Lomakatsi Restoration Project

10/12/2026

On Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate the many Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities we work with, including those represented within the Lomakatsi family.

We honor the tribal citizens serving as part of our inter-tribal workforce, crew leaders, program directors, managers, cultural resource specialists, accounting staff, advisors, Board of Directors, and partners whose knowledge, experience, and connections to community strengthen every aspect of our work, and whose leadership is shaping the future of stewardship across the landscapes we serve.

We celebrate the work of rekindling relationships with fire and First Foods, bringing people together across generations to learn and share knowledge, and dedicating countless hours in service to healthier forests, streams, wildlife habitat, and more fire-adapted and resilient communities.

Today and every day, we extend our gratitude to the Tribal members, Elders, and youth, including Grandmothers, Grandfathers, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, sons and daughters, who continue to carry forward enduring traditions of caring for people and place.

We acknowledge that Lomakatsi operates programs across the ancestral lands of aboriginal peoples who lived and live in the watersheds of the Willamette River, Rogue River, Klamath River, Umpqua River, Columbia River, Pit River, and the Great Basin, in what is now called Oregon, California, Nevada, and Idaho. From sagebrush hillsides and mixed conifer forests to oak woodlands and riverine systems, we offer our respect, recognition, and gratitude to the original past, present, and future stewards of these landscapes, to whom we dedicate this work.

10/10/2026

Thank you to KDRV NewsWatch 12 for covering the rebuild of a traditional indigenous umma structure by a Lomakatsi inter-tribal crew at North Mountain Park this week through a partnership with City of Ashland Oregon Ashland Parks and Recreation. Check out the video featuring interviews with Lomakatsi tribal staff:

Inter-tribal crews are reconstructing a traditional Indigenous summer home at North Mountain Park. The structure is called an umma, and Lomakatsi Restoration Project crews are building it to reconnect with cultural practices and educate the community.

10/08/2026

Lomakatsi Inter-Tribal Crews Rebuilding Umma at North Mountain Park

This week, a team of Lomakatsi inter-tribal crew members is rebuilding a traditional umma structure at North Mountain Park Nature Center’s replicated Native village area. We’re honored to continue our long-standing partnership with the City of Ashland Oregon Ashland Parks and Recreation through this project, working through the Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Partnership to engage local and regional tribal communities. We expect construction to be complete before the Return of the Salmon: Family Field Day event happening at North Mountain Park this Saturday, October 10.

Check out this article in Ashland.news for more:
https://ashland.news/lomakatsi-inter-tribal-crews-rebuild-traditional-indigenous-structure

Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini

10/01/2026

Honoring the Hands that Heal the Land

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Lomakatsi honors the service of the Latino members of our restoration workforce—the hearts and boots on the ground working diligently to restore ecosystems, sustain communities, and care for the landscapes we all depend on.

From thinning overstocked forests and restoring watershed health to planting native vegetation and carrying drip torches that carefully reintroduce beneficial fire to the land, Latino forest workers are on the ground rain or shine. This year-round dedication helps reduce wildfire risk, revitalize ecosystems, improve forest and watershed resilience, and support safer, fire-adapted communities. Many also serve as wildland firefighters, courageously protecting communities, natural resources, and critical infrastructure during fire season.

Just as importantly, experienced members of our Latino workforce help train, mentor, and inspire the next generation of restoration and fire professionals, passing along hard-earned skills, leadership, and a deep ethic of stewardship that helps sustain this vital work for years to come.

Helping strengthen the well-being of forest workers and families are Lomakatsi's Promotoras, forest worker advocates, and crew leaders, who are dedicated to creating safe workplaces, a resilient workforce, and stronger communities. Through trusted relationships, health and safety education, resource navigation, and community-based support, Promotors/as help connect forest workers and families with the tools, information, and services needed to thrive.

Lomakatsi’s mission to restore ecosystems and sustain communities is made possible by exceptional staff members, families, and the generations of knowledge, commitment, and dedication woven into this work.

¡Gracias por sanar la tierra y fortalecer nuestras comunidades!

09/16/2026

From Wildfire Response to Reducing Future Fire Risk and Restoring Habitat

With the shifting weather over the past couple weeks, Lomakatsi crews are returning from wildland firefighting assignments to forest and rangeland restoration projects across southern Oregon and northern California.

This week, crews are advancing a wide range of restoration and stewardship efforts across the region, including post-fire trail restoration on the Willamette National Forest, oak habitat restoration through the Upper Rogue Oak Initiative northeast of Medford, ecological thinning on the Shan Apple project in Josephine County, fuels reduction work on the Fort Bidwell Indian Reservation and neighboring private lands, projects in the Dalles and Scott River watersheds, and ongoing work on the Fremont-Winema National Forest. As fall approaches, teams are also preparing burn plans for projects in the Applegate Valley and gearing up for the upcoming prescribed fire season.

While cooler temperatures and early September rain have brought some relief, fire season isn't over yet. The Oregon Department of Forestry recently reduced fire danger to moderate, while the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) remains at Level 2 in Jackson and Josephine counties, with some public fire restrictions still in place.

The IFPL helps guide forestry operations as fire conditions change. As fire danger decreases, certain restrictions begin to ease, allowing crews to resume activities such as chainsaw work and manual ecological thinning—important tools for restoring healthier, more resilient forests and reducing future wildfire risk.

We're grateful for the dedication, skill, and adaptability of our crews, who serve communities and landscapes in many ways throughout the year. Whether responding to wildfires, restoring oak woodlands, improving backcountry trails, reducing hazardous fuels, or implementing prescribed fire, this work helps care for forests, watersheds, and communities today while creating more resilient landscapes for the future.

09/09/2026

09/03/2026

Advancing Forest Health and Tribal Workforce Development at Taktokeewa

Over the past several weeks, Lomakatsi’s technical team completed the next phase of the Taktokeewa Forest Health Project, a partnership between the Kosealekte Band of the Pit River Tribe, Lomakatsi, and the U.S. Forest Service. The 3,100-acre project is designed to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, enhance wildlife habitat, and strengthen ecocultural resources on the Kosealekte Band’s ancestral lands within the U.S. Forest Service-Modoc National Forest in northeastern California.

The first 907-acre treatment area will include commercial ecological thinning, in which small- and medium-diameter trees are removed from overly dense forests and sold to local mills through a stewardship agreement between Lomakatsi and the Modoc National Forest. This approach increases forest resilience, protects large old trees, supports local wood products infrastructure, and generates revenue for future restoration work. It also provides valuable opportunities to build technical forestry workforce capacity, an important need for large-scale stewardship projects.

In August, a team of 10 Lomakatsi intertribal trainees, experienced foresters, and restoration specialists completed a timber cruise across 88 plots throughout the project area. The data collected will help determine the commercial value of trees removed through restoration treatments and support the solicitation of bids from industry partners. Along the way, trainees gained hands-on experience using forestry tools, establishing plots, applying standardized cruise protocols, and marking trees for treatment.

We are grateful to the crew for their hard work and to Accenture Corporate Citizenship for funding an advanced forestry training module for intertribal crew members. Check out these photos from last week: trees marked with orange paint will remain, while trees marked with blue paint are designated for harvest as part of the restoration treatment.

The Corps Network

08/28/2026

It’s National Park Week! 🌲

This National Park Week, we're celebrating the parks and public lands that inspire us, connect us to our shared history, and remind us of our responsibility to care for the places we cherish.

We're especially grateful for the partnerships that make this stewardship possible. Through our Master Cooperative Agreement with the National Park Service, Lomakatsi is honored to bring capacity to ecological restoration, wildfire resilience, Tribal workforce development, and youth education efforts that strengthen both landscapes and communities.

In eastern Oregon's John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Tribal youth restored native plant communities, enhanced riparian areas and springs, and collected native seed for future restoration efforts. They worked alongside NPS staff and other natural resource specialists through the Tribal Stewards program—a collaboration between the Burns Paiute Tribe, Lomakatsi, Oregon Natural Desert Association, and numerous agency and community partners.

At Crater Lake National Park, 20 high school-age Rogue Valley youth learned about botany, fire ecology, and fish habitat management during the summer while contributing to fuel hazard reduction through Lomakatsi’s Ashland Watershed Youth Ecological Training and Employment Program.

Through our developing collaboration with Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, we’re building the foundation for an Indian Youth Service Corps program in southern Idaho, creating opportunities for Tribal youth and young adults to earn industry-recognized certifications, gain hands-on restoration experience, and pursue careers in natural resource stewardship.

These experiences help connect the next generation of stewards to the lands, stories, and natural resources that make our national parks so special.

National Parks are more than destinations. They are living landscapes situated across an array of Tribal aboriginal lands—places that preserve cultural heritage, support wildlife, inspire learning, and provide opportunities for people to build meaningful connections with the natural world. This week, we celebrate the partnerships, knowledge, and dedication that help ensure these treasured places continue to thrive for generations to come.



The Corps Network Gray Family Foundation Roundhouse Foundation

08/18/2026

Hammawi Band, Lomakatsi, and Symbiotic Restoration Join Forces to Build Beaver Dam Analogs and Restore Stream Habitat

Through our growing partnership with the Hammawi Band of the Pit River Tribe, Lomakatsi deployed a six-person inter-tribal crew, including ecocultural specialists from the Hammawi Band, to the Canyon Creek Meadow project—joining restoration specialists from Symbiotic Restoration Group who are managing this riparian reconnect effort on private lands.

Together, we constructed beaver dam analogs (BDAs) and supported riparian restoration within the ancestral homelands of the Hammawi Band in the Upper Pit River watershed of Modoc County, California. This work is part of a broader partnership with Symbiotic Restoration to build approximately 100 BDAs along Canyon Creek, working to reinvigorate habitat and support the beavers already active in the watershed.

Modoc County’s meadow systems have been heavily impacted by channel incision, drought, loss of natural beaver wetlands, and encroachment of upland vegetation. Inspired by the many benefits of natural beaver dams, BDAs help reverse these trends by:

• Slowing water and reconnecting creeks to floodplains

• Rehydrating soils and maintaining groundwater-wetland connections

• Capturing sediment and increasing channel complexity

• Enhancing habitat for fish, amphibians, birds, beavers, and other culturally important species

• Strengthening resilience in drought-prone landscapes

We’re proud of the hard work and stewardship demonstrated by our inter-tribal crews and grateful for our partnerships with the Hammawi Band that make this work possible. We appreciate the opportunity to work under the guidance of Symbiotic Restoration and are honored to be invited into the project they are leading. We’re also grateful to Jonas Philanthropies for providing a grant to Lomakatsi that helps make this project possible.
🦫🌎🐟

08/12/2026

Lomakatsi Crews Support Wildland Fire Response Across the Region

Since late July, Lomakatsi's Engine and Hand Crews have provided additional capacity for regional wildland fire response efforts.

Fire season accelerated in mid-July, with a cluster of more than 2,000 lightning strikes igniting dozens of fires across Oregon. High winds, hot temperatures, and low humidity pushed some of these fires into large incidents, requiring sustained support from firefighting crews across the region.

Lomakatsi’s Type 6 Engine Crew began the season contributing to coordinated response efforts on the Hay Creek Complex in north-central Oregon. Our Type 2 Wildland Fire Hand Crew was dispatched by Oregon Department of Forestry to the Ridge Vista Fire near Cave Junction, where they operated as a self-sufficient resource—commuting home each day when conditions allowed and spiking out when extended operational periods required.

So far this season, Lomakatsi crews have served as part of wildfire response teams on:

🔥 Ridge Vista Fire — Cave Junction, Oregon

🔥 Hay Creek Complex — Central Oregon

🔥 Rowe Complex — Central Oregon

🔥 Sinlahekin Fire — Northeastern Washington

🔥 Woodrat Fire — Applegate Valley, Oregon

🔥 Gold Mountain Fire — Douglas County, Oregon

The Hand Crew was assigned to the Gold Mountain Fire this morning following a five-day shift on the Woodrat Fire in the Applegate Valley, where a 10-person crew worked the night shift focused on mop-up while a 20-person crew supported daytime operations.

The Engine remains assigned to the Sinlahekin Fire, supplying hand crews with water and securing fire lines. Two of our recent Inter-Tribal Oregon Conservation Corps (Oregon Youth Works) graduates—a graduate from the most recent cohort and one from a previous cohort—are working alongside a seasoned Engine Boss, covering several divisions across the fire footprint on the eastern edge of the Okanogan National Forest. Three additional recent OCC graduates have joined the Hand Crew.

When not responding to wildfire, these crews put their skills to work during the shoulder seasons, helping reduce hazardous fuels and improve landscape resilience. We’re excited to continue building capacity through our OCC, Inter-Tribal Indian Youth Service Corps, and Inter-Tribal Fire & Forestry Training Programs. Crew members are gaining experience across multiple crews and projects on public, Tribal trust, municipal and provate lands, building the skills, qualifications, and experience needed to strengthen the region’s forestry, reatoration and wildfire workforce.

We’re proud of the dedication, professionalism, and hard work our crews bring during an increasingly demanding wildfire season. Thank you to our crews and to all the firefighters, incident management teams, local contractors, agencies, and partners working together to protect communities and natural resources.