The Effects of the Ash Creek Fire on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation

My research this semester was part of the University of Montana School of Journalism’s long-established Native News Project. Each year, a reporter and photographer compose written and multi-media stories on a particular topic from each reservation in Montana. This year, the project’s topic is spending; I have chosen to explore this topic as it relates to the devastating Ash Creek Fire, which burned approximately 250,000 acres of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation this summer, including 22 homes. The bulk of my research, in the form of in-person interviews on the reservation, took place during the first week of April. I spent several days interviewing three families whose homes burned about the financial losses and costs they incurred because of the fire, as well as tribal leaders responsible for the management of the fire and for helping people get back on their feet in the aftermath. This process of recovery included the Tribal Housing Authority securing FEMA trailers for the families who found themselves homeless. Those shelters are intended as temporary homes, but because of the extensive poverty in the area, for many families they are permanent. Some families had insurance on their homes, but most did not. Some took low-interest-rate loans offered by the Small Business Administration, others chose not to take on debt or were unqualified for the loans. These are just a few of the issues that my research touches on. My written story is a work in progress and will be published in newspapers around the state in mid-May