Fires threaten Native American lands
PORTLAND, Ore. — Karuk tribal citizen Troy Hockaday Sr. watched helplessly last fall as a wildfire leveled the homes of five of his family members, swallowed acres of forest where his people hunt deer, elk and black bear. The fire killed a longtime friend.
Now, less than a year later, the tribal councilman is watching in horror as flames encroach on the parched lands of other Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest that already are struggling to preserve traditional hunting and fishing practices amid historic drought. At least two tribes have declared states of emergency.
“We got spread out all over the place” after last year’s Slater Fire near Happy Camp, Calif., said Hockaday, adding that about 200 homes, including many belonging to Karuk citizens, were burned. “Some people have already sold their property and given up. But the tribe as a whole, we’re trying to build ourselves back and be strong.
“It’s hard to watch the devastation of what a fire can do nowadays. It’s just crazy — and we just started July,” he added.
Blazes in Oregon, California and Washington state were among nearly 70 active wildfires that have destroyed homes and burned through about 1,562 square miles in a dozen mostly Western states.
The Pacific Northwest region was moved up to the highest fire alert level Wednesday — rare for this time of year — as dry, gusty winds were expected in parts of Oregon and new blazes popped up.
The lightning-caused Bootleg Fire — the largest fire in the U.S. — was burning in Klamath tribal territory in southern Oregon, not far from the wildfire that ravaged Hockaday’s tribal community less than a year ago.