Wildfire on the Range

A Two-Day Workshop for Journalists

Boise, Idaho

May 11-13, 2022

Across the western United States, the impacts of wildfire are becoming more severe and the fire season is getting longer — in fact, in some places it’s no longer a “season” but a year-round reality. Drought holds much of the region in a stranglehold. A century of management decisions have led to precarious realities on the ground. And as recent years have shown, urban areas are no less at risk than rural.

Boise, Idaho is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and is rapidly expanding into the surrounding rangeland and forest — leaving its neighborhoods potentially vulnerable to the impacts of wildfire. Boise is also home to the National Interagency Fire Center, the nation’s federal fire management hub, as well as a host of fire and disaster researchers at Boise State University. Just outside the city, the landscape is a patchwork of federal, state and private ownership, providing unique opportunities for joint fire management and collaborative mitigation.

In May 2022, the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources hosted a two-day in-person workshop for journalists in Boise, focused on wildfire. Fifteen journalists had the chance to meet with experts, travel into the field, and hear first-hand from those tasked with managing fire and mitigating its impacts.

Topics included:

Public/private partnerships in wildland fire management and post-fire mitigation.
Wildfire, invasive species, and the impact on native ecosystems.
Public health and the adverse impacts of smoke exposure.
How longer, harder fire seasons are taking a toll on firefighter well-being.
A visit to the National Interagency Fire Center, home to the fire management programs of each federal agency.
Firewise practices, and how to mitigate risk in the Wildland Urban Interface.
The traditional role of fire on the landscape, and the lessons it might provide for future management.
What journalists should be considering when framing and reporting on wildfire stories.
A visit to the area burned by the 2015 Soda Fire to hear from individuals impacted by the blaze, as well as those working to restore the landscape in its wake.

Itinerary

Participating Journalists

Post-Workshop Stories

This workshop made possible by the support of the Wilburforce Foundation.