Copyright © 2005 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Eugene Brown, packs his bag in preparation for a trip to Ohio to fight wildfire.

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - The fearless men and women who make up the Cherokee Nation Fire Dancers recently returned from Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio where they assisted in the suppression of a raging wildfire that is threatened the 178,000 acre forest at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

This is the first fire of the season," said Mike Weaver with the Cherokee Nation Fire Dancers. "Although we are expecting a lot of fires this year because there wasn’t a lot of snowfall up north and we haven’t had a lot of fires the last two years; so there’s a lot of land that could go up (in smoke) this summer."

The Cherokee Nation Fire Dancers assist the United States Forestry Service with fighting wildfires all across the United States. Members of the 35 men and two women crew are sent to fires in shifts, with no one serving more than 21 days at any particular fire. Crew members are on contract and many serve in civilian jobs while not fighting fires during the summer, the busiest season for fire.

For more information on the Cherokee Nation Fire Dancers, call Mike Weaver, phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2334).

Related Cherokee Nation contact information:

Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager Cherokee Nation - Public Affairs Phone 918-456-0671 (Ex.2324) E-mail: ldaugherty@cherokee.org

Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Specialist Phone: 918-456-0671 (ex.2843) E-mail: bpeak@cherokee.org