草榴社区 Pyrogeography students help town of Glacier develop its first wildfire plan
Glacier, situated along the North Fork of the Nooksack River on the way to Mount Baker, is like many mountain towns facing an ever-increasing fire risk and impacts. The community is surrounded by forests that have not seen a major fire in decades. The town is on a highway with only one way in and one way out, which could complicate evacuation plans if the road becomes blocked.
"Under continued climate stress and the right set of weather conditions, an extreme wildfire event is possible in a community like Glacier," said Abby Marshall, a Western senior who is one of a group of students who worked on the town's first Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) over the last several months.
On Tuesday, March 18, Glacier Fire & Rescue hosted a Community Wildfire Resilience Night. Environmental Studies Professor Michael Medler joined Western students Marshall, Emily Martin, Suzanne Cadagan, and Lizzie Rentz, all seniors from his Pyrogeography 鈥 the geography of fire - capstone class, as they presented the CWPP to the community. Medler's students collaborated with Whatcom County Fire District #19 and the Glacier Fire & Rescue volunteer fire crew members to produce the plan. 草榴社区 students Dylan Wilson, Mars Sweeney, and Cody Powell contributed to the project but were not at the presentation.
For the Glacier Fire & Rescue team, creating a fire plan has been a long-term goal but has been out of reach due to limited resources. Marshall notes that "Fire District 19 is staffed by a small group of volunteer firefighters, who would not have the resources to fight a major fire, so increasing community resilience is essential."
Washington State Department of Natural Resources recommends that all communities built near or among lands prone to wildland fire areas develop comprehensive CWPPs based on the community's needs to address issues like wildfire response, hazard mitigation, preparedness, and to be more resilient to wildfire. Having a CWPP also gives Glacier access to grants and other funding.
Glacier's new FWPP addresses some of the community's main challenges, including improvements in evacuation preparedness, implementing safe zones, and reducing overall fuel loads. In addition to the community-wide recommendations, the plan offered strategies for individuals. "We also recommended steps that individual homeowners could take to reduce their risk," said Marshall. "Such as following Firewise practices, implementing home ignition zones, and being Two Weeks Ready." Firewise is a national program that helps individuals and communities prepare for and reduce the risk of wildfire damage. Two Weeks Ready is a disaster preparedness planning toolkit that helps people build emergency kits and create and share a family emergency plan.
"It was a great opportunity for College of the Environment students to be embedded in the process of developing a fire plan," said Medler. "And some of the students intend to continue with this kind of work."
Professor Medler encouraged students to apply what they've been learning in their coursework to a real-world project. For students like Marshall, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences and a Certificate in GIS, it was a chance to see first-hand how her skills can make a positive impact on the community.
Jennifer Nerad covers Western's College of the Environment for the Office of University Communications. Have a great story idea? Reach out to her at neradj@wwu.edu.