Anne Kanter, Vice President, High Prairie Community Council

It’s been a busy spring and summer for your High Prairie Community Council!

The exciting news is, the HPCC applied for and was awarded a $247,000 grant by the State of Washington for capital improvements to the Struck Road building, which houses fire station #1 and the community center. We recently received our official notification and have been assigned a Program Manager by the State. We’re rolling!

The capital improvements we intend to have done for the Fire Department include installing a generator for back-up power, putting in a commercial quality washer and dryer, and installing fire-proof cabinets for equipment.

For the Community Building side of the structure, we want to improve the HVAC system so the building can be used as an emergency warming/cooling shelter, improve the electrical system so the kitchen can be used to it’s fullest capacity to prepare food in the event of an emergency, and replace our current commercial range and dishwasher which are hard to use and not very efficient.

The HPCC is ALWAYS looking for community input and for volunteers. For the past few years COVID has made having community meetings and officer elections difficult, but we’re working to have a general meeting with HPCC Board elections, probably in October. We’re hoping to have Sheriff Songer come to address the community about crime and safety at the same meeting, so please keep an eye open for future e-mails, postings and notifications about time and dates. 

The folks that live here are the heart of High Prairie. We are working to keep us Community Strong!

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Tom McMackin

Your Klickitat County Fire Protection District #14 / High Prairie logged 85 runs to date. There were 3 wildfire incidents and once again the majority of these incident responses were medical in nature. Our members provided mutual aid teaming with firefighters from Lyle, Bingen, Wishram, White Salmon on the initial attack phase of each fire. A tender [water tanker] and two firefighters from KCFPD #14 responded to support Skamania County and Washington DNR fire crews in their efforts early in the Tunnel 5 Fire. High Prairie made the break into September without experiencing a wildfire incident. A little luck… along with your attention to details by being aware of the high fire potential conditions and acting with caution and safe practices in your outdoor activities have helped to get High Prairie into Fall without an incident!

The Klickitat County Burn Ban remains in place and will be with us for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Please be careful in all outdoor activities to avoid any activities that have the potential to create a spark or overheated equipment components in the presence of flashy fuels like grasses and leaf litter!

The realities of Nature’s wildfire incidents are stark and scary. There is a seemingly capricious demeanor to the movement and impacts any one of these types of event have on our lives. The threat to lives and property is inescapable. It doesn’t need to be fire on your doorstep. Simply catching news stories and images are compelling and frightening enough to disrupt our daily sleep and waking activities. 

The Maui and Tunnel 5 wildfire incidents presented some characteristics, as well as, illustrate parallel conditions in our own backyards here on High Prairie and generally throughout Klickitat County. Wind, extended drought conditions, power lines, rural roadways, limited water resources, lay of the land, etc. are conditions we can witness by walking to the picture window of every home on the prairie. The place fire occupies in Nature’s process interacting with us in the Wildland Urban/Rural Interface (WUI) that we call home, use for a relaxing getaway, or business and truly treasure is undeniable.

The reality is clearly stated in the comment “It is not a matter of ‘If…’ but ‘When…’ and ‘How Bad Will it be ?’ “ A simple combination of any of these listed ‘local’ factors could be, in a very few heart beats, ~ catastrophic on similar scales. Any ‘disaster’ scenario whether a process of Nature or human caused will have impacts across a broad spectrum. Fire itself brings special challenges ~ smoke that makes breathing or seeing nearly impossible, heat, frightening displays of bursting, roaring walls of flame, etc. to the experience.

Klickitat County has developed and is working to create an innovative Department of Emergency Management. The current Emergency Alert System is available for sign up to receive alerts and emergency notifications when an incident or developing conditions may impact you, your home or neighborhood.

It is something you can sign up for today! Here are links the the Department of Emergency Management and the alert program.

https://www.klickitatcounty.org/249/Emergency-Management

https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action?pa=klickitatco

https://www.smart911.com/smart911/registration/registrationLanding.action

KCFPD #14 High Prairie is developing a program with the goal of returning to presenting public safety information sessions for High Prairie residents and interested friends and neighbors. Tentatively proposed for late Fall, we are working to incorporate Klickitat County Emergency Management, Fire Services resources and databases with the Ready, Set, Go and FireWise programs to present in one setting information to address issues that may impact living on High Prairie.

Understanding potential emergencies; preparing for how we can respond; creating defensible environments for our homes and property; learning about our unique circumstances and conditions; creating a plan for action to succeed in preserving life and important personal property, as well as thrive in the beauty surrounding us is priceless!

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Jon Hancock, Hancock Advisors LLC

As a high school student getting prepared for college, it’s normal to feel both excited and overwhelmed. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that you succeed as you embark on this new path. 

The most important thing you can do is to establish a well-structured plan. With a clear roadmap to guide your planning, you can make the process smoother and alleviate any worries that you might have. 

Here are seven boxes you can check off to help you on your way to success.

1. Find the schools you think will be a good fit

Choosing a college is a big decision that involves many factors. Some of the questions you might want to ask yourself are:

– Is it a state university or a private college? 

– Do you prefer a large or small school?

– Do you want to stay near home, or would you prefer an out-of-state college?

– Is there a specific career or major area of study that will influence your choice?

2. Sources of college funding

If you need extra cash to attend university, it’s important to remember that loans must be repaid. Take on as little debt possible; you don’t want to have an onerous repayment schedule that continues for a long time after graduation.

Before turning to student loans, you should consider scholarships and grants, which do not have to be repaid. These are often overlooked as a valuable resource and that may leave free money on the table.

3. FASFA is key

Complete the FAFSA for free to access thousands of dollars in financial help. Don’t put it off because some of the funds are given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

The FAFSA application normally opens on October 1 each year. However, the opening date has been pushed back to December 2023 due to fresh amendments to the application.

Even if you don’t plan to borrow money for school, you should still think about filling out the form. Otherwise, you risk accidentally losing out on opportunities for work-study, fellowships, and scholarships.

4. Test-taking diminishes in influence

Nationally, the SAT or ACT is less of a requirement, and many colleges and universities now allow students to apply without taking the test. There are online test preparation classes and practice exams if you’re thinking about taking the SAT or ACT.

5. Increase your chance with essays and letters of recommendation

The most crucial thing to do is to begin writing your essay and to request and gather letters of recommendation that highlight your talents and accomplishments from instructors, guidance counselors, and even your principal.

6. Take a trip

Visit the school or schools you want to attend. Every campus is unique. The school, the residence halls, the library, the classrooms, the dining hall, the student union, recreational facilities, campus hangouts, off-campus life, and much more can all be explored during an on-campus tour.

7. Your guidance counselor will help you

Applying to college can seem overwhelming, but you can seek help from your high school guidance counselor, who can provide valuable advice that will make the process easier.

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

If you’re going to college next year, or even in the next few years, breaking  your prep work into smaller tasks can help reduce stress and give you a sense of accomplishment. Start your preparation today and you will be surprised by what you learn and the admissions challenges you can overcome.

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Tom McMackin

Short and sweet advice for this FireWise note:

Preparing for the the coming of Fall’s outdoor chores is the key for your foundation in planning for the 2024 wildfire season. The two most important focus points at this juncture are the pruning of evergreen trees on your property after the first good freeze event and planning for the end of the seasonal county-wide burn ban and the safe way you can utilize fire to reduce fuels under trees.

In conjunction with High Prairie Fire we will be working to have a presentation for the community that will address a variety of subjects related to living on High Prairie in the natural environments that make up this beautiful landscape. FireWise concepts will be one aspect of the presentation in the mix of subjects on safety considerations, actions that we each can employ to improve the defensibility of your home and how to be prepared for any situation that might cause you to need to evacuate High Prairie for some period of time. If there are particular subjects or questions you have that fit into matters related to living on High Prairie or being a member of our rural communities ~ Please feel free to send them in an email to firewise.onhighprairie@gmail.com 

Please be safe enjoying our beautiful areas of the Gorge and all that it has to offer ! Prepare for potential emergency events, particularly wildland fire, because it is a natural part of this environment and only a matter of when not if a fire will visit these places !

FireWise on High Prairie Resources

Contact me, Tom McMackin, if you’d like more information on the ‘FireWise’ and ‘Ready, Set, Go!’ programs; if you have comments or suggestions; or if you would like to be more involved with the High Prairie FireWise effort. I can answer questions and get you connected with the resources we have available as a recognized FireWise Community. Contact me by email at firewise.onhighprairie@gmail.com or by phone message by calling 509-365-2786. Please, if you don’t receive a response from your email call me!

Online resources: 

FireWise –

http://www.firewise.org  or http://www.firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/be-firewise/home-and-landscape.aspx

Ready, Set, Go! – http://www.wildlandfirersg.org  or http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/Resident

Preparedness & Evacuation

https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15855/Nevada-Couny-Evacuation-Guide—2015-PDF

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Pre-Evacuation Preparation Steps

https://www.firesafemarin.org/images/documents/resources/evac/FIRESafe_MARIN_Evacuation_Checklist.pdf

Colleen Johnson, “High Prairie Dog Trainer”

It’s been a rough few years for many of us, with circumstances changing at the drop of a hat. Five years ago I had a nice little startup business breeding French Bulldogs. I finally felt like life was going my way. Unfortunately, COVID struck and gradually destroyed the market for French Bulldogs. I began searching for a job, not realizing that it would lead to a wonderful opportunity.

From the time I was a little girl we owned about every type of animal. My mother loves animals, and Dad was always bringing home little injured wild animals for her to nurse back to health. We had domestic, wild, farm and exotic animals. (The day Dad brought home a Caiman Crocodile, though, he crossed the line. Needless to say, Mom was not impressed. A baby skunk would have been accepted in a heartbeat, but reptiles were not her thing!)

I spent a large part of my early childhood playing with baby animals. When I was about four or five years old, dogs captured my heart. My mother explained the basics of training a dog (as were used back in the day). I was fascinated, and started “training” our dogs. I remember having some success even back then. I was so proud of myself! Although over the years training took a back seat, my love of dogs never did.

I have recently learned a lesson in following your heart when the chips are down. While looking for a new job, I felt really discouraged by online job search sites. They took me in circles trying to get to the applications and contact numbers. Then I saw a job offer from Petco and became very excited. However, once again I could not get the application to “send” after filling it out. At first I was disappointed and ready to give up. Then it occurred to me that there is only one Petco in the area, so I called them. Not only did they send me an application, they  walked me through their whole process. Within a couple of days I had an interview. Afterward, I still didn’t know if I’d get the job – they had a few more people to interview. 

A funny mistake ended the suspense. I noticed that autofill had put my son’s name on my application. I almost cried, because I figured they’d think I was a complete idiot. No way was I going to get the job. I called the hiring manager to tell them about the mistake, and he said, “Oh, that’s no problem. I was just getting ready to call you. You blew us away, so we decided not to even interview the others. I have an idea for you, though. How would you like to be our Dog Trainer?” Of course I said yes!

It was quite a process going through online training for the position; but once I started actually working with dogs, I realized I was a natural. I communicate with them on their level and they cooperate. Sometimes it feels like magic. More than once, I explained to the pet parent what behavior I was going to teach the dog and what the dog was going to do. Then I took the leash and the dog just did it. It’s like the dog had listened to the conversation and thought, “I’ve got this.”

I learned the basic techniques from Petco’s Program, but it was confining. I didn’t like the restrictions of the program or the atmosphere I was training in. I felt Petco was holding me back. I wanted to give my clients their money’s worth and the dogs the opportunity to advance naturally. I knew I could offer more if I did things my way. I started studying other types of training and offering my own style that I had used in training my French Bulldog puppies from birth.

Then my dad got sick and almost died from septic shock. He needed a caregiver, and I had that experience in my tool box. I quit my job at Petco so I could be up here in High Prairie helping Mom and Dad; but I became aware of another great option for dog training: I could go mobile. People had asked me many times, at Petco, if I could do outside training at their homes or meet in parks. I had had to say no. Now, however, I can offer personalized sessions instead of boxed deals, and I can go to my clients. I no longer work for Petco, but I am now a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and get to do what I love. I am much happier and still able to be here for my parents.

The moral of this story is… Never give up. Know your worth. Believe in yourself. Be yourself. Never let anything or anyone hold you back. You’ve got this.

This is Piper, a wonderful and very energetic Border Collie mix that I trained while working at Petco. I wish I’d been able to train her my way. Though we got her trained, it was made much more difficult because of the crackerbox, one-size-fits-all Petco program.

Our Locations…
704 Centerville Hwy (The Old Fire Station)
701 Struck Rd (Community Center)
783 Centerville Hwy (3 Family Yard Sale)
410 Centerville Hwy
1030 Horseshoebend Rd

Other locations to be determined…

Maps at each location

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