Cheatgrass pandemic: Funding drought hampered fire mitigation in Southern Oregon

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The Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon and others like it are being supercharged by quick-drying, invasive weeds like cheatgrass. Money to fight those weeds evaporated in the COVID-19 pandemic as state lottery sales tanked. OPB

The Oregon Lottery had to cut somewhere, and“We really had to scramble,” said Meta Loftsgaarden, OWEB’s executive director. “We knew a month or so ahead of time, as we watched those bars and restaurants close, that we were going to be in a pretty dire situation come May and June.”

Lottery revenue has since rebounded, and OWEB is fully funding grants again. The delay amounted to six months on the calendar, but for some projects the setback could be even longer.Muir said combating an invasive weed like cheatgrass is a momentum game. The plant waits for no pandemic.

 

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OPB Oh, it was long before COVID. I’m old enough to remember when Democrat lawmakers in those states defunded programs that provided summer jobs to college kids who went out in the woods & cut underbrush & made fire breaks.

OPB Hmm maybe public services shouldn’t be funded by gambling money

OPB What about all that weed money for those fires guys...come on

OPB No bull! Buffalo.

OPB They need to burn the fuel in front of the fire!! Burn the next mountain!!! ( sorry for the extreme measures) But the fire is going to burn it tomorrow..

OPB Why isn't money set aside in the state budget for items such as this? More fires, floods, etc. will occur because of climate change. We need dependably consistent funding to prevent and/or mitigate their effects.

OPB Imagine if the rich, corporations just paid their taxes and people earned a living wage. We wouldn't have to rely on lotteries and charity for basic needs, environmental protection and infrastructure.

OPB So nature had to take care of the weeds with fire.

OPB Buy Goats 🐐Goats 🐐Goats 🐐

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