Landscapes Shaped by Fire

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In this episode we look to the past, stepping back to learn about the role fire has played in shaping the landscapes of the West and how humans co-existed with fire before U.S. government policies on wildfire suppression. This is the story of Indigenous fire, and what we can learn from Tribes about putting fire back on the ground.

We hear from tribal members and cultural fire practitioners Belinda Brown from Lomakatsi Restoration Project (lomakatsi.org), and Rick O’Rourke from the Cultural Fire Management Council (culturalfire.org). We also learn about the history of the U.S. Forest Service’s fire exclusion policy from Tim Ingalsbee of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE.org).  

Hosts: Joseph Vaile and Alexi Lovechio

Producer: Jessica Klinke

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Episode Transcript (Coming Soon)

Episode Guests:

Presenters & Collaborators
Dr. Timothy Ingalsbee
Dr. Timothy Ingalsbee

Timothy Ingalsbee, Ph.D. is co-founder and executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE) and is a faculty research associate at the University of Oregon. Timothy began his career as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service. In 1993 Timothy received the Oregon Conservationist of the Year Award by the Oregon Natural Resources Council. Timothy co-founded and directed the Cascadia Fire Ecology Education Project from 1994-2004, and created and directed the Western Fire Ecology Center from 1997-2004. Timothy is a senior wildland fire ecologist certified by the Association for Fire Ecology.

Belinda Brown
Belinda Brown

Belinda Brown is an enrolled Kosealekte Band member of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation (Pit River Tribe). She is honored to bring the collective voice of tribal communities to the leadership of Lomakatsi and the Rogue Basin as the Tribal Partnerships Director of Lomakatsi. She works to include and maintain a tribal presence as the first, best stewards of the land, incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into current best practices in ecosystem and ecocultural restoration. Her work has spanned 30 years of intergovernmental affairs coordination in Indian Country as a tribal leader.

Richard F. O'Rourke
Richard F. O'Rourke

Richard F. O’Rourke III is an indigenous fire practitioner and the Fire Coordinator for the Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC). He is a Yurok Tribal member, and has lived on the banks of the Klamath River for the majority of his life. He has been using fire as a defensive tool against wildfire for over 30 years. As Fire Coordinator for the CFMC he has started using fire on a landscape level for the revival of cultural resources, fuel reduction, and returning the landscape into a healthy, biologically diverse ecosystem.

Links & Resources

Organizations featured in this episode:

Lomakatsi Restoration Project (lomakatsi.org)

Cultural Fire Management Council (culturalfire.org)

Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE.org)

 

Learn More

Karuk Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Knowledge Sovereignty

Food Sovereignty

Cultural Fire Use

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Klamath River Fish Kill

More information on indigenous history of the Rogue Valley, and present-day tribes of the Klamath-Siskiyou region, along with recommended webinars, books, and organizations can be found here:

Citation:

Pyne, S. (2001). Fire: A Brief History. Seattle; London: University of Washington Press. Retrieved May 25, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwnf8f

PodcastGuest UserEpisode 2, Indigenous, Cultural Fire, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, TEK, Lomakatsi, FUSEE, Cultural Fire Management Council