Letter to the Editor

We would like to thank all of the over 130 people who came to the showing of the documentary film, ELEMENTAL, Friday, Sept. 30. It showed the impact of wildfires on rural communities, including ours, the dramatic increase in severity of wildfires in the last 5-10 years, and the scientific research showing the relationship of climate change between the forest and fires.

In such a complex topic as wildfire, it can be hard to understand all of the details and how they connect with each other. After watching the movie and listening to the Q&A panel, the main takeaway was, to most effectively prevent community loss and destruction, we need to focus on hardening the home first, and working outward from there.

Thanks to all of the agencies and local groups who supplied resources in helping the McKenzie Community recover after the Holiday Farm Fire and adapt to a new and changing future.

Thank you to the McKenzie River Resort (formerly the US Basketball Academy) in Rainbow, for donating the venue for the event and for cooking and serving everyone a delicious free dinner. Thank you also to McKenzie Mist, who furnished their water and dispensers, and Upriver Organics farm for the vegetables. Finally, thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this event a time to connect with our neighbors and friends to support each other, and move toward a more fire-resistant future.

We are McKenzie Strong, together!

O’Brien Memorial Library,

Co-sponsor

obrienlibrary.org

obrienmemoriallibrary

@gmail.com