Dear Hubbard Brook colleagues:

 

FYI, the message below is an update on the fire situation from Michael Nelson, of the  HJ Andrews Experimental Forest (and LTER site)  in Oregon.  The fire is close and threatening this cherished research site.

 

Gary

 

Gary M. Lovett, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Box AB, 2801 Sharon Turnpike

Millbrook, NY 12545 USA

 

Phone   845-677-7600 x132

Email    LovettG@caryinstitute.org

Website https://www.caryinstitute.org/science/scientific-staff/our-scientists/dr-gary-m-lovett

 

For information on preventing importation of damaging forest pests:

Web site: Tree-SMART Trade

Twitter: @treeSMARTtrade

 

From: lpi <lpi-bounces@lists.lternet.edu> On Behalf Of Marty Downs
Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2020 6:31 PM
To: lpi@lternet.edu
Subject: [LTER-lpi] Andrews update

 

 

Dear Fellow LTER Lead PI,

Many of you have no doubt been following the amazing fires here in the west, and in our neck of the big and burning woods in Oregon.  There are many fires right now and the scale is massive – over 1 million acres have burned in Oregon since Monday. Some of you have asked about the Andrews Forest and our researchers and staff. While we don’t yet what the fate of our forest and headquarters will be, we are providing regular updates on our website, here.

 

Most importantly, all of our staff is safe. Some have lost their homes, some have lost neighbors and friends, the entire town of Blue River, OR has burned to the ground (everything!), our onsite staff made it out in the middle of the night in a vehicle caravan (it took hours and they lost a vehicle in the ditch and had to move downed trees with trucks and cut through some with handsaws to move).  As you can see from the recent map posted today, the fire is either in the upper reaches of Watershed 1 or just outside of it. Watershed 1 is very close to our HQ - which is also the home of 2 of our staff. We’ve been told that our HQ is of “highest priority,” but we also know that crews are pretty wildly understaffed and growing tired.

 

In Corvallis the air is thick and the sky is dark and orange, and has been for days. Our air quality varies from “very unhealthy” to “hazardous.” We are mostly holed up in our houses communicating and paying attention to radar and reports from the fire. We have blankets over our doors and painter’s tape on our window seams to try to keep the ash out (oh yeah, and school started this week, and we hear there’s a global pandemic raging). But we’re also emptying our pantries and closets and making trips to the store and drop off points with food and other materials for fire fighters and thousands of evacuees.

 

Thanks to all of you who have offered your thoughts and best wishes. Please feel free to share this with your staff and researchers and invite them to keep apprised of our situation at the website above. If people feel the desire to help in some way, we do have a gofundme page set up for our displaced staff. We really have no idea how long they will be away from their homes.

 

All Best, Michael

 

____________________________________________

Michael Paul Nelson, Ph.D.  (he, him, his, philosopher)

Ruth H. Spaniol Chair of Renewable Resources and

Professor of Environmental Philosophy and Ethics

Lead-PI, HJ Andrews LTER Program

Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society

*Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR  97331

website: www.michaelpnelson.com

 

*Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, is located within the traditional homelands of the Mary’s River, or Ampinefu, Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855, Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.