Sagehen Creek Field Station

17 Oct, 01 PM - 05 Nov, 12 PM

Artist Nina Elder proposes to create the Fire Circle, a civic process that will help connect people to the changing landscape of future forests. As wildfires are becoming an increasingly prevalent experience for those dwelling in the Sierra Nevadas, and all of California, it is imperative to evolve not only emergency responses, but also cultural understanding, communication networks, transformative infrastructure, and economic resiliency. Looking to the not-too-distant past, when fire was a natural cycle and was welcomed through cultural practices, Elder believes that healthy forests and human relationships to fire are still possible. Like a seed that only propagates through fire, these potential futures are dormant in a landscape where fire has been feared and avoided. Instead of simplifying and siloing the treatment of fire management, Fire Circle allows for a personal and poetic connection to the practical and political processes that decide the futures of forests. Fire Circle is a platform for collaborative land management, connecting people to the natural environment through creative processes, citizen science, formal research, and public-engaged policy change. Groups of participants will be selected from diverse fields including indigenous culture bearers, climate scientists, regional governance, small business owners, spiritual leaders, insurance company employees, artists, construction workers, fire fighters, and land managers. Nina Elder will design field trips that facilitate group processes to connect to burned lands, learn from scientific and traditional knowledge, and help to holistically envision the future. Outcomes might be healthier relationships to fire, increased cultural connections to new forms of stewardship, a growing sense of beauty amidst change and loss, and a framework for diverse, collaborative influences on how fire prone lands are managed. The emerging ideas will become a public messaging campaign that amplifies different cultural, economic, and ecologic strategies for healthier future forests. Further, participants will be encouraged to maintain their relationship to future forests through Fire Circle, and civilian oversight committee that will advocate for cultural leadership, citizen science, and regional values in land management decisions. Resilience and adaptation is higher in areas where diversity is a shared value; by connecting and empowering those whose cultures, creative practices, and livelihoods are sourced from forests, Fire Circle will be a model for new civilian governance and collaborative process.

Visit #61236 @Sagehen Creek Field Station

Approved

Under Project # 42400 | Public Use

Forest Futures : Fire Circle

professional - University of New Mexico

Reservation Members(s)

Nina Elder Oct 17 - Nov 5, 2019 (20 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Cabin 1 Oct 17 - Nov 5, 2019