FUSEE’s Monthly Newsletter

August 2024

Ignite the Night: Celebrate 20 Years with FUSEE in Eugene!

Ignite the celebration! Join us on Friday, October 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM at Manifestation Eugene (3675 W 1st Ave) for our 20th Anniversary Party, where fire takes center stage. 

Experience the heat with:

🎸 Live music from blazing local and regional bands

🔥 A mesmerizing fire spinning performance

🧖 The warmth of a wood-fired sauna 

♨️ Hot tub for a post sauna soak

🍕 Wood-fired oven with fresh pizza

Let’s celebrate two decades of fire advocacy with a night of fun, community, and fiery festivities!

We are offering sliding scale tickets to make this event accessible to all, and note that any donation amount at or above $45 helps support this event to be more inclusive for all. All ticket purchases are tax-deductible and ensure FUSEE can continue this vital work.

Save the date and get your ticket here today! 

If you are one of the first 20 people to buy their ticket before the end of August with this code, you can get 15% off your ticket price: “earlybirdaugust”

NWFP Amendment Webinar: Indigenous Inclusion, Cultural Burning, and Mature & Old Growth Forests

Tuesday, September 10th at 12pm

Registration Link

At the end of the month, the US Forest Service will release the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed changes to the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). For 30 years, the NWFP has guided forest management across the PNW on federal lands. This will be the first amendment in 30 years and presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to:

🌲create better protections for mature and old growth forests

🤝 establish meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities

🔥a fighting chance at mitigating the climate crisis through fire stewardship and management

To ensure the NWFP amendment enables a more just and sustainable future for our forests and communities rather than repeating the mistakes and injustices of the past, our communities need to speak out and comment on the proposed changes.

Join us Tuesday, September 10th at noon for a deep dive into these topics and what’s at stake in the NWFP, and to get resources and information to submit effective public comments. Speakers include Meredith Jacobson, University of Oregon PhD candidate and FUSEE Board Member, and Madeline Cowen, Grassroots Organizer with Cascadia Wildlands.

Come September, we will be asking YOU, FUSEE members, to make your voice heard to submit a public comment. We will email you an email alert when it’s time! We’re excited to do this important work with you.

FUSEE’s Support of the National Old Growth Amendment (NOGA)

About NOGA: The National Old Growth Amendment (NOGA) proposes strategies for protecting old growth forests on public lands. Big old trees are naturally resilient to wildfire and store immense amounts of carbon. The greatest threat to big old trees comes from logging, not wildfires.

Wildfire suppression consumes vast amounts of money and resources compared to prescribed burning. Getting more beneficial fire on the ground now will better prepare remaining mature and old-growth trees from future climate conditions and wildfire events. We need to protect mature and old growth stands with fire, not from fire.

How FUSEE is Involved: Executive Director Tim Ingalsbee is heading to Washington DC in a few short weeks to give a special showing of the film Crown Jewels to members of Congress. This documentary features FUSEE staff and colleagues speaking on climate change’s impacts on old growth forests and fire management. 

Film National Premiere Success: FUSEE hosted the national premiere of this film and sold out the event! We even had attendees sitting on the floor, excited to be watching and engaging to make history by submitting public comments.

You can take action too and submit your comment here. You can also watch this film for free on Youtube here.

Foliage Fest: Local Concert in Eugene Success: Thank you to everyone who came out to support our first Foliage Fest: Summer Concert for the trees and fire management co hosted with our friends at 350Eugene, Oregon Wild, and Cascadia Wildlands. 

We had over 120 people show up to submit public comments for NOGA and the NWFP, dance and enjoy live music, make beautiful screen print art, take fun photos, and revel in the fun of summer community. Friends that take action together, stay together!

Last Chance Today: Join FUSEE & Make an Impact—Plus Get a Free Gift!

Last Chance! We’ve extended the deadline until the end of today, August 20th at midnight—there’s still time to become a monthly member and receive a FREE fire ecology bandana. This is the best way to support our work. We also gladly welcome one-time donations if that better aligns with your capacity.

Your support directly fuels our mission to advocate for fire-conscious policies, educate communities, and empower youth and Indigenous voices in wildfire management. Don’t miss out on this exclusive offer and the chance to make a real impact!

Job Alerts

Mindful Moments: Monthly Mindfulness and Mental Health Resources for Wildland Firefighters

Last month, we launched a new section to our newsletter, Mindful Moments. At FUSEE, we advocate for firefighter safety and wellbeing, and a huge, often overlooked, part of safety is mental health awareness and support for those on the frontlines of the climate crisis. 

Every month, in partnership with mental health practitioners and mindfulness experts who work specifically with wildland firefighters, we offer you a free guided meditation or mindfulness resource. 

This month, you can listen to your free guided meditation about patience and acceptance by following this link.

Interested in being a donor or sponsor of Oregon's first Mindfulness and Mental Wellness Retreat for wildland firefighters in January 2025? We are looking for support in turning this dream into a reality and making it FREE for firefighter participants. 

Please email or call Helena Virga if you would like to help launch this retreat 949-648-3185 or helena@fusee.org.

Do you know someone who would like to get our newsletter? Send them here!

Learn more at fusee.org