FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — As firefighters continue to gain containment of the Garnet Fire, there’s a man working to conserve tribal land throughout the Sierra Mountains.
“We want to take care of the land in a good way. Not just for us, but for all living things,” said Dirk Charley, who spoke exclusively with KMJ’s News Partner ABC30..
Charley is a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Sierra National Forest.
“This was the land of my tribe. All the way up and over towards Dunlap,” said Charley.
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Charley, who is Native American with a background in firefighting, works with the incident commander to ensure the protection of sacred tribal land.
The Garnet Fire hits close to home.
“The four tribes that we’re consulting with and communicating with are the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians, Cool Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians, The Dunlap Band of Mono Indians, my tribe, and the traditional Yokuts tribe,” said Charley.
Charley said the Sierra Mountains are not only land for worshipping on, but it holds priceless history.
“Archaeological sites as pictographs, petroglyphs, bedrock mortars, food processing areas, cultural resources such as food stiffs, basket weaving, things like that that are near and dear to us,” said Charley.
Fire officials said protecting sacred land is vital while doing their job.
“A wealth of knowledge, both on the firefighting side and the side dealing with the different tribes in this area,” said Fresno City Fire Deputy Fire Marshall Jay Tracy.
Charley said his father was the first superintendent for the Horseshoe Meadow Hotshot group decades ago.
Before his father died, he gifted Charley his belt buckle. Once his father passed away, Charley found his boots.
So, as he walks in his father’s footsteps, Charley hopes to carry on his father’s legacy while educating and inspiring a new generation of firefighters.
“If you take care of the forest, you take care of the water. If you do that, you take care of everybody,” said Charley.
By ABC30’s Vince Ybarra
