Webinar
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Ecosystems are transforming under climate change, with substantial shifts in ecological processes and important ecosystem services occurring at unprecedented rates. As systems approach socio-economic and ecological thresholds, our current management toolbox has proved to be incomplete for conservation and the sustainable provision of ecosystem services, including fisheries production and the wildlife habitat. Multiple approaches are therefore needed to address the varying uncertainties we face in this increasingly non-stationary world. Managers navigating ecosystem transformation can benefit from considering broader objectives beyond a traditional focus on resisting ecosystem change, by also considering whether accepting change or directing it along a preferred pathway might be more appropriate (RAD framework).
Are you ready for the next wildfire season? Last summer’s wildfire events impacted most Oregonians and we learned that EVERYONE living in Oregon should be prepared for a wildfire emergency. Every community is different though, and it can be difficult to navigate all of the resources.
A series of webinar sessions and online local meetings will address preparedness at three levels:
• Individual – What you can do now to get yourself, your family, and your home ready
• Community – How you can be a part of promoting a wildfire safe community
• Landscape – How you can live and thrive in a fire-adapted environment
Webinar recording.
Presenters: Suzanne Connolly. Suzanne specializes in treating trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is passionate about sharing her effective methods with professionals and leaders around the world. Researcher, author, speaker, Adjunct Professor, therapist and licensed clinical social worker, Suzanne Connolly has been in private practice working with adults, adolescents, couples and families in Northern Arizona since 1987.
Marc Titus, Staff Specialist – Fire Adapted Communities, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nevada Division of Forestry. Marc Titus currently works as the Nevada Division of Forestry’s Fire Adapted Communities Staff Specialist and is completing an MS in Psychology from Arizona State University. His journey of recovery from PTSD is thought-provoking, alarming and yet filled with hope. Being intimately involved in the 2008 Iron 44 Fatality Incident ultimately took its toll on Marc and after many years of degradation, he was finally diagnosed with PTSD in December 2014. Losing everything from his career as a wildland firefighter, Marc rebuilt his life around his recovery and new yoga businesses he and wife, Heather Shereé Titus owned and operated in Sedona, AZ. He has been an advocate for understanding PTSD and providing tools and
practices that combat traumatic stress and mental health issues in First Responders. He now lives in Carson City, NV with his wife and dog, Boon and can finally think about (and plan for) the future again.
Nelda St. Clair, Owner of firemind. Nelda started her career with the Forest Service in 1979 on the Medicine Bow National Forest. She moved on to the BLM as a Unimog Operator and over the years held various positions including Fire Operations Supervisor, Helitack Manager, Assistant FMO and FMO. She spent 14 years as the Center Manager at the Western Great Basin Coordination Center. She retired in 2019 from the BLM National Office as the National CISM Coordinator. Nelda is completing a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and is the National CISM Coordinator (Contract) for the BIA. Nelda also owns firemind® a mental health referral service for wildland firefighters.
Shawna A. Legarza, PsyD, Director of Emergency Management, Office of Emergency Management, La Plata County, Colorado. Shawna was raised on a cattle ranch in Northern Nevada and entered the firefighting profession as an engine crewmember for the Bureau of Land Management. She has recently retired as the National Director of Fire and Aviation for the United States Forest Service, where she worked for four years in Washington, DC. She spent 31 years working for the federal government in fire and aviation management. Shawna held numerous leadership positions across the Country for both the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. These positions include Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Safety Officer and many years working as a hotshot crew member. Shawna started the San Juan Hotshot crew as the Superintendent in 2002, worked as the Dispatch Center Manager in Grand Junction, was the District Fire Management Officer in Bayfield, CO, and the Forest Fire Management Officer on the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California. Prior to her position in Washington DC, she was the Regional Fire and Aviation Director for the Forest Service in California. In addition to her fire experience, she worked at the World Trade Center 9/11 recovery efforts, Hurricane Rita and the Greensburg Tornado. She has also traveled internationally to the recent fires in Australia, Brazil and Mexico. Shawna has a Doctorate in Psychology, a Master of Science in Kinesiology and a Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Physiology and Teaching. She is a graduate of the National Wildland Fire Apprenticeship Program Academy.
This 3-part modeling miniseries takes a wide-ranging look at State-and-Transition-Simulation-Models (STSMs) and use the LANDFIRE BpS models as a launching point for inquiry about ecosystem change over time. It communicates practical ways to use STSM in real-life research, management and academia.
Part 1 Recording: Kori Blankenship (LANDFIRE Fire Ecologist) will discuss the basics of (STSMs), introduce the LANDFIRE BpS models and share resources for both novice and intermediate state-and-transition modelers.
Part 2 Recording: Leonardo Frid (Systems Ecologist at Apex Resource Management Solutions) will showcase real-life STSM applications with the ST-Sim package for SyncroSim, demonstrate how to use both the Graphical User Interface and rsyncrosim R package and discuss different approaches for applying state and transition modeling tools in real-life management scenarios.
Part 3 Recording: Randy Swaty (LANDFIRE Ecologist) & Dr. Priscilla Nyamai (Asst. Professor, Grand Valley State Univ.) will discuss how integrating STSMs in the classroom can be useful for conceptualizing ecosystem changes.
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Description: Compare and view up to 5 Weather Scenarios to evaluate effects on fire behavior. Only in the Interagency Fuel Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS) can you run fire behavior models and compare the outputs side-by-side. Easily view on the map, change the inputs and re-run to explore the impacts of weather on fire behavior outputs. Great for enhancing your burn plans, NEPA documents or understanding and calibrating model outputs.
Webinar recording.
Fuels Management Officer Keegan Schafer with Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and Forest Fuels and Vegetation Program Manager Duncan Leao with the U.S. Forest Service – Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will discuss prescribed fire and projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Nevada.
Webinar recording.
Forester Anna Higgins with the Nevada Division of Forestry, Ecologist Mark Freese with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and Project Manager Danae Olson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will discuss reseeding landscapes, and preparing for potential flood after wildfire.
Webinar recording.
Living With Fire will host a question-and-answer workshop with Steve Quarles, who is both University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor Emeritus and the retired Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Research Center. The session will focus on “home hardening,” defined as building or retrofitting homes to withstand wildfire. Watch a previous presentation on this topic online.
Webinar recording.
Meteorologist and Public Information Officer Chris Smallcomb, from the National Weather Service – Reno office, will discuss smoke forecasting and models used to predict smoke. Air Quality Specialist Brendan Schnieder, with the Washoe County Health District’s Air Quality Management Division, will discuss wildfire smoke and health impacts.
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Climatology Research Professor Tim Brown, also director of the Western Regional Climate Center, will discuss how weather and climate influence fire in Nevada.