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“Thanks, that was cool!” said a young boy. “The longer you look, the more you see,” said a mother. “Wow, I didn’t know that,” said a long-time local resident.
Employees at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are getting lots of praise this year since the unveiling of a new mobile learning center called The Fire Place. The center is a small cargo trailer that houses exhibits and activities about fire history, ecology, and management.
“We wanted to provide on-site learning opportunities for visitors and local residents,” said Jody Lyle, Fire Education Specialist for Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. “Now, for example, if we are doing a prescribed burn, the mobile learning center will be parked nearby to enrich visitor experiences in the field.”
The learning center is beautifully decorated with three hand-painted murals by artist Ali Pearson. The murals depict different fire strategies (suppression, prescribed fire, and wildland fire use) within some of the parks most spectacular ecosystems (the foothills, sequoia groves, and the High Sierra).
In addition to personal contacts, The Fire Place offers several independent activities for individuals or families to enjoy. People can do the Mural Hunt (a scavenger hunt game), color their own murals, dress-up in fire clothing, use fire equipment, or practice fire tactics in a table-top sand box.
The Fire Place was made possible by donations from The Sequoia Fund, the Bank of the Sierra, and Tru Trailers of Fresno, California. Since mid-April, the learning center has already reached hundreds of community residents, students, and visitors.
Contact: Jody Lyle, Fire Information and Education Specialist
Phone: (559) 565-3703 |
