MHA Nation receives grant for wildfire protection plan
The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation received a $249,262 federal grant to develop a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, according to KXNET. The Nation is one of only two tribal nations selected for the 2025 USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grant.
The $200 million federal initiative supports 58 projects across 22 states and two tribal nations to improve wildfire preparedness, build capacity and strengthen fire management. The MHA Nation’s plan will focus on fuel management, community readiness and interagency coordination, led by the tribe’s Emergency Operations Center. A project coordinator and wildfire planning contractor will oversee the five-year effort, which follows the October 2024 Bear Den Fire that burned 13,000 acres in northwest North Dakota. The grant proposal was developed by retired Fire Management Officer Mare Baker.
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