Learn more how Green is Gold beneficiary Keep Oregon Green helps curb the threats of wildfire.
The Green is Gold Charity Mach is Wednesday, featuring mixed teams of Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC players, at Providence Park; kickoff is 7 p.m. (Pacific).
Admission to the charity match is free with suggested donations to benefit environmental organizations Keep Oregon Green and The Nature Conservancy.
We chatted with Keep Oregon Green CEO Kristin Babbs about the organization's mission and how events like this help them further their mission.
What does Keep Oregon Green (KOG) do? What is the purpose that drives the organization?
Over 70% of the wildfire starts in Oregon are due to common, everyday human activities like burning debris, operating gas-powered equipment, or leaving campfires unattended or not fully extinguished. Human-caused wildfires are 100% preventable, which means the power to stop these types of ignitions squarely rests in our hands.
KOG promotes healthy landscapes and safe communities by educating the public of our shared responsibility to prevent human-caused wildfires. In essence, KOG fights fire with publicity. We use TV and radio ads, billboards, social media, and print publications to spread awareness of fire weather conditions, the wildfire risk, and the ways we all can prevent fire starts that have the potential to spread out of control.
We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has been operating since 1941. We are older than the Smokey Bear campaign, but we link arms with Smokey to encourage the public to do all they can to be careful with flames and sparks outdoors and prepare for wildfire season by creating good defensible space around the structure and property.
With changes in Oregon climate and landscape, what are some of the new challenges our region faces?
Fire seasons have been starting earlier and ending later than usual, and fire behavior has become more severe and erratic. Oregon had been sitting in severe drought conditions since 2015, but this is the first year our state has seen some relief. However, we have the topography (steep slopes), dry fuels (trees, shrubs and grasses) and hot summer temperatures (high 90’s or triple digits at times) that set the stage for an out-of-control wildfire. Combine these landscape and weather conditions with new residents who are unfamiliar with Oregon’s fire environment, or permanent residents who “do what they have always done” and it’s clear how our everyday behaviors contribute to the fire problem.
How do events like the Green is Gold Charity Match help KOG accomplish our mission?
Wildfire prevention is Oregon’s first line of defense. A fire prevented is a fire that does not need to be put out, and that saves lives, property and our state’s natural resources, as well as millions of dollars in suppression costs. Advertising costs money. The more funding we receive, the more residents and tourists we can reach with our message in every area of the state. A robust budget allows us to start our prevention campaigns earlier, in advance of fire season, and run them longer as the landscape and weather conditions dictate. It also allows us to respond to community demands (red flag weather forecasts or large outdoor group events that draw a lot of people to a fire prone area) with emergency messaging as well.
Will Smokey be at the match Wednesday night?
Of course! Smokey will there be rooting for Team Green!
