S moke S ignals
JUNE 1, 2015
11
Nepstad a mentor to many
NEPSTAD continued
from front page
August 1989.
“I was in firefighting and forest
inventory for the BLM when the
position came open with the Tribe,”
says Nepstad. “I remember it was
Cliff Adams, Ray McKnight and
Candy Robertson that did my in-
terview in the old manor building.
I really loved Ray. He was quite the
character.”
Nepstad says that when he first
arrived in Grand Ronde, he was
helping fellow forester Jeff Kuust,
who started working for the Tribe
one month earlier in July 1989,
with timber sales. He says that
developing the Tribe’s now model
firefighting program was a chal-
lenge in the beginning.
“We had to get funding for the
equipment,” says Nepstad. “We
contracted out any burning we
had to do because we didn’t have
the people on our own. Cliff slowly
built the program and we hired
people with council supporting us
and that’s how we built the depart-
ment.”
Nepstad says that slash burning
timber lands is key to good forest
health. Trees grow better when
the brush around them is removed
regularly. This practice became one
of the main responsibilities of the
Tribe’s Silviculture Program that
Nepstad leads.
The mission of the Silviculture
Program is to promote the Tribal
tradition of being good stewards of
the land and all natural resources
by protecting and maintaining
forest health and productivity for
future use. The Tribe’s Fire Pro-
tection Program is self-sufficient
and works closely with the Bureau
of Indian Affair’s Regional Office
and the Oregon Department of
Forestry.
Nepstad says that basically ev-
eryone in the Natural Resources
Department is fire trained. The
Tribe’s fire protection services
now pay for themselves and have
become a model for other Tribal fire
protection programs throughout
the Northwest, he says.
The Tribe sends its firefighting
crews to help all over the North-
west. By renting out the Tribe’s
six firefighting engines, the Tribe
pays for all of its own fire protection
equipment and needs.
“That is a big plus that it doesn’t
cost the Tribe anything,” says
Nepstad.
Kuust says that he remembers
the summer of 1989 and that he
and Nepstad — they were known
as “The Jeffs” at the time — were
trying to form their programs in
the beginning.
“We were setting up the policies
and procedures, and we were set-
ting up the contracts,” says Kuust.
“I could tell early on that because
of his (Nepstad’s) background of
involvement with fire protection
that it would be his strength. I
remember we had a lot of energy
and we used that. He came from the
BLM and I came from the Oregon
Jeff Nepstad on the Fly Fire in 2005.
Department of Forestry, and we
used that experience to benefit the
program.”
Kuust says he had a front row
seat while Nepstad built the Tribe’s
Fire Protection Program into one
of the best and most successful in
the country.
“We have six engines now and a
very successful program,” Kuust
says. “We try to align our efforts
with the Tribe’s mission and direc-
tion. Jeff is responsible for that. I
don’t think we would have as suc-
cessful of a program if it weren’t
for Jeff.”
Kuust says Nepstad pays atten-
tion to detail. “He focuses on results
and he doesn’t get distracted. He
gets things done.”
Natural Resources Department
Manager Michael Wilson has
worked with Nepstad for 22 years
and says it’s his dedication that sets
him apart from others.
“Jeff has been the driving force in
making our fire protection work,”
Wilson says. “This is something
Cliff started and (former Natural
Resources manager Pete Wake-
land) expanded, but it was really
Jeff that put in the time and effort
to make it work.”
Wilson says Nepstad has put
Grand Ronde’s fire protection ef-
forts on the map.
“He (Nepstad) knows the fire
world well and he is a good fire-
fighter. It’s his attention to detail
for the contracts and agreements
that come into play that make it
such a quality program.”
Wilson says the firefighting pro-
gram is well-known and that other
Tribes visit to find out how it works
so well for Grand
Ronde.
“Some others have
struggled,” says
Wilson. “It takes
dedicated staff to
make it work. Jeff is
the reason it works
because he has a
strong commitment
to see that it works.
He wants to keep
people safe.”
Wilson says that
Nepstad’s dedica-
tion is evident in
his coming in to
work on a Sunday
only to find Neps-
tad already in his
office watching the
Bureau of Land
Management’s live
lightning-strike
feed on his comput-
er.
“His commit-
ment doesn’t end at
5 o’clock,” Wilson
says.
Silviculture and
Fire Protection
Program Supervi-
sor Colby Drake has
worked with Nep-
stad since start-
Courtesy photo
ing with Natural
Resources in 2003.
Drake says Nepstad
has become a mentor to him over
the past 12 years.
“He was my crew boss,” Drake
says.
Drake worked summers on the
Tribe’s firefighting crew while he
attended Western Oregon Univer-
sity in Monmouth. He started work-
ing full-time for the Tribe in 2007.
“In the beginning I kept coming
to Jeff and he would help me out,
but he did it in a way that helped
me learn and be responsible for
what I was doing,” says Drake.
“He basically trained me in most
of the things I do now on the job.
He has always been a very ap-
proachable and available super-
visor. We have a good working,
professional relationship, but I
also know he will be honest with
me and that we can talk about
things. He’s always been flexible
with me and we have built that
trust in each other.”
Drake says Nepstad has always
been willing to listen to him wheth-
er it’s about something personal or
professional.
“When I started working for him,
I was very shy,” says Drake. “After
working with and for Jeff for only
a few years, I realized that I need-
ed to come out of my shell and be
more outgoing. Jeff really helped
me become a better supervisor,
leader and overall a better person
in my life.”
Firefighting can be an unforgiv-
ing assignment. Drake says, but
Nepstad makes things seem possi-
ble no matter how tough it becomes.
“Some of the most memorable
times I’ve had while out on fire
have been with Jeff. He is always
professional and works hard, but
he knows when and how to have
a good time when conditions are
miserable. He always had some
hilarious or off-the-wall story that
would make our crew forget about
how difficult or bad our situation
was.”
Drake says its Nepstad’s unas-
suming leadership style that he
admires.
“He gives me a chance to do
what I need to do. Jeff knows
when to take the lead, but he also
knows when to let someone struggle
through an issue until they have
solved it on their own. I really look
up to him and I know that he will
have my back if it comes down to it
and help me with any issues I came
to him with.”
The other half of Nepstad’s job is
reforestation.
“After timber is harvested, Jeff’s
job is to get it replanted,” says
Wilson. “The replant is vital and
he gets the job done right. It’s easy
for people to see that a lot of work
goes into that. It’s very important to
the future of our Tribe. He’s been a
very important part of the Natural
Resources team.”
Nepstad has seen many changes
in the department. He and Kuust
came into this work together and
have watched as growth and the
changes that come with growing
have shaped the department and
its activities.
“With growth, the complexity
of everything has changed,” says
Kuust. “It has been enjoyable to be
part of it and the Tribe has treated
us well.”
Nepstad agrees with Kuust on
the magnitude of the changes that
have occurred. He says that he
sees those changes continuing and
becoming more global in nature.
“Fires are bigger nowadays,” says
Nepstad. “There are larger fires due
to global warming and the climate
has definitely changed. We started
seeing larger fires back in the '90s
and even bigger fires in the last 10
years.”
Ironically, it’s his dedication to
the job that has led Nepstad to the
decision to retire, but he adds that
he will still be around.
“I’m here on the weekends be-
cause it’s my job,” says Nepstad.
“If a storm comes through here,
I’ll be out here too watching for the
strikes. You never get your mind
out of the game and summers are
all about fires, so it’s hard to rest
during those times. Even after I
retire I plan to be on call. If there
is a fire, I’ll be here.”
Drake says he thinks having Nep-
stad on call after his retirement is
a bonus. “Having him available is
going to be huge for us,” he says.
After dedicating most of his adult
life to the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde, Nepstad will now
turn his dedication to his wife,
Lori, and their sons, Kylie, 11, and
Brody, 16.
“Our life is all about sports,
sports, sports,” says Nepstad. “Ev-
ery weekend we are going to base-
ball games.” n