April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44

WILDFIRE
This graphic depicts the process of creating
a shaded fuel break with mechanical
thinning and pile burning to reduce
wildfire risk.
government affairs, heard about
the fire's proximity to the district
and contacted Weigandt to see if
there was any support NRPA could
provide. At the time, Weigandt was
concerned about the lack of resources
to respond to the wildfire,
so Simpson put him in contact with
communications and editorial staff
at NRPA to amplify their message
and to share their needs with the
rest of the park and recreation
community, Weigandt says.
The district gathered the resulting
NRPA blog and magazine article,
compiled it with other news coverage
of the district's wildfire response
work and shared that with local
legislators to gain support for their
wildfire suppression work. " I've
used all of it, and I continue to use
all of it whenever anyone's asking
about the need for this project, why
it's important for our community, "
Weigandt says. " It really showed
Willamalane can be a viable solution
to help solve this problem. "
The hard work has paid off. At
the end of 2022, the district received
$200,000 in federal appropriations
funding that requires an equal match
from Willamalane to support a
wildfire fuel reduction project. The
appropriations funding was supported
by former Representative
Peter
Defazio
(D-Ore.),
Senator
Jeff Merkeley (D-Ore.) and Senator
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The five-year,
$400,000 project supports the district's
small natural resources team,
allowing them to hire contractors to
assist in removing excess fuels, such
as grass, brush and tree limbs, from
the forest floor of the district's 1,500acre
Thurston Hills Natural Area.
The work not only will help lessen
the threat if another wildfire occurs
in the area, but also will support natural
habitat and improve community
access to the property. The district
plans to document and showcase the
effectiveness of the project.
" The community trusts us to be
really good stewards of the land, "
Weigandt says. " There's this huge
responsibility that comes with that,
and it is to protect the land as best
we possibly can. "
For anyone looking to follow in
the district's shoes, Weigandt recommends
forming partnerships. " Our
partnerships are the only reason that
we were able to do this, " he says.
Reach out to anyone facing similar
challenges in your area to make a
connection and start working together.
Having a unified strategy and
message makes it easier for public officials
to support your work. He also
recommends reaching out to any legislators,
explaining the impact local
Willamalane performs controlled burns
at Thurston Hills Natural Area as one
preventive measure to reduce the risk of
wildfires in Springfield, Oregon.
44 Parks & Recreation | APRIL 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLAMALANE PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT
IMAGE COURTESY OF SWA
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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