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Recently, Alaskan wildland fire interagency
partners spent three festive days in Nondalton teaching the
community about wildland fire. Nondalton is a small Dena’ina
Athabascan community located south of Lake Clark National
Park and Preserve (NP/Pr) and the home of two Alaskan Type
2 crews.
On Friday and Saturday, September 30th and
October 1st, teachers and educators took a 1 credit fire ecology,
behavior and management course sponsored and presented by
the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry.
Educators learned a variety of hands-on lessons for 4th –
12th graders from two standards-based curriculums, U.S Fish
and Wildlife Service Role of
Fire and U.S Forest Service Fireworks.
On Sunday, October 2nd, National Park Service
Western Area Fire Management Officer and Regional Fire Communication
and Education Specialist led a new, interactive FIREWISE workshop
developed for communities adjacent to NPS lands. More than
30 adults and youth learned about the natural role of fire
in the boreal forest, local fire history, wildland fire prevention,
and resources for homeowners seeking FIREWISE assistance.
Held in conjunction with the workshop, students
presented art posters depicting their interpretations of wildland
fire at a community potluck. A community forum followed, at
which the crew boss of a Nondalton Type 2 crew spoke to his
community about the importance of each resident taking action
to prevent the risk of wildland fire threatening homes.
 The workshop concluded with a FIREWISE home
assessment in which adults and children learned about safe
home construction, design, landscaping, and maintenance. This
workshop would not have been a success without Lake Clark
NP/Pr Interpretive Park Ranger Jennifer Shaw’s assistance,
guidance and support.
Through this creative partnership between
the community, Lake Clark NP/Pr, Alaska NPS Fire Management
staff and Alaska Division of Forestry, the festival successfully
conveyed to participants that they can no longer ask, “If
a fire will burn,” but rather, “When will a fire
burn?” The community now knows how to prepare for such
an event and where to seek out assistance. This timely festival
followed Alaska’s third largest wildland fire season
to date. With over 4.4 million acres burned this season and
6.59 million acres burned in 2004, the largest season since
reliable records began in the 1950’s, two of Alaska’s
top-three wildland fire seasons have happened in two consecutive
years.
Contact: Morgan
Warthin, Regional Fire Education, Prevention and Information
Specialist
Phone: (907)
644-3418 |
