Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff

Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment, and environmental integrity

Early Career Panel

Episode highlight

This episode is a recording of a session at the IAWF Fire & Climate conference in Pasadena CA, featuring early career researchers who are re-kindling cultural burning.

Resources

International Association of Wildland Fire

Sponsors

The Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science

Support from:

●       California Indian Water Commission

●       Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation

Quotes

16.25 - 16.29: “Indigenous people don’t need us to speak on their behalf, they can speak on their own behalf.”

Takeaways

“In a good way” (05.02)

Melinda Adams, San Carlos Apache Tribal member, and PhD candidate at UC Davis, shares how agency representatives took a step away from fire suppression in one of the first CalFire cultural fire workshops at Cache Creek Conservancy in Woodland, CA.

The benefits of cultural fire (06.42)

Melinda narrates how the burn was concentrated on restoring tule, an ecologically and culturally significant plant. This highlights how cultural fire is important for long-term carbon storage, water holding potential and cultural reunification.

Collaboration, consultation and consent (07.57)

Melinda hopes for  burning to take place with Indigenous peoples, to undo the impacts of colonialism and unburden future generations from climate change.

Good relations (11.11)

Carly Dominguez is of Indigenous Mexican heritage. Her work with cultural fire is inspired by her desire to improve water health.

Fire has always been good (13.30)

Carly is being trained through the Indigenous cultural burn network.

“Fire has a special place in my heart” (17.41)

Deniss Martinez is a Ph.D. candidate at UC Davis. Learning from local Indigenous communities helped her reconnect with her Indigenous roots and relearn fire.

Getting stuff done (19.54)

William Madrigal Jr., or Will, is associated with Climate Science Alliance, a nonprofit based in San Diego that supports and collaborates with Indigenous tribes in addressing climate change disparities.

Facing climate change (22.19)

Nina Fontana is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis in collaboration with the USGS Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.

Relationships over acres (26.10)

Deniss observes that when relationships are built and in place, more equitable decision-making takes place during a crisis.

Trust takes time (30.57)

Carly suggests approaching practices and policies with openness and Nina advises including the community in all aspects of the project from the beginning.

Researching back to life (35.59)

Melinda notes that Indigenous peoples conducting research helps move their initiatives and collaborations forward. She is excited about young people getting involved in burning and the openness of other researchers to this learning.

“We have to have hope” (40.16)

As a native person whose ancestors survived so much, Melinda believes it is her duty to lead with hope.

“Connection brings me hope” (43.22)

Understanding the traditional way humans can fulfil our responsibilities to the following seven generations gives Will hope for a better future. Nina finds hope in hearing about species coming back to landscapes.