#30 The community-building magic of the Era of Megafires Project

My guests for this episode are Dr. Paul Hessburg and Sara of the Era of Megafires Project. Dr. Hessburg is a research scientist who has been studying forest health and fire behavior. Rolfs is the coordinator for the project, which has been wildly successful in changing how people think about the wildfire issue. In nearly 100 presentations around the West, they have built a powerful network of land managers and public officials who are working in their communities to address this challenge. Every community affected by wildfire has the ability to craft local solutions that can make a difference over time. How they have done it gives us insights into addressing other issues in our communities. The approach works because of powerful storytelling, solid science, a grass-roots emphasis rather than a top-down approach for solutions and the great sense of empowerment that it creates in the communities that engage with this work.  These are solid strategies that can help us find new, creative ways to solve difficult and complex challenges. By golly, our society can sure use these tools for finding common ground and inspiring action at the local level.   I hope you enjoy the conversation.