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Newspaper Archive of
The Goldendale Sentinel
Goldendale , Washington
February 22, 2017     The Goldendale Sentinel
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February 22, 2017
 
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.4.- v b u ary 2.2, 2017 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. GOLDEN..' ,. WAS" 9_9_ :!;, There's no question about it, we have seen an increase in the severity and intensity of wildfires in the last few years. Since 2011, nearly 2 million acres in Washington have burned in over 7,000 fires. During the Carlton Complex fire in 2014, over 300 structures and homes burned, and over 1000 livestock were killed. After a dev- astating year in 2014, Washington was hit harder in 2015. Over two thousand fires started, 1.13 million acres burned, three wildland firefighters lost their lives, and 364 structures and homes burned, with another 16,000 struc- tures threatened. How did we get ourselves into this situation? Over 100 years ago, our ecosystem was ex- posed to frequent low-intensity fires. These fires maintained the forests by consuming ac- cumulated timber litterand understory. It was a natural thinning process that reduced compe- Eastern tition for resources resulting in healthier • forests. Forests dominated by Ponderosa Pine Klickitat had more of a park-like atmosphere; trees with Conservation a diameter of 12 or more inches were spaced trkt between 12 to 40 trees per acre. As the land was settled, the fire regime was disturbed. Through active fire suppression, our forests grew into the thick stands that we see today, often with well over 300 mature trees to the acre. Our forests are competing for limited resources and we are now seeing the' results; widespread disease, drought stress, and catastrophic fires killing trees by the thousands. We live in a fire-driven ecosystem in Klickitat County. It's easy to turn a blind eye when we are not directly affected by wildfires. We become complacent after a few years pass following a major fire and we forget the kind of devastation a wildlife can leave in its wake. 2016 was a relatively quiet year for wildfires. We can only hope that it continues like that, but the reality is, we are going to be faced with many more challenges in the future ff we do not start taking a proactive approach now to protect our homes and land by mimick- ing the effects of fire. "V 'VE 60TA I 16 OF T ELMA, ARb LouI. I; FROM THE Which 'facts' do you want? How important are facts in our lives? Consider the following: What ff a doctor lied about a cancer diag- nosis? What if your bank state- ment lied about the balance in your account? What if your child's Simon Schama, a British histo- teacher lied about the grades your rian, wrote, "Indifference about child received? I think we would be the distinction between truth and very angry if any of these were to lies is a precondition of fascism. happen to us. And yet--many of us When truth perishes, so does free- are not concerned when President dom." Trump lies again and again and again. This is not a way to make Kenneth Margraf America great. Goldendale CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS Gina McCabe U.S. Rep. Jaime (360) 786-7856 Serrera Beutler ~na.mccabe@leg.wa.gov Vancouver Office EO. Box 40600, Olympia, \VA Phone: (360) 695-6292 98504-0600 Web site,. u :jaimehb.house.gov Norm Johnson 122-C Legislative Bldg, P.O. Box 40600 Olympia, WA 9851)4-(1600 .7 (360) 786-, 810 U.S. Senator Maria CantweU Phone: (202) 224-3441 x. :cantweU.senate, gov/public/index. cfm/email-maria Curtis King 31)5 Cherberg Bldg, P.O. Box 40414 Olympia, 98504-0414 (360) 786-7626 U.S. Senator Patty Murray Phone: (202) 224-2621 www, murray, senate.gov/public/index. cfm/contactme THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF KLICKITAT COUNTY, WASHINGTON ESTABLISHED 1879 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY FROM OFFICES AT 117 W. MAIN o GOLDENDALE, WA 98620 TELEPHONE (509) 773-3777 ° FAX (509) 314-4201 EDITORIAL: LOU MARZELES, EDITOR & PUBLISHER JARYD CLYNE, SPORTS EDITOR JESS MACINKO, NEWS EDITOR EMAIL; NEWS@GOLDENDALESENTINEL.COM (NEWS, EDITORIAL, OBITUARIES, LETTERS); CALENDAR@GOLDENDALESENTINEL.COM (EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES); ADS~)GOLDENDALESENTINEL.COM (ADVERTISING INFO AND INQUIRIES); LEGALS@GOLDENDALESENTINEL.COM (LEGAL AND PUBLIC NOTICES) LESLIE BUSINESS AND OFFICE STAFF: GEATCHES, Co-PUBLISHER, AD DESIGN KARIE ELLIS, CIRCULATION MANAGER AMY REEVES, ADMIN ASSISTANT ANNE ANDERSON, BOOKKEEPING SURE IS QUIET IN THERE A SLUMBER PARTY- NOT EVEN ONE WORI> OF GIRLTALK... @LibertyAIliance.corn 2017 GIRLS [;>ON'T TALK ANYMORE , THI Y ~7 ...................................................................... Deadlines: News and Letters: Noon Friday Display Advertising: 5 p.m. Friday Classified Advertising: Noon Monday Legal Notices: 5 p.m. Monday Subscriptions: 1 Year, 2 Years Goldendale Carrier: $32, $52 In Klickitat County: $32, $52 Outside Klickitat County: $42, $75 USPS 2213-6000 WEEKLY. Periodical postage paid at Goldendale Post )ffice, Goldendale, Wash. 98620. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Goldendale Sentinel, 117 W. Main St. Goldendale, WA 98620-9526• GUIDELI Letters to There is a there are fewer letters. Unsigned letters (including requests to remain anonymous), letters with fictitious signatures, or copies of letters to public officials are not accepted. Please keep the tone of letters free of rants or wild speculation or unsubstantiated claims. Let: "r '~': ters that go overboard in any of these directions may be refused publication. , : Writers must include name, city of residence, and phone number for verification purposes,' !: Street address is not required, only city or town. , , , , ' :' , , , r