Reflection by DW

In short, the Fire Ecology Institute was eye-opening.  I had heard about various wildfires and damage from wildfires over the years, but really had little first-hand knowledge about wildfire issues.  As I listened to the various speakers—speakers from diverse backgrounds and filling diverse rolls in the community—I was struck by how unified the story they told was.  Based upon the sampling represented by these speakers, there was clear consensus in the fire community about the impacts of fire suppression over the last century and what needs to be done to return our forests to a more natural, sustainable state.

With such a clear consensus in the fire community, I am surprised how little this message has made it into the mainstream media, our legislatures, and everyday conversation.  The message is ready for the public, but the public has had little exposure to it yet—at least from my perspective.  This impression has strengthened my desire to take the message into my classroom and make sure my students have at least a basic understanding about the unhealthy state of our forests.  One of the themes we discuss all year in my earth science classes is the idea that human activity has unintended consequences; because the natural world is composed of interconnected systems, society’s attempts to “control” nature—however well-intentioned—can backfire in unexpected ways.  The unhealthy state of the forests today is a perfect example of this, and it is one I think students need to hear about.

As for the Institute itself:  I was very pleased with the breadth and depth of material that was presented, and was especially pleased with the variety and quality of the speakers we heard over the course of the week.  Getting to hear from highly qualified people with diverse roles—fire fighting on the ground, forest and wildlife management, public education, research, etc.—was invaluable.  The field trips were excellent—they made the classroom concepts tangible and added necessary “ground truth” to what was being discussed.  I also was impressed with the abundance of resources I can take back to my classroom.  My only difficulty will be figuring out which of the many good activities and resources I’ll be able to fit in the very limited amount of class time we have each semester.

Being an earth science teacher, I plan to focus on the effects of wildfire on water and erosion issues, and the impact these things have on downstream communities.  My lesson plan reflects this focus.

Thank you for all your hard work planning and presenting the Fire Ecology Institute.  I am very pleased to have been part of it.