As executive director of Mt. Adams Resource Stewards, I would like to express gratitude to The Columbian editorial board for drawing attention to the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act in the Aug. 10 editorial, “It’s time to act on fires.” I also give well-earned praise to Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, for her early co-sponsorship of this critical legislation for wildfire management.
Mount Adams is experiencing its most dramatic wildfire season in recent history, with more than 80 square miles of federal, state, private and Yakama tribal lands blackened by the Cougar Creek Fire. With wildfire frequency and intensity on the rise, it is unrealistic to expect the Forest Service to absorb the costs of suppressing fires while also maintaining a reasonable budget for preventing them.
Mt. Adams Resource Stewards’ work with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and South Gifford Pinchot Collaborative makes us particularly aware of the social and ecological costs of failing to fix the current firefighting funding process. Herrera Beutler, who also serves on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee tasked with tackling challenges associated with managing our public lands, clearly understands the need for taking action now.
I urge Congress to make passing the WDFA a top priority and hope that Washingtonians will continue to support legislators such as Herrera Beutler, who are making the right decisions for the safety of Washington’s ecology, economy and community.
