People Who CollaborateBringing back a past profile of Dave Hannibal, a valuable voice contributing to the Harney County Forest Restoration Collaborative and busy with wildfire season preparations right now. (See article below.)
In 1980 Dave Hannibal was busy as a tree climber picking cones for seed production used in nurseries for growing trees to replant. It turns out that was the early days of forest restoration and Dave "found myself as a part owner in Cedar Mountain Forestry which was a worker owned cooperative in Southern Oregon". Now more than 40 years later Dave is still involved with the same work but on a much larger scale with Grayback Forestry as forest restoration work has grown and changed. READ MORE
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Eastern Oregon Preps for Wildfire Season Amid Shifting Conditions and Staffing PressuresAs flood recovery continues, spring in Eastern Oregon also means finalizing the ongoing preparations for the upcoming wildfire season. Erring on the side of caution, land managers, fire officials and community members are planning ways to mitigate damages from what could be another challenging summer. A combination of above-average snowpack, carryover of fine fuels, and the ongoing impacts of federal workforce reductions have set the stage for a potentially active fire year. From rural volunteer forces to federal agencies, preparations are underway. READ
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New Phase of Wildfire Resilience Work Completed in Southeast OregonBy Tara Thissell, BLM Public Affairs Specialist
Crews have completed another phase of wildfire prevention work in the Stinkingwater Mountains, removing overgrown juniper trees across more than 1,100 acres of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The effort is part of the Southeast Oregon Wildfire Resiliency Project a massive collaborative effort covering more than 800,000 acres across Harney and Malheur counties. It’s driven by High Desert Partnership’s Harney County Wildfire Collaborative, which includes local ranchers, scientists, tribal members, conservationists, and government agencies all working together.
“Juniper encroachment has really changed the way fire behaves in this ecosystem,” said Justin DeCroo, a Fuels Planner with the BLM. “By removing dense pockets of juniper, we’re not just reducing fuel loads, we’re giving native plants and wildlife a better chance to thrive.”
Below: Before-and-after photos from recent work sites show the dramatic impact of these treatments: cleared hillsides, stronger native plant regrowth, and healthier water sources. Local wildlife such as mule deer, pronghorn, and the threatened greater sage grouse are already benefiting from improved habitat conditions.
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Welcome HDP Summer CrewHarney County summers are a busy time for collaborative work which means a growing team at HDP as the annual summer crew gets to work. The crew is a mix of local high school students and college students helping to move collaborative projects forward while gaining some amazing experiences through work with HDP's team and collaborative partners.
A bit about each with pictures to follow in the order you see here.
STREAM CREW. This crew is conducting Aquatic Inventory Surveys (fish habitat data) on the Malheur National Forest.
- Braedon Cornwall: Treasure Valley Community College student and a returning crew member supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.
- Vanya Crumine: Oregon State University student working towards a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation; supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.
HABITAT CREW. This crew is working on the Oregon Rangeland Monitoring Protocol (ORMP). This is a long-term monitoring protocol that is essential to understand if restoration efforts are durable through time.
- Keaira Burns: Burns High graduate, University of Idaho undergrad and a returning crew member supporting the Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative helping and the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative. Keaira will be a crew lead this summer.
- Owen Graham: Burns High graduate, Gavilan College undergrad and a returning crew member supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.
- Braeden O'Connor: Burns High student and a returning crew member supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.
- Preston Hill: Burns High student and a returning crew member supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.
- Joe Weil: Burns High student and a returning crew member supporting the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative.
MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE CREW
- Sarah Weber: University of Oregon undergrad and her third summer with us. Sarah is supporting the Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative with research and projects at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
- Kate Berry: Supporting the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge National Comprehensive Conservation Plan Collaborative by assisting with vegetation surveys.
These interns will assist both the Burns and Hines fire departments with the residential defensible space program while also doing some post wildfire rangeland monitoring. They'll monitor plant species survival and the severity of the wildfire burn. They are supporting both the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative and the Harney County Forest Restoration Collaborative.
- Dylan Johnson: Dylan will be a senior at Burns High School; Dylan has worked a summer in the Malheur National Forest as a Natural Resource Maintenance Technician doing projects such as fencing repair.
- Liam McLain: Liam is a Burns native and an undergrad at the University of Idaho in Mechanical Engineering. Liam has spent multiple summers as an intern for land management agencies, including as a Forestry Engineer technician with the Forest Service, and a science research technician with the Agricultural Research Service.
- Junior Raif: Junior will be a senior at Burns High School; Junior has completed the introduction to wildfire course at BHS, and has received the S130/190 wildfire certifications for wildland firefighting.
- Caitlyn Horell: Caitlyn, a recent graduate of Burns High School, Caitlyn has been involved in the Harney County Community through Future Farmers of America and 4-H for over three years. She's also participated previously in the Harney Internship Program completing an internship at the Harney District Hospital.
HARNEY COUNTY FOOD SYSTEMS INTERNSHIPS
This internship is supporting the food systems initiative of the Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative. The intern, Taylor Trent will have a myriad of experiences supporting grant reporting, delivering CSA boxes, assisting with the community garden and a farming project in Crane, planning events, meetings and farm-to-table dinners as well as helping with the Burns Farmer's Market.
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Listen UP!
Thanks to Elkhorn Media's Mindy Gould two recent interviews dove into this summer's Fire Ready Internship Program and the latest with the Youth Changing the Community Collaborative programs.
Click the following links to listen.
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Career Prep at Burns High
This spring, 12 high school seniors who were still deciding on their post-graduation plans took a special career preparation class taught by Biology teacher, Amy Smith. During this spring semester course they were exposed to training for wildland firefighting, worked on some financial literacy skills as well as resume and cover letter writing and then explored what's involved in starting a business.
Pictured are Junior Raif and Sean McMullen presenting their concept for an auto detailing business; they are both recent Burns High School graduates. This summer Junior (on the left) is an intern on HDP's Fire-Ready crew, and Sean is a wildland firefighter with the Burns Interagency Fire Zone.
Wildland Firefighting Program
The first half of the semester focused on wildland firefighting preparation through a partnership with Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) Natural Resources Department and Vale Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
After completing this program:
- Three students will be employed by local agencies for wildland firefighting and support roles.
- One student will intern with the Fire Ready Crew at High Desert Partnership this summer.
- Several students were identified as potential Fire Ready Summer Interns for a new 2025 pilot program
Life Skills Training. After earning their fire safety certifications, students worked on financial literacy skills and resume and cover letter writing.
Side Hustle Entrepreneurship Class. They then concluded the course by exploring what's involved in being an entrpreneur. (Taught by High Desert Partnership's Andrea Letham, Anna Gahley & Denise Rose with Amy Smith of Burns High coordinating it all)
This three-week program started with students who said they were "not interested" in starting their own business. By the end, they had created working business plans learning key components of successful businesses as well as practical business knowledge like creating budgets.
The program concluded with a "Shark Tank" style presentation where students pitched their business ideas with real startup funding available through Business Oregon.
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Harney Garden of Eatin' Community GardenThe Harney Garden of Eatin', located just off Highway 78 near the Harney Hub, is inviting community members to participate in its 2025 growing season. This no-cost community garden offers nearly 30 raised beds available on a first-come, first-served basis (with priority for returning gardeners) and provides resources including a greenhouse, tools, seeds, soil, and irrigation. This garden enables residents to grow their own food and also contributes to local food security efforts.
“This is such a great opportunity for Harney County,” said Kellie Frank, Harney County Food Systems Coordinator. “Anyone in the community can take part. Whether you’ve never gardened before or you’re ready to grow more than your backyard allows, we have a space where people can dig in, learn, and grow together.”
Interested participants can email harneygarden@gmail.com to receive information on garden expectations and support throughout the season.
Follow Harney Garden of Eatin’ on Facebook for more: https://www.facebook.com/harneygarden.
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Summer Art in the ParkSummer Art in the Park is happening soon—sign your kids up now! Open to 30 youth, this 10:30am - 12:30pm program June 24, July 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 at Burns Washington Park involves fun art projects includingcrafting, music, dance, soap carving, watercolor and more. Snacks and drinks provided. So if you're looking for an engaging, healthy community oriented summer program for the kids in your life (agend 7-12) look no further.
Summer Art in the Park is brought to you by HDP, Youth Changing the Community Collaborative, Kids Club, Harney County Service District #3 and the local arts community.
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Brown Trout CaptureRecently, Josey Wilson (Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Coordinator) and Keaira Burns (Burns High grad, University of Idaho student, and returning HDP crew member who's stepping up as crew lead this summer!) joined the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on the Owyhee River for brown trout research.
Using electrofishing—a technique that temporarily stuns fish with underwater electrodes so they can be safely captured—they helped tag brown trout that have shifted from the lower river to upper sections over time. Each fish gets a reward tag with ODFW's number, and when anglers catch and report them, they earn the reward amount listed. The tagged trout are relocated downstream to see if they'll return upstream, helping scientists understand what's drawing them to those upper areas—better habitat? More food? This movement data is crucial for managing healthy fish populations in our waters.
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2025 Upcoming Events
Wednesday, June 25 | Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, June 25 | Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, June 25 | Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative Meeting
Monday, June 30 | High Desert Partnership Board Meeting
Tuesday, July 22 | Youth Changing the Community Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, July 30 | Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, July 30 | Harney County Forest Restoration Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, August 27 | Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Meeting
Wednesday, August 27 | Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative Meeting
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