Hello everyone,

We are excited to announce that work for our grant will begin on Monday 8/31 at the top of Upper Ogallala! Crews will be removing 2 redwood trees that block firefighter access to our community. Please know that we do not take the removal of redwoods lightly, but sometimes a dentist needs to pull a tooth in order to save the mouth. Upper Ogallala will be BLOCKED during work so please go around.
After the work is completed on Upper Ogallala, crews will continue to move through the community section by section. Work will be happening everyday except Sundays. Therefore we will be living with MANY temporary road closures throughout the next couple of weeks. Please be patient and polite as we get this work done for FREE. Go around and help our delivery drivers navigate. 

What happens next?
Within the next couple of weeks a bio- engineering team will be walking through the community flagging native habitats, species, and other protected areas. Please allow them access to do their work, and please do NOT remove the flags. We will let you know when you can remove them, because we will be squeezing every last cent out of this grant

What do we NEED to do?
Talk with your neighbors to better understand what needs to be done within your pod. Pay special attention to areas with unclear ownership, those areas should be treated within the grant. Politely ask for as much work to be done as possible, crews can always say no. Priorities are clearing brush, limbing up branches, removing ivy from tree trunks, and keeping the shade!
A lot of the work depends on neighbors being onsite while crews are working to answer questions or to point out areas that are difficult for residents to maintain, so be an ambassador. If you are away during work hours, please reach out to a neighbor. We will ALL need to work together to scoop up this grant money.

What if I haven't signed up yet?
Paper forms are arriving this week, and you can sign up online here.
Thank you everybody for spreading the word, it's making a difference

Sincerely,
Chemeketa Firewise