Learn With Us | Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network

Learning and sharing is at the core of what we do.

We capture WAFAC member and partner experiences so that we can all work together to solve problems, build capacity, and ultimately enhance community resilience. Tap into a broad wealth of knowledge in our upcoming and previous learning opportunities that are open to everyone.

Upcoming Opportunities

Fire in the Shrub Steppe Webinar Series

The sagebrush steppe is one of the largest ecosystems in North America and one of the most threatened due to human land use conversions, non-native plant invasions, and wildfire. This five-part virtual series will introduce us to the ecology of this unique ecosystem, the past and current role and impact of fire on the landscape, and to many of the brilliant folks working every day to manage and protect critical habitat, wildlife, and communities living with fire in the shrub steppe.

You may register for one, some, or all of the webinars. And if you are interested, keep scrolling to register for a Bonus Session!

We will be utilizing the Zoom webinar platform. Please contact tessa@washingtonrcd.org if you have audio/video accessibility needs (e.g., interpretation, closed captioning, video support). The webinars will be recorded.

webinar Registration

Webinar 1: FIRE BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY OF THE SHRUB STEPPE

October 29, 2020 / 9:00-10:30 PST

Alison Dean, Central Oregon Fire Management Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and Marth Brabec, City of Boise, will provide an overview of: historic and modern fire behavior in different communities of the sagebrush biome, shrub steppe ecology, and post-fire restoration considerations.

Webinar 2: THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

November 5, 2020 / 9:00-10:30 PST

Pygmy rabbits, greater sage grouse, songbirds, and Umtanum desert buckwheat…oh my! Learn how fire and land management can impact key threatened and endangered species and the top three things to take into consideration before taking action where these species call sage brush their home.

Webinar 3: VEGETATION MANAGEMENT – GRAZING AND MECHANICAL TREATMENTS

November 19, 2020 / 9:00-10:30 PST

Vegetation management in the shrub steppe is critical to protecting communities and meeting landscape management goals. Chris Schactschneider, OSU Extension, and Seth Hulett, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, will share examples of how grazing and mechanical treatments can be used to change fire behavior.

Webinar 4: VEGETATION MANAGEMENT – INVASIVE SPECIES, NATIVE SEEDS AND GRASSES

December 3, 2020/ 9:00-10:30 PST

Disturbance events, such as overgrazing and the catastrophic fires, in our shrub steppe landscape can kick-start a negative feedback loop with invasion of noxious weeds. These invasive species can have a direct effect on services and ecological benefits provided by the shrug steppe landscape. Learn what we can do to minimize the spread of invasive plant species and how native seeds and grasses can be used to restore this brittle system.

Webinar 5: ENGAGING COMMUNITIES IN FIRE ADAPTATION

December 17, 2020/ 9:00-10:30 PST

A diverse group of panelists have been brought together to highlight a variety of engagement strategies in diverse communities. Caty Johnson from Nuestra Casa, Jerry McAdams from the Boise Fire Department, Jon Riley from Chelan County Fire District 1, and Kirsten Cook from Okanogan Conservation District will share their approaches, successes, and strategies for stirring up action.

PRESENTERS

Check out the line up!

We have pulled together folks who are dedicated to helping inhabitants of the shrub steppe better adapt to wildfire.

Presenter bios

SHRUB STEPPE BONUS SESSION!

November 12, 2020 / 9:00-10:00 PST

Foster Creek Conservation District (FCCD) is interested in your ideas! FCCD is developing a set of ‘fire adaptation in high desert communities’ learning modules and outreach materials for K-12 students and adults (e.g., landowners and operators). They would like to create materials that can be shared and used by stakeholders living with fire in the shrub steppe landscape. Bring your ideas and join us for an interactive discussion!

Note: This registration is for the Bonus Session ONLY.

bonus session REGISTration

Previous Learning Opportunities

Map Your Neighborhood
Effectively Using Social Media
Natural Solutions – Biochar
Wildfire Mitigation and Stewardship Crews
Engaging Latinx Communities through Climate and Fire Adaptation
Introduction to Fire Adapted Communities

Map Your Neighborhood

The Map Your Neighborhood program teaches neighbors to rely on each other during the hours or days before fire, medical, police or utility responders arrive. It is designed to improve disaster readiness at the neighborhood level, 15-20 homes or a defined area that you can canvas in 1 hour. Hear more about the origins of the program, how it works, and how two communities in Washington are using the program to identify neighborhood leaders and coordinate emergency preparedness and response efforts for wildfire and other disasters.

Map Your Neighborhood Program

Panelists:

Kiana Kabanje, Disaster Preparedness Outreach Program Manager, Washington Emergency Management Division

Leslie Dempsey, Whatcom County Fire District 11

Joan Moye, Whatcom County Fire District 11

Jessica Rounds, Disaster Case Manager, Okanogan County Long Term Recovery

The Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network partnered with the Tools for Engaging Landowners Effectively team and the Nature Conservancy to host a three-part virtual workshop series on how to use social media to effectively connect with your audience and convince them to adopt a desired behavior to take action.

Part I: Identifying and Reaching Your Audience

Fundamental marketing concepts like audience segmentation, message clarity, and an outcome orientation apply to social media. This virtual workshop is a quick refresher of basic Tools for Engaging Landowners Effectively concepts, with a special focus on how to reach and influence your audiences more effectively via social media.

Part II: Making Your Content Stand Out

There is a lot of competition for our attention online. How can you make your social media content stand out and ensure it reaches your desired audiences? This session will cover best practices for crafting social media content and help you better understand how to tailor your content for different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and use paid advertising.

Part III: Social Media and Your Communication Strategy

Now that you have an understanding of your audiences and how to tailor content effectively for social media, we’ll bring it all together in a fun practice session. We’ll use some real-world scenarios to add context through tangible examples related to network members’ work. These thought exercises will help you understand why social media matters and how it can fit your unique communications needs.

Natural Solutions – Biochar

Charcoal production, also known as biochar, has been recognized as an emerging technology for fuel mitigation strategies. A form of bio-mimicry, biochar production replicates and enhances the role of old growth forest fires that converted 4-6% of the biomass into charcoal. This presentation will cover a range of research on the soil, tree response, and forest carbon cycle benefits to help incentivize adoption as a part of fire risk reduction efforts. We will also cover research illustrating the role of charcoal in post-fire recovery and soil restoration.

Webinar: Natural Solutions – Biochar

Presenter: Kai Hoffman-Krull, San Juan Islands Conservation District

Wildfire Mitigation and Stewardship Crews

We rely a lot on landowners to remove and dispose of vegetation from around their homes, but what happens if we begin to build workforce capacity to not only mitigate wildfire, but to steward our lands so that we can all better live with fire? Meet two communities in Washington who are building their teams and learn from their successes (and sometimes the hard truths) in creating and sustaining a workforce.

Webinar: Wildfire Mitigation and Stewardship Crews

Presenter: Kai Hoffman-Krull, San Juan Islands Conservation District

Panelists:
Jay McLaughlin, Executive Director, Mt. Adams Resource Stewards
David Walker, Fire Chief, Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue

Engaging Latinx Communities through Climate and Fire Adaptation

As our nation’s demographic grows and changes rapidly, we too in conservation must learn to grow and change with it. Co-creating diverse spaces that value individual differences and similarities it’s directly linked to our ability to foster and promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in all our environments.

Engaging the Latinx population – and all communities – in conservation is a necessity, diverse spaces result in better understanding, increase innovation and cooperation, and long-lasting results. In order to do it, we must learn to approach this work authentically and inclusively. Building a practice of equity and inclusion requires us to look inside ourselves, to evaluate our own behaviors, patterns, and mental models and to understand how this permeates our daily lives. Join Carlos Zegarra from Sachamama as he shares best practices to effectively and authentically engage Latinx in conservation.