Evacuees bring horses to safety

Sandy Marlow and one of her happy evacuees. photo by Kathryn Godsiff

When the Booth Fire forced the evacuation of several campgrounds, youth camps, and Camp Sherman, many evacuees had to deal with more than their immediate belongings and the family valuables. These folk had large animals to get to safety.

Moving livestock usually involves a team effort. There are trailers to hook up, gear to collect, hay to include, and often more than one trip to make.

Arranging a safe place ahead of time cuts down on the stress. Most large animal owners will make space for evacuees at short notice, but longer term care requires some planning.

Two of the youth camps in the area, Camp Tamarack and Big Lake Youth Camp, have horse programs.

Camp Tamarack had already evacuated their 30 horses once this summer during the Link Fire. According to horse advisor Chris Lawrence, the order to evacuate the Booth Fire was given at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19. The first load of horses went out sometime after 7 p.m.; the last load arrived at Lawrence's Lower Bridge ranch around 2:30 a.m. (see related story, page 28).

Big Lake Youth Camp staff were given very little time to evacuate their 22 horses on Wednesday morning, August 20. Tami Palmer, head of the horse program and year-round resident of the camp, had an evacuation plan in place, but the plan ran into setbacks when helpers were not allowed up Highway 20 to assist.

By that stage the highway had become very hazardous and evacuees were allowed to travel east toward Sisters, but only fire personnel were allowed westbound.

The Big Lake staff took the first two trailer loads of horses to Whispering Pines horse camp, off the McKenzie Highway. Local knowledge allowed them to navigate the old Santiam Wagon Road back to camp for a second load. Four horses had to be ridden 14 miles to the McKenzie Highway as a third load was not permitted.

"I would not choose that section of the Pacific Crest Trail for a day ride, because of the lava rock," said Palmer. "But we made it and the horses were fine."

After a week at Whispering Pines, all the Big Lake horses have gone to foster care around the state.

Adding to the excitement of this evacuation was the presence of two horses whose owner was stranded in the area by the closure of Highway 20.

Sandy Marlow of Sisters had been riding with a friend and had left the horses at Big Lake Youth Camp, thinking to retrieve them later in the week. She returned to Sisters via McKenzie Highway with another friend who "just happened to be stuck at the Big Lake turnoff at the same time."

A few tense hours passed on Wednesday as Marlow was unable to get back to camp and her horses. She had left her truck and trailer there and the staff were finally able to get the horses out safely.

If there isn't time to evacuate, write your contact information on the animal with a non-toxic marker, turn them loose in a large pasture, closing off any enclosures where they may get trapped -- and hope for the best.

Tom Landis of Camp Sherman did that with his llamas. They were moved to large pastures in the area, and Landis admitted to "a niggle of anxiety," but allowed that llamas are generally less volatile than horses.