Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes visits Siskiyou Mountain Park speaks with Tribal Ecological Trainees from Klamath Tribes and affiliates working as part of the Tribal Ecological Forestry Training Program on the Lomakatsi Restoration Project. This project has performed 400+ acres of fuel treatments in the communities interface in partnership with the Oregon Conservation Corps and other Oregon state programs.

Wilkes made the visit after announcing Community Wildfire Defense Grants during an event at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, March 21, 2023.

USDA’s Forest Service plans to announce $197 million in investments to 100 projects under the new Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program, which assists at-risk communities, including Tribal communities, with planning for and mitigation of wildfire risks. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) authorized the program with an investment of $1 billion over five years, starting in FY 2022.

(USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)