Native America Calling: The scars left behind by wildfires

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Native America Calling: The scars left behind by wildfires

Thursday, September 19, 2024

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The scars left behind by wildfires

The fire that killed 101 people and destroyed much of the town of Lahaina on Maui Island in Hawaii left financial, environmental, and emotional damage in its wake that will require years and significant resources to overcome.

Not least on the list is a mountain of toxic burned debris that residents and officials are having trouble finding a suitable place for. Officials are studying whether the charred landscape will harm the delicate coral reef just offshore.

Somewhere in the country, a new wildfire appears at least once a week during the most active season, and many of those leave lasting implications for tribes and residents.

A crew works to remove debris in Lahaina, Hawaii, where wildfires destroyed more than 2,200 structures in August 2023. The cleanup of residential debris is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, more than a year after the disaster. Photo by Susan Lee / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Guests on Native America Calling

Dr. Andrea Kealoha (Native Hawaiian), assistant professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Don Gentry (Klamath Tribes), natural resource specialist and former chairman of the Klamath Tribes, based in Oregon

Bodie Shaw (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), deputy regional director for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Blaze Lovell, reporter for the Honolulu Civil Beat

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