Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Fire World

2026 California Fire Science Seminar Series

April 2, 2026 - 12pm PT/3pm ET

Abstract: Native people have successfully stewarded the land for thousands and thousands of years pre-contact. This presentation will delve into fire's role in ecosystem function. Fire is meant to be part of the ecosystem and its absence has had devastating effects on the environment. As wildfires continue to grow in scope and intensity and climate change mitigation becomes ever more essential Traditional Ecological Knowledge has come to the forefront of potential solutions.

Presented by: Margo Robbins, Executive Director, Cultural Fire Management Council

Margo comes from the traditional Yurok village of Morek, and is an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Cultural Fire Management Council, co-lead of the Indigenous People’s Burn Network, and member of the International Indigenous-led Fire Network. She graduated from Humboldt State University and resides on the Yurok reservation in far northern California. She previously served as the Indian Education Director for the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School district, she is a mom, and a grandma.