Reflection by PC

The fire ecology institute was a great learning experience.  The nature place was a wonderful location and I learned a lot.   Fires have become a huge issue in Colorado over the past 10 years and will continue to be a problem into the future.  The more knowledge that we can gain and pass on to our students the more educated and prepared communities will be for large fire events.

I have lived in Colorado my entire life and spent summers with my grandmother up near Deckers.  We were never threatened by wildlife and it did not seem like an issue to us even though conifers surrounded the cabin.   During the institute we drove within 2 miles of the cabin and it was so different from when I was a child. As the climate begins to change and the population increases in wild land areas, fire has been brought to the front lines.  It is an immediate threat and has people on edge.   As a teacher in an area on the wild land interface it is really important that I know the correct information. 

I not only learned a lot about fires that I didn’t know but the institute also inspired me to really transfer this knowledge to my students so they can be better informed citizens. 

 I learned that the effects of the fire do not end when the fire is out.  I learned there needs to be as much money invested in the aftermath as was invested in fighting the fire itself.    I found the hydrophobic activity really interesting and it was a great way to see the connection between a hot fire and runoff. A hot fire produces hydrophobic soils, which contribute to the flooding that occurs in burn areas.    Flash flooding is a true problem after fires.  It was really interesting to meet with Teresa from the Coalition of the South Platte and have her describe what would happen with certain amounts of rain and then to see on the news the next week that her predictions were spot on.   She was highly knowledgeable and was working hard to warn people about the effects of a big rain over the Waldo burn scar. 

I really enjoyed going to the burn that occurred by 11-mile canyon.  You could actually see the root blowouts and it was great to see such a hot fire up close.  It would be great to take students into a burn area so that they could see the effects up close.

 

There is a lot I am going to take away from the institute.  I want my students to be fire wise.  We are going to access the risk that our school and community faces and purpose ideas for making are community more safe in the case of a large wildfire.   As teachers we are always trying to connect our units to our student’s everyday lives.  All students can connect to Fire Ecology.  Just by living in Colorado students are directly connected to and very interested in fire.   A unit on Colorado fires would drive itself and be incredibly engaging to students.