First of all, I want to thank you for putting together such an amazing class for us in Durango.  I learned so much about the science of fire; forest ecology; noxious weeds (some of these I actually thought were flowers, not weeds); the WUI, (I used to live there, and still have many friends that are still living there, I guess I’m glad I’m not there now.  Too many factors now are making it more prone to fires); the effects of fire on wildlife (not as devastating as I thought it would be); vegetation recovery (I was amazed how quickly vegetation recovers); and the effects of soils and watersheds after a major fire, to name just a few of the covered topics.

Secondly, the teaching materials created by PLT will be a major component of any Fire Ecology classes that I might teach in the future.  It is obvious that the curriculum has been well thought out and tested.  I look forward to having the opportunity to use these materials.

Thirdly, thank you for the photos.  It was a great reminder of what we did, and helped me share my experience with my husband, Dan.  Dan is a former director of the Keystone Science School, so he was very interested in what we learned.

Fourthly, it was so interesting to meet with all of the “behind the scenes” people.  When you have the opportunity to meet with people who have dealt with an event, you learn so much more.  I appreciated how open they were with us about the many events that were complicated and difficult to deal with.

The speaker that had the biggest impact on me was John Ey.  I was so impressed at what he accomplished with so little.  He was not afraid to take the “bull by the horns”, and get the job done.

What will I do with all of this newly learned knowledge?  Since I have returned from Durango, I have had many opportunities to share fire ecology information with friends and colleagues.  I have begun discussions with my colleagues at C.U about the possibility of offering a “fire ecology” class for students next summer as part of the Science Discovery Summer Classes Program.  Hopefully during the winter we will be able to develop a class that will be exciting for our targeted age group. (Still to be determined).  I hope it is OK with you all; I’ll probably be seeking assistance in lesson plans etc.

In my mind it is obvious that this topic of Wild land Forest Fires is something we will be dealing with always. It is my hope that sometime in the future we will be able to learn to better manage our forests and how people live in relation to the forest.  Education will be a key component in this mission. Hopefully through all of our efforts, in our many different life experiences, we will be an important part of this educational process.

Wishing you all a healthy and fun summer.