• Afternoon clouds cover the distance peaks of the iconic Boney Mountain

    Santa Monica Mountains

    National Recreation Area California

National Park Labs: Studies of Wildland Fire Ecology

Wildland Fire Ecology student analyzes soil using modern chemistry techniques.

The Wildland Fire Ecology program is a high school curriculum-based program that allows students to observe and measure affects of wildfire in the chaparral community of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Classes are provided equipment and training needed to conduct air, land, and water experiments at various park sites. These areas range from sites not burned in more than 50 years to sites recently burned.

Students will learn process skills used by resource management personnel. Creativity and problem solving abilities will be emphasized. They will also discover the importance of fire and its impact on natural
resources and their lives.

 

One in-field visit is scheduled per class throughout the school year. Each lasts approximately 2.5 hours.

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The Teachers manual contains:

Guidelines: lesson description, vocabulary, materials, and protocols.
Handouts: includes background information for lessons. Worksheet for that lesson.
Worksheets: classroom and fieldtrip

Click here to download the Wildland Fire Ecology Teachers' Manual now (PDF-2M).

Did You Know?

Backbone trail hikes lead to views of mountains, canyons, and the Pacific Ocean.

Piece by piece, a trail is forging its way along the "backbone" of the recreation area. California State Parks took the first step toward a 65-mile Backbone Trail in 1978. With 5 miles left to go, single track trails and fireroads will unite this patchwork of public parklands from east to west.