Tribe still struggling a year aftermajor fire

MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2003

The White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona is still recovering from last year's devastating Rodeo-Chediski Fire.

The fire burned more than 275,000 acres of the tribe's 1.6-million acre reservation. It destroyed the timber economy, which employed tribal members and brought revenues to the tribe.

But also lost were sacred sites and plants and herbs used for sacred ceremonies. "When the smoke cleared, the pain began to set in, especially for the elders," chairman Dallas Massey tells The Arizona Republic.

The tribe has salvaged some of the charred timber, but sales have brought in less than $2 million. The tribe had expected $20 million.

Get the Story:
Apaches coping with multiple blows (The Arizona Republic 6/15)
Forest cleanup 'too little' so far (The Arizona Daily Star 6/15)
New homes are rising, but lives hard to rebuild (The Arizona Republic 6/16)
Private landowners are getting tree-replanting assistance (The Arizona Republic 6/16)
New face of fighting wildfires (The Arizona Republic 6/16)
Managing, not fighting, state wildfires (The Arizona Republic 6/16)