Marine reservists help spruce up Deschutes forest

BEND, Ore. — Marine reservists are using some of their training time to help clean up national forests in Oregon.

Members of a U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve Engineer Services Company, part of Combat Logistics Battalion 23, came from Springfield earlier this month for training exercises in the Deschutes National Forest and the Willamette National Forest, The Bulletin reported on Monday.

As part of their training, about 50 reservists completed maintenance projects in Deschutes and 40 helped out in the Willamette forest.

Major Justin DiRico of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve said the Deschutes trip was a way for the members to train realistically because they usually have full-time jobs or go to school. Reserve members must train for one weekend each month and for a two-week stretch each year and be ready to deploy.

The reservists who went to the Deschutes forest demolished an old guard station and built more storage near the headquarters building in Bend, doing work that forest officials said they had no money or manpower to do.

“These projects kept getting deferred and deferred and deferred,” said Kassidy Kern, a Deschutes forest spokeswoman.

Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Alex Banse-Fay said the reservists used heavy equipment and tools, solving problems on the job as they worked.

This is the first year the Marines trained in Deschutes and Kern said they are welcome to return.