| It was quiet in the forest except
for the sound of snowshoes crunching through the white
powder….and an occasional giggle. Two dozen National
Park Service fire educators, dressed in bright layers
of fleece and wool, followed a park ranger as he navigated
through a maze of giant, ancient trees. Scarred by fire
but still dependent on it, the trees stood as examples
of survival for the onlookers who were getting ready
for a challenging future.
This scene occurred in February 2004
at Sequoia National Park when 21 participants attended
a three-day workshop to strengthen the National Wildland
Fire Communications and Education Program. Leading Fire
Communications into the Future was organized by the
Fire Management Program Center in Boise, Idaho.
Kicking off the workshop, Superintendent
Richard H. Martin expressed Sequoia’s pride in
supporting the national program by serving as host.
“As a manager, I know the importance of communicating
with the public and our partners about how fire management
serves the National Park Service mission,” Martin
said.
Workshop participants enjoyed more
than a dozen programs and panel discussions presented
by NPS regional and park personnel, United States Geological
Survey researchers, air quality regulators, public relations
professionals, and social scientists. The organized
sessions offered valuable opportunities for participants
to share ideas, review accomplishments, and trouble-shoot
current challenges.
One of the major themes for the workshop
was fostering a productive relationship between interpretation
and fire management. Interpreters are an integral part
of any education program because they don’t just
disseminate information, but make it meaningful and
relevant for the audience. As Sequoia National Park’s
Chief of Interpretation stood below the scarred trees
in his snowshoes, he created meaning for his current
group of fire educators. He talked about ecology, resource
management, politics, and public expectations –
all subjects that the participants could take home and
personalize to meet future challenges in their own areas.
The National Wildland Fire Communications
and Education Program consists of approximately twenty
employees working to promote fire management activities
across the nation. These employees are scattered around
the country in national, regional, and park offices.
Due to this geographic distribution, annual gatherings
are an important part of evaluating and ensuring the
success of the program over time. The Sequoia workshop
was the third gathering of its kind. This group met
in Boise, Idaho in November 2001 and in Santa Fe, New
Mexico in February 2003. |
