FUSEE Summer Solstice Newsletter

Firebrand, FUSEE’s Quarterly Newsletter
Summer Solstice, June 2023

In this issue:

Dispatch from the Executive Director
FUSEE in the News
Fire Progression: What's New with FUSEE?
Fiery Generation: What's New with the FireGeneration Collaborative?
Torchbearers: Introducing Two New FUSEE Crew Members

Peering through the Smokescreen to See the Future

Dispatch from the Executive Director

Hello FUSEE supporters,

The epic snowfall along the Pacific Coast this past winter offered hopes for a delayed wildfire season that would permit a prolonged prescribed burning season. Alas, that opportunity to apply some good fire on the ground during ideal weather and fuel conditions was largely frittered away by federal agencies from a combination of risk aversion and bureaucratic gridlock. A warm dry spring has now shed the snow in the Cascades and Sierras, and filled most reservoirs to the brim. With relentless global warming and an El Nino unfolding, that prescribed burn window is rapidly closing. Looking into the far future, we cannot afford to waste these opportune burn windows any more. It may be a long, long time until we see again the kind of winter precipitation we just experienced. It’s going to be a long, hot summer ahead.

The smoke from Canadian wildfires that inundated the midwest and east coast suddenly and dramatically raised awareness in those populations about our annual western dance with wildfire, and tacked on extra alarm over climate change. The reaction from policymakers in the nation's capitol is not encouraging. At a recent Senate hearing that was supposed to address the Forest Service's challenges in recruiting and retaining wildland firefighters, Senators from both parties cited the smoky air to pound the dais demanding more logging on public lands! (Have they seen the obscene clearcutting in Canada?) Invariably, the worst responses to wildfires are from politicians blowing a lot of hot air.

FUSEE has invested much of the past year in internal capacity-building to expand our ability to serve the wildland fire community and collaborate with forest conservation and climate justice organizations. These largely unseen, internal organizational developments are about to bear fruit in our work ahead. The current "smoke-ageddon" (a near-annual event in the west) is not distracting us from seeing clearly the work needed to do: society must shift the dominant paradigm to embrace a new relationship with fire on the land. This may be the year that a majority of people finally see through the smokescreen of false solutions like continued conventional firefighting and commercial logging. The crisis of legitimacy of the dominant fire exclusion paradigm will have people seeking fresh air from the emergent fire restoration paradigm. Look ahead to FUSEE elevating the voices of young firefighters and the oldest fire practitioners--Indigenous peoples worldwide--as powerful advocates for ecological fire management. We invite you to join us in helping make this wildfire season hopefully the last of the old paradigm and the first of the new.

Yours,

Timothy Ingalsbee, Ph.D.
Executive Director, FUSEE

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As we enter fire season, please consider a donation to FUSEE to help us continue our work promoting safe, ethical, ecological fire management. We are deeply grateful for your continued support.

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FUSEE in the News

FUSEE members featured in the news media

Until the Canadian wildfires blew smoke into the eastern U.S. wildfire was largely out of the news over the winter and spring. One exception was stories about the lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service over its use of chemical fire retardants. FUSEE was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story about this (“Aerial fire retardant drops are attacked as ineffective and environmentally harmful” March 29, 2023). This story prompted requests for FUSEE to provide live interviews on NPR affiliates in California. The lawsuit concluded with the judge declaring that the agency's fire retardant use violated the Clean Water Act, however, she refused to impose an injunction against its use while the agency pursues a permit to pollute from the EPA.

The FireGeneration Collaborative broke into the media in a feature-length magazine article ("The next fire generation,” Ethos, April 6, 2023) and long story ("FireGeneration wants young people to help shape wildfire policies," Nexus Media Group, June 20, 2023).

FUSEE is breaking into movies now by appearing in the compelling new documentary, "Elemental: Reimagining Wildfire." FUSEE's executive director and Dr. Jack Cohen, a member of FUSEE's Advisory Council, are featured in several interviews throughout the film. The award-winning documentary has been showing in community events and art houses across the country for several months, and is now available on Amazon, Google, Apple and Vimeo streaming services.

You can keep up to date with FUSEE’s news presence here!

Fire Progression: What’s New with FUSEE?

FUSEE Board "Retreat" Advances Strategic Planning

In early March, FUSEE's Board of Directors gathered for two intensive days at a retreat center near Eugene to develop a strategic plan. This was the first time in many years that directors were able to gather together in person. One director came directly from a prescribed burn in Georgia! Topmost in mind was increasing our organizational capacity to better serve our mission. FUSEE has been in high demand to serve the fire management community in policy debates, and collaborate with forest conservation and climate justice organizations. Our work helping to organize young firefighters with the FireGeneration Collaborative, and provide solidarity with Indigenous fire practitioners, has taxed our small staff to cover a lot of ground.

For the last three years, during peak wildfire season, nearly our entire staff and half of our board have disappeared for weeks on end as they were dispatched to the firelines. But, we're cursed by a firefighter's can-do attitude and just can't say "no" to requests from partners or the public. So the watchword of the board during its meetings was "capacity-building." The outcome was a five-year strategic plan for raising more resources to grow our staffing so we can say "yes!" as much as possible.

Following the board retreat--which was really an advance, marking another growth spurt in FUSEE's organizational development--Board members joined our staff and volunteers to host a FUSEE exhibit table at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference. Joined on either side of us were display tables hosted by U of O students in the FireGeneration Collaborative and the Willamette Valley Fire Collaboration, the all-Native youth prescribed fire crew that is returning Indigenous cultural burning to Kalapuya country in Oregon. This was the WVFC's first conference ever, and FUSEE helped them create colorful literature displays that showcased their work. Their table also featured an exhibit of several first foods, traditional basketry, and religious ceremonial items that depended on fire. Together, our three exhibit tables were strategically located in the center of the exhibit space and formed a whirl of energy with lots of enthusiastic engagement from conference attendees. The conference was a great way to cap the Board retreat.

Fiery Generation: What's New with the FireGeneration Collaborative

The FireGeneration Collaborative is a diverse group of young organizers fiscally sponsored by FUSEE that is focused on transforming fire culture, community governance access, and promoting equitable solutions by centering Indigenous leadership and diverse young people in the fire world. Check out their new webpage on the FUSEE website!

Our last issue of Firebrand extolled FireGen's trip to Washington D.C. that took the nation's capitol by storm, electrifying policymakers like a jolt of dry lightning that sparked numerous opportunities for continued engagement. For example, this Spring FireGen initiated a "Next Generation Perspectives" panel that gave testimony to the Federal Wildland Fire Commission, and offered an array of policy recommendations.

They now have a seat on the WFLC Western Regional Strategy Committee and attend regular meetings. They've also organized a multi-university research project that is now underway, and has been featured in the news. Make sure to follow them on Instagram and, if you want to support, see details on the webpage or reach out to them via email!

Introducing Two New FUSEE Crew Members

In each quarterly newsletter, FUSEE features information about a “Torchbearer for the New Paradigm” - a person whose knowledge and experience helps shift the narrative around fire. This solstice, we welcome new members to the crew.

Emily Kostuch (she/her) started working as FUSEE’s Administrative and Outreach Assistant in February. She has bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moved to Eugene, OR in 2017. She enjoys reading, crafting, and being outdoors as much as possible. Emily sees fire as a symbol of growth, movement, and warmth.

Alisa Dougherty (she/her) is the new Digital Storyteller Intern. She is an environmental studies student at the University of Oregon. She became interested in working for FUSEE through her interest in science communication. She thinks fire is a powerful tool that is often misunderstood.

You can look forward to hearing more from Emily and Alisa in the months ahead.

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