Notable Past Events
On June 28th, 2024, we joined forces with the Weminuche Audubon Society to explore the forest through the eyes of birds. Birds provide a window into ecosystem health and function. Participants learned about the crossover between birds and forestry, how bird monitoring data from the Weminuche Audubon Society helps inform future decisions on forest management for the San Juan National Forest, and how to collect data first hand. Much of the tour consisted of folks going out to monitoring points and doing point counts which is a way to observe and record bird sightings and hearings.
Entomologists Dr. Dan West, Colorado State Forest Service, and Amy Lockner, US Forest Service, lead an evening discussion on Thursday September 19th that delved into the history and ecology of forest/beetle interactions in Southwest Colorado. To visit Dr. Dan West’s PowerPoint presented this evening, click HERE.
The following afternoon, Dr. Dan West, Amy Lockner, and Tim Leischman, silviculturalist with the US Forest Service, led a discussion and tour at Wolf Creek Lodge and Ski Area. Some of the topics addressed included the history of beetle activity in the Wolf Creek area, how potential beetle populations could change in the future, and what regeneration may look like on Wolf Creek Pass in the coming decades.
Join Representatives of: The Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Coordination Action Team (RWEACT-Win), San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, Southwest Firewise, Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, and the Rio Grande and San Juan National Forests for FREE FOOD and Conversation.
June 19 – Panel Discussions about the history of the fire, current conditions, and what to expect in the future. Discussions will be followed by a FREE BBQ. Click here for the agenda. Wolf Creek Ski Area – 4:00pm to 7:00pm
June 20 – Tour of the West Fork Fire Scar. Discuss the fire with regional experts and land managers. Please bring a hard hat if you own one. FREE LUNCH. Click here for the agenda. Meet at the Wolf Creek Ski Area at 8:30am. The group will leave at 9:00am and return at 3:00pm.
Partners include: Wildfire Adapted Partnership, Mountain Studies Institute, Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team, Wolf Creek Ski Area, Three Barrel Brewing, Riff Raff Brewing, Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service.
The Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREX) “address one of the most fundamental ways to shift fire culture: giving more people the opportunity to work with fire.”
In 2018 and 2019, participants in Southwest Colorado took part in controlled burns on the San Juan National Forest and private land.
Participants served in qualified and trainee firefighting positions on a burn team and assisted with preparing, scouting, briefing, igniting, holding, mop-up, and patrol on a controlled burn.
Partners included: Prescribed Fire Training Exchange, Fire Learning Network, US Forest Service, Forest Stewards Guild, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Mountain Studies Institute, Chama Peak Land Alliance
As we head into spring in 2018 with below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures, community concerns around forest health were growing, and land managers were faced with significant challenges including wildfire, prescribed fire, insect infestation, diminished water quality and smoke. To address community concerns, foster understanding, and promote innovative collaboration between local land managers, Mountain Studies Institute and partners offered a three-part learning series. Over three nights, we covered local forest health, current conditions and the local managers who address them, and the changes that will shape our future forests.
Discussion Topics
March 21: Forest Health 101: Forests, Fire, and Smoke
The series kicked off with a presentation and short film on the foundational concepts and ecology of forest health in Southwest Colorado. With an introduction to key terms and players in hand, a visiting expert delved into her research on the science, impacts, and management of smoke and fire.
- Julie Korb, Biology Professor, Fort Lewis College
- Kelley Barsanti, Chemical and Environmental Engineering Professor, UC Riverside: Smoke in the Air_CO_2018_Barsanti
April 4: The Who’s Who of Forests and Fire
This second night focused on the current conditions of our forests, from drought to insect infestation, and how they impact the risk of fire. This assessment of current conditions led to a broader dialogue about fire on the landscape, both prescribed and wild, from people making the decisions about how both should be handled.
Introductory lecture by Matt Tuten, San Juan National Forest: MattTuten_PowerhouseScienceTalk_20180404
& Aaron Kimple, Mountain Studies Institute
Panel of local experts:
- Charlie Landsman, FireWise
- Jimbo Buickerood, San Juan Citizens Alliance
- Butch Knowlton, La Plata County Emergency Management
- Kent Grant, Colorado State Forest Service
- Matt Janowiak, San Juan National Forest
April 18: Future Forest Changes and Challenges
To close the series, we directed the conversation to the future of our forests and the innovative ways we hope to adapt to known and unknown changes. This panel touched on new collaborative management strategies, shifting forest ecologies, insect infestations, and economic opportunities that may improve the future of our forests.
Introductory lecture by Jim Worrall, US Forest Service, on how 2018 relates to future climate projections for our forests, and how managers may react or adapt to that future.
Panel of local experts:
- Kara Chadwick, San Juan National Forest Supervisor
- JR Ford, Forest Health Company Owner
- Jimbo Buickerood, San Juan Citizens Alliance Lands and Forest Protection Program Manager
- Dan West, Colorado State Forest Service Entomology Program Specialist
- Amy Lockner, US Forest Service Entomologist,
- Jim Worrall, US Forest Service Gunnison Service Center Leader
Thank you to our supporters from the Colorado State Forest Service, Wildfire Adapted Partnership, and Powerhouse Science Center, San Juan Citizens Alliance, United States Forest Service, and Mountain Studies Institute.
Past event archive*
*Please note that this list is not exhaustive