Much of California is in the fire zone - forests and chaparral shaped by fire ecology, and the urban-wildland interface, or the "I-Zone" as fire scientists sometimes refer to it. Many outdoor education programs are in this zone, and when California burns, our programs are affected. Yet as outdoor educators, we see fires as part of a natural cycle (albeit one that has been disrupted, contributing to recent problems), and fires can become teachable events - even more so fire recovery. Californians today are having to re-learn what Native Californians were well aware of in managing the landscape - fire is an integral part of California. On this page we hope to offer resources to find information about fires that threaten the buildings where many outdoor programs are based, and also offer resources for fire preparedness, fire ecology, fire recovery, and educational resources about fire in California ecosystems. Nothing reminds us more powerfully of our dynamic landscape than wildfire - stay safe out there - and keep teaching!
Outdoor School Site Updates - how specific Outdoor School sites were affected by the fires
Fire
Information | Maps | Fire
Prevention and Preparedness | Fire
Ecology | Restoration | Native
Americans and Fire | Teaching
Resources | Articles, Essays, and Opinion |
Outdoor
School Updates | Fire
Stories/Thoughts
General Information: Statewide Fire Information | Northern California | Southern California
Information and updates for specific areas: San Diego and Imperial Counties | San Bernardino and Riverside Counties | Los Angeles and Orange Counties | Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties
Outdoor School Updates (when applicable/available): Outdoor
School Updates
Forums and Bulletin Boards: Bulletin
Boards, Forums, Groups
California
Department of Forestry (CDF) Major Incident site General
information concerning incidents. All information comes from the firelines
and must be approved by the Incident Commander in charge of managing
the incident prior to release. As battling a fire is the priority, updates
to these sites cannot be guaranteed on a set time schedule. Please use
the information on these pages only as a reference. The sites are not
meant to provide up to the minute evacuation or fire behavior information.
Please refer to the incident information Telephone Numbers and website
links for additional information, and monitor your local radio stations
for emergency broadcasts. More information about fire education, prevention, preparedness, recovery, etc is available on the CDF Homepage: www.fire.ca.gov
CalFire.org The California Fire Forum promotes communication between public and private stake holders in the California fire fighting industry. Portal for information and updates.
InciWeb/California -
Fire Incidents Nationwide and by Specific Region - I've linked to Region 5
- California. InciWeb is an interagency wildland fire incident information
management system. The system was developed with two primary missions: The
first was to provide a standardized reporting tool for the Public Affairs community
during the course of wildland fire incidents. The second was to provide the
public a single source of information related to active wildland fire information. A number of supporting systems automate the delivery of incident information
to remote sources. This ensures that the information on active wildland fire
is consistent, and the delivery is timely.
Senator Barbara Boxer's website with many fire resources -information about current fires, evacuations, shelters, closures, prevention, disaster preparedness, what to do during and after a fire. Excellent collection of resources. Senator Diane Feinstein also has some fire information on her site, but not in a permanent link.
"Fire Intelligence" a temporary page with lots of links to current information! USFS
Fire Weather - National Weather Service Fire Weather page. Also see the NOAA Fire Weather Information page
US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region (California) Fire and Aviation Management has a variety of resources - including current incident updates, maps, fire news, stories, and more.
The above general information sites are generally good for the less fire-prone northern California area - with its drier climate, large areas of chaparral and pine forest, and Santa Ana winds, Southern California has more specialized fire information sites, below.
The Northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center (ONCC) is the focal point for coordinating the mobilization of resources for wildland fire and other incidents throughout the Geographic Area. Located in Redding, CA, the Center also provides Intelligence and Predictive Services related-products designed to be use by the internal wildland fire community for purposes of wildland fire and incident management decision-making.
Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center The Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center (OSCC) is the focal point for coordinating the mobilization of resources for wildland fire and other incidents throughout the Geographic Area. Located in Riverside, CA, the Center also provides Intelligence and Predictive Services related-products designed to be use by the internal wildland fire community for purposes of wildland fire and incident management decision-making.
San Bernardino Forest Joint Fire Information Center This site is the official source for information about fires in the San Bernardino National Forest . Their goal is to serve the public and the media in this mission. They also provide some maps and information for fires in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Ventura Counties.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) - Disaster Information - information on federally declared disaster areas including impact maps, how to apply for assistance, etc.
FIREupdate.com Information coverage mainly for the San Bernardino Mountains, but also for other SoCal fires, and news, photos, and a forum.This site even has information on bark beetles! Staffed irregularly by a retired firefighter and his son, operating on donations with the goal of simply getting the information out to those who need it. Best for the San Bernardino Mountains as that's where "Ranger Al" is based. Now with a FireRecovery.com website.
LA County fire Department - current fire information for LA county and all sorts of resources for prevention, preparedness, etc.
The LA Times is a good source of information for all current fires. See their interactive Google Map of Fires - updated regularly.
San Bernardino County Fire Department - current fire information for San Bernardino County
Riverside County Fire Department - current fire information for Riverside County
San Bernardino National Forest - information on current fires, closures, etc.
County of San Bernardino Emergency Operations Center News Just what it says - straight information.
The San Bernardino County and Riverside County Mountain Area Safety Taskforce Website CalMAST - San Bernardino and Riverside County information. The Mountain Area Safety Taskforce (MAST) is a coalition of local, state and federal government agencies, private companies and volunteer organizations in San Bernardino and Riverside counties (California) working together to help prevent catastrophic wildfires.
Big Bear Radio-KBHR - local news of the San Bernardino Mountains -a great source for up to the minute local mountain news on fires, evacuations, road closures, and more. Click on "Big Bear News" for more detailed information.
Inland Empire Today has coverage/fact sheets about Riverside and San Bernardino County Fires.
San Bernardino Press Enterprise covers the San Bernardino County Fires (story on reinstating prescribed fire).
San Diego County Emergency - great up to date information on all sorts of emergencies, along with safety information, recovery tips, and more.
County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services
KPBS San Diego Website "KPBS enriches the lives of people in the San Diego region through unique media services. These high quality radio, TV, Web and community activities educate, inspire, entertain, and advance civic involvement, celebration of culture and the power of diverse perspectives." Excellent Fire Information, and a very good interactive Google Map of San Diego Fires showing evacuation centers and more.
SignOnSanDiego - website of the San Diego Union Tribune has some of the best current updates of the San Diego Fires. Story of the 2003 Fires Here
CBS News 8, San Diego - Wildfire Coverage Excellent updates, including a list of homes destroyed, current fire stats, recovery resources, and much more.
North County Times has northern San Diego County and Riverside County Fire information along with maps and evacuation information.
California Wildfire Information Bulletin Board messages to/from/about people affected by fires
RimOfTheWorld.net/ has current local information about the San Bernardino Mountains fire and a bulletin board for messages for San Bernardino Mountain community residents.
San Bernardino Mountains Yahoo Group - you will have to join to see the messages, but there is good information being exchanged.
The Disaster Survivor Network grew out of the Old Fire Recovery Group, which is a team of survivors from the Old Fire (aka the Old Waterman Canyon Fire of 2003). Now, our group wants to share our knowledge to help other disaster survivors. This website is the knowledge we've gained about the process of long term disaster recovery. We choose purposely not to call ourselves "victims" since the true victims of the disaster are are not alive to tell the tale. Join us in our new life... after the disaster.
Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives
Cedar Fire Rebuilding Resource Group
KPBS San Diego Website "KPBS enriches the lives of people in the San Diego region through unique media services. These high quality radio, TV, Web and community activities educate, inspire, entertain, and advance civic involvement, celebration of culture and the power of diverse perspectives." Excellent Fire Information, and a very good interactive Google Map of San Diego Fires showing evacuation centers and more.
The LA Times is a good source of information for all current fires. See their interactive Google Map of Fires - updated regularly.
MODIS Fire Mapping -Active Fire Maps for California
California Fire Imaging from the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station remote aerial sensing - links to current fires with the latest imaging.
Wildfire Science Applications and Support
NASA Earth Observatory Satellite Photos of Current and Past Fires Pretty amazing satellite photos!
GIS Maps of the California Wildfires from ESRI GIS and Mapping Software
We hope these links prove useful in your teaching, and we would love to
about
how you are incorporating fire ecology lessons into your teaching, and how
your sites recover, either with restoration or
naturally. Teaching and learning opportunities abound from this, and in true
outdoor educator fashion, I know you will all be taking advantage of this
teachable season.
Fire Prevention/Preparedness | Current Fire Information-| Imagery and Maps | Fire Ecology | Restoration | Native Americans and Fire | Teaching Resources | Articles and Essays | Fire Stories/Thoughts | Outdoor School Updates
Senator Barbara Boxer's website with many fire resources -information about current fires, evacuations, shelters, closures, prevention, disaster preparedness, what to do during and after a fire. Excellent collection of resources.
Defensible Space Landscaping in the Urban-Wildland Interface: A Compilation of Fire Performance Ratings of Residential Landscape Plants
Earth,
Wind, & WILDFIRE: Learing to Live with Fire Exhibit
at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Earth, Wind & WILDFIRE is
a comprehensive exhibition that explores the powerful forces that shape
the landscape of southern California: fire, nature, and people. This
exhibition is a testimonial to the splendor of nature, the power and
inevitability of fire, the responsibility humans have for living with
nature and fire, and the inspiration of recovery in nature and the community.
Fire,
Chaparral and
Survival in Southern California, published by The
California
Chaparral Field Institute
The Fire Safe Council The Fire Safe Council, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and other organizations have developed several educational brochures that homeowners may use to help protect themselves from damaging wildfires. The brochures are free to the public and may be downloaded and distributed.
FireWise "Making sensible choices in the wildland-urban interface"
Fact Sheet - Understanding Fire and Fire Behavior (pdf) From Northern Arizona University's Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI)
The I-Zone Series Urban-Wildland Interface Fire. The I-Zone Series is a Strategic Resource Planning Guide Project sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), and the University of California Forest Products Laboratory (UCFPL), Berkeley. This is an amazing resource! Detailed and well-written (and interesting) chapters on California Fire History, Ethnohistory, Fire Ecology, and details of the California Fire Plan, Fire Safety and Vegetation, and SO much more - you can download individual chapters (pdf format) or the entire guide.
Living withWildfire - tips from "MO Plants" Useful emergency tips, defensible landscaping, architectural design, and all about fire in the natural environment. This is an archived webpage (using the "wayback machine") as the old website has been taken offline and I couldn't find all of the same links on the new website.
Info/Research | Restoration Information | Teaching resources | Articles/Opinion
Catalina Island Conservancy - Ecological Processes - Fire Natural communities in Southern California are well adapted to fire. Links to Accidential wildland fires, Ecological impacts of fire, Catalina's native fire followers, Stump sprouting, Fire as an ecological management tool, and Prevent accidential fires on catalina
Jewel beetle flies into the inferno Really interesting article from the BBC about a beetle that flies into fires to mate and lay eggs - the pits on the beetle's thorax were found to be infrared detectors - a great example of fire as part of an evolving ecosystem.
Ashes to Wildflowers - A Promise Of Renewal Springs From Destruction - articles on Fire on the excellent Wayne's Word - online Natural History Textook from Palomar College professor, Wayne P. Armstrong.
The Environmental Literacy Council's Wildfires in Southern California page, with great information and links from fires in general to fire ecology to Santa Ana winds to bark beetles.
Natural History of Fire and Flood Cycles in Southern California research paper with lots of good background information from the California Coastal Commission. The article was written in 1995, and accurately predicts exactly what has happened with the current fire situation, looking at several factors, including the fire ecology of Chaparral Ecosystems, Santa Ana Wind conditions, poor subdivision planning, and more. This winter, areas that were burned might experience debris flows - this article mentions John McPhee's essay "Los Angeles Against the Mountains" which is in his book,The Control of Nature. If you haven't read it, I recommend it!
Author David Carle Intorduction to Fire in California: This clearly written, dramatically illustrated book will help Californians, including the millions who live near naturally flammable wildlands, better understand their own place in the state's landscape. Carle covers the basics of fire ecology; looks at the effects of fire on wildlife, soil, water, and air; discusses fire fighting organizations and land management agencies; explains current policies, and explores many other topics.
Fire Ecology and the Domesticated Landscape in California - (pdf file) Student Ethnobotany/ Anthropology Research Paper by Kimberly Hedrick
The Impact of Fire on Ecosystems - An excellent primer on fire effects/fire ecology from the University of Texas - examples from all over the west - NOTE: the original page has gone offline and I was not able to locate a new address, so the link is an archive using the "wayback machine."
GORP.com series on fire - includes: The Hidden Story of Forest Fires, What Good Is Wildfire?, Taking Fire Out of the Forest, Fires of Old, The New Fires, Recovery, Gridlock, and Promising Experiments
Fire Ecology - University of Idaho site - "Adapting to Disturbance: Plants Resist, Depend, and Grow with Fire"
Western Fire Ecology Center From the American Lands Alliance, with a basic Introduction to Fire Ecology and links to research papers and essays as well as a list of links to other fire ecology information sites
Western Ecological Research Center - a division of USGS - Fire Ecology Research Detailed studies of fire history and fire ecology in the Sierra Nevada forests, the California shrublands, and the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Knowledge from these studies is forming the basis for new policies aimed at restoring fire cycles that will present a lower risk to human life and property, and help safeguard the stability and diversity of Pacific Southwest ecosystems.
Association for Fire Ecology The Association for Fire Ecology began with a small group of researchers and managers in California. Several individual representing different universities and agencies recognized the need for applied fire ecology products that would be useful to land managers. The California Association for Fire Ecology (CAFE) served as the earliest iteration of AFE and focused specifically on questions of interest to California land managers. In recognition of the need for fire ecology information at a national and international scale, CAFÉ was expanded into the Association for Fire Ecology. CAFE has now become a chapter of the larger international Association for Fire Ecology and is continuing with their state-level projects.
Wildfire Information Center of the Pacific Biodiversity Institute, including information on Fire Ecology, Wildfire links, and more.
Fire Effects on ecosystems, flora, fauna, air, soils and water - from the Forest Service Fire Effects Information site
Tall Timbers Research Station Fire Ecology Program includes a searchable database of fire ecology publications, research notes, publications and more!
Smoke Induced Seed Germination in California Chaparral article from The Ecological Society of America
Chaparral Fire Ecology - from the Cal Poly Land archives. Also see the fire ecology of oak woodlands.
Fire in North American Wetland Ecosystems and Fire-Wildlife Relations: An Annotated Bibliography
UC Center for Fire Research and Outreach - a very rich resource
UC Berkeley Wildland Fire Research Group - the Berkeley chapter of SAFE (Student Association for Fire Ecology) "The primary objective of SAFE is to provide students from diversebackgrounds with an open forum on fire ecology through which research canbe shared, networks formed and funding and information resources can beaccessed."
UCBerkely Stephens Lab Research and Education in Wildland Fire Science - "The mission of the Fire Science Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley is to conduct scientific research and provide academic training in the fields of wildland fire science, ecology, and resource management."
California Fire Ethnohistory (pdf 436K) Well-written account of early Californians use of and living with fire. Part of the I-Zone: Urban-Wildland Interface publication from UC Berkeley.
Living with Fire: Making Wise Choices The intent of this poster and website is to compare and contrast the Native American use of fire as a tool with the wildland fire situation today. Can fire still be an effective land management tool today? If so how do we make wise choices concerning it? Includes Native American Use of Fire and the Legend: How Coyote Stole Fire
Native Americans were the First Land Managers of California's Coastal Ranges News Release from USGS
Native American Land Use Practices and Ecological Impacts (pdf - 295 K) by M. Kat Anderson and Michael J. Moratto
References
on the American Indian Use of Fire in Ecosystems by Gerald W. Williams, Ph.D., Historical Analyst
USDA Forest Service, from the website WildlandFire.com
Use of Fire by Native Americans - Southern Forest Resource Assessment Report
Fire Stick Agriculture in California, By David A. Bainbridge, from Wildland Fire website
Wildland Fire History, from Wildland Fire website
Patterns and Processes of Indigenous Burning - How to Read Landscape Signatures of Past Human Processes (pdf - 73.1 K) by Linda E. Storm
Fire Legends:
Mouse Steals Fire - Miwok Legend
Theft of Fire - Maidu Legend - from the First People website
Theft of Fire - Karok Legend - from the First People website
First People Fire stories - a collection of stories from native North America - from the First People website
Coyote Brings Fire - Karuk Legend
Origin of Fire - Jicarilla Apache
Grandmother Spider Steals Fire - Choctaw Creation Story
The First Fire - Cherokee (Water Spider)
How Fire Came to the Six Nations - Iroquois
How Rabbit Brought Fire to the People (tribal origin not given)
Fire, Chaparral and Survival in Southern California, published by The California Chaparral Field Institute - their website has a wealth of fire ecology and restoration research and up to date information and resources!
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE RE-LEAF: American Forests has created a national fund to help communities and organizations restore forests damaged by wildfires in California. The Wildfire ReLeaf program is a large-scale tree planting initiative started in 1999 to plant millions of trees in burned areas. Funding opportunities through the program can apply to local agencies, watershed associations, school groups and others conducting on-the-ground conservation projects. This grant can initiate or extend programs for youth that will help them become interested in careers dealing with natural resource management and conservation. Outdoor schools and youth camp sponsors may entertain the idea of establishing tree nurseries for ongoing tree planting in areas affected by insects or fire damage. There are lots of possibilities for creative ideas.
After the Fires - Information: Wildfires, Fall 2003 From Tree of Life Nursery: Inspiration, Imagination, Involvement, Information - what a great website. Tree of Life grows California Native Plants and has some "sage advice" for what to do after the fires. Site includes downloadable "Plant Profiles" - Descriptions and photos of over 100 natives for the landscape.
What To Do After Your Hillside Has Burned - Great page of information from the Las Pilitas Native Plant Nursery website.
Helpful post-fire hints for how to treat damaged trees
Grant and Funding Resources for your projects - from the FireWise Communities website
The California Society for Ecological Restoration is a non-profit membership based organization dedicated to the purpose of bringing about the recovery of damaged California ecosystems. To this end, the organization's activities are focused on the presentation of conferences, symposia, workshops, field trips and other educational activities dealing with the many different aspects involved in restoration of California native habitats.
Plant Materials Program -Wildfire Protection and Recovery from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Program The Plant Materials Program is actively involved in wildfire-related work, from developing burned-site rehabilitation strategies to evaluating species for fire-resistant plantings at the wildland-urban interface.
Plants Fact Sheets - wow... what a great resource! Information sheets about many native plant species, including ethnobotany, horticultural information and more!
San Diego County Native Plant Society Chapter - plant sales, education, lectures on habitat restoration and more - especially useful is "After the Fire: Revegetation and Recovery": In the wake of the disastrous wildfires of 2003 (and now 2007), much has been written on what to do now--about revegetation, whether to seed, how to prevent erosion. There is much scientific evidence that most native vegetation will recover on its own and that seeding with non-native annual grasses can be harmful. CNPS has developed policies and guidelines on shrubland management and fire safety. Links to those as well as other resources and studies are included on this page.
California Native Plant Society Policy on Re-seeding after Wildfires - The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) strongly urges public agencies to allow burned wildland areas to revegetate naturally and opposes the practice of artificially seeding undisturbed burned watersheds. Find out why
California Restoration and Native Plant Entities a list of links to all types of useful organizations and information
A Note about Oaks and Fires - I was amazed to see deciduous oaks that appeared to be killed by the fires in Santa Barbara several years ago, sprouting from the branches and making a perfect comeback! Unfortunately, some landowners had jumped right in and cut down their "dead" oaks before this sprouting happened. If you can, and if it's not an obvious hazard, you might consider waiting and seeing if they really are dead before removing them.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., October 25, 2007 - The Environmental Nature Center is presenting "Fire Ecology 101" on November 16, 2007, at 6PM. Participants will learn about basic fire science, and fire1s role in our local Orange County landscapes. They will learn about the history of fires in the area, how they start, how wildlife recovers from fire, what we can do to prevent large catastrophic fires and how we can protect homes in and near wild, open space. The presentation will take place in the ENC's Outdoor Log Amphitheatre, weather permitting. Cost is $5 per guest. Call 949-645-8489 to RSVP. The ENC is located at 1601 16th St. in Newport Beach.
Wildland Fire Communicator's Guide from the The National Interagency Fire Center
Born
to Burn! (
pdf
-356K) Fire Curriculum created by AEOE Institutional Members, the San Bernardino Children's
Forest Association. The Born to Burn!
Curriculum consists of two instructional units: the kindergarten through third
grade curriculum, taught through an interpretive hike at Heap’s Peak
Arboretum, and the fourth through eighth grade curriculum, taught along Mill
Peak Road. The main goal of this curriculum is for students to leave with an
educated position on forest fire. Students will not only learn about fire,
but also forest health, stewardship, environmental responsibility, and sensitivity.
The Born to Burn! curriculum is designed to be used as a field trip guide,
but may also serve as a resource for individual stand-alone activities. The
activities within the curriculum are intended to suit not only the San Bernardino
Mountains, but are applicable to any area situated within a regular fire regime.
This allows educators the ability to better incorporate these activities into
their own curricula. Link to a brochure with ordering and field trip information
The San Diego Wildfires Education Project The purpose of this education project is to assist students in grades K-8, and their teachers, in understanding, appreciating, and participating in the environmental recovery process following the 2003 San Diego wildfires. This has been accomplished by creating grade appropriate science-based curricula available through this web portal, free DVD’s provided to each elementary and middle school for classroom instructional use, and a special post-fire workbook for middle school students. Teacher training materials and related opportunities are also available at this site.
eFire.org: the online bookstore for fire education more than just books!
Project Learning Tree's Fire Education Initiative: Since the spring of 2001, Project Learning Tree and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in cooperation with the National Interagency Fire Center have partnered to provide joint educator workshops in wildland fire education. The workshops use selected activities from the PLT PreK-8 and Secondary Modules, as well as a variety of supplemental fire education materials developed by the BLM and other federal agencies, including the popular "Burning Issues" CD produced by the Science Education Department of Florida State University. In addition, this partnership has also sponsored special GreenWorks! grants designed to engage students directly in community service programs which focus on wildland fire prevention, safety, and restoration. Here are two new resources from Kay Antunez at PLT: The Fire Resources Handout from the Burning Issues workshop (also available as a downloadable pdf file (56K), and a Correlation of the PLT Fire Lessons with the California Science Standards (pdf-59K)
Wildland Fire Ecology Santa Monica Mountains Parks as Laboratories program. The Wildfire Ecology program was developed jointly by National Park Service (NPS), Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and 20 other organizations. This program was made possible through a generous grant from the Toyota USA Foundation to the National Park Foundation. The curriculum and protocols were developed through the Wildfire Ecology Advisory Committee composed of NPS personnel, LAUSD past and present science teachers, professional firefighting personnel, and others.
Wildland Fire Primer (pdf) 2002-2003 resource for educators from the BLM's Learning Landscapes, which includes many many more resources
National Park Service Fire Education Unit on Fire Ecology includes lessons and activities. This is a great website with resources for educators, researchers, fire ecology information, and detailed lessons / curriculum on fire. Highly recommended! From the "Teachers" section of the NPS Fire and Aviation Management Education website
Wildland Fire Unit on Fire Ecology from the National Interagency Fire Center
On Fire! The play about Conflict and Conflagration in America's Wildlands. On Fire! is a new play that explores the gritty heroics, the tragedies, and the triumphs of America’s wildland fire fighters. And it portrays the equally dramatic battles in the corridors of power — the wars to determine how America’s wildlands will be managed. From Duende Drama
Teaching resources for the play "Friendly Fire," including a Miwok story - Mouse Steals Fire, and an excerpt from the great book Before the Wilderness, on the use of fire in land management by native peoples
Chaparral and Fire - from the California Native Plant Society Education Program
Fire Safe Council - great site for making sure your community or program is fire safe. Some good teaching materials and images of what 100 years of fire suppression does to a Ponderosa Pine forest, for example.
FireWise for Educators - a collection of links to fire lessons and resources!
NOVA Online - Fire Wars - Companion website to the NOVA program "Fire Wars" - excellent site including teaching resources and great information. The show accompanied the men and women of a wildland firefighting crew known as the Arrowhead Hotshots, who are undoubtedly fighting these fires on their home turf right now.
Forests are Used to This Kind of Thing... Fire Ecology information from "The Why Files." Several articles of interest, including "Woods Ablaze"
Simple Fire Ecology Experiment: Can Fire Help the Forest Grow?
Some thoughts and experiences with Fire Ecology lessons from Yosemite Institute
The
High Country News collection of articles on fires The
High Country Foundation is a nonprofit media organization whose mission
is to inform and inspire people to act on behalf of the West's land,
air, water and inhabitants. We work to create what Wallace Stegner called
a society to match the scenery.
High Country News is a bi-weekly newspaper that reports on the West's
natural resources, public lands, and changing communities. Covering 11
western states, from the Great Plains to the Northwest, and from the
Northern Rockies to the desert Southwest, High Country News is a respected
source for environmental news, analysis and commentary on water, logging,
wildlife, grazing, wilderness, growth and other issues changing the face
of the West.
Ecology of Fire - Driving the black highways with Mike Davis. LA Weekly Article about the Cedar Fire and Fire Ecology. Great and timely!
Ecology of Fire - Why the empire wanted to burn so badly. LA Weekly Article about the recent fires, fire ecology, and politics.
Articles by Mike Davis - author of Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster, and City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles, from "Radical Urban Theory" on Southern California's Fire Ecology Ecosystems:
Whole Earth Magazine: the entire Winter 1999 issue was devoted to fire - articles include:
Fire Ecology Essays and Speeches - From the American Lands Alliance
Science Magazine Articles on Science and Society
Outdoor School Site Updates - how specific Outdoor School sites were affected by the fires - moved to separate page - click here
Please let us know if you know of sites with accurate and up to date fire information, pertinent articles, and especially if you have information on how the fires have affected any outdoor schools or nature center programs in the state. Thank you -
