By Don Nelson
We’ve been cautious about mentioning any tentative plans for a follow-up to last year’s Trial by Fire publication, the 100-page magazine that chronicled the Carlton Complex Fire, its environmental and economic impacts, the community’s heroic and generous response, and the personal stories of those who were most affected.
In fact, we hadn’t expected to be considering such a publication. Trial by Fire was well received — 10,000 were printed, and we have fewer than 100 copies left in the office — and we are proud of what we accomplished with the community’s help. But it was also physically demanding and emotionally draining to gather the information, photos and stories, and then assemble them in an attractive package on a deadline while we continued to do our regular jobs.
Then came the deadly afternoon of Aug. 19, 2015, when three firefighters died in the Twisp River Fire and another was seriously injured. The dynamics changed in ways that we were fortunate to avoid in 2014. And soon the Okanogan Complex Fire eclipsed Carlton Complex as the largest in Washington state history.
Even that wouldn’t necessarily be enough motivation to launch another major project if we didn’t see it as part of a historic continuum, rather than the separate stories of two tragic summers.
Quite a few people have asked me if we would be doing a second fire-related publication because they believe it would benefit the Methow Valley and beyond. Some others worried that we would just revisit the community’s grief to no good end. That’s not our intent. There are still many stories to tell about the community’s resilience and long-term recovery strategies, the ongoing implications for our local economy and precious environmental resources, and the moving personal accounts by our friends and neighbors.
Many of them are stories that began last year, continued this year and will continue to be important in the future. Like it or not, the events of the past two summers will help define the Methow Valley going forward. It is important that they be documented.
Practical matters loomed large if we were to contemplate another magazine. Last year, a generous contribution by the Campion Foundation helped underwrite the publication of Trial by Fire. We couldn’t have done it without them. And we couldn’t do another one without similar support.
Fortunately, the Methow Valley is blessed with people who care so strongly about this place that they are willing to back such ideas, even coming from a little weekly paper that sometimes tries to behave all out of proportion to its size and circulation. This year, we are more grateful than I can express for the support of The Moccasin Lake Foundation in helping to underwrite a magazine that we are tentatively calling From the Ashes. I am humbled by the generosity of the Pigott family — Jim and Gaye, who own the Moccasin Lake Ranch, are modest and gracious people who aren’t looking for any special accolades or much more mention beyond what’s in this paragraph. Their love for the Methow Valley is deep, abiding and always evident. I hope we can do it justice with From the Ashes. And we again have the much-appreciated assistance of the Community Foundation of North Central Washington (CFNCW) in administrating the grant. CFNCW is one of the Methow Valley’s true friends.
As with Trial by Fire, we will be reaching out to the community for lots of help. We welcome story ideas, photographs, personal stories, poetry, essays — anything you think might be appropriate. When our plans firm up, we’ll provide more information about how you can participate. From the Ashes will, like Trial by Fire, also be distributed free. You can thank the foundation grant for that too.
We had considered distributing From the Ashes late in 2015, but practical realities and the desire for sane holidays will likely push it into early 2016. We’ll keep you advised, and we rely on your involvement. We couldn’t call ourselves a community newspaper without you.
