For many weeks now, we have been suffering from the effects of wildfires on our health, our livestock, and our homes. Small fires, that because of long standing policy, have been allowed to burn into our wilderness areas as long as they didn’t affect structures.
We now see that what we allow to happen to our wilderness, can ultimately, come into our “own backyards.” It hurts when we lose our homes and property to fires.
Try to imagine how wildlife “families” are also affected. These raging wildfires that consume everything in their path. These creatures, if they survive, will most likely starve this winter.
We talked to a ranger here in Hamilton. His comment was, “I hate to say it, but they’re only trees.”
Is this the view that the Forest Service has of our forests? If it is, we need to find another agency to manage what is left of our forests, and wildlife habitat. Was that the view that they had when these fires first started, and gradually increased to out of control wildfires, consuming everything in their path?
I hope people now realize there is something seriously wrong with the way these fires are handled.
Contact your governor and senators. We did.
K. Gervais
Corvallis