A reflection on the weeklong Fire Ecology Institute conducted by Colorado’s Project Learning Tree.
Thank you again for a tremendous learning opportunity. This has been the highlight of my summer and is   going to have a great impact on my teaching next year.

I saw the forest, and I saw the trees!   by DK

Whenever someone is too caught up in the details of a problem to see the situation as a whole, we sometimes say that person “can’t see the forest for the trees.”  Likewise, there are some people who tend to see the big picture quickly, yet fail to see the details that make up a problem.  We might say of these people that they “can’t see the trees for the forest.”  I admit that I am often one of these big idea people.  I quickly get the overall themes and messages, but have trouble explaining the components with clarity and detail.  However, when it comes to understanding forest ecosystems and fire management in Colorado, the Fire Ecology Institute was a comprehensive week of study that had the right amount of breadth and depth to prepare me as a middle school science educator.  Not only was the instruction comprehensive, the learning modalities were also varied and addressed multiple learning styles.  My learning was mental, emotional, physical, and, dare I say, even spiritual.  I am certain there is much more to learn and much more depth – it was only a week long course – but I left the week with not only a foundation for understanding fire ecology, not only the first level mostly built, but also with the tools to keep building and upgrading my knowledge.  I can honestly say that I saw the forest AND the trees.                                                                                                                        

 

Starting with the pre-workshop reading, I began to build a frame for understanding fire ecology, much the way one might first pick out the pieces that form the frame of a puzzle.  I read Native American stories of fire, the history of the Storm King Mountain fire in 1994, and updates on fires that were currently burning in several areas of the state.  I also started packing.  From the packing list, I knew that I was in for intensive week.  Among the things I packed were a hatchet, hiking boots, water bottles, and plenty of sunscreen.  I expected the rest of the puzzle pieces were not going to be handed out in multiple classroom lectures; they were going to be extracted from the forest through a variety of active learning activities.  Sometimes with hatchets.

 

Arriving at the workshop, I received so many learning resources that I needed a couple of boxes to take them home.  These resources are tools that I can use in my classroom immediately with no modifications.  I was glad that some time at the workshop was given to focus on these resources and become familiar with them.  We watched some of the videos, did many of the activities, and explored the curriculum, which I found to be well indexed so that I could quickly find activities that would be ideal for my class.  Having these resources makes me feel confident in my readiness to implement a fire ecology unit in my class

 

Presenters and field trips were, for me, the highlight of the workshop and helped me shape my thinking and understanding.  I was glad we had professionals who not only have specialized knowledge, but who were also actively practicing forest and fire management, fire fighting, preparedness and fire mitigation, and more.  These professionals were able to answer incredibly detailed questions and address misconceptions that many of us had.  It was with these presenters out in the field that I was really able to build a detailed understanding of fire ecology.  We learned how fire risk is calculated, how agencies coordinate with each other, the role of helicopters in fighting fires, the role of hot shot teams, how smokejumpers do their work, what tools are used to fight fires, how to use a fire shelter, what firefighters eat while on the job, the characteristics of different trees, what a recently burned area looks like, why fires can spread quickly, the role of weather, why logging is necessary, the causal factors contributing to the pine beetle problem, how to measure forest health objectively, why caves are safe places to be during a wildfire, how fires impact the animal population, and more and more and more.  I even got to use my hatchet to remove some bark and see the galleries created by pine beetles and even the beetles themselves.  I not only saw the trees, I touched the trees.  And they touched me.

 

I took in a lot of detailed information during the workshop, but these were not disconnected facts that I saw in isolation.  Rather, these details constructed a large picture, big ideas that were important themes.  The first among these that I connected with was the reality that fire is a natural and healthy part of the forest.  Fire is as much a part of the ecosystem as water.  Unfortunately, our history of fire suppression in the United States has had unforeseen, unintended, and negative consequences.  Forests are assets when managed well, and fires have severe economic impacts when they destroy large swaths of the forest and the homes and communities near them.  Quality forest management requires a greater respect for the diversity of forests – blanket policies are not helpful. 

 

My students need to learn facts about fire ecology—the “trees” if you will.  They need to know details such as the chemistry of fire, the characteristics of different types trees, and how to measure the health of a forest.  However, they also need to see the bigger picture – the “forest” if you will.  They need to understand the interconnectedness of the facts we know about forests and recognize the role of human intervention in shaping the future of our forest health and stability.  The Fire Ecology Institute prepared me not only to teach my students these things, but also helped me develop a passion for the subject.  Ultimately, that passion will support me in successfully equipping my students for a new era of respect for forests as a natural resource.

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Reflections  by SH 

My learning experience at the 2012 PLT Fire Ecology Institute exceeded my expectations. I especially appreciate the integrated systems thinking approach to the presentation of a great deal of information. Highlights, for me, include learning about the interagency approach to forest policies, the history of fire suppression, timber sales, entomology, and the protection of water resources. Project Learning Tree’s multi-sensory activities and easy-to-understand materials are immediately usable in my classroom.

An introduction to wild land fire ecology in the classroom and a trip to the Rifle Incident Command Center to hear first-hand experiences of fire fighters set the tone for the week. I am impressed with the depth of education among the professionals who manage our forest ecosystems and make the hard decisions about fire fighting. Their skills, courage and coordination of huge amounts of information are under-appreciated by the public, until there is a fire at which time it all becomes very relevant. “Fire is emotional,” said Shawna Crocker that first day.

Descriptions of fire as a natural part of any forest ecosystem were an effective introduction. The explanation of natural succession interrupters (suppression policy, climate change, invasive species) allowed me to begin to think in terms of an integrated systems understanding. Consideration of human systems, environmental systems and economic systems allow me to “see the big picture.” I learned new information about types of fires and their effect on types of ecosystems. Current understanding of succession in historic context was introduced and books to deepen comprehension were recommeded. The concept map, “Web of Expected and Unexpected Consequences of Fire,” followed that classroom introduction and was a valuable brainstorm, immediately useful for any age group.

Our field trip to the White River National Forest to observe a spruce timber sale was another highpoint of hands-on learning. Our USFS guide/teacher explained that he was managing five timber sales in the White River district, due to beetle infestation. I learned that pine, spruce and Ips beetles can be found in different trees and, while they are attracted by the pheromones of their preferred trees, they’ll eat other trees. We found spruce beetles and Ips beetles that day. The forest survey activity (PLT Focus on Forests, pp 33-53) was engaging. I like the way that teams of learners can be measure different aspects of forest health, collect different data, then teach each other to understand the whole.

Another highlight was our visit to the Glenwood Springs Fish Hatchery, where I learned that water resources, hatcheries, and “cultural facilities” are prioritized when threatened by fire. The Glenwood Springs trout never experienced whirling disease, like the Durango trout did. I learned that trout were bred to resist the disease and rereleased into streams, establishing disease-free native populations. The historic hatchery, a valuable cultural facility, was actively defended from the 2002 Coal Seam Fire that came close to the buildings.

My integrated understanding of fire and its inevitable effects on humans, our environment and its economic costs increased significantly at the 2012 Colorado PLT Fire Ecology Institute.

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 Reflection  by CU

It was a privilege and honor to participate in this opportunity – especially after our Waldo Canyon Fire.  Learning about Fire Ecology in Colorado Springs has new meaning now.  It is “real world” learning for our students.  The format and the activities that we experienced during the week, allowed us as teachers to experience a personal emotional connection with Fire Ecology which really helped create a sense of meaning and valuable purpose.  The urgent need for education to help foster a healthier perspective of Fire Ecology is so evident! The experiential modeling of the institute for us as adults proved how important and valuable experiential learning can be for students.  It was fun and educational to participate in the PLT activities personally.

Presenters: To have so many well prepared and enthusiastic presenters was wonderful.  Each one shared from such a personal perspective because they really enjoy what they do.  They seemed proud of their work and eager to share with teachers.  I was especially moved by the Interagency Fire Management Unit staff and my hike with Bill Kight.  I have to admit that I was not looking forward to reading three books before I came, but once I started reading I couldn’t wait to finish.  Had I not read the books, I would have missed out on the very personal and profound connection with Storm King Mountain and the lives it affected.  Thank you for assigning us those readings!!!!

 Activities:  I appreciated the multitude of hands-on-activities that we were able to sample from PLT resources.  I had no idea that this wonderful resource existed.  I appreciate that we received so many materials to use with the activities and I especially liked how the tree cookie activities were tied together on different days.  I am looking forward to using the many activities from the trunks – they were great.

Materials: I have never experienced such generosity in sharing materials for students.  The variety of written resources and posters and CD’s and samples was just amazing.  There are no excuses for not being able to teach about Fire Ecology and to do it well.

 Field Trips: The field trips represented the icing on the cake!  They were well organized and there is no substitute for being there and seeing things firsthand.  I am so thankful that we got to experience so much.  The Storm King Mountain hike and the fire mitigation experience have made fire so real for me now!

The impact this class had on my personal knowledge, my perceptions, and awareness of our natural resources was significant.   Thank you!  I have always personally appreciated our natural resources and lived my life very connected to them.  I have also sponsored a number of clubs for students during my 30 year career, connected to our natural resources.  After this institute however, my appreciation grew to a deeper awareness, my perceptions were reaffirmed, and my knowledge in how and why to teach about fire ecology has been strengthened. Highlights for me were learning about weather, topography and fuels and how they influence fire behavior; learning about the many resources available (especially PLT); learning how the topic of fire can be used to help meet all content area standards; sharing ideas with other educators and professions; learning about the historical and current impact humans have had on the forest – especially Storm King; and seeing first hand the forest and fire management organizations, procedures and practices and the critical concept of Interagency management.

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Fire Ecology Institute Reflection Paper -CL

The Fire Ecology class provided me with ample opportunities to amplify my teaching of the fourth grade science curriculum. Specifically, the fourth grade science standards I believe will be amped up due to my participation in this class are:

 ·       The Earth’s crust is shaped by weathering and erosion.  It contains natural resources that must be conserved;

·       The weather on Earth is always changing;

·       Students know that adaptations allow animals to meet their survival needs. 

First and foremost, I came away with that there are two sides to fire, both positive and negative, and “Fire Is.” Fire is neither good nor bad. It simply exists as part of nature, and through the opportunities we had with the Rifle Interagency Fire Management team at the Rifle Air Base, the burn area visits, and the time with the US Forester at the Spruce Forest, I heard loud and clear that Fire Is.  I, like many, came into the class with mostly negative feelings toward wildfires. And now that has changed with the realization that wildfires have many good outcomes/ consequences as well. Additionally, I gained a good deal of knowledge on the fire suppression practices of our government over the past 100+ years, and how that has put our forests at great risk. I also got a taste for forest succession, which was quite fascinating. I believe these are awesome topics that can be integrated into my curriculum.

The curriculum I gained from the activities with the trees is extremely helpful. I have always taught classification and identification of plants and animals. This past year, I taught somewhat successfully tree identification of North America, but having this Colorado Native Tree specific guide will be so much more pertinent and useful to our fourth grade focus on Colorado. I am quite grateful for the Colorado Native Tree Guide and the assortment of activities from the PLT Environmental Ed Activity Guide. I thoroughly loved and will use the Forest Health Indicator Activity as well as the Cookie Tree Stories Activity, Dendrochronology resources.

I also will use the fire effects information I gained during our study of erosion, and will utilize the fire activities with the matchsticks. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the fire fighters in Rifle, and learning about the various fire modules, their roles, and all about the Smokejumpers, especially. The various roles and modules and how their specific roles in wildfire fighting was quite interesting. I was quite interested specifically in how these firefighters use charts, graphs, and general overall math skills each and every day.  I am hoping to use the video I took here to use with my students in both math and science classes. I loved learning about 1 hour, 10 hour, 100 hour and 1000 hour fuels, and how systematically the decision makers use moisture trends to determine fire restrictions in our state. Furthermore, I will definitely use the knowledge and resources gained in plant and animal adaptations during wildfires. I loved learning about fire dependent trees such as the lodgepole pine, and fire mitigation and crating defensible spaces for homeowners.

Overall, my learning curve this week was over the top! Each and every field trip and speaker was highly useful to me both personally and professionally. I cannot speak enough of how grateful I am to have been able to participate and learn about all of the various aspects. The fish hatchery was spectacular, as I knew nothing of the practice of stocking fish in our mountain lakes and rivers. This was so surprising to me. From the activities done on the campus and at the forest, I increased my knowledge of GPS and spruce, ips, and pine beetles, and their effects on our forests.

Really, the only time that was not useful to me was the time on the computers interacting with the mapping tools. I got lost early on in the presentation and then never really was able to get back on track. It was frustrating to me, and I felt that while Steve (name?) was knowledgeable, he lost me and didn’t really ever check in with the class to see if we were with him or not.

Major changes in perceptions are:

·       Fire is neither good nor bad, it just is;

·       History of fire suppression has been quite detrimental to our forests’ health

·       Different types of forests require different types of actions from our forestry workers;

·       Various types of wildfire and the damages they do to our lands;

·       Communities must begin to incorporate fire mitigation techniques into their planning; together a community can manage and lesson the risk of losing homes , if they are thoughtful in planning and action;

·       Fires have a major economic impact on our state.

This class has been a tremendous experience. Thank you.

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 Reflection Paper by NB

When I received the email inviting past attendees to this year’s institute, I knew immediately that wanted to participate again. I attended my first FEI in July of 2007. At the time I was a paraprofessional and had wanted to attend the FEI because it sounded interesting and I was considering returning to school for a teaching license. I thought the conference would be a good way to not only get information on a topic that I found important to our state but to determine if teaching was the right choice for me. When I attended the FEI in 2007, I fell in love with the study of fire ecology and considered changing career paths. I ultimately decided that I would be happiest passing along the information I learned to my students and returning to school to get a Master’s in Special Education. Since 2007 I have taught fire ecology three times as quarter long units and incorporated the principles in science lessons the other two years. I have taught fire ecology to special education students in 6^th through 12^th grade. This year I wanted to participate in the FEI for a couple reasons. First of all, this has become one of my favorite subjects to teach and I wanted to return to learn more and pick up more resources. Second of all, past participants were asked to return and share how they have taught the material. I wanted to return to share what I have found most useful about the materials participants are provided and what lessons I have found most beneficial.

Although there was some repeated material, I was able to see and learn new things as well as get a refresher on the previous material. Seeing the helicopter and hearing the smokejumper at the Rifle Fire Station was new and will help me relate how firefighters fight wildfires to my students. It was interesting to see the 109 fire that was only a couple weeks old, although, I was disappointed that we did not make it to the New Castle fire. I was able to explore the New Castle fire two weeks after it had happened and it would have been educational to see how much growth there was after five years. I have taken my class to the Hayman burn site twice and have seen how little the area has improved over the years. It would have been a new experience to see an area that had progressed better. Baylor Park was another trip that enabled me to see something new. The last time we went to Baylor we were there with an entomologist and were really able to focus on pine beetles and the different types of galleries. This time I was able to see the machines used in thinning the forest and the process of the timber sale. Although we had watched the movie, it is always better to see the equipment in real life. The last couple of years I have increased the amount of time I spend fishing so the hatchery was more relevant this year. It was fascinating to follow the progression of the fish from the egg to maturity and to understand the impact of the fishing industry on Colorado. Last of all, I really enjoyed hiking Storm King again. It is an excellent way to drive home the lessons of the week and the importance and danger of fighting wildfires. It was particularly meaningful because I was able to speak with Bill Kight again. We had spent quite a bit of time speaking the first time and it was good to speak with him, this time about the Waldo Canyon Fire.

As expected, the FEI was as great as I anticipated. I made some really good connections with other teachers and Steve Jennings from UCCS. Steve and I will hopefully be able to work together to bring technology knowledge like GIS to rural and alternative schools. I am excited to expand my teaching of fire ecology to other grade levels at my school and to become a facilitator. The most important way to spread the knowledge we received at the FEI is to educate others and I am happy to work with both students and fellow teachers.

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Fire Ecology Workshop Reflection by AB

The 2012 Fire Ecology Workshop and all of the associated presenters, activities, materials, and field trips will benefit me not only as an educator, but also as an engaged Colorado citizen living in the red zone. Each day provided unique knowledge and ideas to fuel my awareness of an important environmental issue, living with wildfire. In turn, I am excited to turn awareness into action as I ignite the issue across countless youthful minds and never look at my own backyard the same again.

Monday provided the introduction to a week of knowledge and of my fellow fire ecology educators, each with their own unique outlook on the issue. Within only an hour of the course, it was wonderful to gain insight on the diverse array of teachers across Colorado and New Mexico all eager to introduce the issue of wildfire into their classroom. Utilizing different instructional techniques, settings, and personalities, each educator would take the workshop principles back to school and fuel the knowledge of tens of thousands of youth. The Fire Ecology talk by Rusty Stark, the tree ID, and the concept map reaffirmed my existing knowledge of fire’s role in nature. It was great to learn that what I have been teaching kids at Keystone Science School for two years is the same content and understandings firefighters associate with.  As for the tree ID, in wildfire terms, ‘fuel ID,’ it is essential for educators, and ultimately those they teach, to understand the different kinds of fuels. I enjoyed gaining insight on Dendrochronology and I look forward to utilizing that science in the classroom. Monday, comprising a complete and thorough review of information, would set the tone for the week.

By the time the sun was hot on Tuesday, the group would stand on the grounds of Rifle Interagency Fire Station. I enjoyed the helicopter tour immensely. I look forward to teaching students the importance of aerial observation in fighting wildfire. I am looking forward to activities where students mimic wildfire topography with sand or other materials to re-design aerial observation efforts. The smokejumper talk was great, lets face it, all students will love hearing about men and woman who jump out of airplanes into fires with chainsaws! I would love to recruit a smokejumper to come into class. On a more personal note, I spent two weeks straight watching helicopters and engines battle the Waldo Fire outside of my childhood home in Manitou Springs, wondering what the specifics were on the men, the machines, and the process. Tuesday provided great insight and reassured me that the wildfire industry is making rapid progress. Being highlighted in the media in Rifle was a great addition and, no doubt, I will share this more personal anecdote with countless students.

The wildfire world is, needless to say, complicated. Wednesday highlighted the less understood aspects of the issue, beginning with a tour of Baylor Park Timber Sale and Insects and Monitoring. I especially enjoyed the insects piece. In working at Keystone Science School, I thought I knew a lot about insects like the pine beetle but, upon Wednesday’s introduction, was humbled. In learning about the Mountain Pine Beetle, Spruce Beetle, and others I can pass that information along to students using a wide variety of information and activities such as insect plot surveys and other games and lessons. Of course, a major highlight of the middle of the week was the tour of a fire safe zone and of ways to escape a raging wildfire, such as alpine slides, roller coasters, and giant cliff dwelling swings.

Thursday was the absolute educational, personal, and emotional climax of the workshop for me. The visit to Storm King Mountain was profound, especially after the reading of ‘Fire on the Mountain,’ and the short stories by various personnel leading up to Thursday. Although the event was a tragedy and the heroic efforts of Don Mackey, Jim Thrash, Levi Brinkley, Rich Tyler, Roger Roth, Jon Kelso, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Terri Hagen, Douglas Dunbar, Scott Blecha, Robert Browning Jr, Tamera Bickett, and Kathi Beck will never be forgotten, the event was an instrumental turning point for wildfire management. Only by standing on the slopes of Storm King can you truly picture the hardships and the unfortunate events endured by those 14 heroes. The guide that day, whose name I have forgotten, gave an excellent, passionate, and objective account of the events. I will no doubt transfer the story of Storm King to the mind’s of children, in remembrance of a tragedy that gave birth to a new paradigm of wildfire success. While seemingly insignificant in the shadow of Storm King, the trip to the fish hatchery was an interesting perspective into an underrepresented component of wildfire, watersheds.

Friday provided a necessary conclusion to the busy week that was the 2012 Fire Ecology Workshop. As with all components of the educational world, it is imperative to know what fellow teachers will do with the newly gained fire knowledge, awareness, and actions and the associated activities and curriculum. Listening to other teachers speak on their future plans was helpful.

From the classroom to the forest to the inside of my childhood home, the 2012 Fire Ecology Workshop was beneficial in my understanding of the dynamic role of wildfire in our lives. It is now my duty to pass such information onto the children of Colorado, the United States, and beyond .

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FEI Reflection by KD

     Monday started with an introduction to our week and an icebreaker BINGO activity.  There was a prize, so I hustled; I like winning prizes.  The prizes were fantastic – a whole table full of teacher supplements:  posters, videos, books, and activity kits.  I wanted to choose the dendrochronology/cookie kit, but Janet chose that and said I could borrow it whenever I need, so I chose a field guide on insects because we would have an activity on insects later in the week.  That was a great start to my week.

     Throughout the week, we had several guest speakers.  The most engaging was Lisa, with her story of the Lower North Fork Fire.  I am hoping she can come speak to my classroom in the fall.  Rusty Stark was fantastic because he gave us an informative introduction to wildland fires.  I was glad to try my hand at a GPS, but it was frustrating.  I think I need an instruction book to read first in order to understand these little gadgets.  I am hoping to learn to use the units because I would love to check them out and use them with students.  Steve Jennings may be a good resource for my classroom, or at least using the ESRI maps.  Students have used Google earth for years now and will appreciate a different program.  I like how you can create and layer a map.  I will need to plan that out very well, as I am not the most tech-savvy person.

    The dendrochronology/forest activities were excellent.  I can’t wait to have time to go through the Environmental Education Activity Guide.  I like when a class gives teachers meaningful activities that they can replicate in the classroom immediately.

     Our field trips were invaluable to me as a teacher.  I loved that I saw a tree sale, walked to the observatory at Storm King Mt, saw backstage at the fish hatchery, seeing immediate fire effects at 109, examine houses in various stages of mitigation, seeing the actual coal seam (and learning how many active coal seams there are in the world; We stopped at Marshall Mesa in Boulder and hiked above its active coal seam fire! Possible field trip!)  The caverns and amusement park were a wonderful way to celebrate with my new friends.

     Sadly, I missed the Baylor Park Forest activity, but I did get the run down on the share-outs.  On the other hand, I was able to see how to spot the insects and held both an ips and pine beetle (thanks to Dan for letting me use his small hatchet). 

     Reading Fire on the Mountain was most helpful.  It was a bonus to meet Clay Fowler, and I was pleased to see that he has continued his career with an interagency facility.  I am so grateful that I was able to attend Project Learning Tree’s Fire Ecology Institute.  I learned a tremendous amount and am excited to share it all with my students.  Thank you for this opportunity.

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2012 Fire Ecology Institute Reflection  by RH

     I appreciated the time each presenter dedicated in preparing and delivering their report to our class. Each presentation was on point and pertinent to the many facets of fire ecology.  I found that the message communicated by Rusty Stark, BLM firefighter, on Monday, 16 July 2012, was most beneficial to me.  He began with listing the objectives of his lesson and proceeded to meet his objectives.  He imparted and clarified key definitions of terms that I would refer to throughout our week-long course.  He concluded with several reference citations for further study and the most generous offer of his assistance in our classrooms.  I found him to be knowledgeable, organized and professional in his delivery.  His style and comportment would be one that my 6^th grade students would be drawn to emulate.  I also valued the presentation by Steve Goodson, USFS manager.  I better understand the magnitude of our local forest resources and the possibilities afforded us by the suite of assets found therein.

     I always gain knowledge from activities.  I am grateful for the variety that we experienced.  I find that I can adapt them to different topics easily.  The activities that were most memorable for me were the mind map collaboration we did the first day.  My students readily enjoy showing what they know and this is a great way to assess their understanding as either a pre-, formative or summative assessment.  I also liked the home fire risk meter and cootie catcher that we made.  I can use these as they are.  The cootie catcher, which 6^th graders love to make, will be a very useful way to help students play/learn new content area vocabulary terms.  I also appreciated using Monday evening to watch the Fire Wars movie.  In reality, I probably would not have made the time to preview it before showing it to my students.  Now I know its content and will be able to use it at the appropriate time this coming year.  So, while I was rather tired by supper time on Monday, I was glad that you had us watch the movie as a group.  It was a wise use of our time and gave us the opportunity to connect as a group around a central, reinforced learning objective for our institute.

     I am very grateful for the materials I received.  I find the PLT Environmental Education Activity Guide to be the most useful and meaningful item given to us. Most assuredly, I will use it as I teach this coming year as a fundamental part of virtually the entire second semester of the year and for many parts of the fall semester, as well.  I know my students will experience something very new to them when they step into and lay down with a fire blanket.  I received a set of tree cookies that I will use to show how a tree’s life is recorded in the rings.  I will tie this to the paper plate tree ring activity that we did, culminating outside on our last day.  I like that my students will have a chance to depict their own lives, but then will be competing for resources, just as trees in a forest.  There are many good life lessons in this simple activity that extend beyond the curriculum.  I really like it when activities like this one teach multiple lessons.  At this age, my students are very concrete and it is fun for me to watch them begin to transition to abstract thinkers as they engage it this type of activity.  The “bare book” was a thoughtful way to tie forest products to our classroom experience.  The class sets of reading materials will probably be well worn after this year.  The bumper stickers, posters and trading cards will make neat prizes to give to my students.  As a side note, my school’s population is such that we qualify as a Title I school.  1/3 of my 135 students read at or below a 1-2 grade level.  Finding leveled texts on any subject is a challenge.  So, on behalf of my kids, I’d like to say thank you for all the materials that were given to us.

     In all candor, the trip to Glenwood Caverns was way cool.  I also found the trip to the fish hatchery to be very instructive, especially as it considers the impact of fire upon other members of an ecosystem.  The visits to the forest mitigation sites were very informative and a good way to instruct us on mitigation practices rather than seeing it on video.  The Storm King Mountain hike was very moving.  It would have been nice to have more time for this climb.  It was a moving experience.  I think it was respectful to visit the memorial at the park and have another chance to remember the lives lost that day.  “Fire on the Mountain” was a great read, and was a good way to prepare us, as students, for the level of sacrifice that we each encountered on that mountain.

     I would have to say that my personal knowledge gained wasn’t necessarily new knowledge but rather a deepened understanding and appreciation of the entire field of fire ecology.  I was given the opportunity to explore a variety of subtopics (from entomology to sustainability) within this week long institute.  Thanks to the journaling opportunities given to us, I will be able to easily access information, activities and resources for my students this coming year.

     I do not think that my perceptions about fire have changed.  I personally have had great losses to fire.  I am not afraid of it.  I see it as a two-sided tool.  It has benefits and detriments.  It is up to us to make wise uses of this phenomenon.

     I found many activities I could use in the PLT Environmental Education Activity Guide that I will be able to use all year long to instruct my students about natural resources and the need for sustainability.  I am personally big into recycling and renewable energy.  I am not a “tree-hugger”, just prefer to live frugally.  I see it as the responsible way to live.

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Reflection of Fire Ecology Institute by SP

Being home and getting ready for the school year to begin I have spend a lot of time thinking about the week I spent in the Glenwood Springs area with the PLT Fire Ecology Institute.  My job at Rio Grande School has evolved into what we are calling Experiential Education Specialist, which means a lot of things that are not easy to describe.  Sometimes I feel like I was hired to teach kids to play in the woods, but the truth is I have a much greater responsibility; that being teaching the next generation to first love the natural world, and then to become stewards of the world they are inheriting.  In that world, and even in the present time, nature has become out of balance; overcrowded forests, insect blights, and most of the natural systems have gone out of whack and it has become human’s job to come up with solutions to rectify that.  Someone just yesterday, when I was describing my week away, said “shouldn’t we just let mother nature run her course and let all the fires burn?”

Fire is complicated.  Sure we learned that fire is part of the cycle of the forest.  Some of the trees and systems involved have become fire adapted and even fire dependent.  Serotinous cones of pines only open in the heat of fires and trees like Redwoods don’t reproduce without fire.  However, fires are dangerous, smoky, and scary, so humans have gone crazy trying to suppress that cycle for the last 100 years.  In turn we are having much more extreme fires that cause many life-threatening problems. Sure it is a natural part of the system, but it causes incredible problems too. Just reading my local paper a writer wrote a strong article detailing how goats foraging the forests are a better solution to prescribed burns.   Is there an answer?

Spending the week with Shawna Crocker and all of the speakers she organized I feel like I can speak and teach on a much more educated platform than I ever imagined.   By the way, the speakers were excellent.  I wish I was as passionate and articulate as the people invited to speak at the institute.  I learned that there is no one answer.  Just like with our energy problems or the crisis in education or over population.  Things in this world are not simple, rather they are complex, forcing us to look and teach complex thinking and problem solving.

My thoughts are still being molded, but I relish using the new information and many activities I acquired during the institute.  I have already contacted my local forest service to set up a field trip and, hopefully, a chance to do some service work with my students in the areas burned from the Pacheco Fire of last summer.  With all the materials I acquired, along with the wealth of support on the PLT website, I have no excuse but to become a better environmental educator.

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Reflections by TS

            The experiences obtained through attending the 2012 Fire Ecology Institute (FEI) impacted my life on a variety of levels.  Having little background knowledge in ecology or wild fires, each experience created fundamental knowledge that allowed me to understand my environmental surroundings and the roles of local and federal organization within Colorado.  Through these experiences, I am able to acknowledge the difference between good fire and bad fire and the conditions that create each circumstance.  The integrity of forests within Colorado must be carefully monitored in order to preserve our green spaces and other environmental sites.  The desire to preserve our environment is not an unfamiliar idea in my life; however, the impact of specific wild fires and other environmental disasters has not been something that I have been personally confronted with.  The FEI allowed me to comprehend the impact of such disasters first hand and familiarize myself with a variety of organizations that are committed to environmental preservation.

            Meeting with Rusty Stark, Steve Goodson, David Davis, and other members of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land management allowed me to recognize the difference between a healthy forest and a deteriorating landscape.  This recognition is important when comprehending the conditions facilitating wild fires.  Fires are a natural event within our ecosystem; unfortunately, fire suppression has created conditions that intensify wild fire conditions.  As I visited many different wild fire sites, I was able to understand positive and negative impacts of wild fires.  Each location that was visited through the Institute allowed me to recognize the spectrum of hazards associated with fire.  Through a meeting with the interagency fire department in Rifle, and the fire marshal of Garfield County, the idea of community wildfire mitigation instilled a new awareness for preventive measures and the dangers associated with living within wilderness areas.

            While each experience has expanded my knowledge surrounding fire ecology, all activities surrounding the Storm King Fire affected me beyond an educational level.  The impact on this fire transcends environmental impact to the effects of community and widespread fire fighting practices.  Meeting with fire fighters, learning about the impact of this fire, visiting the memorial, and hiking the mountain allowed me to establish an emotional connection with the incident.  I will never forget this experience and will look at ecology, community, and wild fires through a personal and prolific perspective for some time; subsequently, as an educator I will share this experience with my coworkers, students, friends, and family.

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Reflection by RG

            One of the biggest things for me during the Fire Ecology class was learning about forest health and forest history. It has definitely been a fascinating history that our forests have had so far. I think that public awareness and education is the key to managing the forests the way that nature intended. There are many activities and lessons that I can/will use to teach my students about the history of a specific tree and where it came from by investigating “tree cookies” or core samples from a tree.

               I appreciated how we learned about fire and how it just IS! There is no simpler yet more powerful explanation about wildfire. I think a lot can be done within the classroom with my students about living with fire; how to manage fire, how to cope with fire, and how to prevent fire. A good starting activity for a unit or lesson about fire would be to group the students up and have them do the same thing that we did while we were in class, create a concept map of fire. For this activity, discussing the results with the students would be key; if possible, I would try to guide them towards a discussion about how fire just is if they are unable to arrive at that conclusion on their own.

               With the computer lab in my classroom, I will use the ArcGIS/ESRI site that we learned about to do various GPS and mapping activities that are relevant to the fire or forest unit. I think that the presentation that Dr. Steve Jennings gave was excellent. We learned about how we can take GIS data and display it on a map using a completely free GIS program. The ability to display data visually will allow the students to understand the concepts that we are studying in a broader sense.

               I will take a lot of the presentation that Lisa Mason gave into the classroom. I believe that it is important to educate students about what the real facts are when it comes to a hot button issue like beetle kill. While the Mountain Pine Beetle isn't an invasive species, I think it can create a good lead in to an invasive species unit. We can take what we know about the threats to forest health and try to correlate that with things that are threatening our native vegetation out here on the Eastern Plains.

               Lastly, as always, the trip to Storm King Mountain was incredible. It allowed me to take a step back and think about the lasting impacts that the South Canyon Fire had on the community of Garfield County, the fire community, and the general public. There have been so many good things in terms of firefighter safety that came out of this tragedy. It is always important to study history because it allows us to learn from our mistakes!

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Reflections  and Notes  by CG

*PLT Fire Bingo- concepts and words used to meet others in *class- icebreaker.  GUBERIF – Firebug cute.  It is a good pre-test also for fire words.  If I did it now I could give all the correct answers.  Post test.

*Fire Connection – Fire in center- as a group created a web (brainstorm) showing connections how fire has unexpected impacts in the least expected ways.  We could have kept going and going.  This would also be a good pre-test and a post test.  There would be so many more connections.

*Venn Diagram – 2 sides of fire good fire/bad fire-group activity.  This also would be a good pre-test and post test activity.

*GPS Activity in the rain to tree way ID points – rain, equipment problems, frustration for me.

*Tree ID and talk from Lisa with examples for ID which really helped me.

Good connection for the correct ones and learned from my mistakes.

*Tree Cookie ID- Dendrochronology, light and dark =1 year.  I loved looking at the fire scars on the cookies.  Fascinating!  Space – water, drought, competition makes narrow rings.

*Fire Triangle Cootie Catcher – I like the underside with narrow valley, saddle etc because the cootie catcher is those things.

*Evening Movie-Fire Wars – very good movie kept my attention and showed the intensity of fires and talked a lot about the South Canyon Fire tragedy.

*Tree Stories – Looking at Cookies- Worksheet

*Wildland Home Fire Risk Meter

*Animals Affected by Fire

*Ladder Fuels

*Tree Parts Matching Puzzle

*Matchstick Activity- with no flame, slope, thinning, fire behavior

*Every Tree For Itself- Outside with different colored papers thrown in the wind, have to stand in place and try to pick up needs-water, sun, nutrients

- American Forest Foundation was our main sponsor for PLT.

-BAER team is a burned area emergency rehabilitation team.

- PLT has Fire Works Trunks and Kits for teachers to use with students.

- WUI where I live humans homes meet the forest.

CP– Colorado State Forest Service, drove us around, hiked with us, tree cookies for Christmas tree at capitol.

SH- Colorado State Forest Service, PLT Assistant, carried stuff for Shawna, talked about Coal Seam Fire, Chernobyl,
LM- Colorado State Forest Service  Has a perma-smile, Tree ID talk with examples after GPS/Tree ID activity in rain.  Talked about the prescribed fire she was on, her job and classes she took to do what she does, red card wildland fire fighter, CWPP, bug talk, beetle types, 100 species of beetles in Colorado of bark beetles, bark galleries, life cycles of beetles, Western Spruce Budworm – moth.
 JS-USDA Forest Service- Hiked Storm King Mountain with

RUSTY STARK

A talk, power point, and movie from the Fire Management Specialist BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office- Silt.  Fuels classifications, moisture content, 1 hour fuels – grasses, fire regime combines fire frequency and fire intensity, ground fires, surface fires, crown fires high intensity, regeneration after fire – sage 5-30 years, 30-100years for PJ to reoccupy, Gamble Oak Brush mountain shrub stand returns 20-50 years, Aspen 50-100 years to restock.  The short movie (2 Sides of Fire) Rusty showed with the crown fires and how intense they were and how fire spread really made a visual impact on me.  Thinning the forest and the comparison slides were good visuals that stuck with me.   He gave a good introduction to the learning about controlled burns and the reasons for them.  I learned that the Native Americans used fire to burn areas to see animals to hunt, to see the enemy, and it was easier to travel. Fuels, weather and topography are what determine fire behavior.  Scorched soil won’t absorb rain.  Trees compete for water, nutrients, and sunlight.  Trees are fire dependant.  Low intensity can be good, controlled, and useful.  Out of control fire is devastating. 

INTERAGENCY FIRE STATION

CLAY FOWLER-tooth pick, operations manager, talk at fire station

JOSH GRAHM-smoke jumper, talk, parachute demonstration

CHRIS BARTH- Montrose, Insurance, Mitagation talk, talk at fire station

DOUG PAUL- talk at fire station, 109 fire 2 weeks prior, cause? Train, cig, exhaust, canyon funnels, wind moved, fast moving, grasses burned, not much fuel, oak sprouts coming up and grasses growing back.

The Field Trip to the Interagency Fire Station in Rifle

Learned about ICS manages any type of incident

Rifle Helitak – Airport-heli response to fires good in steep terrain

Contracts with Federal Government

Lightning detection system

Briefing- weather, fires, stats

6 minutes of safety – 1976 Battelement Mesa Fire – Fire Lessons Learned

Drive up crews

ERC- energy release component

Line officers make decisions about level restrictions

Fire adaptive communities, fire is here

Briefing-weather, fire, states

6minutes of safety-fire lesson learned, 1976 Battlement Mesa Fire

Truck Demos- Hot Shot trucks

Line and digging demo
Torch demo

STEVE JENNINGS

Did GPS and Tree ID exercise in the rain with, GIS and Google Earth in lab with.  A rude awakening again for me putting the layers on the maps and seeing that my home is in the red zone.  A further rude awakening was using Google Earth and seeing all the fuels-trees in my subdivision.

STEVE GOODSON- Bailey Park

Looked at logging and talked about Engelman Spruce timber sales, operating seasons, trees blow down when left, forest service gets their fair share, spruce beetles are flying now, linx habitat, pitch tree tubes where sap comes out, also tromped around looking for down trees and peeled bark off to look at beetles, epidemic, boring dust, rot, Ips beetle, frass beetle poop, there is an Ips for every tree type, a few species of Ips can be in the same tree, inventory foresters what is seen from air, tree and crown condition, lichen health is reflective of air quality, soil quality, age class diversity, spruce is not fire tolerant,

*PLT ACTIVITY – Forest Diversity Plot Study – soils analysis

RON BIGGERS
Went to Jan’s  home and talked about fire mitigation and fuels reduction, brush locked, water sources, ponds for fire department to draft out of, building materials, and road for fire trucks. Embers are what start combustibles, keep doing maintenance mitigation.  Break up horizontal and vertical fuels. Went to Jan’s sister in-law’s house and compared and contrasted the two homes for fire wise and mitigation.  He works with communities to be more fire safe.

BILL KIGHT

Went on hike up Storm King Mountain to experience the result of the South Canyon Fire.  Bill was very involved with the fire and results of the fire.  It was hard for him to be up there and the reminders of a tough time.  I went for the hike to the memorial sites and it was very sad.  I wish I had had more time to hike over to the site where the 2 Heli-tak fire fighters memorials were.  I will go back.

DAVE DAVIS and JOSH

Went on Mitchell Creek Fish Hatchery Tour with Josh. Facility a priority in fire.  2002 Fire all around.  Mudflows after fire did (damaged soils) damaged and killed fish, they flooded right out.  Egg room, egg measuring, egg trays, sorting quality, tanks of various aged fish.  Pictures of the South Canyon fire and affects to fish hatchery.   
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Reflection  by CB              

There is an overwhelming amount of material to go over from this class.  Much of the material I brought home will be used most effectively by those teachers I am able to present it to.  The variety of material allows me to discuss areas from fire to insects with my students.  I was particularly interested in bringing home information on careers shaped around wildfire.  Learning about careers in other areas was a side benefit I had not anticipated.              

The main idea I brought from Monday was the activity involving combining GPS with tree identification.  It is a great way to get students outside and actively involved in learning.  Rusty Stark gave really good information concerning ecosystem succession.  I was given a way to explain that things change and that it is ok.  The dendrochronology activity was interesting but I found the examples to be rather difficult to work with.  I would have liked to have had more basic examples which then lead into the more difficult ones.                

Tuesday was a fun day for me.  I enjoyed the visit to the Upper Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit.  Getting to see and hear about the helicopter was great.  I did not know that the smoke jumper made their own gear.  It was fascinating just how little equipment the fire fighter use on the ground to fight the wildfires.  I cannot remember eating an MRE before.  The 109 fire was also an interesting visit.  I could see how the fire progressed.  That evening, I learned that the ArcGIS is available to schools and how to use it to enhance my instruction.  It was also interesting to learn about COGA.              

I was somewhat disappointed that we did not get to see the timber sale in action on Wednesday.  However it did give me a better understanding of the work my friend does who spends his summer marking trees.  The visit to the Baylor Park Forest was a great example of how the Project Learning Tree material works in the field.  I was able to get some pictures of both insects and the evidence they leave behind.  The fire mitigation visits gave me an opportunity to see what good mitigation looks like.  It was also interesting to discuss what else would be needed in the future.

Unfortunately, I was not able to climb far on Storm King Mountain on Thursday, but I was able to go far enough to get an idea of the type of terrain the firefighters had to traverse.  The visit helped me appreciate their efforts.  The ice cream break was good for my disposition.  Until visiting the Mitchell Creek Hatchery I did not realize the impact it has on Colorado wildlife.  On the drive in I had noticed the open field below the hatchery and wondered if it had played a part in the Coal Seam Fire.  I later learned that it had laid the fire down although the fire spotted across the hatchery.  The photos of the aftermath allowed me to see the mud flows and the effect of rain on the area.  Being able to see the ignition point of the Coal Seam Fire will allow me to have some discussion topics with visitors to the area this winter as I volunteer at the Colorado Welcome Center.

During the Coal Seam Fire presentation on Friday, I would have liked to have had more details.  For instance, when did the coal seam catch fire?  It was interesting to learn about the fires in other areas of the country and around the world.  Many of the PLT activities and the FireWorks activities could be used in my classroom.  However, we do not have the type of forest close by which would allow direct observation.  Therefore, I am not sure how meaningful some of the information would be to my students.  Additions and changes to the material would help it to match my students’ experiences.              

Overall, this was a good week with much information and a trunk load of material to bring to my students and other teachers.

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FEI Reflection  by JB
Rusty Stark
Well prepared! Engaging!
I learned a LOT of terms relating to healthy forests that I can use with my students and there was a LOT of reinforcement of my current vocabulary!

Concept Map Activity
I learned that wildland fires are influenced by social, environmental and economics and emotions. I appreciated personal stories and perspectives.
I will do this activity with my students.

Tree ID
I found this activity to be too loosely structured with poor directions and gps tools which were not easy to use/poor instruction. I was frustrated.

Dendrochronology
I will definitely use the many varied facets of this activity as a wonderful tool to determine forest health. Before, I didn’t see this as the valuable tool that I now know it to be! I was fortunate enough to get a Dendrochronology Kit to share with Kaarina in my district. I think that in a perfect world all participants should have this!
I found Courtney and Lisa to be great teachers!

Interagency Fire Management Unit
A fascinating experience. I loved the ENTIRE day -> Every aspect of fire fighting to be interesting and eye-opening. I wouldn’t change a thing. I will relate the experiences from meeting Clay to lightning detection systems to fire shelters to my students!

109 Fire
Great to see a recent fire and recent regeneration.
Interesting to also see scars and regeneration from the Coal Seam and Storm King Fires....
I will show pictures to my students via a Google Slide Show from photos that I took!

Timber Sale
Very important human management system.
I will show pictures to my students via a Google Slide Show from photos that I took!


Forest Insects and Monitoring
I wish we could have had more time for each group to share out, since we all did different activities. These activities ALL seem like wonderful tools for monitoring forest health. I will do the pH activity myself to see how I can do it with my students as a good segway to 8th grade chemistry in their next year of school!

Fire Safe Zones
An invaluable experience that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Storm King Mountain Hike
A culminating event for many of the week’s previous activities... So much so that I felt quite a bit cheated on time and reflection. This should be a full day activity. I loved having a veteran and current fire fighter to reflect with and learn from!
I will share my photos and experiences with my students!

Mitchell Creek Hatchery
I felt so overwhelmed from the hike that I was mentally and physically exhausted and therefore wasn’t able to give my full attention to this activity. ..

Coal Seam Presentation
Everything I learned was NEW to me! I visited the Marshall Coal Seam on the way home to Boulder County and have plans in mind to take my students on a hike lead by a biologist and or geologist!

PLT Activities
wish there was built-in time to look over and discuss
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Fire Ecology Institute Reflection     by JB

During the week of July 16^th – 20^th I was able to hear a lot of information from a variety of professionals as well as colleagues in the realm of fire ecology.  It all started with Rusty Stark giving examples of why we need to take care of our forests.  With this thought of taking care of our forests we can maintain the massive loss that has taken place over the summer.  I feel the big picture is it is beneficial for our forests to undergo regular fires.  This cuts down on the possibilities of massive loss, not just structural but lives as well.  I find the idea of Smokey Bear saying “only you can prevent forest fires,” to be very counterproductive.  Even though the statement has merit, in that humans cause fires it is certainly not the only reason for a fire. 

 The natural occurring fires are needed to control our forests to keep them clean and healthy.  This idea has been proven throughout time.  The biggest problem with forest fires is the interference of humans throughout history.  If we listened to the ideas of Deputy Fire Marshal Ron Biggers and do a better job of mitigating our natural settings we can greatly diminish our fears for loss of structure and life.  The different ways of mitigation included cutting or thinning and even fire.  The idea of “let it burn” makes a lot of sense to me,  as we saw in “Fire Wars” in our early history fires used to run wild all the time.  Even though the fires were constantly burning, they were typically ground fires that thinned and kept our natural resource forests looking great and healthy.  Very rarely did a fire take off and cause massive damage via “crown fires.”  The great thing about fire is the natural succession that takes place following, it allows evolution of species as well as eliminating genetic malfunctions.

The best part of the class for me as well as the one thing that had the greatest impact was our hike on Storm King Mountain and the chance to talk with Bill Kight from the US Forest Service.  During our hike I got the feeling of what those fire fighters were going through, luckily without the roar of a freight train fire coming down on us. While on this trip I had the pleasure of spending an hour to talk and have a conversation with Bill Kight.  This alone was worth the entire class. If this had been the only thing done throughout the week I would have been grateful.
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Reflections by CB

Prior to the Fire Ecology Institute, I had minimal knowledge regarding the topic of fire.  The presenters and wealth of activities resulted in a sharp learning curve for me. 

One of the areas that fascinated me the most was the fact that approximately 100 years ago, the decision was made to extinguish all fire.  Over time, the result of that practice has stressed the ability of our forests to be healthy and reproduce. 

Visiting the Rifle Fire Station was very powerful.  I was amazed at the youth and bravery of the firefighters who were there.  Being able to hear their stories and interact with them on a personal basis was an added bonus.  I would not want to live on MRE’s, but it was a great activity to help understand a little bit of a firefighters experience. 

I was fascinated by the new growth at the 109 fire-after only two weeks.  Visiting the areas that are being logged was also powerful.  However, Storm King Mountain had to be a highlight of the week.  Trying to imagine the firefighters on that mountain was very emotional.  

All of the firefighters and Forest Service personnel that we encountered were very knowledgeable and professional.  I appreciate their honest answers and direct manner. 

The visit to the homes outside Sunlight made it very clear how to have a home that was relatively well protected and one that was a higher risk for fire. 

I envision several of the activities that we did being easily transferrable to the classroom.  I plan to have my students brainstorm what they know about fire, do a Venn diagram about good and bad aspects of fire, and view the corresponding films.  Along with help from the Forest Service, I plan to do several of the forest health activities-while incorporating estimating and math activities.  My class will buddy with a first grade class to explore outdoor activities.  I plan to do the tree identification activity with my 4^th grade students-then have my students teach the 1^st grade children. 

The activities in this course made me more aware of each person’s responsibility to do what they can to protect their own property.  I also am trying to understand when a fire should be allowed to burn and when it should be attacked immediately.  How do we deal with the forests as they currently stand with all of the beetle kill and ladder fuels?

I have a heightened awareness and greater appreciation for all of the people who help protect our people, land and property.

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Reflection on FEI 2012 by BC

Hope you are well. I'm so glad I was able to participate in the FEI 2012. I learned so much about myself, and the class definitely changed my perceptions on just about everything related to wildlands. Thanks for working so hard to organize a great week.

            “Ecosystems constantly change and rely on disturbances to remain healthy.”  This statement by Rusty Stark completely changed my thinking not only about forests but also about ecosystems in general.  The adjectives that used to come to mind for wildland fires included destructive, devastating, horrific, and tragic.  Now that I’ve had an opportunity to learn differently in the Fire Ecology Institute, I view fire as a natural disturbance that cleans house and allows for new growth and healthy forests. 

            Monday’s presenters and activities provided much-needed background knowledge and built a schema that I took with me the rest of the week.  The tree identification and dendrochronology information and activities supplemented what I already teach in fifth grade science.  I feel more prepared now to help my students build the same schema prior to our field trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens where students learn to Name That Tree.  Tuesday was a continuation of the concept of fire as a disturbance with a twist: suppress or not suppress.  I’d never heard of WUI, but I’ve always believed that mostly people shouldn’t live in wildland areas.  The reality is that the urban interface is moving farther into the wildland areas, and that inward movement increases the need for suppression to avoid enormous tolls on life and property.  Visiting the interagency FMU was fascinating, and it drove home how dangerous firefighting can be.  Thankfully we have young Americans willing to do the job.

            Wednesday took us through the forests to investigate insect disturbances, specifically in the spruce forest.  Again, my beliefs were changed from thinking how sad the beetle infestations were to just another natural disturbance.  The lessons we learned about property mitigation clearly put the responsibility for protection from fire squarely on the homeowner.  Whenever I’m in a WUI area, I now look at structures through a different lens. 

Thursday the culminating event, hiking up Storm King Mountain, provided an emotional connection for the week.  Having read Fire on the Mountain ahead of time gave me the background knowledge to appreciate my surroundings.  Thursday morning was a spiritual time of reflection.  The guidance up the trail by Bill Kight provided a poignant moment not lost on any of us. 

            Friday’s activities from the PLT workbooks and the FireWorks trunks neatly tied everything together.  Sarah, Courtney, and Lisa presented interesting and useful material.  The organization and flow of the week was flawless, providing critical information along with materials and activities directed toward teaching in the classroom.  Overall the week was a roaring success, one that I’ll always remember.

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REFLECTIONS  by AH

For me the week started with a late arrival but easy check in once I got in the building. I met my roommate, Barb, and we talked about the week ahead. Once in the classroom we got to view all the great materials we would be able to take home. A more detailed agenda would have been great to have since the first agenda was very basic and didn’t provide the kind of detail I would have liked.

The first presenter, Rusty Stark, provided great fire ecology information but he went through it way too quickly. Those around me that were not familiar with fire ecology commented on this later. Since I have been trained to work on Midwestern prescription fire burn crews I was familiar with quite a bit of what he said. However, something I had never really thought about (since prescribed burns in the Mid-West (usually) don’t burn as hot as fires out West) was how much the soil can be affected by an intense fire. This consequence obviously has serious repercussions for regrowth and future health of the burned area. Thus an ecosystem can be changed permanently if an intense burn changes the dynamics of the soil. I liked the dendrochronology activity using a paper plate to create a person timeline and growth chart. This is a great way to introduce the concept of tree ring growth to kids! I would have liked to spend more time looking at actual tree rings and having someone review our conclusions about what happened, ie. insect damage, disease (recognizing fire is fairly straightforward). The concept map activity would work well for older students to understand just how much on an impact a fire has on a community. I imagine there could be some surprising comments, especially from children. The GPS activity was also a fun way to learn how to identify trees, but I think most of the group did not know how to use a dichotomous key (or at least they did not in my group). The fire program we watched in the evening was very good but it made for a really long day.

On the second day the chance to view the type of helicopter firefighters use was very interesting. But I found myself having difficulty hearing what the two gentlemen were saying especially when the nearby plane revved up its engines! It would have been quite an experience if we could have seen the helicopter take off and land, especially after learning how much checking and rechecking needs to take place before the helicopter can even lift off! The tour of the vehicles and equipment used by the firefighters provided insight into the life of wildfire fighter. Coordinating the firefighters during wildfires is a much bigger operation than for (Midwest) prescribed burns! The demonstration by the one team working the line was good but it would have been nice to try on the equipment, hold the tools, try it ourselves. We did get to lift the heavy packs they have to carry though! The one smokejumper’s talk was informative and to the point. And although the information provided inside about determining fire restrictions was helpful to understand the process, it went on too long. Ditto Chris’ talk about community mitigation efforts was way too long. Sampling the food eaten by firefighters was a great idea though. But by the time we headed out to the burned area by the railroad I was really hot. I think the combination of salty food at lunch and the heat caught up with me. My eyesight in my left eye went blurry for a few seconds on the hike back! It was a scary experience. As much as I was interested in attending the GIS training, I didn’t because I needed to rest and rehydrate.

On Wednesday, viewing the timber sale area and searching for bark beetles immersed us in the environment and applied a PLT activity, which was great!  It was also much cooler up in the mountains. I thought viewing the two homes and different mitigation efforts was also a great experience and would like to create a program here in Los Alamos to help with this effort locally. Again, there was too much lecturing and not enough “doing” though. Chris mentioned that there are10 things homeowners can do to create a defensible zone around a home but then never told us what they were! If he had we could have had a list of these items to look for at each home and then discuss what we found afterwards. As I mentioned in the evaluation, the cavern was awesome but I think this could be an optional activity since we already had so much to do. I would have liked to have some free time each day, as listed on the agenda, to help absorb all the new information.

On Thursday, I decided not to hike up Storm King Mountain. My experience on Tuesday made me hesitant to attempt the climb. I hope to come back some day and hike it when I am in better shape! I did read the book and it was very moving – to see the site would have been even more so. The visit to the hatchery I found interesting from two perspectives – first, I had not thought about areas like this needing to be protected and secondly, getting a chance to speak with the employees about their experience with the mudslide (and seeing actual pictures of the mudslide) and viewing how close the fire came to their buildings. I did not think it was necessary to return to the classroom that afternoon  - unless dinner plans had not been made yet - so I missed the FireWorks trunk activities. Many of the handouts are very good, but I’m not sure I would be able to use this trunk anyway, since I am from New Mexico?

The activities on Friday were good – I had no idea about coal seam fires! And it was great to do some more PLT activities – Every Tree for Itself is a great activity that can be used in so many ways. I found Lisa’s presentation on Insects to be very useful and the best presentation of the week. There are so many factors that contribute to forest health. A more comprehensive view of the forest is important to incorporate in any lesson about fire.

Overall, the week provided great information, albeit a little haphazardly, but it will take me awhile to go through all of it! Jeremy’s website is a wonderful way to organize it all. One thing that I realized was how site specific much of the information was (ie. Colorado fires, habitats, fire departments and procedures, etc) and that it will take a little more work on my part to research and investigate firefighting and impacts of New Mexico fires before I can create fire ecology curriculum for the Los Alamos schools. I am interested in creating curriculum in three areas - fire preparedness and safety for the community, using fire to teach about the physical sciences to 8^th graders and general fire ecology for 5^th graders.

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Reflection by  JH

 

As a boy who spent ample time in the woods, I fulfilled many of the stereotypes one would expect. Fire was certainly at the top of that list. Although I was raised with a very healthy fear of fire, and with very clear safety expectations surrounding fire, I managed to gain plenty of first hand experience experimenting with this awesome natural wonder. 

It wasn’t until I was much older, though, that I actually met fire from an educational standpoint. As a wilderness instructor in my early 20’s, I was trained in the use of fire as a tool to achieve an end in the wilderness, mainly in the area of starting fires in any environment and using them for cooking and water purification. My experiences with fire were then able to expand exponentially as my knowledge base had grown likewise.

Then in my late 20’s I experienced the destructive side of fire firsthand for the very first time, in the form of the Coal Seam fire that seemingly surrounded Glenwood Springs, and which the residents thereof feared would envelop the town. This experience, which followed my reading of “Young Men and Fire” in the previous year, brought to life many elements of fire which I had never considered.

The summer of 2012, and the FEI, brought the next layer to my fire experience and rounded out my fire education to a point at which I now feel both comfortable and excited, about bringing my experience, knowledge, and small pieces of expertise, to the classroom to share my love of fire with hundreds of young scientists, yearning to soak in anything fun and exciting that can be thrown their way. Fire fits this billing as well as any content out there!

Perhaps the most impacting part of my summer fire experience began with the reading of “Fire on the Mountain.” Having spent the last 13 years as a part of this community, I knew of Storm King (locals don’t refer to it as it’s official South Canyon Fire title) but had never really explored its intricacies. I learned later from FEI classmate,MS, why I had probably never heard of Fire on the Mountain. It’s not a popular local book based on how it portrayed several local heroes and gets at best a back shelf in most local establishments. I, however, thought I had found a gem when I learned of it as a recommend pre-reading.

I brought home my first copy from the local library, but had hardly opened it before my wife, infant in tow, stole it from me as she had opened it’s pages one late night and never relinquished her grip. I was then off to another local library to procure my own copy.  My wife and I spent the next several days glued to its pages as we both engaged ourselves and one another in this life changing story of the fire that occurred just outside our front porch view.

With Fire on the Mountain firmly setting the tone in my heart and mind, I was ready for anything FEI had to offer, but particularly excited for the wildfire side of the class. For in my experiences in teaching in Glenwood Springs for the past many years, I realized that our students no longer have a working memory of Storm King, and we are at the end of our students who have any real memory of Coal Seam. I needed to bring myself to a point at which I could help educate these students to understand that which invariably would affect them at some point in their lives in our community.

While I was initially excited concerning the wildfire side of the class, it was the ecology, the science, of fire that brought me to truly see how fire can best be taught to my students. Fire is about so much more than just the visible flame. Wildfire encompasses so much more than the destruction that is so glorified by the media.

Wildfire management goes so far beyond what I had envisioned. As the week at FEI wrapped up, I was, in the midst of so many fine details, able to finally see the big picture of what the week meant to me. There is fire in the moment that captures so much attention. But the story of a single fire precedes the actual flames, sometime by centuries. And the story of fire, told well, can live on beyond the life of the actual flame for an equal time after the fire.

It is that story of fire, beyond the flame, that I desire to pass along to my students. The ecology of the local forest, the experiences of our local heroes, the history behind wildland fire, the reality of wildland fire itself, the constructive and destructive side of fire, and so much more, needs to be told. Students need to be engaged in the story to a level in which they can retell the story themselves. This is teaching. I have 200 students awaiting my story so they can experience a fire education that I never had. And that’s just the beginning.

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REFLECTION by DK

            What an awesome week of learning we had at this year’s Fire Ecology Institute! The timing and information could not have been better with all the wildfires Colorado has experienced this past spring and summer.

            I want to begin my reflection sharing a personal incident that happened on the first Sunday I came home.  We had 3 burgers on the grill and my high school son was keeping on eye on them while I talked on the phone to my sister.  I glanced out the window and saw much more black smoke than I should have.  Dan lifted the grill cover to see three charred burgers.  We turned off the burners and turned off the propane tank, but we still had flames.  We realized the oil drip pan that hangs under the main grill had caught fire.  Dan went to grab our home fire extinguisher.  Since he had never used it before and the grill was on our wooden deck, I called the fire dpt. to ask if they thought it would just burn out or if we should try and use ours extinguisher. They came out to the house and by the time they got here it had burned itself out without any injuries or damage.  I learned that in addition to being knowledgeable about fire safety it very important to be ever vigilant.  We should have checked the drip pan before we started grilling. We also learned that our home extinguisher probably needed to be replaced – the contents settle over time.

            We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to hear all our guest speakers throughout our week of learning.  I am so glad I had the chance to read Fire on the Mountain to have the background knowledge to make the week so meaningful.

            The resources we have to use in our classroom could probably take us through a whole year of environmental ecology.  This will force us to pick and choose those lessons that will work for our grade level, with the materials and resources available to us, in order to meet the standards and learning goals of our curriculum.  I am so happy that PLT staff and teachers have taken the time to cross reference standards and topics to help me save time when planning my units of study.

            I also found it extremely beneficial to have actually tried some of the lessons as a “student.”  We have gained a familiarity with the content and procedures to have a good start on some practical applications we can immediately try in the classroom. I appreciate the knowledge I gained in identifying various firs, spruces, and pines and will now include this is my plant studies.  Demystifying the pine beetle misconceptions will also be an important part of our student learning.

            I have gained the knowledge of a clearer understanding of the differences between home fires and wildfires and want to share that with my students.  I have also become very aware of the dangers existing in the urban/wild land overlapping areas and want to share those discussions with my students as well, as many of our school family population commute from these types of areas.

            The Storm King Mountain hike was very meaningful to me and I want to return sometime soon to share this experience with my family.  The men and women of the Rifle Fire Dpt. were all wonderful in sharing their time and knowledge.  I have so much respect for all of them.

            Finally, the Lesson Planning homework assignment will help me get my year of Science off to a powerful start.  In addition, the webquest assignment will remind me that even though I complete a unit on Wildfires with my students, there is a WEALTH of information that I can get from the website to continue teaching and learning for both my students and myself for many years to come.

THANK YOU SHAWNA CROCKER AND PROJECT LEARNING TREE!

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  FEI Reflections by SM 

I came to the Fire Ecology Institute with a reasonable amount of prior knowledge, but was impressed by the number of resources available to us during the class.  The tangible resources were very generous gifts, but I was also impressed by the number of people available to share their expertise with us.  I have a much stronger understanding of the intricacies of wildland firefighting from a government and other agency perspective— it is generally very complicated and I especially liked hearing about the interagency plan in Rifle.  It seems to me that more regions should adapt that model, given that fire doesn’t distinguish between BLM or Forest Service or private land.

I left the class with a lot more specific information than I came in with (you tend to teach 5^th graders about fire in pretty broad strokes) and can now impress people with such facts as: “Did you know the first smokejumpers were conscientious objectors during World War II?”  or “Let me show you how a fire scar forms.”  Some of these facts will probably not come up terribly often, but I do feel that some gaps in my broad and narrow understanding of fire ecology got filled in.  I also enjoyed the opportunity to learn about some of the other insects that are in our forests—I am very familiar with the mountain pine beetle but knew very little about the ips and spruce beetles. 

I’m sure I won’t be alone in saying that the hike up Storm King was a highlight of the week— our guide was wonderful and the physical and emotional experience of being there was very meaningful.  Being there makes firefighting feel very human, and puts a lot of pieces into place in terms of events and policy changes.  Please keep this as part of future classes.

Fire ecology is such an important issue that is not going away any time soon, and it made me very happy to see so many long-time classroom teachers so excited to bring it back to their schools. I really appreciate everything Project Learning Tree does in terms of making environmental education accessible to classroom teachers.  It is obvious that an incredible amount of work has gone in to creating the lessons, correlating with state standards, etc.  and I hope this work empowers more teachers to bring EE to their classrooms and schools. 

Before the class began I submitted the following article to the Summit Daily, and they published it in their opinion page.  Please allow me to share it with you here as a final reflection on my personal feelings on fire in the West:

It was the year the West was burning… says the title track to a favorite folk album of mine.  I find myself playing the song almost obsessively, haunted by its poignancy.

It’s the year the West is burning and no one who’s been paying an ounce of attention for the last year is terribly surprised by this fact— a short, dry winter equals a long, hot summer, and a long, hot summer equals wildfire. 

I’m old enough to remember the 2002 drought and the Hayman Fire: my childhood summer camp burned that year and my family was evacuated in the middle of the night as a result of a smaller fire in Boulder.  Now I watch as friends and strangers go through their own fire preparations— one friend and his family have been cutting down every tree around their house hoping to create enough “defensible space” should the fire bear down upon them.  Another friend works as a wildland firefighter, leaving a wife and two-year-old daughter for weeks a time to work at containing a fire in Wyoming.   So it is not without sympathy that I acknowledge the, dare I say, necessity, of a widespread fire like this one.

A perfect storm of human and natural factors has long been brewing to create this kind of fire year, beginning over 100 years ago with the large-scale clear-cutting executed by Eastern explorers hoping to fulfill their manifest destinies— using timber for everything from hundreds of miles of railroad track to construction of homes and buildings, in mining operations and for heat through the cold Rocky Mountain winters.  By the time they were done, they had indeed opened the West to further exploration and settling, but had also permanently altered the forest ecosystem.

Left alone, forests do a great job of staying healthy through masterful sequencing and well-timed life cycles.  Disturbances like fire give forests the opportunity to clean out unhealthy trees and patterns so that growth can start anew.   However, the turn of the last century also saw the beginning of a long-standing policy of fire suppression, which called for all wildfires to be put out immediately.  This policy, combined with the consequences of massive clear-cutting (extremely dense forests of trees of approximately the same age), has placed us, modern settlers of the West, on top of a proverbial tinderbox.  Not a question of if, but when.

We are left with a series of almost unanswerable questions, each with an answer that could send more families packing, or that could help restore the ecosystem to which we have done so much damage, perhaps protecting all of us in the future.   Where and when do we let fires burn, and where and when do we put them out?  When do we intervene, and when do we let nature truly run its course, grabbing hold of our children and each other’s hands to watch as our own 100-year prophecy is fulfilled? 

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Reflection by JM

            Monday: I learned so much from the week at Fire Ecology Institute in Glenwood Springs.  The movie, The Two Sides of Fire was a well thought out presentation about the history of fire in the US, fire suppression, and how fire is part of a healthy ecosystem.  I will use it when I teach about healthy forests. The presentation by Randy Stark on fire and the forest was very informative. The activity on mind mapping on fire affects allowed us to see how many people, animals, trees, and places are affected by fire.  Colorado has had a very active fire season and it will continue to affect the lives and businesses of a huge amount of people. The day ended with the movie Fire Wars by Nova.  I thought this was very well done especially after reading the book Fire on the Mountain.  It was a great follow up to see how the South Canyon fire changed how fires are fought.

            Tuesday: Visiting the firefighters at the Garfield County Airport allowed us to learn about all of the equipment helitects, hot shots, and smoke jumpers use on a fire.   I was impressed by how strongly they believe in what they do and the training they go through to become fighters.  Looking at the 109 fire, I was impressed by how quickly an area can begin to regenerate after a low intensity fire.  The oak brush had already put out new seedlings only a short time after the fire.

            Wednesday:  The Baylor Park timber sale showed how logging can help an area infected by insects.  This is the first time I have seen a bark beetle.  The forest inventory was a great activity that I will use with my students.  The focus on one aspect of a forest can concentrate kids energy into one area and look at the small picture. Community wildfire mitigation is a very important subject for those who live at the urban/wild interface.  It is a topic that is now being more fully addressed in our state in this year of so many wildfires.  I will be contacting my own homeowner’s association to find out if we have a plan for our subdivision.

            Thursday: After reading the book Fire on the Mountain the hiking of Storm King Mountain was an emotional experience.  Being on the ridge that the firefighters had to climb made me realize what a difficult situation they were in.  I could hardly climb the path between the memorial markers due to the steep terrain.  To be in the middle of a firestorm on that mountain must have been hellacious.  The visit to the fish hatchery was interesting.  It also was an example of how so many things are affected by fire and its aftermath.  The mudslides from the South Canyon fire shut the facility for quite a while.

            Friday: The final day of the Fire Ecology Institute was filled with great activities and a chance to put it all together.  Hot spot! The coal seam area is fascinating—the area has been burning under ground for over 100 years and cannot be put out. In the afternoon I worked with one of my teaching team members, MM, on a curriculum map for the unit we will begin when school starts. We chose activities that we had done during the week and fit in with our tree unit that we currently teach

            The Fire Ecology Institute was a wonderful and educational experience and the material I gathered during the week will be used at the beginning of the school year.

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Reflections on the Fire Ecology Institute by MM

I am grateful that I could be included in the Fire Ecology Institute.  It was eye-opening and I have a new-found appreciation of our fire fighters and the tools and technology that they are utilizing.  The field trips we took were quite valuable as they are the “laboratory”.  Seeing the terrain and vegetation that we often read about brought it home and made it real.  I am excited to work on my Science unit this fall and see how I can transfer much of the week’s experiences to my students. 

Below are my reflections on each of the presenters, activities, materials, and field trips.

Monday, July 16

Presenter Rusty Stark:  I was impressed with the overview that Rusty presented us with.  His knowledge of past fires, fuels, insects, fire fighting techniques were impressive.  It was a good way to kick off the week as he introduced a great deal of vocabulary that we were to hear throughout the week. While I have realized that forest management needs to include fire, my perceptions were broadened by his presentation.

Concept Map Activity:  I expected that there would be many consequences of fire that I had not thought of, however I did not think the list would be so long.  I enjoyed the presentation of these.  It would have been valuable to revisit these on Friday as a wrap-up, as I would think that the participants could have added a good deal more to their webs.

Tree ID/GPS:  This activity had a lot of potential; however, it was not valuable for several reasons.  First our GPS unit did not work well.  I was hoping to learn more about GPS and its uses.  Second, Mother Nature was making me quite nervous with lightening all around and us being out in the open near large trees and light poles.

Dendrochronology: I especially enjoyed looking at fire scars on the tree ring samples.  I was amazed at how many scars some samples had.  I am motivated to work up an activity, using tree rings, that is an investigative style—something along the lines of CSI.

Tuesday, July 17

The Upper Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit:  While some felt this day was too long, with a lot of sitting and listening, I found it fascinating.  Meeting the people that work in this business was truly impressive.  When the smokejumper (I have forgotten many names already) said that all the teachers were heroes it was nice to be acknowledged, however, these people that put their lives on the line every time they go on a fire are heroes to me.  Seeing the equipment and learning of techniques, the whole fire management system, lightening maps, the use of technology and science gave me a sense of awe with the system and the people that manage it.

The 109 Fire:  The main thing that I took from this fire site was the rapid rate of regeneration.  The green grass and gambel oak shoots reminded me of how quickly a forest can regenerate.

GIS mapping:  I feel like I just scratched the surface with the mapping potential.  I am interested in learning how my students can map vegetation zones in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Wednesday, July 18: 

Baylor Park Timber Sale and Forest Monitoring Activities:  Much of our work thus far had been on lower elevation (shrub land, Ponderosa pine, and lodgepole pine forests).  The spruce/fir forest presents different challenges and issues in regards to fire and timber management.  The spruce beetle hunt was informative.  The PLT activities that we worked on show promise—I wish we had more time to investigate and process them.  I was also struck with the fact that our Forest Ranger host, while knowledgeable about trees and insects, was not an ecologist.  I think this is a shortcoming of many government agencies that manage wildlands.

I found myself thinking that maybe we need to make forests more accessible to harvesting—a radical thought from me several years ago.

Wildfire Mitigation:  Upon arriving at the beautiful home that has had fire mitigation work done, I thought that this was, in no way, a safe haven.  After hearing explanations from the Glenwood Fire Chief, I gained a new appreciation of what fire mitigation entails.  The concept of “fire ladders” became very clear to me, even though we had discussed it several times previous.  I have since spoken to a good friend that has a very nice home, albeit with a cedar shingle roof.  I strongly encouraged her to get the Eagle County fire marshal to evaluate her property.  My property was evaluated on the “Wheel of Risk” before we even arrived at the mitigation examples.  I am hoping to have each of my students evaluate their own homes this fall. 

Glenwood Caverns:  I could not help but think that Pulaski had been into a cool cave before his famous adventure.  Tree roots growing down into the caverns—now that was impressive!  Further evidence of gambel oak regeneration was seen underneath the alpine slide.

Thursday, July 19:

Storm King Mountain Hike:  This morning was tremendously valuable.  Hiking that trail, seeing the terrain, seeing the re-growth was astounding.  Standing next to the memorial markers was truly moving.  Much of the week’s information came together for me this morning.

Fish Hatchery: What impressed me most on this visit was the pattern of burning around the hatchery and the impact that fire had on the soils.  The mudslide story is becoming a standard for burned areas.

Coal Seam Fire Site:  Upon viewing this site, I was impressed with the multiple directions that this fire took.  The tight valley reminded me of the Mann Gulch fire account that we watched earlier in the week. 

Friday, July 20:

Presentations by Sarah and Lisa:  Several things impressed me with these presentations—the number of coal seam fires, worldwide that Sarah discussed.  Lisa’s first-hand account of the North Fork Fire was both factual and emotional—how could it not be? 

The PLT activity—Every Tree For Itself:   This seems to have a great deal of potential.  I modified it in my head about five times before we were even finished and plan to use it this fall.

State Forest Service Trunks:  I am planning on using the trunks this fall.  While we did not get into them fully, I did see the tree ring activities and the fire activities as having a good deal of potential.

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Fire Ecology Institute Reflections by WR

The presentation by Rusty “Sparks” Stark provided a good start to the institute by giving us some basic background information about wildfire. The presentation brought forth the idea that fire is a natural part of the forest ecosystem. The information about the various forests fire regimes, patterns of succession and the fire adaptations of many plants and some animals further supported the idea that fire is neither bad nor good, it just is….a natural part of forest ecology.

The team concept map activity allowed us to become more familiar with fellow classmates and begin to form some early friendships. The activity also helped us further develop our ideas on the topic of fire and share knowledge with each other.

Getting outside with the GPS units during the tree ID activity provided a nice break from the classroom, in spite of the rain. I had taken some GPS instruction from the folks at COGA a few years ago and this was a good refresher course, although for someone who had never used one before, a little more instruction would probably have been helpful. The tree identification activity also provided some practice using the dichotomous key.

Looking at the tree cookies and the history they represented was a good way to see that fire is indeed a normal part of a tree’s existence. I was surprised to see that many trees had experienced fire, many at least once and often multiple times during their life time. The activity where we were to create a tree cookie of our own life, while a student would probably enjoy it, seemed a little tedious to me. I guess I’m too old for this one (too many rings).

Viewing Fire Wars on Monday evening was a great cap to a busy day. It provided an educational overview of the many fires that have taken the lives of those fighting them. I think that it had special meaning to me and those others who had read Fire on the Mountain or Young Men and Fire.

Tuesday’s trip to the Upper Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit proved to be one of the days that provided me with the most information that I can use in my classroom. Since I teach Middle School Technology and Engineering and focus on careers this was a great day. From the young men and women cutting the fire line to the Incident Commanders, to the Helicopter pilots to the smoke jumpers to the weather forecasters, the day was full of jobs to talk to students about. And not just jobs, there was also all of the equipment that went along with those professions. There were many opportunities for photos of the equipment and the firefighters demonstrating their equipment. It was also great to hear from the firefighters about why they do what they do and from the young women about working in a male dominated profession. Tuesday evening in the computer lab introduced us to even more careers and some great “free” mapping technology that I can use with my students.  It was too bad that we were not able to visit the New Castle fire site; I know that some people who had attended a prior FEI were looking forward to that. 

Wednesday’s trip into the forest was another favorite for me. I especially enjoyed the Baylor Park Insects and Monitoring portion of the day. I guess I am still a science teacher at heart and seeking out the insects that infest the trees and observing them and their larva as they tunneled under the bark was very interesting. I also found it interesting that the ranger had kind of a different take on the insect problem. While many that we talked to see the current problem as a natural occurrence, although made worse by our questionable management practices, he seemed to be ready to put up the good fight. I think that part of his protective attitude stems from the fact that those trees rely on (lean on) each other for support. I think that the activity Monitoring Forest Health fit in well with the rest of the day. 

Our trek up Storm King Mountain, on Thursday, was something that I will not soon forget. I only imagine what it must have been like for the men and women who fought the South Canyon Fire. Walking on the trail with nothing but a water bottle truly tested my endurance and they had no trail and were wearing the full packs that we had seen on Tuesday, what dedication. While I did not make it beyond the end of the first half of the trail, I could see, from the observation point, the memorial markers across the way. It was a moving experience to stand there and see where many had lost their lives. It really brought together what I had read about those days in July of 1994. I will have to admit that I struggled with the last 300 yards or so on the way back, I figured out what people mean when they say their legs feel like rubber.

The afternoon brought more careers and technology to learn about at the Mitchell Creek Fish Hatchery. I had no idea that there was even a hatchery in Glenwood Springs. We had an excellent guide and I was able to take many great photographs of the workings of the hatchery to share with my students. I only regret that I didn’t have ten minutes alone with a fishing pole in the brood stock tanks. The day came to a pleasant end with a few margaritas and some good food with some old friends and some new friends.

Two interesting presentations on Friday, the Coal Seam Fire and its possible use as an energy source and one on insects that target trees, both were well done. We completed some activities; my personal favorite was Every Tree for Itself. This was an activity that could work with all ages from preschool students right up through high school biology students because it can be modified to include so many variables. The day continued with us doing some short presentations about how we will take this week’s experiences back to our classrooms. Beyond this things became a blur as we hurried to complete the required paper work and say our goodbyes.

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this year’s institute. I learned things and met people, both presenters and fellow participants that will have a lasting impact on me and my classroom. I now can’t help but wonder when I feel a sharp wind preceding a storm or see a lightning strike in the distance, what might be happening. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shawna and all those others that made this fun and educational experience possible.

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REFLECTIONS by JW

I gained a great deal of knowledge and regained a new found awareness to what our forests mean to us and how fire can affect them and us from attending the Fire Ecology Institute.  The presenters were excellent, well prepared and very knowledgeable.  I believe the activities we did will be easy to implement into my mathematics classes.  I especially enjoyed the field trips that we took; like most kids I learn better when I get to see something first hand or get a chance to manipulate what is being taught.

Though I would have liked to have built a fire line or trail, I thought the presenters at the Upper Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit were excellent.  I enjoyed seeing the passion that they all possess in regards to the jobs that they do.  I will try to pass on to my students that there are a great deal of very interesting jobs that can be had in working with the outdoors (and they all use math).  I found it fascinating how different presenters shared the same beliefs on how fires are just fires.  Not good, not bad, they just are. 

I was surprised how many activities that we did could easily be used in math classes.  I’m looking forward to spending some serious time going through all the materials because from first glance there are a myriad of activities that I can use.  Mesa County’s math curriculum is based on self-discovery and these activities fit right into that thought process.  The problem that I will encounter is that Mesa County has a pacing guide that we must follow and I will have to get permission to either replace some activities in our book or be allowed to use them as a supplement. 

The field trips were my favorite part.  Again the presenters at these sites surprised me with how each one would answer fire, mitigation, and ecology questions the same way.  It seems that most people in these fields share many common beliefs.  To me Storm King was the most impactful trip.  When I was young and dumb I worked trail crew for the Forest Service and got the chance to fight a couple of fires.  I wished that I had a better appreciation for what I was doing then and for others who made careers by fighting fires.  Being on that mountain, seeing that terrain, and realizing what those men and women had to do to get to safety was very emotional.  I am glad that so much was learned form that fire to help other fire fighters stay safe.

This was a great class that I would take again.  So much was presented in such a short amount of time that I know I probably missed more information than I retained.  I’m sure I would learn just as much from taking this class again as I did this time.  I would like to thank Shawna Crocker and everyone she lined up to present at this class.  Everyone was excellent and well prepared.  Fire just….is. 

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Review by PS

I have to start by saying that I truly enjoyed this class. Being from Illinois I knew very little about forest fires, mostly from watching the news and seeing them in Calf. And they were followed by mud slides. I found the class to be very informative and changed my outlook and understanding of them. I always saw them as a very bad and destructive force that man could not control. I have lived in Palisade for nine years and had noticed where the Storm King Fire had happened but never knew the story of the fire or the loss of lives. I have never taught a class about forest or forest fires. Since I have lived in Colorado and witnessed the beetle infestation as I traveled around the state I have wondered about forest fires and the destruction of our forest. I am confident that I will use this information in my classroom and broaden my student’s knowledge in this arena.

As a teacher of Severe and Profound Special Ed I have to be very careful of what and how I share information to my students. The three elements of what is needed for fire is something I would not teach because I have two students who live in a rural setting and I am afraid would test what burns. That could be the start of a local wild fire here in the valley.

The first day may have been filled with information that people from Colorado may have been aware of or already know but it was the back ground that I needed to understand the next four days. This day the life of a tree was explained, the history of fires here in the US, the layers of the forest, mitigation, tree identification,  and so much more that we could take back and share in the classroom. Three main points I remember from that day are: one when reading the age of the trees the size of the ring tells the moisture for the year, two the demonstration of a tree that has been burnt on one side and continues to grown and circle in on the burnt area, and third the saying fire is.

Day two at the Rifle multi agency fire house was great. I know some felt we spent too much time there I thought we got a wealth of information. I knew Clay Fowler for a number of years and it was nice to see him in his element he is very proud of what he does and loves his job.  I think we were very fortunate to get to see the helicopter and hear from so many different types of fire fighters. Reviewing a previous fire each day during the fire and weather report helps them keep focused. I know that some people felt that there were times when the speakers repeated what the other said just showed their commitment, pride and the thoroughness of each one of these fighters. It was also so great to see that 1 out of six were women. After the class I went home and shared all the information with my college age daughter because I think it is a summer job she would love and be very good at.

The day we went to meet with the Forest ranger and learn about the logging on national forest do to beetle kill I would have liked to been able to hike in and been able to participate. I am glad to see that they are making use of the trees that the beetles have killed. I have been to someone’s house since the class and seen a room that was paneled in the pine that has the blue tent to it, it was very pretty, sad that it has to come from the destruction of trees. The second half of the day looking at the homes and what mitigation looked like was a real eye opener. I thought so much more of the trees around the home would have to be cut away. I have spent some time thinking about the first house and how much they had done to their house and yet the drive way was so over grown. I wouldn’t have thought about it if the fire chief hadn’t pointed it out. Can’t say I would blame the fire department for not going up a drive like that where they could be trapped. This exercise also gave me so much insight to the Waldo fire and explained why one house burnt and the one next door did not.

Since I live so close to the Glenwood area I will go back in the fall and when my knee is better and hike The Storm King Fire Trail. I will also take note in the winter when I drive up that way to look at the Coal Seam Fire and take note of how no snow will stay over the Coal Seam fire area do to the heat of the fire below. The Fish Hatchery was very informative. I have been to a cat fish farm in Il and Mo but it is a much different operation for a different cause. I was shocked at the sheer number of fish they produce. I had no Idea that people (government agencies) had such a hand in the fish population in this state. Although my students will not understand the science of this operation I would like to take them to see the hatchery in Rifle this next year at school. They last event of the day was one that I had looked forward to since I signed up for the class. The trip through the Fairy Caves was tough but so worth it. As we ate and I looked out over the valley and the growth up the side of the hill I thought about the men who had gone in a cave at gun point and that it saved their lives. I wondered if a fire did come up the hill if anyone would think of going to the caves for cover. Even a deeper thought were the people who work there trained to take the visitors to the caves in the event of a fire?? My daughter and a friend will be going up there this summer and I stressed to her if there was a fire to go to the caves. She commented about how much this class had impacted me.

Over all this class was informative and I will use much of the information in my classroom.

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Reflections by MS

The lack of intensity (much of that due to fire suppression by humans) of fires in Colorado over time has helped to cause the high intensity fires that we have today.   With these words, Rusty Stark started us down our path of learning about the importance of fire. Explaining how fire resistance species such as Ponderosa Pines need fires to thin the stands and keep competing species from becoming intrusive.  The point being that if fires are continually suppressed the chances of longer-term destruction is increased. 

We were introduced to the three types of fires. They are ground fires, surface fires and crown fires.  The most destructive of these being ground fires in which the fires move below the surface and destroy roots and scorch the soil due to abundant amounts of fuels on the ground due to a lack of fires.  I also enjoyed the introduction to beetles that I will expand on later.

I found the Interagency Fire Station interesting. In particular having lived through the South Canyon Fire (before this class, I would have called it Storm King Fire), I had always heard the rumors about the fire being allowed to burn for days due to BLM not wanting anyone else fighting their fire.  I was excited to find something had been done based partly on the South Canyon fire creating an agency allowing all the fire groups to work together on each other’s fires.

Open mouth insert foot, I am looking forward to seeing my buddy up three mile, the drainage next to four mile.  He had mentioned losing five Blue Spruce trees up three mile to beetles.  Using my infinite knowledge, I stated that Mountain Pine Beetles do not attack Blue Spruce Trees maybe it was the drought.  Woops thanks to Lisa, I now know our valley is under attack by Spruce Beetles.  I also learned that the loss of our Lodge Pole forests due to one form or another of mass disruptions is a natural and necessary part of Lodge Pole forests existence through succession.

            These are just a few of the highlights of my week at Fire Ecology Institute.  Thanks for the opportunity.  

P.S. Interesting article in Monday July 30^th Glenwood Post Independent about Trappers Lake a wilderness area and lodge pole forest allowed to burn in 2002 due to the wilderness act, while (I assume) the forest was still fairly healthy now being ten years ahead of the rest of the state in lodge pole forest succession.

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