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A Million Thanks
Congratulations to the Rogue Valley Prescribed Burn Association for another successful year of empowering land owners from the growing threat of wildfire.
In April, my husband and I attended the IGNITE seminar at the Siskiyou Field Institute in Selma. At the three day event, I learned about the importance of fire on the ground for the ecology, proper weather conditions for burning, fire safety, creating fire lines, and Native American burning practices.
We were fortunate to have the organization conduct a prescribed burn on five acres around our home this spring, The burn required fifteen volunteers. We ended up with 25! Two fire engines were also required and five men came with engines, donating their equipment and time.
The RVPBA is a great program which was started by Aaron Krikova, a fireman himself.
I urge you to watch the cideo, “Burning to Heal”, to get a sense of how the program works, and sign up for the next season. The grass roots volunteer group is inspiring and enables people with no fire fighting experience to do something to protect their homes, landscape, and wildlife as the hot summer approaches.
One of the best things about the process is getting to know your neighbors and people outside the community. We ate a meal together, exchanged phone numbers, and made new friends.
A million thanks to Aaron for all his hard work, and all who came to help preserve one more piece of this beautiful Valley.
Tracy Knopf
Illinois Valley