Libraries to hold wildland fire dialogue

No matter where you live in this state, it’s likely you and your neighbors felt impacts from Washington’s record-setting wildland fire year — and the Spokane County Library District hopes to find out what those impacts were.

The district is holding a series of “kitchen-table” style community conversations later this month and through February at all 10 library branches — including Cheney, Medical Lake and Airway Heights — for residents to share their experiences and opinions on the effect the over 1 million acres that burned last summer had on their lives. A panel of 2-3 experts will be on hand to hear these experiences and opinions, along with ideas on what the future might hold for the state and how residents and government officials can deal with it.

Library district communications and development officer Jane Baker said they got the idea for these community conversations from similar dialogue started last year as part of a district-wide exhibit on wolves. Those conversations proved popular, with attendance often standing-room-only at many branches.

“We got a huge response,” Baker said.

The district recently opened a Smithsonian national traveling exhibit, “Exploring Human Origins: What does it mean to be human?” at the North Spokane Branch near Shadle Park. Human interaction with the environment is part of that question, and Baker said district officials felt because the impacts of last summer’s wildfires were experienced virtually around the state, a discussion should take place, tackling questions like is this the new normal for the Inland Northwest, how to mitigate wildfire effects and our ability to adapt to climate change.

According to information from the Department of Natural Resources pamphlet “Wildland Fires Summary 2015,” 1,541 fires were reported last summer, 1,084 caused by lightning and 457 caused by humans. Those fires consumed 1,005,423 acres and have cost an estimated $347 million to fight, with not all costs in yet.

Four of those fires – the Chelan, Okanogan, Tunk Block and North Star complexes – took place in North Central Washington, the latter three on a line running from Chelan through Omak/Okanogan and north of Nespelem on the Colville Indian Reservation. The 73,392-acre Kettle Complex burned through timber northwest of Kettle Falls and the 63,972-acre Carpenter Road complex blackened land closer to home on the Spokane Reservation and north along the east bank of the Columbia River.

All total, the six fires burned 743,392 acres, with the smoke often not only darkening skies and reddening sunsets but also creating hazardous air conditions in the Spokane area and throughout Eastern Washington for weeks in August. The fires took a human toll as well when three firefighters were killed in a blaze along the Twisp River that eventually hooked up with the Okanogan Complex.

The district’s community conversations will include a group of five experts to not only listen to residents, but also provide some answers to questions. Those experts are Gonzaga University environmental studies professor and author Greg Gordon, Spokane Falls Community College philosophy instructor and environmental ethicist Andy Braks, Eastern Washington University anthropology professor Fred Strange, Spokesman-Review outdoor writer Rich Landers and Airway Heights Fire Chief Mitch Metzger. Baker said these experts wouldn’t be at all 10 conversations but rather split time among the various locations.

As for what the district intends to do with the conversation’s results, Baker said they aren’t sure just yet. If the discussions prove fruitful, the district might look at expanding the dialogue in the future into other arenas, such as including them in the upcoming Firewise programs to take place this spring.

Community conversations examining the impacts of last summer’s wildfires will take place at the Medical Lake library Tuesday, Feb. 2; Cheney library Wednesday, Feb. 3; and the Airway Heights library Tuesday, Feb. 9. All three conversations will run from 6 – 8 p.m.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].