Reflection by RB

My initial exposure to fire ecology was at an instructional session for Catamount Institute YES teachers. We were given a very quick overview of the basics, enough to be able to guide our kids through a semester of fire ecology Investigations. That training was a few hours long and in that time frame we were given very thorough procedures for carrying out the weekly classes. We learned how to guide investigations about the fire triangle, fuel types, matchstick forests, defensible space and the effects of wildfire on the animals. I spent the semester learning along side my students about this very important subject.

After spending a week reviewing many of these same materials in depth along with the discussions and expert trainers, I feel so much more able to give my YES students a quality program. I will be more confident to answer their questions and to direct them to the most productive resources to enhance their experiences. Additionally, I feel confident to design a PLT teacher training focused on fire ecology issues.

One area that I had no background information about was the hydrophobic soil piece. I am very excited to have this knowledge to include in the next semester with the students and plan to include investigations about this concept in our semester work. Additionally, I plan to include some stream table work with them to help them appreciate the work done by CUSP to mitigate flooding in the aftermath of fires. While it may not be possible to take them to the areas where we saw the work being done on the slopes and in the drainage areas, having seen these myself, I feel confident that I will be able to guide the students in understanding the methods being used by those mitigating these areas.

I would love to help develop some stream table activities to be used at future FEI trainings. I plan to use some at PLT fire ecology trainings that I will facilitate in the coming year.

The mapping activities we were taught re-exposed me to ESRI software and demonstrated how much more user friendly it has become. If I have access to computers for my students, I can envision using GIS mapping as they develop their class project for the semester.

The week spent at the 2013 FEI was most productive. I appreciate the time and effort it took to put this training together.