on Oct., 1, 2019 in Longview, WA.Cowlitz 2 was very transparent the circumstances of Zainfeld’s passing. Fire Chief Dave Lafave said evasiveness wasn’t an option.
“I learned a long time ago, ‘tell the truth’,” Lafave said. “We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again, but how do we do that if we don’t talk about it?”
Lafave worked with Zainfeld for many years, and has worked in the fire industry for 36 years. Over the course of his career he’s seen major changes in how mental health is discussed among fire crews.
“When I started I was told to ‘buck up if you can’t take it.’ Repeatedly,” he said. But this isn’t the case anymore, Lafave said, and if you need to talk, there’s people there to listen. He hopes this tragedy will encourage others to intervene with their friends and family members if they see indicators of struggle. The earlier you say something, the more effective it will be, he said.
Mohler recognized his own struggle with mental health issues after working in the emergency industry for 20 years and experiencing an unexpected loss in his family.
“Being away from home and the stress of trying to function at 100 percent, 100 percent of the time, that created sleep anxiety. I was anxious because I needed to sleep but I couldn’t because I was anxious. It was a vicious cycle.”
Mohler is a self-described “fixer.” He’s good at finding solutions and making changes, but after several months of struggling, Mohler recognized that he wasn’t in control anymore.
“I couldn’t fix myself,” he said.
He sought help through DNR’s Employee Assistance Program. Mohler found a great deal of value in opening up with others, so he pursued tough conversations with his fellow firefighters.
“I felt like sharing my story gave others the opportunity to share theirs,” he said.
‘NOT ALL WOUNDS ARE VISIBLE’
As Mohler’s own struggles after two decades of fire service demonstrated, not all wounds are visible.
That became the focal message of the movement Mohler spearheaded at DNR, called “#breakthestigma,” to highlight the unseen mental health issues DNR firefighters face. The campaign raised money for the Eric Marsh Foundation, which supports wildland firefighters and their families through resource connections and financial support. #Breakthestigma also sought to raise awareness and increase the amount of open and empathetic peer conversations within DNR. Mohler plans to start the campaign again next spring.
Baez emphasized the need for active empathetic conversation within fire crews, before, during, and after wildfire season, something Escobar echoed separately. Specifically, Baez said supervisors should pave the way for their crew members.
The signs of internal struggle are visible, Baez said – you just have to look. Disruption in work ethic and personality changes could be a sign that something is wrong, and if you see something, you should say something.
Baez has worked in the fire industry for 17 years. Over the past decade, he has slowly seen more and more open and honest conversations about mental health. It started with a recognition and validation of the issue.
“We’ve identified that it is a problem,” Baez said.
Baez encourages all fire crew supervisors to communicate with their firefighters about seeking help, starting the process at the beginning of the season and reiterating it at the end. He also hopes seasonal crew members stay connected with their supervisors and fellow firefighters in the offseason to prevent the feeling of loss.
The realization that someone wants to check in with your mental well-being can make all the difference in some cases, Mohler said. Some wildland firefighters might feel awkward having these chats, but that doesn’t stop Mohler.
“If it saves one life, it’s all worth it,” he said.
For those seeking support, there are several resources available that allow for anonymity. Code 4 Northwest is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization that provides confidential crisis response for Washington state’s first responders, support personnel, and their families. All call-takers are current or former first responders who can talk an individual through crisis or refer them to counseling, peer support services, and more.
Pocket Peer from the Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health is another great resource for those in need. It is a service that provides informational videos, resources, and general support for firefighters and their friends and families.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also provides a helpline for treatment referrals and general information. Firefighters in crisis can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you’d like to make a donation to Mike Zainfeld’s family, you can find the information at Honoringmikezainfeld.com.
Malheur National Forest Prescribed Fire Operations Update (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
Malheur National Forest Prescribed Fire Operations Update (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
Prescribed Fire Operations Continue (2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire)
Pages
