SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THE FIRE
Mille Lacs Band member wildland firefighters deployed to California to assist with the wildfires in January of this year. Eli Staples, Jamal Baird, Marvin Staples, and Markiss Smith. Submitted photo.
The Wildlands Fire Crew is always ready to take the call
By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor
Warmer weather is on the way, grass is greening up, and some spring flowers are blooming. The cold blustery winter is behind us, but the lack of snowfall has left many counties in Minneso ta and across the United States dryer than average which may create a busy wildfire season ahead. The Mille Lacs Band DNR Wildland firefighters are ready to answer the call.
Since January 1, 2025, 17,400 wildfires have burned 822,951 acres across the United States. This is above the ten year average of 11,792 wildfires and 737,978 acres burned. In Minnesota alone for the same timeframe, there have been dozens of wildfires burning hundreds of acres of land in sever al counties including Morrison, Itasca, Marshall, Cass, Crow Wing, Pine, and more, according to the Wildland Fire Inter agency Geospatial Service (WFIGS).
The Mille Lacs Band DNR Wildland Firefighters are on full time alert to keep Band members safe and protect the natural habitat of Reservation lands. They also work directly with local wildland fire crews when needed off the Reservation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Wildland Fire Management supports the Mille Lacs Band Wildland Department as well as other tribal wildland departments around the country. The BIA promotes self-determination and self-governance with federally recognized tribes through Public Law 93-638, which allows those tribes to operate federal programs, such as wildland fire management programs, as their own to meet tribal and BIA missions.
In January of this year, through the BIA Division of Wildfire Management, members of the MLB DNR Wildland fire crew were deployed to assist in fighting California wildfires. Eli Sta ples has been a wildland firefighter for the Mille Lacs Band for 24 seasons. He along with Band members Marvin Staples and Jamal Baird were joined by Band member Markiss Smith (employed at Fond du Lac) and Robert Gotchie (Leech Lake) as the crew boss, and six more tribal members from Bois Forte and Leech Lake, and left for California on January 13.
After three days of traveling, they arrived at their destination near the Beaumont fire camp. They were then reassigned to the Hughes fire in Valencia. From there, they could see and watch the Hughes fire grow. The crews were assigned 16-hour days for 12 days. When asked about the most memorable event, Eli Staples said the crews had been watching fires grow through an app on their phones. The fires were growing in intensity and getting closer to their camp. “We were stationed in the mountains and we could see the fires,” Eli Staples said. “We were sitting on the edge of the fire. Once we got our orders we were placed in a safety zone within the Hughes fire keeping an eye on possible spot fires.”
Staples continued recalling the events of that day. The f ires were intense and the terrain was steep, the crew lead ers would not send firefighters up the mountainside. “It was an air show,” Staples said. Planes and helicopters dropped thousands of gallons of fire deterrent over the fierce blazes overnight. “They knock it down. It was amazing. So, all of the people here back home who said prayers for us, it worked.” Much of the air attack was completed by Cal Fire along with a plethora of fire pilots from Canada. “Cal Fire had over 4,000 firefighters out there, both air and ground,” Staples said.
Cal Fire employs a total of 12,800 personnel, including per manent and seasonal firefighters, conservation corps members, and other personnel, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “The Santa Ana winds were gone after 12 days, so they released us to go home,” Staples said. “But it is crazy for that to happen in January.” Including travel time, the crew was on duty for 21 days. Staples has been on many fires over the last “17 or 18 years” with Gotchie, he said. “It was a comfortable crew. It felt safe. It’s a brotherhood, you know?”
Many communities marked their driest winters on record, snowpack was nearly nonexistent in some spots, and vegeta tion remained dry for an extended period. These are all ingre dients for elevated wildfire risks for this season. Staples points to climate change bringing hotter, drier weather with stronger winds, as one ingredient to longer wildfire seasons. He said in the early 2000s, the seasons would average four to six weeks long, but in recent years, the spring wildfire season lasts three to four months with the fall season starting in August and run ning until there is snow. “You can see it in the fires. They are getting more intense and way bigger. We are using a lot more resources on them, to me it is real.”
The MLB Wildland crew is led by Jake Horbocz as the Forester Wildland Supervisor leading the way for Eli Staples, Clayton Benjamin, Jr., Duane Sam, Nathan Tulenchik, Marvin Staples, Azhibik Aubiod, Curtis Jackson, and Jamal Baird. “We have a great crew. We all work well together. When there is a fire, we all go — you never know what you are going to expect with a fire,” Staples said.
While the main goal of the Wildlands crew is to protect the Reservation lands in Districts I and IIa, Districts II and III are not left without protection. There are co-op agreements in place with the state to cover the outlying tribal lands. The Wildland crews also participate in prescribed burns when conditions are right each spring. Prescribed burns have been a crucial practice for many Native American tribes for centuries. The burns are carefully managed and controlled and are integral to ecological knowledge promoting plant life and animal diversity, reducing wildfire risk, and supporting various activities. In this sense, fire is seen not as a tool but as a vital part of the ecosystem, influencing everything from plant growth to animal behavior.
The prescribed burns held this spring in late March and ear ly April were done in partnership with the BIA and Minnesota DNR Wildland firefighters. New growth is already taking place in areas of the burns.
As we enter the summer months, many of us are eager to be outdoors and enjoy our public lands. Safeguard these special places by holding yourself and your group to high standards of fire awareness and safety. Extinguish campfires/recreational fires by soaking them with water, stirring the coals with a shovel, and repeating as necessary. Your campfire should be cool to the touch before you leave the area or go to sleep. Set a good example, and teach your children proper campfire safety practices. As a rule: If it's too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave. Put it out.
