2009 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators

I would first like to thank the many people who made this opportunity possible. There was obviously a lot of planning and forethought that was put into this class. In addition, I would like to thank those agencies who made this class fiscally possible: The CSFS-National Fire Plan grant and support from the BLM, USFS, CSU, USGS.

The Fire Ecology Institute opened my eyes in many ways. First, I was touched by the many people who spoke who had experienced wild fires first hand. For the first time, I became aware of the chaos that communities are thrown into literally overnight. Families and friends are forced into fighting the unknown which is not only the fires, but the aftermath of the fires (erosion, financial burdens, replanting, etc.) Second, I was unaware of the impact of the policy of suppressing wild fires played over the past hundred years. Visiting various sites demonstrated how overgrown wooded areas can build up an abundance of fuel which encourages wild fires to rage. Also, how the forest have a natural ecology which includes fire. Finally, I would like to own some land in the mountains someday. Class discussions on defensive space and community mitigation were areas I had not thought about. I now understand the importance of this when owning or purchasing land. Areas that had been thinned or cleared not only appeared natural and healthy they also would protect homes. Taking this class challenged me to look at my beliefs and definitely created a paradigm shift for me.

Some other thoughts worth noting:

I appreciated the hands on activities and videos that I can use in my classroom. I was amazed at the abundance of resources that are available for teachers to use.

Actually visiting a fire cache and making a fire line provided me with an appreciation of what firefighters do and what a difficult job it is.

Visiting Lemon Reservoir and meeting John Eye demonstrated that significance of erosion after a fire. His presentation made me think about the bureaucracy that people are involved in during and after a wildfire. I admired how he relied on his common sense and was willing to take action.

What a treat to visit Mesa Verde! What impressed me were the hours that the teams spend clearing the parks to reduce the fuel load. I was also unaware of the many hoops that have to be jumped through to actually follow through with a prescribed burn. I found it interesting how the fire danger was determined and the fuel moisture was calculated. This would be a simple activity for my students to complete.