2009 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators

Forest Fire Ecology has always been something I have been interested in. I was surprised by the amount of information that has been collected in this area. There are so many subjects and topics that interact in understanding this topic.

I have had the opportunity to spend LOTS of time in the woods. I have worked as backcountry ranger, instructor, guide, counselor, teacher, etc. It is amazing to me that we have let our forest get so unhealthy! As I look around Summit County I see a very unhealthy beetle infested forest that is going to burn to the ground sometime soon!

So, wherre are we with this situation. I was really blown away by the erosion problem that occurred after the Missionary Ridge fire. The damage was unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it in my life. When I think about Summit, we have a huge reservoir which Denver depends on for its drinking water. What will happen when the forest burns down? Lake Dillon will be totally polluted. This is one of the big things I learned in the course.

I was also reminded about all the behind the scenes work that takes place on national Forest lands and Park Lands. So many people put there life’s work into these precious natural resources. I think they are greatly underappreciated! I also was reminded about how cool an area the 4 corners are. It has everything. I have family there so I get a chance to visit quite a bit, but I have forgotten a little bit about the Mesa Verde area and all of the archaeological sites that are literally EVERYWHERE.

I know we have talked a lot about beetles, but I did not realize there were so many types of beetles that infect so many types of trees. I am now wondering about our Spruce trees high up in the sub-alpine. I think they are being killed as well, and I want to investigate this situation further.

There is another area locally called windy ridge that has lots of Bristlecone pines. I think a few are almost 2, 000 years old. I am now interested to go check it out and maybe take some kids out there as well. It is really amazing to have this resource located 30 minutes from where I live.

It was nice to find a workshop that I was really interested in. I appreciated all of the information but I was frequently overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we tried to do and cover every day. As a suggestion, you might what to do more with a little less. I was feeling somewhat saturated with material. Having said that, I think you guys did a great job putting the class together. Ft. Lewis and Durango where a great place for the class. The guest Speakers where outstanding and there level of expertise was unbelievable.

I could certainly appreciate the passion and commitment from them. Looking at the Missionary Ridge fire was really a wake up call for me. I think I was distracted that summer with the Haymen and everything else going on, because I don’t fully remember that much devastation.

In closing, I would say I learned a tremendous amount this week. I had a great time spending time with other teachers and even folks from own dept. I would certainly consider taking another workshop soon. Thanks,