Interior Secretary Sally Jewell discusses wildfire strategy

Collaborating with ranchers is essential to fighting wildfires as climate change increases fire danger, U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell said Tuesday at an event in Boise. “2015 could be a tough one,” Jewell said. “We have climate change impacting landscapes across the country.” Jewell joined Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service officials to sign a new firefighting strategy for the Great Basin region, including Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and California. It focuses on protecting the sagebrush steppe ecosystem, home to the potentially endangered sage grouse and an array of other species. Jewell said the new strategy makes the sagebrush steppe ecosystem the No. 1 natural resource priority in the Great Basin, while focusing on four points: Working collaboratively to reduce the size, severity and cost of rangeland fires; addressing the spread of invasive species; positioning resources for the most effective response; and focusing on protecting the life and safety of firefighters. She praised Otter’s work to establish range fire protection associations in Idaho allowing ranchers to coordinate with wildland firefighters and be first responders to fires on or near their ranching operations. Otter said there are five fire protection organizations representing 230 ranchers...more