Sparking curiosity: Local campers learn about fire stewardship with MARS
Anyone working to create healthier forests and wildfire-resilient communities knows that this effort will stretch across generations. The work is enormous and ongoing, both in the acres that need attention and in the culture shift required for our communities to accept and live safely with fire. If we can’t do it all in a lifetime, it’s critical we inspire young people–our future land stewards–to carry the torch (literally).
In late August, MARS had the opportunity to do just that: we hosted children from a Heartsong Living Arts summer camp at the Mt. Adams Community Forest (MACF) to explore the nuanced role of fire on our landscapes.
Heartsong, a community-supported education center based in Husum, named their weeklong camp “Fire on the Mountain” and aimed to teach campers about “fire as a foundational element of life.” After connecting with MARS and learning about our fire management and fuels work, they asked whether we could host a field trip on our Pine Flats property, where the children could see up close the role of fire in nature. The ponderosa pine forest that covers Pine Flats is a prime example of a fire-adapted ecosystem, and MARS has been stewarding the land with “good fire” for nearly a decade.
MARS’s Prescribed Fire Program staff Emery Cowan and Kylie England spearheaded the effort to design curricula for two field sessions with the 5-10 year old children. The activities they led were imbued with movement, exploration, and fun: a scavenger hunt for forest objects, a game to learn the fire triangle (heat, oxygen, and fuel), and even a special fire song from Kylie’s home country of South Africa. Campers also observed differences between burned and unburned areas on Pine Flats, illuminating why we use fire as a means of land stewardship.
During the second session, MARS staff were joined by Glenwood’s fire chief Jon Cole to help teach the campers about the operational side of fire. Donned in hard hats far too big for their heads, the kids squirted water with “bladder bags,” learned about the difference between structural and wildland firefighting gear, practiced radio communications, and tried to spray traffic cones with a fire hose from Glenwood’s wildland fire engine.
Campers ended each session with reflection. They said they loved examining ponderosa pine trees’ fire-resistant bark and peering into burned-out root systems whose cavities stretch deep into the soil. Campers also enjoyed their discussion with Jay, MARS’s Executive Director, who covered forest health and measured the ages of various pines in the forest. (Several students were spot-on when asked to guess tree ages!) Of course, they loved the games as well: favorites included the relay race, fire triangle matching game, and fire hose target practice.
Emery and Kylie wrapped up the camp experience with reflection as well. Kylie, a former middle school teacher, is in her happiest place where there is a combination of fire education and youth. The kids had an already solid foundation of forest health knowledge, so she enjoyed the opportunity to build on that foundation with discussions of both prescribed fire and wildfire. Hitting cone targets with a charged hose, hearing the campers’ Fire on Mountain song, sharing tales of fire efforts in South Africa, and finding signs of fire in the Mt. Adams Community Forest were highlights for her.
Emery was equally impressed by the Heartsong campers and was thrilled to have the opportunity to bring young people into the fold of our work of expanding and promoting beneficial fire. It was encouraging to spend time with kids who already know so much about landscape stewardship. Emery left optimistic and excited to continue expanding MARS’ engagement with youth in our area.
At MARS, we are inspired by the landscapes of our Mt. Adams Community Forest everyday, and were grateful for the opportunity to pass on our inspiration to the kids who, just maybe, will someday take care of MACF themselves.
