A multi-day controlled burn near Osoyoos is being conducted by the Lower Similkameen Indian Band in collaboration with the B.C. Wildfire Service, covering approximately 160 hectares. The project aims to reduce wildfire risk while also reviving Indigenous cultural fire practices suppressed for generations. Julia Peterson, a councillor with the band, highlights the importance of combining traditional knowledge with modern wildfire management techniques, emphasizing the ceremonial significance and ecological benefits of such controlled burns.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Julia Peterson, a councillor with the Lower Similkameen Indian Band, is involved in a project aimed at reviving Indigenous cultural burn practices near Osoyoos. This multi-day controlled burn covers approximately 160 hectares and involves collaboration with the B.C. Wildfire Service. The initiative seeks to integrate traditional Indigenous fire stewardship, which was previously suppressed by law, with modern wildfire management techniques. Peterson emphasizes that this practice is not just about reducing wildfire risk but also restoring cultural connections to the land through ceremony. The burn aims to improve grassland health by clearing overgrowth and enhancing habitats for wildlife.
Written for “Indigenous Fire Stewardship Revival” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Smoke rising over the grasslands west of Osoyoos this week is part of a carefully planned burn aimed at doing more than reducing wildfire risk.
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Smoke → rise → risk
The multi-day burn in the Nighthawk Road area is also helping revive Indigenous cultural fire practices that were suppressed for generations.
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that → help → generations
The Lower Similkameen Indian Band is working with partners, including the B.C. Wildfire Service, on the approximately 160-hectare burn.
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Band → work → burn
Julia Peterson, a councillor with the Lower Similkameen Indian Band, says the project is about bringing traditional knowledge back together with modern wildfire management.
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project → say → management
“It was abolished, you know, by previous law, and so we’re really trying to bring those practices back, and combine these together with Western science,” Peterson said.
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Peterson → abolish → science
“Ceremony connects us to land, it connects us to the animals, to the water,” she said.
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she → connect → water
“This is bringing this ceremonial practice back into our community.”
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This → bring → community
The controlled fire is also intended to improve the health of the grasslands by clearing overgrowth, encouraging native grasses and improving habitat for wildlife.
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fire → control → wildlife
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Daryl Gibb, who owns the Nighthawk RV Park near the burn area, has seen how quickly wildfire can threaten the region.
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wildfire → get → region
“At the bottom of the hill there was a lot of sagebrush that choked out the grass,” Gibb said.
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Gibb → be → grass
“Getting rid of that sagebrush will definitely bring the grass back again.”
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rid → rid → grass
Gibb also hopes the work will help reduce the risk to nearby communities and properties.
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work → hop → communities
“About six or eight years ago, there was a big fire burning in the Cascades just across the river from us,” he said.
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he → be → us
The project is also an example of First Nations and government agencies working together on wildfire preparedness.
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Nations → work → preparedness
Justin Smith, with Lower Similkameen Indian Band Emergency Management, says wildfire does not respect the boundaries between jurisdictions.
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wildfire → say → jurisdictions
“Everybody’s in the same boat,” Smith said.
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Smith → ’ → boat
“The fire doesn’t recognize the boundary.
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fire → recognize → boundary
The fire doesn’t even recognize the border.
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fire → recognize → border
It just goes where it wants to go.”
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it → go → ?
That makes cooperation particularly important as communities across the region work to reduce wildfire fuels and prepare for increasingly severe fire seasons.
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communities → make → seasons
Peterson says the Nighthawk Road burn is only part of a larger need for treatment across the region.
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burn → say → region
“We still have many other areas that need this kind of treatment to bring safety to the communities, both on and off reserve,” she said.
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she → have → reserve
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