Day 2-10: Mild Fire Mighty Impact: Advancing Wildland Management to Prevent Megafires | Marco Bey Honoring Indigenous Stewardship: Putting Indigenous People at the Center of Wildland Management | Belinda Brown

Indigenous communities have lived sustainably on the land for generations, developing a deep understanding of the ecosystems they inhabit. Their knowledge of fire behavior, coupled with their intimate understanding of the local landscape, creates a powerful tool for wildfire prevention. By recognizing the time-honored wisdom they possess, we can advance our strategies for preventing mega-fires. 

Lomakatsi Restoration Project is a nonprofit organization that has been restoring ecosystems and sustaining communities for over 28 years. By restoring fire-adapted forests and rangelands, Lomakatsi helps make communities and ecosystems more resilient to climate change impacts like catastrophic wildfires. They take a holistic, collaborative approach that considers the well-being of both the land and the people who have stewarded it for generations.

Tune in as Lomakatsi Restoration Project’s Founder Marco Bey and Tribal Partnerships Director Belinda Brown discuss the importance of restoring indigenous land management practices in reducing wildfire risks and promoting ecosystem health as well as the need for collaborative land management between tribes, scientists, and agencies to protect communities and sacred sites from increasingly severe wildfires through cultural burning.