PNW wildfires destroy tribal homes, pollute salmon waters, scorch camas and chokecherry fields
Colville Tribes in Washington and Klamath Tribe in Oregon could see impacts on hunting and gathering sites
Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest have destroyed homes, polluted water with ash and devastated traditional food systems for salmon and berries.
This year the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington is experiencing the worst wildfire season in more than a decade. According to Stateline, roughly 900,000 acres have burned across Washington, including 200,000 from the Kaiser Canyon Fire burning across Colville.
“What typically used to be like a two-month fire season for us when I first started fighting fire about 25 years ago — now that’s at least three months and sometimes longer, depending on the year,” said Cody Desautel, executive director of the Colville Tribes, who is also a forester and wildland fire expert told Stateline.
In Oregon, the Klamath Tribe has concerns about wildfire pollution impacting streams and rivers that are central to its salmon restoration, which includes new salmon hatches in the Williamson River and Upper Klamath Lake. The fire has also scorched fields that grew traditional foods like huckleberries, chokecherries and camas.
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