News Stories for Wed., Aug. 9, 2017

A fire ignited yesterday afternoon near the reservation border north of Simnasho, started just off of the reservation at Juniper Flats. The Nene Springs Fire is estimated right now at 5500 acres, a majority of that on the reservation. Local resources worked through the night, securing the tail end of the fire and performing burn operations on the flanks which have held. The fire continues to actively burn. Highway 3 is open however fire personnel are out and motorists should use extra caution. The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.

In partnership with several tribal members, the Oregon Climate and Health Program released digital stories about climate change and community health in Warm Springs. The videos were shown yesterday at a community event. This effort is part of the Climate and Health Program’s Resilience Plan, released earlier this year. The plan identifies storytelling as an important method for increasing awareness and building community partnerships to better prepare, plan, and recover from climate risks. The videos were created in a workshop co-facilitated by a non-profit called StoryCenter. Each participant developed their own story, picked out their own images, and put it all together using a digital editing software program.

President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for damage done by January storms, making federal assistance available in four Oregon counties. The declaration was approved on Tuesday covering damage from January 7-10 when severe winter storms brought flooding, landslides and mudslides to Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River and Josephine counties.