Adopt-A-Highway Journey at South Fork Forest Camp

South Fork Forest Camp started their Adopt-A-Highway Journey with a small 2.25 mile section of HWY 6. The adults in custody (AIC) would walk both sides of the highway, cleaning up litter. Not only did they take on cleaning up the litter as a challenging pursuit, but they also found the work very rewarding after seeing the impact of their efforts.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) noticed the litter cleanup efforts and the impacts it had on the section of the highway and agreed to allow the AIC crews to take on cleaning up the majority of HWY 6 – which is approximately 52 miles long. The AICs would walk roughly 10 miles per day! One day of picking trash, resulted in filling up a 10-yard dumpster with debris.

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Family First Summer Event

The Family First Club at Oregon State Correctional Institution hosted their annual family barbecue event on Saturday, August 26, 2023. The club members and their families look forward to this event all year long. There is nothing quite like hanging out in the sun enjoying fun activities, good food, and time with family.

Families enjoyed a variety of activities ranging from family badminton to a bucket brigade race as well as participating in annual scavenger hunt, just to name a few. Fathers watched as their children bounced with glee from one wall to the next in the bouncy house. The squeals and laughter of children could be heard above all the festivities.

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Wildland Suppression Crew at South Fork Forest Camp

The Wildland Suppression Crew from the Oregon Department of Correction’s (DOC) South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) deployed to Ball Bearing Fire, roughly 12 miles east of Carlton, Oregon. This was only day one of a three-day process. Adults in custody (AICs) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) staff took hand tools and water hoses to the side of this mountain. The Wildland Fire Fighters pushed their way through acres of land, cutting and digging deep under stumps, roots, and rocks.

Since 1951, ODF has utilized Oregon Department of Corrections adults in custody to help reforest and protect state forest lands. ODF trains and supervises AIC crews to perform a variety of key forest management and protection projects. It is the largest and oldest work camp in the Pacific Northwest. Work crews perform forest management in eleven counties in northwest Oregon, assist with disaster relief efforts, and engage in fire suppression statewide. In a given year, South Fork Camp can produce up to 28,000-man days of skilled adults in custody labor saving the state millions in labor costs.

This interagency partnership allows adults in custody to gain valuable work skills while providing economic, social, and environmental benefits for Oregonians.