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Inmate Crews Work to Improve Forest Health, Reduce Fire Hazard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2001
CONTACT:
Perrin Damon, 503-945-0925
perrin.p.damon@doc.state.or.us
Virginia Gibbons, (541) 383-5522
vgibbons@fs.fed.us
"Only you can prevent wildfires," is the new slogan of Smokey Bear and inmates from the Oregon Department of Corrections are taking the mascot´s message to task this summer. For the third year in a row, the Oregon Department of Corrections is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to restore forest health and reduce fire hazard on national forest lands in Central Oregon.
The "Deschutes Conservation Camp," as the program is called, will set up camp in the forest beginning May 10, 2001. The camp consists of 90 inmates who are supervised by Department of Corrections staff. Ten-man work crews are deployed six days a week under the technical direction of U.S. Forest Service employees.
DOC Captain Jeff Forbes is returning for his third tour of duty as Camp Commander. The mobile work camp has proven so successful that the period of operation has been extended twice. "The first year of operation, the inmates worked for eight weeks. Last summer, they worked nine weeks and this summer, they´ll work ten weeks," said Captain Forbes.
"With record low precipitation threatening our forests, wildland fire hazard reduction is very important to forest health this year," said George Chesley of Central Oregon Fire Management Services.
During the summer of 2000, inmates hand-piled 2500 acres of hazardous fuels near the communities of Sisters, Crescent, Sunriver and LaPine. They also completed over two miles of fire line construction, pulled noxious weeds on over 250 acres, removed over one-half mile of plantation fencing, completed mulch mat maintenance on 286 acres and maintained four miles of recreation trails. They also repaired the trail to Black Butte Lookout and restored horse corrals and dispersed campsites near Crescent Lake.
Last year, the total value of the work accomplished by the inmates was estimated at over $1,000,000 with a national forest investment of only $411,000. The crews proved so cost effective that the dollars saved were used to support additional Oregon Department of Forestry and contract fire crews for fire suppression and additional hazard reduction work.
The Deschutes Conservation Camp will focus on three major priorities for restoration on National Forest Lands in Central Oregon during the summer of 2001:
- Protecting homes and communities (Sisters, LaPine and Prineville);
- Protecting accessible municipal water supplies (Bend Watershed); and
- Protecting threatened and endangered species habitat (work will be done in campgrounds to help prevent potential fires from spreading into adjacent owl and lynx habitat).
Only minimum custody inmates are eligible to participate in the Deschutes Conservation Camp. Those selected for this assignment are within three years of completing their prison term and have had acceptable behavior while incarcerated. "The work and training at the forest camp also provides valuable skills for inmates," added Department of Corrections Director Dave Cook.
Note to Editors and News Directors: If you are interested in visiting the Deschutes Conservation Camp, please call either contact person and we´ll arrange a visit to the camp and crews at work.
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