Reflection by DP

My journey to the Fire Institute this summer started with my passion for teaching up-to-date and relevant science to my 6^th graders.  Last summer, our city was surprised and devastated by the Waldo Canyon Fire.  My students had a connection to the natural world that was emotional and immediate.  I incorporated their understanding of what happened during the summer as we discussed how to gather data, analyze data, and share our findings from our research.  The students shared their feelings through word portraits and eventually by writing letters to pen pals in another state.  At the end of our mini-unit on the Waldo Canyon Fire, the students asked for more.  I asked myself how I could give them more and give myself more understanding of the wildfires that have been annually affecting our Colorado skies. 

In the past, I have studied the Haymen Fire from 2002 with mini workshops put on by Project Learning Tree.  I have seen how our environment recovers from wildfires, and learned many things to share with my students.  But the Fire Institute at the Nature Place was a totally different experience.  This adventure gave me the opportunity to meet and hear from people who are regularly fighting fires, mitigating fire-prone areas, and preventing flooding from killing those already saved from the fires.  I had no idea all the different organizations that have to work together to save and protect we humans who have changed the natural landscape of our beautiful state.  We spent many years putting out the fires, and now we are learning what that did to the natural course of events in Colorado’s forests. 

Two weeks prior to the Fire Institute, another fire hit the city of Colorado Springs.  But this time, instead of being across town from the flames, my students and I were face to face with them.  My school district was evacuated.  Friends, family, and loved ones kept in constant contact as we watched and waited to see whether our own properties would survive.  My former students asked me questions via emails and I strove to answer them as well as I could.  But as the days progressed, I realized how little all of us really know about what is going on in our wildland areas.  Black Forest lost a lot.  The community is holding itself together and working towards a better future.  Everyone is learning as we live.  While I was fortunate enough to escape the flames of the fire itself, it spoke to me in a more visceral way.  I needed to know what was going on.  I had to understand why these fires were so destructive and hard to control.  And I wanted to be able to explain these things to my students, my friends, my family, and most importantly, to myself. 

The Fire Institute did more than meet my expectations.  It did more than answer my questions.  It provided me with resources to help build a more knowledgeable community of learners in my students.  It introduced me to new areas of Fire Ecology.  I traveled through and studied many fires from the past 20 years in the Southern Colorado region.  I learned why flash floods become a problem after fires, and learned new ways to teach this to my students.  I was shown the actual mitigation efforts put in place daily by CUSP, the State and National Forest Services, and the many Fire Departments that must work together.  We looked at a 3D aerial view of the canyons that lead into the Colorado Springs area and discussed what the worst flooding could do after hitting the Waldo Canyon burn scar areas.

Less than 2 days after finishing the Fire Institute, a brief rain storm turned into flooding and mudslides throughout the Manitou Springs and western Colorado Springs areas.  Highway 24 was closed right where our presenters had discussed the possible floods.  The canyons directed the flow of the water and debris just as predicted.  And as I watched the events unfold on the news, I realized that I understood exactly what was happening.  Not only that, I knew why it was happening.  I could see how the mitigation efforts helped in some places, and how nature really can roll right over us.  The goal of flood mitigation is to save lives.  Well, no one died that day.  Less than two weeks later another storm hit.   Highway 24 was closed again, flooding occurred in some similar areas.  Still, there were no deaths.  While everyone remarked how devastating these floods have been, I thanked God that we have the ability to get people out safe.  We have the ability to forecast floods in these areas.  We have the ability to work together and give people enough time to get out safe.  This “AHA” moment for me was more powerful than I can express on a piece of paper.  I hope to express my gratitude for the knowledge I gained at the Fire Institute by sharing my newfound knowledge with countless students to come. 

Thank you to everyone involved in helping me truly understand more of what is happening around me.  I definitely don’t understand it all.  I have many resources to help me continue my education and understanding.  Better than that, I know who to call when I just need an answer to a student’s difficult question.  I know that that this is one of the best educational experiences I have received in my life, I know I want to attend next year, and I know I will be bringing as many people with me as I can!