US Forest Service Helicopter Inspector Pilots and Central Oregon firefighters recently used three helicopters to remove tons of trash from canyon areas on the Deschutes River, five miles south of Cline Falls, and at Millican Cliffs, five miles SW of Prineville last week.

Redmond smokejumpers prepared the site on the Deschutes River by clearing trees around collection points. Jefferson County Community Justice adult and youth crews prepared the Millican site by bagging garbage, and sorting large pieces of debris in advance of the exercise.

This project served as a training exercise for pilots and firefighters, simulating similar environmental conditions that are encountered when fighting wildfires, such as negotiating through steep and rugged canyon terrain, and the need for safety and accuracy in transporting sling loads.

The project was completed through cooperative efforts between the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, Jefferson County and local private landowners.